Very poor claims handling, communication and follow-through

I am extremely disappointed with the way King Price has handled my motor claim.

My Toyota 86 was involved in an accident on 11 August 2026 and was towed to GoBid/Motor Salvage that same day, to which I was informed that it had only arrived there the day after the incident. I was then informed that the vehicle would be assessed, and a visual assessment was eventually completed on 14 August, resulting in an R20,000 repair estimate.

My concern from the beginning was that the vehicle had sustained a significant lateral impact through the wheel and had also gone onto a pavement. The initial assessment was essentially only visual and did not adequately establish whether there was concealed suspension, steering, alignment or underbody damage.

I therefore formally disputed the assessment and requested that the vehicle be properly inspected at an appropriate repair facility before I accepted any settlement or repair decision.

After speaking to the Assessment Manager, I was told that the vehicle could be released and taken for a proper Strip & Quote. I subsequently received confirmation from King Price that arrangements would be made to uplift the vehicle from the assessment yard and take it to Shock and Alignment Centre for proper diagnosis, after which they would communicate the findings and advise on the way forward.

The vehicle eventually arrived there on the Sunday.

Since then, however, I have had to personally chase King Price for updates. I called on Monday simply to find out where my own vehicle was because I had received no communication. I called again on Wednesday and was told that they were still waiting for the Shock and Alignment Centre to provide its report. It is now Thursday morning and I have still received no update whatsoever from King Price.

What is particularly frustrating is that the vehicle has now been tied up in this process for over two weeks, while I have had to repeatedly contact King Price myself simply to find out what is happening.

I have also been advised by a broker and several people working in the insurance industry that a vehicle requiring this type of mechanical assessment should ordinarily be taken to an appropriate repair/mechanical facility to establish the extent of damage, rather than relying on an initial assessment at a salvage yard. I cannot independently verify the internal procedure King Price follows, but my experience has certainly left me questioning why the vehicle was initially sent to GoBid for an assessment that was not equipped to properly establish the mechanical condition following the impact.

To be clear, my frustration is not simply because I disagree with the R20,000 figure. My issue is that I wanted the actual extent of the damage established properly before making a decision, which I believe is a completely reasonable request after a significant wheel/suspension impact.

The Assessment Manager has been reasonably helpful when I have actually managed to speak to him, and I appreciate that he agreed to have the vehicle moved for further diagnosis. Unfortunately, the overall claims experience has still been extremely poor due to the lack of proactive communication, repeated delays and the fact that I have had to chase the insurer for basic information about the whereabouts and progress of my vehicle.

At this stage, I simply want King Price to properly assess the vehicle, provide the resulting report, communicate the findings and proposed way forward without me having to repeatedly call, and bring the claim to a clear resolution rather than allowing the vehicle to sit in limbo.

I understand that claims can take time and that additional assessments may sometimes be necessary. What I find unacceptable is having to repeatedly chase an insurer to find out what is happening with my own vehicle.

The communication and follow-through on this claim have been extremely disappointing.