Prejudicial treatment

<p>We bought a house last year (2016) with an aging Portapool that was in very poor shape (vinyl wearing thin along edges and showing tiny tears). I requested that it not be included in the insurance because of its poor condition (we wanted to remove the pool). I was referred to the claims department to ascertain whether this was a good idea. They listened to what I had to say and determined that a claim would not likely be upheld because of the generally bad state of the pool. MiWay, however, still refused to allow us to not insure it stating that it was immovable property and had to be covered.</p> <p> </p> <p>So I have been paying for the pool. Then in June 2017 we had a big storm in Cape Town. The water level in the pool was low due to the water restrictions and the strong winds caused the sides to tear away around close to half of the circumference of the pool. So because I was forced to insure the pool I lodged a claim for this sudden and unforseen damage.</p> <p> </p> <p>The claim was rejected because of the poor state of the pool and I was now told it could be removed from my contract. I disputed this outcome with MiWay but the disputes department upheld the position of MiWay and supported the rejection of the claim. Furthermore, the contracts people have now told me that I do not need to insure the pool any more.</p> <p> </p> <p>I feel very much prejudiced by this because MiWay decided that they should take my money for a pool that was in bad shape and which their own claims dept had suggested would not likely be suitable for claiming anyway based on its poor condition. Now they have rejected a claim (as expected) and changed their mind about whether it needs to be covered in my contract. I find this very unfair.</p> <p> </p> <p>If I was an insurance company I would not want to pay out on a pool that was in such a state either. So I do not blame them for rejecting the claim. However, the fact that they have changed their mind over the issue of whether the pool needs to be insured or not is extremely unprofessional. At the very least I would have expected that MiWay agree to refund me the difference in premiums as though the pool was never insured in the first place. I could live with this outcome.</p> <p> </p> <p>Addendum: It must be stated that the MiWay staff were always polite, efficient and helpful and that there is no individual to blame here.</p>