COMPLAINT – Alexander-Forbes Insurance (Claim Pending)

COMPLAINT – Alexander-Forbes Insurance (Claim Pending)

We moved our home and vehicle insurance policy over to Alexander-Forbes Insurance in 2015. The policy was transferred via email and telephonically.

The beginning of the business relationship started off well but turned shortly afterwards, in March of 2016 I was looking at new vehicle and requested motor vehicle insurance quotations on 2 vehicles; Kia Soul and Kia Tucson which Alexander-Forbes Insurance charged us for including a pro-rata amount which was deducted from our bank account. I decided against either of the Kia vehicles and when the next premium was deducted after the 2 quotations and pro-rata amount was added to the current premium amount we had to request a full refund after Alexander-Forbes Insurance simply took off the amended amount without any prior notice or any correspondence.

We were assigned a new Alexander-Forbes Insurance service consultant after this incident. We never receive any form of correspondence from Alexander-Forbes Insurance in either email, post or SMS except when I request for a policy schedule which is NOT sent to us automatically at the beginning of a new year.

On the 03rd on September 2018 I emailed our Alexander-Forbes Insurance Portfolio Consultant requesting a quotation of property insurance for our new home, the only details our Alexander-Forbes Insurance Portfolio Consultant requested was:

- Monday 03 September, 2018 at 14:05 “Please provide the address and value of the new home for a quote on Building insurance”. - Friday 26 October, 2018 at 07:40 “Please can you confirm if you have Burglar Bars on all opening windows including louvers”. – This was on our move day into the new home.

At NO point did Alexander-Forbes Insurance request a property surveyor to come out and survey and inspect the property, the updated premium was promptly deducted successfully as per request from the 26th of October 2018 and the updated premium has been promptly deducted successfully every month.

At our own expense and with our neighbor’s consent we had trees cut down in our neighbor’s yard that had grown over into our yard and over our carport to prevent possible future damages from the trees falling down over the carport or our home. The home never had gutters, so we had new gutters installed around the home and carport.

On the 05th of March 2019 the home and surrounding area received a severe hail storm which not only damaged our home but also the home based office where I work from one street up parallel to our home, friends in the area and the garden service owners home two streets up from the home based office where I work from all in the Brackendowns – Alberton area and all from the same severe hail storm. It hailed constantly for 2 hours during which I was at work and my partner at home due to load shedding at his place of business the same day. During the storm we took photos and videos of our surrounding, my partner at home and me at work 400M away from home.

My partner phoned me during the storm to inform me that the weight of the constant hail for 2 hours was too great for our large carport and that the corrugated roofing carport had collapsed onto his vehicle that was parked under the carport, the roof was leaking in the main bedroom on the second floor, the roof was leaking in the stair area leading up to the main bedroom in multiple areas, the roof was leaking in the passage way, the roof was leaking in guest bathroom downstairs and the roof was leaking in the living area. I phoned Alexander-Forbes Insurance immediately and reported the damage telephonically. I was sent documentation via email for the motor vehicle claim and was informed that an assessor would be appointed to our claim and would be in contact with me at their soonest convenience.

The assessor contacted me and made an appointment for the following day the 06th of March 2019 to come and see all the damages we had suffered from the severe hail storm.

- Wednesday 06 March, 2019 the appointed assessor came to the property to assess the exterior and internal damages throughout the entire property, - Monday 11 March, 2019 the appointed contractor came to the property to assess the carport damages, - Tuesday 12 March, 2019 the appointed engineer came to the property to assess the carport (seven days after the carport had collapsed), - Wednesday 13 March, 2019 the appointed carpet company came to the property to assess the damages, - Wednesday 13 March, 2019 I requested follow up news about the debris removal in order to free the vehicle still trapped under the collapsed carport, - Thursday 14 March, 2019 the appointed roofing company came out to inspect the exterior roof of the home, - Friday 15 March, 2019 the appointed contractor came to remove the corrugated roofing of the carport so that we could free the vehicle still trapped under the collapsed carport 10 days after the severe hail storm, - Monday 18 March, 2019 the appointed roofing company returned to inspect the portion of the roof on the second floor of the home as they did not have the adequate equipment with them on their first visit, - Tuesday 19 March, 2019 I requested follow up news about the E.T.A on when repairs would be taking place, - Thursday 21 March, 2019 exterior roof maintenance was done at our own expense as requested by Alexander-Forbes Insurance in order for the claim to proceed, - Tuesday 26 March, 2019 the drawings for the carport was received from Alberton deeds office at a rate of R460.00 which was at our own expense and sent via WhatsApp to the assessor, whom informed me that she would then be able to finalize the entire report for Alexander-Forbes Insurance, - Thursday 28 March, 2019 I had to follow up with the assessor to ensure that the image sent via WhatsApp of the carport drawings was adequate only to find out after I had to follow to rather scan and email the drawings, - Sunday 14 March, 2019 I received a WhatsApp message from the assessor notifying us that she authorized all the internal repairs, - Thursday 04 April, 2019 I received a telephone call from Alexander-Forbes Insurance informing me that carport claim is being most likely going to be repudiated and a claims committee would be convening to discuss the carport claim, - Friday 05 March, 2019 I emailed Alexander-Forbes Insurance stating all the above facts, - Tuesday 09 March, 2019 I eventually received an email from Alexander-Forbes Insurance notifying me that their claims committee would be convening on Friday (I should have asked which Friday), - Wednesday 17 March, 2019 at 09:38 I sent an email yet again after no response had been received to enquire whether the Alexander-Forbes Insurance claims committee had convened yet, - Wednesday 17 March, 2019 at 12:48 I received a reply from Alexander-Forbes Insurance informing me that the carport claim has been repudiated and that I would be receiving a letter or repudiation with the engineers finding and reasons for repudiation, which we NOT received as yet.

During this extreme delay and back and forth correspondence the weather has been raining heavily and our back kitchen wooden door has been exposed to the very wet weather we have been receiving since the 05th of March 2019 and our vehicles remain without any form of protection.

This has been a very bad experience we have received from Alexander-Forbes Insurance and it is very disappointing that a company who is supposed to help one in times of need is not doing so when we need them most.