OM Insure - Short Term Insurance - ********* Behaviour

In short what you will read is the epitome of ********* behaviour.

Background: I have been a customer with OM Insure (formerly Mutual & Federal) for many years. I was on my fathers policy as when my sister and I first bought our vehicles, they were in our parents name. We had been insured through the brokerage of SouthInsure.

Sadly my father passed away in June this year. Due to his pending death, we had been requesting our broker to open up new policies for the both of us. This process took ages, as 1) they were very slow at producing quotes, and 2) they initially produced high rates (above market rate). When we supp**** the market related quotes, they eventually reduced their offer. My wife and I had accepted the new policy, but in the last month of my fathers policy (September this year), my vehicle (VW Polo) got ****** in Rosebank. I reported the theft to my broker, 20minutes after it had happened, and so the process began.

Initially the interaction was good. I received a rental vehicle, as per my policy and we were getting the paperwork together. I submitted everything within the 1st week, apart from the SAP 21 form, because that required a bit of time to pass for the Police to officially report that they could not find my vehicle. Additionally I was forced to drive all the way out to Aeroton to get this form - something that requires time, which I had to find in my work schedule.

A month passed and I had to return my rental. At this point I questioned why it was taking so long to process. At this point I found out they were trying to refute my claim/pay me well below the insured value.

Refute Attempt No.1 - The vehicle was supposedly not worth the value it was insured for. So I researched and found that 1) the vehicle was actually worth the R56k it was insured for, and if anything it was a few thousand rand under its true value. (www.valueyourcar.co.za is a useful website) 2) I had just been trying to create a new policy, and guess what, they had just valued my car at R56k. So they worked out that they could not refute the claim on this basis.

Refute Attempt No.2 - I wasn't paying the correct premiums on the vehicle as it was on my fathers policy. This too was easily refuted as I had documentation proving 1) I had tried to move off my fathers policy onto a new policy of my own, and 2) although my father had passed away, the policy was still valid until such time as the estate has been wrapped up. These were the words quoted from one of their sales consultants. As my fathers estate is still to this day not resolved, this undeniably an irrefutable claim.

Refute Attempt No.3 - The vehicle was not registered in my name, nor am I the registered driver on the policy. Unfortunately this was the poorest of attempts as 1) I have documentation saying that this car was mine, 2) my broker has emails informing them of the change, and 3) on the policy document that I managed to find, had me as the regular driver.

Eventually they paid, however this was 2months (last payment 2.5months) after the original submission, many phone calls and waiting later, 1 threat of taking them to the short term insurance ombudsman, 1 accident on a bicycle (as I had resort to cycling to work in the frenetic hum of Sandton), and a week off work as the stress had gotten to much for me, considering everything that had happened in my life over the past 6months. (Disgusting right? The fact that they put you through all this anguish when you are suffering as it is)

So then I thought, well OM Insure won't give me any more trouble considering everything they had put me through in the few months.

No such luck... Even though I had a claim in place about my vehicle being ******, they continually charged me every month for the car that I did not have any more. Then when I tried to insure the new vehicle I bought, they overcharged me on my insurance premium by over R3k that month. This money was just taken from my account, of which they are still to return.

I just cannot believe that a reputable company as Old Mutual Insure can behave as *********ly and poorly as they have. I have no issue with reporting them to the ombudsman, and I hope they are taken to task. There are enough issues in the world than having to deal with as shocking service as this, and service that puts you under so much stress when you are paying a premium for the service. I have also suffered consequential damage as a consequence of their behaviour, which in my opinion they should have to pay for... Even if it means the ombudsmans of short term insurance reviews the case and gets them to answer to this all.