********** VEHICLE CLAIM!!!!

I have sent this email to many many email addresses already:

I am writing this with regards to a recent claim. The claim was submitted on 19th February. When the car returned, first of all there was issues, which I thought was just following the accident, as the car won’t be the same. So I continued to drive it with all these issues. The reason for my complaint is that, they first claimed that the damages was R6453.58, as you can see, with me needing to pay an excess of R5130. They told me that the car would then go to Hyundai for diagnostics, which delayed me in getting the car back. I waited. I then contacted Outsurance and the Autobody people (Front Row Autobody), who told me that I needed to wait, as they were “waiting for parts”. After much waiting and investigation, only to find out that the claim was increased from R6000 to about R35000 (see attached)??? Waiting for parts of what exactly, when the car is practically a piece of tin, the accident didn't actually warrant such a big story. I literally feel like a Flintstone driving this vehicle. I might as well put the car on my head and run to and from my destinations. It takes about 15 tries before the car actually starts (I don’t even know what that’s about), this started happening when the car was returned. The gears are like grinding stone with my finger nails. I was struggling to select gears. Then eventually yesterday, I could not select first and second gear at all, and I was stuck in morning traffic, by myself, with this bread bin, crying and praying that I just get to work, because I do not want to lose the only job that I recently got, after 10 months of unemployment. I am absolutely gutted, because, only to find out today that the entire gear box story (I don’t even know the correct names to these things), needs to be replaced.

Here’s my problem: I understand that the car is old, and considering the infant/baby accident and yada yada, the whole shebang. We can go through this for days, which are valid points. But what I have an issue with is that this vehicle, was sent to Hyundai, it was assessed by Outsurance, it was with Hyundai for what which felt like a year… apparently waiting for parts and doing diagnostics and then for Hyundai to increase the value of the claim from about R6000 to R35k, when this vehicle is probably worth R50 ???? The audacity for Hyundai to **********ly claim this huge amount and still say that “all is well”, please drive the vehicle now, is underhanded. I am absolutely livid that reputable large corporations like this, would sny the average Joe on the street (that’s me, I’m the average Joe – a single mother, trying to hustle to work to survive the day). How dare you!!! What kind of diagnostics was completed? Did someone put their finger in the engine and claim to have done diagnostics, which by the way, no report was given after? I am beyond confused and angry. This whole thing makes zero sense.

This must be investigated!!! I feel that this is *****, it is negligence, it is greed and disgust!!! I have already started the claim with the ombudsman, as I do not believe that the correct processes were followed here. I paid R5130 of money I did not have, which I had to borrow, now I have to pay more money to get someone to try fix this car so I have transport to work. I need to know how Outsurance will fix this and how I will be compensated. And DO NOT tell me that I need to give my car “in” anywhere. If they want to come check it, they must come to my place of work, because I cannot afford to have 2 months of no vehicle again, after a silly accident which basically only scratched the undercarriage.

Please also understand that both me and my brother work in environments where we cannot be on the phone for hours and at any time of the day. So if you want to phone us etc, please schedule a time or send emails instead. I’m going to type that sentence in bold again : IF YOU WANT TO PHONE US, PLEASE SCHEDULE A TIME OR SEND EMAILS INSTEAD.

FIX THIS!!!!