Goodbye Outsurance

This is a very sad day, as I have decided to end my relationship with Outsurance short term after 20 years. Outsurance for me was a rock in my corner, no other insurer could displace them not even with cheaper premiums. To tell you that I loved Outsurance would not be a lie. But for me something has changed in that business, and I no longer feel like that “valuable client”. It started with an annual increase of 37%, and I my initial request to review was met with “this is the best we can offer right now”. After a HelloPeter complaint and further discussion it was reduced to a 28% annual increase. That still makes no sense, even if I include inflation, my claims pattern and economic pressures, and when I asked for an explanation to how my increase was determined, I was told that it is a result of my claims, and inflation. Any further information is their IP. Outsurance had never slapped me with such an increase before. Even a 15% to 17% would have made sense to me.

FACT: despite my claims: I paid more in premiums to Outsurance in the annual cycle than they paid out in claims. As a layman, that still makes me an economically valuable client. Oh, in my total years (±20 years) with Outsurance: The premium to claims paid out ratio is ± 67% : 33%.

Then: I had a vehicle break-in claim, the glass was broken and the radio ******. Outsurance sorted me out for that, and replaced the glass and radio. BUT the window would not work anymore. And I was told that that was assessed to not be part of the incident but rather wear and tear or a pre-existing issue. I made many calls to Outsurance and spoke to so many different people to understand how they arrived at that conclusion, and what did the panelbeater and assessor see that convinced them that this was not incident related. It made no sense to me, but I left myself open to further information that could help me understand. BUT none was forthcoming, and despite at least 4 managers telling me that they will get back to me,….none did. After another HelloPeter post…

I eventually got an email (as call backs were clearly not an Outsurance thing now) saying that Outsurance has decided to settle me on the claim, and I would be free to have the damage repaired on my own. Then it took 5 working days to get the quote updated to include labour costs as the original was just for parts. It took me less than 10 minutes to call the same provider and request a quote, which I then emailed to Outsurance. Coincidently, I got a response saying that they too have received the updated quote the day before, and approval was pending management approval. So much for keeping the client updated, especially on such a highly charged case.

To have been treated like this by my hero essentially was a like a punch to my stomach. You didn’t seem to want to listen, or demonstrate any genuine care. It was all very transactional. I ain’t perfect and I never expected perfection from Outsurance, but something for me has changed in this company as they look and feel NOTHING like who they used to be, or even who they say they are.

But nonetheless, I remain grateful for the support over the years, you made a value contribution which I will never forget.

Cheers.