BE AWARE OF WHAT YOU'RE GETTING YOURSELF INTO BEFORE INSURING YOUR VEHICLE AND/OR PROPERTY WITH SANTAM!!!

Sunday, January 14, 2023

I am reviewing the appalling handling of my vehicle insurance claim by Santam Vehicle Insurance. Date of Claim: 12 November 2023 Claim Number: *** Policy Number: *** Case Reference: CAS-***-W3X5S4

The following are a list of my experiences with regards to Santam and my current claim which has not been finalised:

1. My vehicle was with a Santam-chosen and -approved Repairer for THREE WEEKS when I received a phone call from the Repairer's representative stating that my vehicle damage was to mechanical components to which they are not trained, equipped or experienced to carry out the repairs needed do I need to contact the Santam Assessor to find a new repairer who can carry out the repairs needed. After THREE WEEKS, so Santam's Claim on all its sites and adverts to handling of claims and delivery in fourteen days is a myth based on my experience. 2. I raised a complaint with Santam's assessor and was contacted by Fast Track Claims Solutions (PTY) Ltd. It is my knowledge that FTCS is a third party outsourced assessment consultancy that Santam uses. This was not disclosed to me when I took my policy with Santam. So when you insure with Santam, you're not dealing with Santam per se but with their third party partners. Something ALL Santam's current and prospective clients should be made aware of, as this is not disclosed to an insured when they take the policy. 3. A Senior Assessor of FTCS then informed me that the damages to my vehicle is uneconomical to repair so it is being declared a write-off and that I'll will be paid the amount of the sum-insured minus an XS as my son was the driver during the accident. I disputed the charging of the XS, stating that when my spouse added the insured vehicle to the policy schedule, she made a point of adding my adult son and daughter as regular drivers as they were over thirty years and driving for well over five years when the affected vehicle was added to the policy. I was advised by the FTCS Senior Assessor to contact Santam to resolve my XS dispute. 4. I lodged a complaint with Santam's Customer Care regarding the charging of XS for my son as driver, as I had requested a copy of the recording of the last telephone call updating the policy and adding the affected vehicle. It is crystal clear in the recording that my spouse asked the underwriter to include both my son and daughter as regular drivers in the policy, which the underwriter proceeded to do do that they will also be included under the NO XS provision of the updated policy. A Complaints Manager came back to me with a conclusion the XS is payable for my son as driver based on previous recordings which are irrelevant as the latest and final recording clearly indicates the request for changes to the regular drivers to be included and thereby updated the policy. So Insured clients of Santam need to be aware of the fact that updates to their policies with a Santam underwriter does not update and change their policies, as Santam's Complaints Managers have a tendency to use the recordings that suit the outcome that they want to come up with. 5. As I do not agree with the the Complaints Manager's outcome of the XS dispute, I referred the XS dispute to Santam's Internal Arbitrator. Much to my dismay, I found that the response of Santam's Internal Arbitrator is nameless and anonymous. Santam does not refer a dispute of a client to a specific internal arbitrator whom THE CLIENT the can identify and refer to should the need arise later on. The Internal Arbitrator of Santam, as I've stated above is nameless and hidden behind anonymity. The response from the Nameless and Anonymous Internal Arbitrator of Santam is: that the Internal Arbitrator will respond to the client within five working days should they be placed in a position to do so. This statement indicates the possibility that client may NOT hear from the Santam Internal Arbitrator. So clients need to be aware that referrals for arbitration of disputes internally with Santam may not be arbitrated to come up with an outcome that is in the best interests of both the parties in dispute. So being a Santam Client will mean that you'll only be able to resolve your disputes with Santam, by referrals to the Ombudsman for Short-term Insurance (OSTI) and not internally. Will it be worth the clients time and effort to be insured with such an insurer who handles disputes internally in this manner, is the burning question for ALL CURRENT AND PROSPECTIVE SANTAM CLIENTS.

At of the time of this review, I've not heard from Santam's Nameless and Anonymous Internal Arbitrator.

M. JARBANDHAN