Santam shocking treatment of pensioners

My name is Erich Apker, I am a 74 year old pensioner that has all my insurance through Santam.

I am writing this review to warn other unsuspecting people and pensioners to not use Santam as a insurer.

Due to Santam unfairly refusing a recent claim on my car gearbox without following proper procedures, has left me home bound without a car since April this year.

I have had to use Ubers which I can ill afford and is not safe for a pensioner. I have never missed one months premium on my insurance and yet there is always questions and back and forth every time I claim. It is disgusting the way Santam treat their clients especially pensioners.

My story is as follows:

In April of this year I was driving 2 of my sons employees to a work site it was raining and I hit an unmarked and unpainted speed bump. Immediately my gears stop working and I could change the gear. I had to stop the car and wait for the tow truck sent by Santam.

The car was taken directly to a panel beater and not to a gear box specialist as expected due to the explanation that was given by myself to the Santam consultant regarding the accident. The car was assessed by one of the Santam assessors at the panel beater where the undercarriage was checked and no inspection was done by anyone of the actual gear box, which is what I specifically told Santam was the problem.

I then took the vehicle to a gear box specialist Gear Box King to obtain specialist advice. The owner of the business (who has over 40 years experience in this industry and has been in the game for longer than the vehicle model has been on the road) confirmed that this is a common occurrence with the Mercedes A series. A full report by this specialist was sent to Santam and completely ignored.

As mentioned I am a pensioner and gets a minimal pension from the government of which I pay a significant portion to you for insurance, for these types of circumstances. I am unable now to get to the shops to get basic necessities such as food. This was not even an exorbitant claim for an insurance company like Santam but is extremely material for a pensioner of 74 years old.

The 2 staff members in the car were prepared to stand as witness and this information was supp**** to Santam but again they just ignored this as well.

The way this claim has been completely disregarded by Santam, never once taking into account the impact this would have on me as a pensioner, is unacceptable and should not be covered up. This just highlights how Santam clients are really just a number and Santam does not care about any of them. There is no personal connection. It is disgusting the way clients get treated.