No Communication from Standard Bank Insurance

With reference to my claim, ref: 19/031842

In 2010 I encountered water damage to my kitchen area due to a storm. Standard Bank Insurance appointed a contractor to assess and repair the damage. As I am not fami**** with the task at hand, I had to rely on the expertise of the Standard Bank Insurance appointed contractor, who assured me that the roof damage was properly repaired (water entered the roof via the valley flashing). The repair consisted of the installation of a membrane that is painted over the joint.

With the recent rain storm we experienced over the weekend, the roof leaked again, damaging the kitchen ceiling. Standard Bank Insurance appointed a contractor to asses the damage. The contractor verbally informed me that the "membrane repair" was the wrong option for my initial problem, as it is merely a temporary solution that requires continual maintenance. The correct method of repair would be to remove the tiles, inspect the valley flashing and fix any problems found before refitting the tiles back on top of the valley flashing. He also told me that because no maintenance were app**** to the "membrane type" repair, there is a slight possibility that Standard Bank Insurance would not honor my claim. I have followed up with Standard Bank Insurance via their online site (on two occasions) and via a telephone call, requesting an update on my claim, as I have had no feedback from them.

Why am I not informed on the progress of my claim and in the event that the suspicion of the contractor is correct - i.e. Standard Bank Insurance might refuse to cover my damage, why am I held accountable if the initial contractor that they assigned, chose the easy quick fix option, when it is according to the second contractor not the right option and why was I not informed that I should regularly continue to maintain the "patch repair" - my understanding was that it is a permanent repair (as informed by the contractor that performed the repair). Thus far all I got from the Insurer is empty promises that someone will contact me, but to date it is total silence!