Budget- Cheaper is not always better

<p>I was involved in a car accident on 03/05/16 and claimed with my insurance provider- Budget part of the Telesure group. It has been one nightmare after another from the begining:</p> <p>- Personal items were ****** from me: an amplifier (bolted to the car), power bar and allen key to change the wheel, aux cable and even a scarf. However these were minor compared to the state my vehicle was returned in from the panel beater.</p> <p>- My car was sent to Technisray in Lenasia- 70kms from my house. I was told by the assessor this was because of a cheaper labour rate. 2 days later we were informed it was because of a mistaken address. After 3 weeks my car was delivered- driven at my petrol cost without permission. Upon delivery we noted serious major problems with the vehicle. The vehicle was not even drivable:</p> <p>Electrical/Mechanical Faults:</p> <p>Car struggles to start/ problem with battery <br />Gauges do not automatically respond when turning ignition on<br />No lights working on the dashboard/radio/air-conditioning<br />Air-conditioning is not working<br />Air-con pump rattles<br />Overall noise in engine/ does not stop while driving<br />Indicators are not working correctly<br />Central locking is not working <br />Seems to an electrical short in the car<br /> </p> <p>Bodywork/Paintwork:</p> <p>Dent in new side panel/fender<br />Rubber missing on driver side<br />Fisheye<br />Orange peel<br />Smudges<br />Scratch on new bumper<br />Bonnet is not an authentic Ford part- no stamp<br />Bonnet liner missing<br />No inside panels sprayed/ panels sprayed<br />front and back number plate now different</p> <p> </p> <p>I immediately contacted the insurance to open a dispute and was told to wait 9 hours just for the assessor to phone me back. One of the worst experiences I have had- everything is done telephonically and you speak to a different agent everytime and different people are handling different things. an absolute nightmare. I was even refused an email with written confirmation as to why my vehicle was taken to Lenasia.</p> <p>I then took the matter further to the manager at telesure- who sent a different assessor to the panel beater and then to my house to re-assess the vehicle.The car was towed back on Monday 07/06/16 to the same panel beater to be repaired for a second time. I had questioned the standard of the panel beater from my initial enquiry- after driving to Lenasia myself to see my car- the panel beater looks more like a s**** yard.</p> <p> </p> <p>After another week (16/06/16)my car was delivered again and again several persisting problems were still noted! Of which the condition of the battery was the worst- it was physically swollen and leaking acid. How is this not considered a safety hazard???</p> <p>I was told the battery is not covered by warrenty/insurance and would be my own cost to replace. The panel beater and assessor said the cause of this was custom sound in my vehicle- which has been there since 2013 without any problems. When I asked how the car was started after 3 weeks I was not answered- I assume the vehicle was jump started and over charged which damaged the battery (a low cell battery should be charged and an RMI approved panel beater should be charging batteries at low voltages and not jump starting them). during the entire repair process I have been treated as a women with no knowledge about cars/repairs when I am actually quite fami**** with the industry.</p> <p> </p> <p>Besides the other problems still existing, the alternator is now charging low- some damage associated with the battery. I refuse to let my car go back to the same panel beater- so it will be another expense out of my pocket to ensure that my car is 100%. </p> <p> </p> <p>I cannot understand how such a big company can get away with such service- surely I am not the only one joining the rumors that Budget is one of the worst insurance companies out there. I now understand first hand these claims. it is unfortunate and unacceptable. Cheaper rates in my experience resulted in cheap workmanship!</p>