Unfair and Contradictory Practices by Telkom Insurance

I submitted a claim with Telkom Insurance on 16 August 2025 and the experience since then has been extremely frustrating.

I was told to pay an excess fee of R3 750 into FNB ***.

According to my signed insurance documents, my excess is 10% of the claim. If Telkom insists on R3 750, that means repairs supposedly cost R37 750 – which is unrealistic for a 4-year-old phone.

When I queried this, I was told their “rules” now require 15% of the insured value with a minimum of R500. This directly contradicts my contract, which clearly states 10% of the claim.

I have requested proof that I agreed to these new rules (a signed document), but none has been provided. My policy was originally with Admin Plus, later taken over by Worldwide Advisory Services. By law, policy terms cannot simply be changed for existing customers – yet Telkom insists on applying new rules to me.

Adding to the frustration:

Telkom told me it costs R14 000 to repair my device, yet the current market value is under R8 000. Why repair something for more than it’s worth instead of offering a reasonable replacement?

I gave them 24 hours to respond last week, but they ignored me.

I have now been without a phone for over 10 days, which is completely unacceptable.

This looks like unfair business practice and I will escalate this with the Telecommunications Ombudsman. South African consumers are already financially strained, and it’s wrong for insurance companies to mislead and take advantage of us.

Telkom Insurance, please resolve this urgently by honouring the original policy I signed and offering a fair solution.