Never let anyone talk you out of claiming

Loading player...
A security company employee reverses into your stationary car in his response vehicle and admits fault. Surely the company or its insurers should pay for the repairs, not your own insurer?

That instinct has cost a Durban pensioner six months and half the repair bill.

She lodged a claim with her insurer, her car was assessed and approved for repairs, but she was advised by her broker to withdraw it and go after the driver's company instead. Five months on, their insurer offered her R12 000 against repair quotes of R26 000.

Third party claims are slow and pay-outs are generally small.

Claim on your own policy, every time. Your insurer repairs the car, then recovers the costs from the third party’s insurer, including your excess which will then be refunded to you.
13 Oct English South Africa Education · Self-Improvement

Other recent episodes

Keep your cool, and your cash

Summer's on its way, and so is a lot more aircon use. Australia's consumer organisation CHOICE says your aircon should be set no more than 8°C cooler than it is outside. So on a 32°C day, set it to 24°C. According to CHOICE, every degree cooler than that adds about…
30 Oct 1 min

Declined at the till? Believe the machine, not your phone

You pay by card, your phone pings with a notification from your bank confirming the payment, but the cashier says it didn't go through and asks you to pay again. Who's right? Generally, the shop's card machine. Sometimes the bank's approval doesn't reach the machine because of a timeout or…
29 Oct 1 min

Had an op? Your first check-up should be free

Having an operation? Then ask this before you go under: when is my post-op check-up, and will I pay for it? According to the Council for Medical Schemes, a surgeon's fee for an operation includes normal after-care for one month. So follow-up consultations within that month shouldn't cost you anything…
28 Oct 1 min

Proof of address, not proof of spending

When a company asks for your bank statement as proof of address, all it needs is the top bit: your name and address. Yet a Cape Town man trying to buy a car from We Buy Cars was told his statement would only be accepted if at least seven transactions…
27 Oct 1 min

"Potential winner" doesn't mean you've won

A woman was excited to hear she was a potential winner in a competition after buying the qualifying products. But during verification, the company found she'd bought them through an online marketplace, and that disqualified her. She asked to be shown where the rules excluded that platform, and when she…
26 Oct 1 min