Today is an angry day. Dealing with Insurance companies always sucks a little, but this time has been particularly bad.
While driving from Cape Town to Oudtshoorn, a truck in front of us kicked up a rock which smashed the windscreen. It was near the top, with a few cracks. Over the next few days the cracks grew and grew. We got home safely, I discussed with the vehicle owner (it’s a business vehicle) and we decided to claim through the insurance to replace the windscreen. I phoned and put in the claim last Friday.
They assigned a windscreen replacement company, not one that I am familiar with, but whatever. The excess is a whopping R2k. Seems high, but ok. We also reset the clock on our potential no-claim bonus. Whatever. We claim essentially once a year so we’ll never get the bonus. Windscreen company calls and we set up a date for the replacement (Wednesday).
After, I thought about the excess and it really bugged me so I phoned PG Autoglass for a cash quote on the same thing. The replacement plus mobile service is R3k. Seriously? The excess is 66% of the cost of the replacement? Insanity! I log a request with the insurance company to call me back. They never did.
I took a day off on Wednesday to do all the vehicle maintenance work. Booked the 110k service, windscreen repair, valet, and a dentist appointment for me. The day before, the windscreen company calls and says they don’t have the glass, and they want to reschedule for Friday (today). I was supposed to be on another work trip but I need the windscreen fixed before I travel long distance again (next Tuesday). So I rearrange my schedule and make the appointment for as early as possible today.
Guy tells me 08:30, and they will be done by 09:15 and I have an hour waiting period, so I will be able to hit the road by 10:30 latest. Ok, I can work with that.
This morning I was outside in the cold, at 08:25. I moved my vehicle out of the garage to give them space to work. And then I wait. And wait. By 09:00 I am livid. This whole thing has been a mess, and now they don’t pitch. I call the branch manager to politely complain. He’s confused, because their earliest slots are 09:00 and they usually give an hour leeway on the arrival time for their mobile unit to get through traffic. I should have been told that they would arrive between 09:00-10:00.
He calls them, they’re in Boksburg and on their way to me in Centurion. ETA 25 minutes. They arrived at 09:35. Guy tells me that they only get to the office at 08:00 then they load up the vehicle with the glass needed for all their stops today, so there was no way in hell they could ever have been here at 08:30, and the dude who made the appointment with me is a doos, and they apologise.
They left at 10:15, now I have to wait an hour before I can drive. Oh, and I was also told that I could pay the excess with the guys when they arrive. The installation guy looked at me funny when I got my credit card out. They don’t have a mobile payment terminal. I could give them cash? Like I have 2k lying around in cash. I ended up doing an EFT, fortunately the invoice they brought along had payment details on it, but I would really have preferred to swipe my cc for such a large amount.
Anyway, I still have another 30 minutes before I can leave. I have schnuggled Sydney to help calm me down. I have to go realign the dashcam too, which is now without its antistatic protection because the sticker is not reusable and you can’t get replacements. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
