Insurance Company Abuse

My Toyota was stolen in 2007. Unfortunately I was insured by the Hotline Group / Telesure Group Services
Front end in my case was Auto and General
The same company that did not cover my insurance payments on retrenchment.
The same company that left me stranded on the side of the road for four hours when I requested roadside assistance in the east rand. The outcome was that as the sun was setting family members of mine came to my assistance, all the way from the west rand! I was stranded on the highway where I had to push the vehicle out the way. They did not even make telephonic contact with me.

On my complaining to Auto and General, they had no interest in redeeming their company in the eyes of me, their client. The complaint process was an arduous one; most people would have just given up and moved onto another insurance company. I ensured that management was fully aware of all aspects of each of my complaints.

It is my guess that other front ends for the Hot-line Administrative Services / Telesure Group Services are:

• Dial Direct
• Budget Insurance
• 1st for Women
• you may have heard of the HIPPO (to me it appears as if the same company is competing with itself in the market place)

If this were so then, all these insurance companies are all administered by one company, in other words it is all one company and the service experience is determined by that company and not the various marketing/advertising front ends.

When the tracking company found my vehicle in Tembisa, they took it to the SAPS pound in Benoni – Because my lock set had to be replaced I requested Telesure arrange that the car be collected from the pound. They did not call back, nor did they send one. When I phoned to complain they said the vehicle will be collected by the locksmith they appoint.

This appointment did not take place on the day I called in!

I asked the Telesure representative why they are using a locksmith in Lenasia while I live in Roodepoort and am surrounded by Toyota outlets surely they should have Toyota replace the lock set? They were insistent and said they have used the services of Hoosein’s Locksmith for years and that all their service providers are reputable and this is their process (be aware that as a client of an insurance company it is your decision as to which service provider works on your vehicle) I had to learn this the hard way. My car has never been operating the same since it was in the hands of Hoosein’s Locksmith in Lenasia thanks to the internal operations within Auto and General.

I had to be present at the pound as SAPS would only release the vehicle to me

On the date arranged I drove from Roodepoort to Benoni and waited to no avail for Hoosein’s Locksmith to arrive.

I had to make a second trip to Benoni, only to find that it was not Hoosein’s Locksmith that came to collect my vehicle but a towing company arrived.

The car was out of my hands for two weeks! I complained to Auto and General and also called Hoosein’s Locksmith to enquire why they are taking so long.

The Misses Hoosein, was very rude to me on the phone and cited ordering of parts and all sorts of issues as the reason they had not yet repaired my vehicle and that they had a lot of work.

When I subsequently took my vehicle for a service within the Unitrans Toyota Group I found that the job card was not in my name – but in the name of
Hoosein Locksmith P O Box 152 Lenasia 1711, 084 850 0977!!!!

I had Toyota call up the records to see when my vehicle was booked in at Unitrans Toyota Group. Sure enough, replace complete lock set and alarm module reflected.

While my car was out of my hands for two weeks Hoosein had a towing company take the car to Avondale Toyota in Germiston (a one day job) and after the repairs were done they could just as well have been using my car.

Why would I make such an assumption? On the day it was arranged that I take delivery of my vehicle, it took many HOURS for my vehicle to be delivered to my home. When I asked the towing company driver why he took over four hours from Lenasia to Roodepoort he told me that when he went to collect my vehicle in Lenasia he had to go to Hoosein’s personal residence to collect my vehicle from their backyard. When he arrived at the residence they sent him to the workshop as my vehicle was not there, at the workshop they sent him to the residence once more where he collected my vehicle. (Additionally, I found take-away atchar containers under the seat and the same atchar stickiness on the steering wheel – most professional.)

The question I have to ask myself is – Why did the Auto and General representative insist on using Hoosein Locksmith, despite my protestations, while it was NOT Hoosein who replaced the lockset on my vehicle at all! Is there fraudulent activity taking place within Auto and General?

Obviously I hold all the records on my side that support the information shared above.