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CLAIMS
Important points to remember when making a claim:
• Make sure all material facts are disclosed to the Insurer. The Insurer trusts the information is correct and calculates an appropriate premium based on it. If a person fails to disclose information or doesn’t give the correct information, the Insurer may reject the claim.
Example:
• Your house has a Thatch roof and you declare that it is of “Standard
Construction”.
• If you are undergoing renovation or major alterations at your
residence.
• The incorrect year of registration of your vehicle. If you have old
damage which was not repaired.
• Incorrect details of the driver
• Previous losses/claims
• Don’t insure your child’s car in your name. Parents, who attempt to reduce the cost of insurance by insuring the car (which is registered in the child’s name) on their Policy, are acting fraudulently. The insurance must be in the child’s name, even if the parents pay the premium.
• Disclose all previous claims. Policyholders must disclose all previous claims to the Insurer. If he doesn’t, his Policy could be declared null and void. This happens regularly, and the reality usually only hits Policyholders when they’ve incurred a loss and want to submit a claim.
• Never admit liability or fault at the scene of an accident. If you are able to, merely record the Third party driver’s details i.e. his ID number, telephone numbers (Cell phone as well as work and home numbers) & most importantly their Registration number and a brief description of the vehicle.
• A Policy case number must be obtained in respect of any accident or loss.
• Make sure that you have a valid driver’s license. By law, a valid driver’s license is required before a person may drive a motor vehicle. If a Policyholder gives someone without the necessary driver’s license permission to drive the vehicle, cover may be refused. Foreigners here on contract, expatriates or visitors are allowed a n International driver’s license for up to 6 months. Ensure that this is always up to date.
• Don’t drink and drive. An Insurer will reject a claim if it is found that the driver exceeded the legal blood alcohol level and thus gave rise to the accident. It is also against the law to drive under the influence of alcohol.
• Ensure your vehicle is roadworthy. If you drive a car with smooth tyres and this leads to an accident, the Insurer is unlikely to pay out the claim. It is your responsibility to make sure your vehicle’s tyres are in good condition. Have your car serviced regularly to help prevent and accident.
• Take due care. All Insurance Contracts stipulate that a Policyholder must take the necessary care. You must take the steps necessary to prevent loss or damage by, for example, not leaving the keys in the car or leaving valuables lying on the seat of the car. E.g. Laptops.
• If you have an Armed Response at your home and have received the relevant discount in premium under the Household contents section, an Alarm Warranty will be applicable. This means that if you have not activated your alarm when the premises are unoccupied or you have not maintained your alarm system to ensure that it is always in working order, Insurers will have grounds for repudiating your Burglary claim.
• Pay premiums when they are due. Don’t take chances. Pay premiums when they are due. If an Insurer sends a notice stating that your Policy will lapse on a certain date, you will not be covered after that date unless you renew the Policy and pay the required premium.
• In the case of monthly paid premiums, if your debit order is returned unpaid by your bank for any reason, please contact your broker immediate to make alternative arrangements. Insurers will allow 30 days in which to submit the premiums within the same month and if you elect to pay a double debit the following month and this is also returned, there will be no cover with effect from the date the first debit order was returned unpaid.
• Don’t inflate a claim and don’t falsify it because it’s fraud. Insurance fraud in South Africa amounts to between R1 billion and R3 billion a year and push up premiums by between 5% and 15% worldwide. Fraud also leads to criminal prosecution and difficulties in getting future cover.
