I am writing about a very frustrating experience that we just had. My wife and I were in an accident on our way from Adelaide to Victoria to enjoy the long weekend. The tow truck driver dropped the vehicle off at the Accident repairer, as expected. That's about all that went well. Having Car and trailer Insurance, I thought the following could never happen. Saturday 1st October late afternoon we hit an unknown object on the road just meters away from a paddock where camping is permitted. After inspecting the car, oil dripped out from under. The transmission sump was hit by something wooden. First I called the RAA, only to be told this is an accident, not a breakdown. Back on the phone with the Insurance. The Tow Truck arrived within hours. I was very surprised at how quick it arrived, but have never dealt with Insurance companies before. I asked the tow truck driver where the replacement vehicle is, and was told that the Insurance has been notified. Surely I'll be taken care of. Sunday the 2nd of October, the frustration begins. After having breakfast, we tried contacting the insurance again, but due to bad /no reception, this became a task and a half. For the first contact, I waited 45 min in the queue, and finally, somebody on the other end had time to answer my call. Only to find out that I have to wait and that I will receive a call soon. Great! We were getting looked after, just as I Imagined, but that phone call never came. In the past, I did spend hours on research before choosing the right Insurance company for me. At least I did believe that back in 2020 knowing we would be doing lots of travel by car and trailer. We surely did not want to be stuck on the Birdsville Track, a paddock or any other remote location in Australia. The only phone reception we had was in a little sunny spot near the roadside. Exploring, going for a walk or just some us time was not possible, because we did not want to miss the promised call. Lunchtime came and passed, but still no call from the Insurance. Not a problem I thought once again, and dialled the Call Centre again, only to wait in queue for 45 min before talking to someone. Going through the entirety of what happened again. Only to hear "Sorry Sir, it is a public holiday in SA and your claim can not be processed till Tuesday". This is where my frustration kicked in! I know it's a public holiday in SA and that's why I am in Victoria in my Car, where everything happened. Where is my replacement vehicle? One that can tow my camper trailer, as per the policy? Again, Only to find out that I have to wait, I will receive a call soon. Strength in patience, I thought. My wife chose to try to escalate the matter further, but not getting any further. Surely they have understood that we are in a paddock with no transport and limited supplies. Surely they will oblige to the policy and supply transportation, surely there is a duty of care, and we will not stay stranded. Monday 3rd of October, another day, more luck? Still No answer from any Insurance so up on the phone early again, Not Sunday, and no public Holiday, surely I won't be on the phone again in queue for 45 min, and I was not. It was only 40 min. Going through the entirety of what happened again and what situation we are stuck in. Only to hear: "Sorry Sir, it is a public holiday in SA and your claim can not be processed till Tuesday!” Calling the accident repair shop in Ballarat, I was told the car has been assessed and is repairable. Due to their workload, it will take 4 weeks. After receiving the mobile number of the assessor, I was on the phone straight away. After and short and sharp conversation, I was told The car is getting moved to Ararat and will be fixed on Tuesday, explaining again we are stranded in a paddock with no transport and limited supplies now for almost 48 hours. Only to hear: "Sorry Sir, you have to wait for the claims department to contact you, regarding getting un-stranded. I am only the assessor, please wait for your car, it will be fixed on Tuesday. I will be in touch with you when it is done and all you have to do is get a taxi and go pick up your vehicle.” Slowly learning the insurance logic I have now understood that when told somebody will call you back it translates to: We do not have a duty of care, we don't care where you are, we don’t care about your safety, we don't care about your well-being, we don't even care that you are covered for, we do not care at all. Back on the phone again, this time with the complaints department. With the little Internet I had, I was able to research who to call, since no operator directed me to it or transferred the call even after asking for it several times we weren't even able to talk to a supervisor/manager. Following these institutions from what I found online, I called. Another 45 min or maybe even a more team member answers. Going through the entirety of what happened again. I was told that my renewal is coming up on the 17th of October and that I do not have Helpline assistance. WTF drilled into my head, am I going crazy or what? Is this for real? After a few seconds, I say in an amazingly calm and polite tone, that my policy has been active since September 2020! Very calm and polite she answered I have no Helpline assistance till the renewal. Explained again our situation, now no water, no food, no power and No toilet paper, we need a quick solution for this matter! Once again, I was told that it is a public holiday in SA and I need to call the claims department the next day. There is nothing she could do! Wow! What now? Last hope, one last call? My car, will be repaired Tuesday? Again on the phone with the Assessor, to find out where my car is, can I have the Repairer's name, can I call to find out? Very kindly, I was sent an email with all the needed details. We called the workshop in Ararat only to reveal he is waiting on a spare part that should arrive on Thursday or Friday and the vehicle could be ready Friday afternoon. In between calls to the Insurer, I was exploring my possibilities of hiring a car on my terms, sure who wouldn't? Only to find out that no vehicle was available to tow my camper trailer, and there was no one-way hire available at all. Now? What now? Is this why the insurance company neglected their duty of care? Is this why my insurer abandon me? Is this why the insurer did not follow the obligation of their policy? Tuesday, the 4th of October. We still haven't received any updates/phone calls from the insurance at all. Still stuck in the middle of a paddock at this stage with no power, running extremely low on drinking water and food, and even running out of other necessities such as toilet paper. The closest shops were 25km away! Even a hat and sunscreen were in the car, seriously who thinks of ripping that out after an accident? Especially when your policy states that your urgent repairs are done within 48 hours or a loan car and accommodation will be provided. None of which happened! If not for a group of 4-wheel drivers, from a club in SA the situation would have turned from bad to extremely desperate really quickly. We would have been up dirt creek, without a paddle. Following my odyssey from Saturday 1st October to Tuesday the 4th of October, they kindly offered a lift home. Luckily, they were able to tow my trailer. Unfortunately, not one vehicle could accommodate 2 passengers, so we had to travel separately with strangers. They could have been rapists, murderers, creeps or anything else. Those thoughts were continuously going through my head. The whole 8-hour trip back to Adelaide, I was worried! Being stuck in a paddock with no power, hardly any food or drinking water left and no assistance/updates from the insurance put me in an extremely dangerous and vulnerable situation. To the point where my wife and I had to split up to get a way home, which again made us very vulnerable! Now I could go on and on about my experience, but we are home now. After arriving home, one of the friendly club members call me letting me know that their group had covid. I also tested positive! Isolating now, I have little time up my sleeve. I'll leave part two until maybe I do hear from the Insurer, maybe I'll just write about my experience in part two from there on. In a nutshell, I have not been contacted by any Insurer since on our way home on the 4th. My son drove to Ararat to pick up my car on Friday, as we had to isolate due to covid. After paying for the access, my car was released and is now home. The damage to the car was very minor. I am happy to talk to anyone from the insurance, anyone who is prepared to explain to me why things went the way they did. Where was your duty of care? Where was the customer service? What happened to the hire car after the accident and the emergency accommodation? Today 10th of October, I received a call from the complaints department ensuring the matter will escalate and I will again hear from them in 3 to 5 days. Not Holding my breath anymore
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