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Claims support
The page most broker websites leave out. Here is exactly what happens when you need to claim, wherever in South Africa you are, and exactly what we do for you.
Don’t look for paperwork. Just contact us.
If you are safe and the emergency is handled, get hold of us and we will start the claim. You do not need policy numbers, the correct terminology, or anything in writing yet. Tell us what happened in your own words.
In a genuine emergency, call the emergency services first, 10111 for police, 10177 for ambulance, or 112 from a cellphone. Insurance can wait twenty minutes. Your safety cannot.
What to do before you contact anyone
These few things, done early, make the difference between a claim that settles cleanly and one that drags on for months.
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Make the scene safe first. People before property, always. Everything else on this list can wait.
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Photograph everything, from wide to close. The whole scene, then the specific damage. More photos than you think you need, taken before anything is moved or cleaned up. Phone photos are perfectly acceptable evidence.
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Get a SAPS case number for anything criminal. Theft, burglary, hijacking, malicious damage and most accidents involving another vehicle require a police report. Almost no insurer will settle these without one. For vehicle crime specifically, see our guide to hijacking and what your car insurance covers.
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Collect the other party’s details. Name, ID number, cellphone, vehicle registration and their insurer if they will share it. Do not discuss whose fault it was, and do not admit liability. That is for the insurers to determine.
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Prevent further damage, but don’t start repairs. Cover a broken window or shut off a leaking pipe, because you are obliged to limit further loss. But do not begin actual repairs until the insurer has assessed, or you may not be reimbursed for them.
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Keep everything. Damaged items, receipts, quotes, the tow operator’s invoice. Do not throw anything away until the claim is settled.
What we do from the moment you tell us
We take the details and lodge the claim
You tell us what happened however is easiest for you. We translate that into the insurer’s claim form, check it against your policy wording, and submit it the same working day wherever possible.
We tell you exactly what is needed next
A single, clear list, the case number, the photos, a quote from an approved repairer, whatever applies. No drip-feed of requests over three weeks.
We manage the assessor and the insurer
We arrange the assessment, follow the claim through the insurer’s system, and chase it when it stalls. You deal with us. We deal with them.
We check the settlement before you accept it
We confirm the offer matches the policy, the right sum insured, the right excess, the right basis of settlement. If it is short, we say so before you sign anything.
If it is declined, we take it up
We get the reason in writing, review it against the policy wording and the facts, and dispute it where there are grounds. If it still is not resolved, we will help you escalate it, including to the FAIS Ombud.
When a claim genuinely will not pay
We will fight a decision we think is wrong. We will also tell you honestly when we think the insurer is right, because letting you build hope on a claim that cannot succeed helps nobody. The most common genuine declines are:
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Wear, tear and lack of maintenance. Insurance covers sudden and unforeseen events, not gradual deterioration. A roof that has been leaking for two years is a maintenance issue.
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An unmet policy condition. The alarm was not armed, the tracker was not fitted, the vehicle was not garaged as declared.
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Material non-disclosure. Something relevant was not mentioned when the policy was taken out, previous claims, a modification, who really drives the car.
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Premiums not up to date. A lapsed policy is no policy. If a debit order bounces, deal with it that week.
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An excluded event. Every policy has exclusions. We will point out the ones that matter for your circumstances when we set the cover up.
Most of these are avoidable at the point the policy is written. That is precisely why we ask the awkward questions at the start rather than the end.
You can escalate past us, and we will help you do it
Start with our own complaints procedure. If we cannot resolve it to your satisfaction, you have the right to refer the matter to the statutory Ombud, at no cost to you. We will give you the paperwork you need.
Full contact details for the FAIS Ombud, the National Financial Ombud Scheme and the Information Regulator are on our compliance page.
Insured somewhere else, but worried about claiming?
Send us your policy schedule. We will read it properly and tell you where you would be exposed, before you find out the hard way.
Micah Financial Services (PTY) Ltd. is an Authorised Financial Services Provider, FSP 46080. A quote request is not advice until a representative has engaged with you.