Why do we have to have insurance?

Late November 2008 I went to Hatfield to attend a farewell of one of my best friends... I drove down one of the main roads and turned towards the opposite side of the road to park and "BAM" an idiot reverses into me. He got out and shouted how its my fault and I shouldn't be making U-turns in the middle of the rd. Since when is parking on the opposite side of the rd considered to be a U-turn? Okay I can deal with this... I take his number and go to the farewell deciding that it will not spoil my evening.

3 months down the line we are still in the same place, apart from my car eventually being repaired. Of course no one could help me last year because in this country business starts to slow down a month before the silly season even starts. Anyway so I laid my claim the day after the accident and awaited the new year for the process to continue...

What a very helpful insurance company Indwe is... After many complaints about the bad service someone eventually latches onto my profile willing to deal with all my problems. As it was not my fault I insisted on not paying the access and my kind helper at Indwe arranged with the panel beaters that I can pay them when the money is recovered from the 3rd party. To make a long story short this was of course not the case and I had to pay, later finding out from the Pretoria branch manager that the arrangement that was made was in fact illegal and insurances companies are not allowed to interfere with your claim in this manner. I got confirmation that the guilty party was contacted on the 1st of February 2009 a "mere" 2 months after my claim was laid. After me throwing my toys out of the cot I am also still awaiting feedback from them, it has now been almost another week and nothing.

My point is investigate properly before you insure and don't just go for the company with the lowest quote because it will come back to bite you! All that aside, after driving around in my sisters Tazz for 2 weeks I am ecstatic to have my Merc back, well my Peugeot but it feels like a Merc... I have never been this grateful for simple features like central locking and power steering. So I have made peace with the fact that that bad service delivery does not bother companies out there and that I will probably never get my aces back.

But at the end of the day I still have 10 fingers, 10 toes and am alive and healthy, an accident is an accident and I can just be thankful that no one got hurt and I am still here...