Did you know you can demand that your insurer do a physical inspection of the damage to your car and not rely only on photos you have submitted in your claim? 

This is according to Valery Mngadi, senior adjudicator at the National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO), an independent body that resolves complaints brought by consumers against financial institutions.

“The insurer is supposed to do a physical inspection or an assessment of the damage to the property and then prepare a report which will show how each damage would cost to fix so that the client can make an informed decision whether they want to fix the damage themselves to avoid paying excess. There must be a physical assessment of the damage by the insurance. The practice of just relying on pictures is not enough. 

“The physical assessment is needed because the panel beater can also identify possible further damage by, for example, stripping the car and find other faults which might not be visible from photos. The customers are within their rights to demand that the insurer do a physical assessment of the damage and the insurer should carry the costs of such assessment, not the client. The insurer must also prove that the claim is within the excess.” 

The adoption of digital damage assessment tools is gaining traction in SA’s insurance industry, with major insurers implementing AI-driven photo assessment systems for motor claims. These allow customers to submit images of vehicle damage via a mobile application. They use AI to analyse the images, detect damage and generate repair cost estimates – streamlining the claims process and reducing the need for physical inspections.

But sometimes the practice of relying on photo assessments disadvantages customers.

Patrick Mabasa from Giyani, Limpopo, had his claim for damages to his car rejected by Auto and General, allegedly based on photos he was asked to submit to process his claim. 

Mabasa was involved in a car accident last month and was allegedly told that the damage to his car was less than his excess amount of R9,300 and upon fixing the car himself he had to pay the panel beater more than R21,000 out of pocket. The insurer still refused to pay.

“When I took the insurance, my car insurance premium was high but to reduce this, I had to increase my excess to about R9,300. My premium was reduced to about R600. When I was involved in an accident, the insurance said, based on pictures I submitted, the damage was less than my excess amount and they instructed me to fix my car even though I knew the damage was far bigger. I was cornered into taking their word because I need the car desperately,” said Mabasa.