Hope you're all doing well. I've got a bit of a situation and could use some input from the community. So, on Monday, 4 December 2023, at 4:25 pm, another driver ran into the back of my 2 month old car at a roundabout. The entire incident was captured by my rear dashcam. I and the other party exchanged details. I attempted to contact Woolworths Insurance, the comprehensive insurer for my vehicle, at the scene by calling 1300 10 1234. After more than 30 minutes of wait time, someone picked up, but while I could hear them, it seemed they couldn't hear me, leading to an abrupt disconnection with no callback.
Consequently, I drove the car home, which was only 2 km from the accident scene. When I tried to lodge the claim online, I encountered a persistent issue preventing me from progressing beyond the second page, "Policy Holder Contact Details." The system consistently displayed an error message: "An error occurred while attempting to save the claim submission." This problem persisted despite attempts with three different web browsers and incognito/private mode.
Subsequent calls to 1300 10 1234, using a different phone through another carrier, resulted in the same issue. After another extended wait, it appeared that the same agent picked up my call; he still couldn't hear me, leading to another disconnection. On the third attempt using a SIP phone, eventually, I got someone with whom I could have a two way conversation. However, the agent was unable to lodge the claim on their end. They explained they were operating from South Africa and needed someone from Australia, working between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm AEST, to address the issue. They promised to call me back at 9:00 am the following day.
As of yesterday, 5 December 2023, no one returned my call, prompting me to contact them four times. Unfortunately, none of the four agents could assist. Despite their attempts to lodge the claim, each ended in errors, and none knew how to resolve the issue. Frustratingly, I had to repeat the details of the accident every single time. Requesting escalation, a manager took the call, apologised, assured me that this issue had occurred previously and would be rectified shortly, and promised to call me back once resolved.
Today, 6 December 2023, I have yet to receive a callback. Upon contacting them again, the agent attempted to lodge the claim, but it failed once more, accompanied by further promises. At this point, I believe I have exhausted my patience. Has anyone experienced a similar situation and can provide guidance on how to navigate it?
Thank you in advance.
Edit 1: I spoke to an agent on 5 December 2023, and asked them to file a complaint for me. They advised me that my complaint had been lodged as requested. I've attempted to lodge a complaint myself via https://insurance.everyday.com.au/contact-us/compliments-com…, but the submit button is not doing anything. Once again, I've tried with different browsers and incognito/private mode.
Go to their review site and facebook page immediately and lodge a complaint, someone may respond. Also there is an insurance complaints body, I think its called Afca.