Pray C

My (127-Hours) experience with Danmar Autobody and Oakhurst Insurance.

I was crashed into by a driver who had no licence. My car was damaged (the bumper) but it drove just fine. I was informed by Oakhurst Insurance (which deserves it's own one-star review) that I will be paying a fee for the damages after my car has been repaired at Danmar Autobody Eastrand. Fair, so I agreed. I was informed of an estimated waiting time and perhaps +three weeks after that, did I have to keep phoning and asking for feedback, I was first informed that it is in quality control. A good few days after that I had to phone, AGAIN for feedback as my request to be informed about my car was ignored. Upon my call, I was told, that "something was wrong under the car"...They are waiting for feedback from my Oakhurst insurance to see if they can get it fixed. I give it a few days and then phone again asking desperately, what is actually going on? .. I was informed that Oakhurst can do nothing to help (oh, the surprise) and that Danmar will be preparing the car to be dropped off at my house, on Monday. I phone on Monday morning to ask about the delivery of my car and I am told they are short on drivers this morning, they will try for the afternoon. They will call me back. I am a very very patient and understanding person so I wait and eventually call in the late afternoon since I have heard nothing. I am told that there were no drivers and the car will be delivered tomorrow. I call on the Tuesday morning because I know if I do not pester them, they will not give a care. I am informed that finally my car will be on the way shortly. My house is approximately 15 minutes away from Danmar and I am informed by the driver that he is on his way and will be at my house in 20 minutes. OVER TWO HOURS LATER, the driver arrives and again, I am polite and understanding as I understand getting lost and things like that. BUT...He drops off my car and tells me that it is basically not to be driven. Packs up and leaves. I start my car and put it into gear and it can barely go anywhere. This is s 2016 VW Polo Vivo. This car was driving fine when I drove it to the panelbeaters. I call the panelbeaters and tell them that I have commitments to life, I have been without my car for longer than it should have been, I have paid all of the money upfront, I was patient and polite and now after all this, my car gets brought to me and I can not even use it. I call Oakhurst Insurance and they tell me that I am not insured for mechanical damage....This is all on me. (After a fortune in paying insurance every month) I do what I can and I take my car to a trusted mechanic, he shows me how the gearbox was not even tightened in properly, there were *****s and bolts rolling around. The bolts could not even tighten because they had stripped the holes and just left them in there, hoping nobody would notice. I later get a call from the manager as I am really not a satisfied customer and he asks me .."Are you sure you did not drive over something at sometime?.." ..I reiterated that I drove to the panelbeaters so it was not damaged like this when I brought it in. They had tried to tell me to make a second claim with Oakhurst (I would rather hack my own arm off, 127 Hours style) then deal with Oakhurst Insurance or Danmar Autobody. I had told them that I will be fixing my car through my own means and left it at that. I don't understand why and how people can wake up everyday and deliver the most lackadaisical work such as this. I do not often voice my concern or complaint so openly but we as customers who have no choice but to put in our time, effort, emotion and money into things, we deserve a fair deal. Not to be ripped-off and left helpless.