Are You Also Unlucky You’re With AAMI?
Who Else Is Unlucky You’re With AAMI Insurance?
You maybe wondering what sort of a person would create a website that highlights the incompetencies displayed by a major insurance company?
Well, this site is our experiences and story of how we have been stuffed around, discounted and pushed into the corner by our “insurance” company, AAMI Insurance.
“You’re just one little person and we’re a big corporation.. you can’t do anything that will matter” – Chris Doumanis, AAMI Storms Manager Victoria
The decision to erect this website came after approx 4:30pm 7th June 2010, we received word from the “storms manager” who was personally overseeing the mess which had become our case said the following… “You’re just one little person and we’re a big corporation.. you can’t do anything that will matter”.
Well to that manager and AAMI, we say to you… You were wrong.
You see what the storms manager (AAMI Insurance recently appointed ignoramis extraordinaire) failed to comprehend was the reach of the world-wide web… and what the resolve of people who had been pushed beyond their tolerance levels could amount to.
“Does This Look Fine And Safe To YOU?”
At this stage we had a mass of pots and pans half-filled with water underneath this ceiling that the intoxicated repairman took less than 60 seconds to view and said that it was fine and safe… Less than 2hrs later, it collapsed… right on top of my father-in-law who was babysitting at the time.
Over the coming weeks, this website will be populated with more of the video and audio footage captured over the course of 14 weeks of non-stop hell.
Less Than 2hrs Later…
If it had been 9am, then my daughter would have been crushed and killed by the falling weight of the ceiling, bricks, mortar and wet insulation and plaster. When we mentioned it to the drunk repairman on his second visit he scoffed and said “What do you care? You have insurance, you can buy a new baby toy”. He missed the point… likely due to his blood alcohol level.
The to top it off, our projector took over 15 litres of water (this was before the guy showed up in the first place). The ironic thing is we were worried that such a heavy projector (some 50-60kg’s) would be the thing to pull the ceiling down. As it turned out, it was the four steel rods and the projector mount that held up the rest of the falling ceiling, thus preventing my father-in-law from having nowhere to run from.
Now a note about my father-in-law. As an ex-military (navy) personnel, he has 78% deafness which requires two fulltime hearing aids. He didn’t have the luxury of hearing the ceiling and bricks coming down on him until he started to get hit by it all. The debris broke the lounge suite and razor sharp bricks missed his head (luckily). He was hit by bounceback debris and bricks on his leg.
When my husband called up for help after the total cave-in, the phone staff said to him that he was lucky that they sent anyone out at all.
How lucky would you be to have someone sent to help you who breathed alcohol into your face, looked at the problem and without doing anything to make it safe, just jumped in his ute and left you with a life-threatening situation on your hands?
Every single time we requested the incident and ongoing problems be escalated we were assured that a full report would be issued. Even the three assessors that were sent out gave us their word that they would write their own report and the matter would be investigated. To date, they have not submitted any such report… and why would they? remember who pays their salaries…
Chris Doumanis was assigned to our case after the repairmen who were sent out continued to further damage our lounge. They broke switches, smashed off power points, broke computer equipment and crushed and destroyed the heat ducts and wall points.
When Chris decided he didn’t much care to continue doing the job he was assigned, then after making disgusting admissions of his value of policyholders (with his big corporation statements), refused point blank to re-escalate the matter to the ombudsman.
Our nightmare didn’t end there, not by a long shot! After that avalanche of damage came down, after we cleaned it up ourselves, AAMI decided to forget about us for 7 weeks! It was only when I called them to enquire where they were and why they hadn’t fixed anything, they replied with “oh, that’s right”.
And then, 3 weeks after that, they sent the same contractors responsible for the damage in the first place to come and finish off the job! And finish it they did… it took them 2 weeks to tear down and put up a replacement ceiling that was bowed, crooked, s-shaped.
Then, at week 11-12, after AAMI continued to do nothing to remedy the situation and escalated our “complaint” nowhere, they finally agreed to move us out of the toxic environment and into a nearby hotel (yeah, a full family in a 2-room hotel room is not as joyous as it would seem.. and yes, we spent 10 weeks in a toxic environment… mainly because they never sent out anyone who told us about the hazard until the repairmen told us in week 10!)
After the same Storms Manager didn’t believe our claims about the safety of the new repair work, sent out “their best assessor”. However that backfired when even their best assessor took one look and said “NO! That all needs to get ripped down and replaced…. AGAIN!”.
AND YES, we do have video footage of all the ongoing damage they caused and are causing, as well as the shonky curved ceiling that they said was ok, but the assessor had kittens over!
At this point we are at our wits end… We asked the matter to get escalated to the top and got more run-arounds than a political party fundraiser!
Chris’s resolve (as he was put in personally handling our case) was to tell me that I was one little person and they were a big corporation and there was nothing we could do.
From the drunken “make safe” emergency guy that AAMI Insurance sent out that merely looked at the ceiling and declared it fine… only for it to collapse less than 2 hours later, almost killing my father-in-law… through to being ignored by AAMI and not having anyone send out an assessor for almost 8 weeks later.
“Five Reasons You Are Unlucky If You Are With AAMI Insurance”
They promise you will always speak to a real person… what they don’t promise is phone wait times under 2hrs, or competent staff members with authority to do anything useful…
They say all repairs they authorise have a life-long warranty… what they don’t tell you is that some of the contractors they use are shonky (you know, the types that will sign off on jobs that could later on come crashing down on someone–just so they can knock off and have a few beers…)
Even after you ask them to not “send out the drunk guy” (who is supposed to make your home safe for your children), they completely ignore you and send him out again… three hours later and smashed from all the booze he’s been drinking whilst his apprentice is his chauffeur… and he STILL didnt make anything SAFE!
If you have a qualm, they will say they will happily escalate your concern… what they don’t mention is they escalate it to the rubbish bin…
Because if the head of a management team tells you that “you’re just one little person” and that there isn’t anything you could possibly do… then it’s time to consider taking your insurance policy elsewhere!
AAMI Insurance ignored all reports and continued to send the same company out time and again until they had smashed everything of value in our entire lounge!).
Besides all the evidence and documents that is going up here, other snippets that will be added to this website are other people who have reached their wit’s end with this substandard excuse for a “company that cares” *cough* (the only thing they care about is milking policy holders and passing the buck!).
Just like with David and Goliath… one little person can make all the difference!
AFTER 16½ Weeks they just finished making the roof water tight…
Are you unlucky you’re with AAMI Insurance? We Are!
If you’re a member of the press and need more information then please contact us now
For those who watched Today/Tonight and read AAMI’s reply saying “claims of the drunk repairman are unsubstantiated”… you maybe asking “How could this be?” Well, after we escalated our nightmare to the Ombudsman, we learned that although AAMI tell you on the phone while your waiting that “your call may be recorded”, AAMI actually dont record ANY of their calls between their staff and policyholders. What this means is even though we were told by MULTIPLE staff that this issue was being escalated, it never was… After all, you can’t deny something if you just plain dont record it! — So the lesson folks is if you have to make a claim, for your own sakes, record the call between you and AAMI so they dont screw you over with their spin!
Food for your own thought… a “make safe” repairman is sent to your home to make your home safe. He turns up and doesnt do a single thing to make your home safe. Then your home crashes down… You call again and AAMI ignore your request (and dont record it so they cant be held liable *cough*) and send out the same repairman who again doesnt do a single thing to make your home safe… leaving you to clean the rubble and debris for yourself. THEN, you get ignored for 7 weeks before the kind girl on the phone says “we forgot about you”. THEN, as you think help will finally be on it’s way, AAMI hire the same company that supplied the “make safe” repairman who goes about ruining your home further by smashing things and doing work that is so unsafe that AAMI’s own assessor said it had to be pulled down. THEN, when you pour your heart out to the next “case manager” they assign you, he tells you that you are just one person and there is nothing you can do. Tell me… how would you be feeling, when even as week fifteen goes on and the repairs to the roofing havent even started yet?
The Saga Continues….
The “Consumer Appeals” department of AAMI (who also like to go by the name of an ombudsman – not to be confused with the real ombudsman… similar to how the fashion police are connected with “serving and protecting”) is as vested in doing what is right with your case, as much as Ivan Milat was vested in lending a helping hand to the occasional backpacker.
Don’t get me wrong, their department serves a vital role within AAMI. It is their department which you get bounced to after you are sick and tired of getting the run-around.
This single department can buy AAMI another 5-15 working days whilst it reassures you they will “consider” the facts of the situation.
In the interests of lowering overheads of AAMI, I’ve prepared a template that the consumer appeals department can automatically send each person unlucky enough to be funneled into this joke of a department.
Dear <Insert Your Name Here>, After closely and meticulously examining the details of your case where you <Insert The Hell You Have Gone Through Here>, we have found that those responsible have investigated the matter fully. With that, we consider all those responsible to be <Insert The Opposite Of What Would Be Morally Correct> and subsequently have decided to do <Nothing/Zip/Zilch/Nada>. If you don’t like our decision then you can escalate this to <The Real Ombudsman/Financial Ombudsman Service>, however we now consider this matter to be <Pigeon-holed/Covered Up>. Yours Sincerely <Random Name Of Someone Who Doesnt Care To Investigate Your Matter>.
Here’s an example of what i’m talking about in live action replay:
- The “Consumer Appeals” department felt that the drunken contractor who showed up TWICE with NO Tools, did NO Repairs or make-safe work whatsoever, and was the single sole cause to the entire ceiling coming down = ACCEPTABLE.
- AAMI Insurance forgetting about us for 7 weeks before arranging to send out an assessor, leaving us with a massive gaping hole = ACCEPTABLE, AND was done in a timely manner. (So much for their adverts on tv where the guy is in the street shouting “What About Me!”)
- AAMI’s failure to record our complaint at any stage, even thought assessors and team leaders acknowledged reading the entire story including our comments = ACCEPTABLE.
- Having a so-called senior manager tell a policyholder they are just one person and there was nothing they could do = ACCEPTABLE.
- Taking sixteen weeks to complete a job which experts said should have taking at very most three weeks (same experts said an entire house is built in ten weeks) = ACCEPTABLE.
- Contractors destroying fixtures = ACCEPTABLE.
- Removalists losing and destroying property = ACCEPTABLE.
Their conclusion… “Suck It”…
So with that, I suggest those of you who are unfortunate enough to be suffering when trying to get some honesty, integrity and action, then go directly to the financial ombudsman service and file an official complaint.
From all accounts, the FOS actually take the time to write your complaint down and will act accordingly. Now don’t despair if you go to the FOS and they give you a story about having to go through the “consumer appeals” department first. It is the FOS’s way of letting AAMI have one last chance to do the proper thing *cough*. Also, don’t believe a thing that the Consumer Appeals tell you unless you get it in writing. Personally, I’ve known car salesman who are more forthcoming with an agreement.
At the end of the day however the biggest thing worth remembering is this… ALL the staff within the “Consumer Appeals” department, regardless of if they call themselves an “ombudsman”, collect a big big fat paycheck from AAMI Insurance.
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Dwain Hobaugh
June 27, 2010 at 5:05 am
Thank for sharing your story. It is wrong what they are doing to people. Fair enough if they werent paid policy holders but screwing over good people is just wrong!
Louise Haney
June 28, 2010 at 7:37 am
You write very detailed,Pay tribute to you.Couldn’t be written any better. Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate who moved in with me after he lost his home! He always kept talking about this kinda thing. I will forward this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!
Daniel
June 28, 2010 at 10:23 am
Hi, thanks for setting up this website.
We have been out of our house for over 6 weeks now and AAMI was supposed to ONLY paint the ceiling/cornice and replace part of floor/sand/polish.
We have the first trader loosing the contract as work was done poorly and not following the scope of work.
The second has done the same thing and left application marks, debris, staplers, hair in the polish. They told us that it will go away in the next few months…
The flooring tradesman were even screaming and verbally assaulting my wife in the weekend.
This really start to affect us as our pet has also been away for over 6 weeks.
Whats your thoughts and what are my options? We are fed up with this!!!
Thanks Daniel
Jan & Steve Millard
June 28, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Whilst our claim was NOT with AAMI it was another insurer that also falls under the Suncorp-Metway umbrella.This also includes GIO, Vero and APIA
Our claim was a total disaster from the get-go, eerily similar to your story, even including exeptionally poor works from their appointed builder.
We had fought this case (on our own) since July 2008-it took nearly 18 months to resolve and allow us to totally re-build the previous insurance builder`s works.
So, to everyone out there- YES one person CAN make a difference!!! We fought the insurers and won against the mighty corporation!
Allyson Zubik
June 28, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Even though I dont use aami, I am glad to know what you have gone through. People need to stand up to this kind of atrocious business acumen. I still love the site!
John Neeting
June 29, 2010 at 5:35 pm
Just go to http://thadeus-sez.blogspot.com/2009/11/lucky-im-not-with-aami.html
and scroll down to near the end and read what happened to this guy and what he’s doing about it hee hee hee
Noel Kosten
July 7, 2010 at 10:29 am
I am certainly thankful to you for providing us with this invaluable info. My spouse and I are truthfully grateful for sharing your experience.
richard howarth
July 7, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Just want to let you know that I for one will never take out an AAMI policy for anything after reading about the disgusting way they treated you.
Renetta Eisele
July 11, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Appreciate you sharing, great article post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Cool.
Jonathan
July 12, 2010 at 8:31 pm
I have an unresolved car insurance claim. Accident date 21 Feb 2010 and as at 12 July 2010, car is still not repaired… The car at the time of the accident was hardly 2 years old, a Peugeot 308. Parts were never the issue. It has been AAMI’s incompetence all the way. They don’t give a shit if you miss holidays, mum’s 50th or important personal events. I have been a rating 1 driver for sometime and then when the unfortunate event happens, I am screwed! The car has been with 3 different repairers, has been inspected by 3 different assessor a total of 8 times and the total cost to AAMI for repairing car exceeds $50k what it is insured for. They are a joke and I will be posting youtube footage of how poorly my car has been repaired and show what state I get it back in… Haven’t got it back yet… It should have been a write off. My issue is with FOS, but they advise it will take them 6 months to get a resolution. I will be dead by then with the car AAMI hands me back. To sum up the accident, it was a front side impact from the passenger side. The whole enginebay has been rebuilt by a bunch of apprentices with no idea on how any car is built, let alone not even bothering to look at manufacturer instructions that are readily available. It has been a nightmare and if I had not taken photos every stage of the repair, I would be screwed over severly. TAKE PHOTOS! Protect yourself. AAMI WILL SCREW YOU OVER!
Jonathan
July 25, 2010 at 10:22 pm
Suggestions anyone on a good lawyer in syd? I picked up car yesterday, 24th July. Exterior better, but not perfect, let alone original condition. Interior, filthy. Stained carpets, grease and dirt marks throughout beige leather interior. Also missing part of dash! What the? Looks like someone has sat in car and removed all they could and left me high and dry… Drove the car 400km post pickup… Problems with suspension, computer wiring and brakes. I am now just seeking legal counsel as AAMI have blatantly repaired a car that was uneconomical to repair. Easy on the legal front!
robert
February 2, 2011 at 9:21 pm
hi jonathan my name is robert i work for a company called ivic we are based in sydney and melbourne if you still have your vehicle we would love to have a look at the repairs
Jonathan
July 12, 2010 at 8:47 pm
To add to my above comment, I will quote some one liner’s that AAMI management gave to me:
“The AAMI ombudsman won’t help you, neither the FOS, you will have to take it to court of law and goodluck with that!”
“It often takes 6-12 months for car repairs” yet the initial advice is “10-12 business days”
“We don’t care about your personal inconveniences, our only obligation is to repair car to it’s original state.”
AAMI Assessor:
“All cars have such defects out of the factory”. (What a 2 cm gap between bonnet/bumper and another bonnet/a-pillar? That’s not even roadworthy!)
“Peugeots are just french fords, they are cheap common cars” (A real nice touch of customer service on AAMI’s behalf)
DO NOT insure any foreign car with them. They are just downright cheap and offer very little customer satisfaction when you need it most. 6 months to repair a 2 year old car is just ridiculous. Not to mention the ongoing problems this car will have… On top of that, don’t buy a Peugeot either. I reported problems I have been having with Peugeot Australia and they largely ignored me. I imported the first 308 XTE HDi fully optioned, the top of the range with everything. The cars are rubbish. Plain and simple.
Glee
July 13, 2010 at 3:33 am
I just wanted to comment and say that I really enjoyed reading your blog post here. It was very informative and I also digg the way you write! Keep it up and I’ll be back to read more in the future
Stevey Brennen
July 13, 2010 at 10:26 am
This website has certainly altered my perspective on aami insurance. Theres no way I wouldve thought about this side of the insurance world. You get insurance and think you are safe. Not anymore. Thank you for sharing man!
Joe Polanksi
July 13, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Talk about character and strength of resolve. This is the coolest website and stories that i have ever read…its useful for me as im a lecturer and always motivate my students with these publised stories…thank you …and waiting for plenty more…
caleb
July 14, 2010 at 3:05 pm
You are amazing! This website is really fantastic. I truly hope a lot more folks go through this and get what youre saying, since let me tell you, its significant stuff. I never wouldve thought about this this way unless Id found your blog. Many thanks for putting it up.
singal
July 15, 2010 at 9:11 am
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Jase
July 15, 2010 at 12:33 pm
I have had a horrible experience with Just Cars, a division of AAMI over a car accident. Sometimes after a fight you can come out in front! Just keep trying!!!!!
I was involved in an accident which was not my fault. I was rear ended whilst stationery. I phoned up my insurer – Just Cars, and I told them I would take it to my repairer (who had done work on it before for Just Cars). They approved and ask him to send in the quote.
He quoted my car – around $18,000 to repair it. Just Cars then requested to have the car towed to another repairer to have it quoted. Their approved repairer came in at $7,000. HUGE DIFFERENCE.
I phoned their repairer and asked them to send through their quote, which surprisingly they did. I compared my quote against theirs a noticed huge differences. My car was 5 years old with only 52,000km on it. Basically it was brand new – not a mark – not a scratch.
I took the 2 quotes to my repairer who looked at it. He compared them and pointed out a few issues;
- Since my car was a convertible, it is quite hard to work on, so he quoted to have the soft top removed along with the interior. This would save and damage to this in the repair process. Their repairer didn’t.
- My repairer quoted on using new genuine parts, as my car was still under warranty, and was in brand new condition. Their repairer didn’t.
- My repairer guaranteed that the work would be done within 3 weeks as he had access to all the new parts required. Their repairer ended up taking 8 weeks.
- My repairer reminded me that the last time it was in an accident, that I never had to bring it back for anything after picking it up. Well, their repairer didn’t.
Needless to say, Just Cars repairer won the quote, and commenced work. I was phoned 4 weeks after they commenced work, and went to pick up my car.
- The front door would not close properly
- There were 3 rips/slashes in the leather seats
- The roof would not open/close properly and the hydraulic system was broken
- The roof leaked water
- The boot would not shut or open properly, and the inside of the boot lid was still smashed
- The exhaust pipe was still bend and smashed in
- The paint matching would have been better if a kindergartener had picked it
- The rear bumper was not fitted properly and was damaged.
- The inside of the roof cavity (where the roof folds up) was mangled and bent.
I could go on forever with the list of complaints but these are the main ones.
I told the repairer I was not happy with the with the repairs and they said they would rectify. 2 weeks later I was asked to pick up my car. I requested that a representative from Just Cars be present.
I went to pick up the car and was continued to be horrified with the dodgy job they did repairing it.
They adjusted the door so it would shut properly (you could see it was not aligned properly), roof was still the same, boot still the same, rear bumper was replaced, the roof cavity was rectified, and they had replaced one of the leather seats that was ripped with a different colour and grain leather.
So basically my car was still rubbish.
I went off my brain and told them I was not happy with the repairs, and the Just Cars Representative told me, that is about as good as it will get. FATAL ERROR on his part. I told him I will be taking the car and I will see them in Court.
I took the car straight to my repairer where he evaluated the work they had done, and agreed that it was beyond pathetic.
Just Cars phoned me and asked to come and see me, which they did the next day. The same guy who had met me at the repairer, came out and looked over my car, he agreed it was poorly done, and I would have to take it back to my repairer.
I did this and he requoted it. Because they had cut so many corners in the repair process – by damaging the seats, the roof, and unbelievably – welding the whole rear side panel in the wrong spot (hence why the roof and door and boot would not shut properly) the quote came to $27,000.
Just Cars then suggested that I sell the car…..WTF who would want to buy a damaged car????
I once again told them I would see them in court. They then decided to write the car off.
Basically if you want repairs done whether it be your house/car/whatever – AAMI/Just Cars won’t do it
Shayari
July 17, 2010 at 9:46 am
I do Believe that other webmaster’s need to start thinking like you. I actually like the way you care for your vistors. Its looks like you have everything from an great writer to an good webmaster. You should really start a site where you should give personal training to student’s like me who want to know how to stand up for whats right. Superb Value For Time spent on your blog.
Carola Lamon
July 19, 2010 at 1:50 am
Book-marked your webblog. Are grateful for sharing. Absolutely worthy of time far from my research.
Dwight Shubrooks
July 20, 2010 at 11:11 pm
impressive blog! It drives me mad seeing people trying to get legal help on Yahoo Anwers and Craigslist. People need to wake up and TALK to a proper attorney! anyhow, thanks once again for the great informative blog post!
Tanya
July 25, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I too have had massive issues with AAMI.
I received storm damage to my home in January 2010.
I was asked to identify all the damages that I had received and was informed by the building inspector “don’t worry, it will all be fixed”.
All AAMI offered was a ‘band aid’ fix for half of what was identified. The other half of the damages identified were ignored. Sorry, not ignore, either the damage is not covered by AAMI, or it is a maintenance issue which is my problem!
AAMI staff have lied to me, distorted and manipulated all their conversations.
Yes, they are not in a hurry to respond to your calls.
I have sought independent quotes, at AAMI’s request, only to be told that they are too high!!!!
Six months have gone by………………..and I am back to square one with AAMI. Deteriorating tarps on my roof covering broken tiles, damaged gutters and holes in my ceiling.
I have made a complaint with their internal disputes office and the Financial Ombudsman Service.
I don’t know what else to do?
Can anyone recommend a good lawyer?
Insurers and their builders behaving badly
July 26, 2010 at 11:33 am
Lawyers-try Miro in melbourne at Lovegrove and Lord as he specialises in building/insurance and is really good.You can get a free 1/2 hour consult with him by ringing the law institute legal refferal service for a referal to them.
Good luck.
Clarissa Kosten
July 27, 2010 at 6:17 am
It’s been ages since I read a quality post. Nice effort and I must say that I enjoy it!
Matt Dunlop
July 27, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Thank you for sharing your story. It is nice to know that we are not the only one who is suffering the HONEST insurance companys. Our story is a little different and is with a different insurance company.(Elders) We have been chasing our claim for the last 15 months and still have no idea how they are going to fix it.
Kali
July 27, 2010 at 9:28 pm
I think at this point it is worth mentioning we have been receiving multiple false comments from 203.0.223.243 and 203.0.223.244. When these addresses are looked up through an IP tracer, the company owning it… SUNCORP.
Check it out here and here.
Thank god for international spam filters which are now looking into this rubbish they sent through
mick hartigan
July 28, 2010 at 1:45 pm
My house burnt down and after 12 months they haven’t paid one cent
munno
March 21, 2011 at 11:44 am
Hi Mick, I am in the same situation. My house burnt down last year and the ‘claim is still in process’ with AAMI. Apperently they are ‘all over the place’ with QLD and therefore justifying the delay in my claim. Would be interested in knowing how far have you got now. Thanks heap in advance.
Lauryn Bonds
July 31, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Hello, I understand this is perhaps quite unexpected to read, but this post helps me to get through my day, when my wife is complaining to me all the time A couple of my buds told me about it but I could not find it for some time, so a couple days back I was so happy to finally find it! Myself, I don’t blog at all due to time constraints nonetheless I do admire other people’s work. I just need to comment to show my gratitude for your entries and I also wanted to say that many writers don’t get any credit for their work, credit that is, surely well deserved. Given the topic you may not believe me and perhaps doubt that anyone could like it so much, but I genuinely wish for you to continue as you began. It’s awesome!
Frank
August 4, 2010 at 7:23 am
I saw something about this on TV last night.
bree
August 9, 2010 at 7:19 am
Fantastic blog! I genuinely love how it’s easy on my eyes and also the facts is well written. I am wondering how I can be notified whenever a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your rss feed which should do the trick! Have a nice day!
Matt Byrne
September 19, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Having problems with AAMI – denied my claim for failed waterproofing and now won’t release the building report. It has been 2 moths and counting. I was searching for their complaints escalation process when I came across your story.
I have made a point of telling all my family and friends about my AAMI experience and I figured that every new policy or policy renewal that doesn’t go their way is a small win.
I hate AAMI so much and brother I’m spreading the word.
If there are any AAMI employees reading this then my message to you is simple – it’s really sad what your company does to people. But in the end, I will die knowing that I didn’t make a living by making other miserable.
Malik
September 26, 2010 at 10:28 pm
Thanks for sharing the story.I was just about to get a quate from AAMI via internet.After seeing this I will never go to them.I will tell all my friends also
Kim
November 18, 2010 at 1:22 pm
I just thought I’d tell you my story about AAMI!!
I recently received a renewal notice in the mail from AAMI for my Comprehensive Car Insurance. It was at this point that I noticed that my monthly repayments would be increasing to $81 a month. I may not have taken much notice of the increase had it not been that a month before I moved house, and my monthly repayments went down to $73.50 a month.
Clearly irritated by the price increase I phoned AAMI that afternoon to discuss why the payments had increased. The man I spoke to was not helpful, he couldn’t tell me why my repayments had gone up, nor would he put me on to anyone else to ask. This aside he was rude and impolite to talk to, which instantly made me angry!
I ended the phone call with him and decided to jump on the internet and get an online quote with AAMI. Low and behold the very same company that I currently am insured with, the ones that were trying to quote me $81 a month, came up with a quote of $69.00 a month!! (This wasn’t including the online discount either).
Quote in hand, the next day I phoned AAMI asking again why my Insurance repayments were so high and again three different people (one being a manager) could not tell me why my repayments had gone up. Furthermore after providing them with the Quote I had received off their website, they all agreed that yes all the details were the same but yet they could not reduce my insurance to the price I was quoted!!
Finally I ended up cancelling my insurance with them, and reopening it again at the price I was quoted online, which ended up being $66 a month (online discount included). That’s a $15 monthly difference and a $180 saving a year that they were trying to rip me off on!! I WILL be looking elsewhere for insurance and I will not be recommending AAMI to anyone in future! I am truly disgusted with them! I was one person that was willing to fight for the correct price… but there are plenty of other people out there that are none the wiser that the greedy insurance companies are ripping them off!!
I’m glad you set up this website! And I’m glad I’m not the only one that thinks AAMI is not doing a good job!
Margaret Bottrell
November 22, 2010 at 9:38 am
Hi, I contacted the financial ombudsman services only to be redirected by them to AAMI consumer appeals department on Friday. The man was very rude and arrogant. He has informed me that I will receive confirmation of my complaint in the mail in 5 days and that the matter will be finalised in 15 days. Sound familiar ? AAMI are claiming existing damage to my vehicle from a previous accident prior to my puchasing the car. I payed an independent Assessor $220. to go with me to assess my car while it was still pulled apart only to find that the panel beater and him knew each other well and I was not allowed in while they assessed the car together. Needless to say the assessors findings were consistant with AAMIs. They returned my VT series 1 wagon with a VY tailgate and refuse to replace it with the correct model. I have AAMI insurance on 3 vehicles and now have to cancel and shop around for a new company. I feel for you and am going through exactly the sam treatment by AAMI as you guys copped.
Pete H
February 13, 2011 at 10:11 am
NOW ANOTHER INSURANCE COMPANY CAN DEAL WITH YOU!
I am sorry but if you had an independent assessor look at the works and still found it not related to the accident THEN IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN!
No matter if the repairer knew your assessor, wouldnt you think that if it was rleated then the repairer would want more work!!!!!! Or have business’ now turned into a NPO!
I find this extremely hard to believe…….
Chris
November 26, 2010 at 7:09 am
Hi. I was going to get insurance for 3 x motorbikes and 2 x cars. Will not be going anywhere near AAMI now. Thanks for saving me heaps of grief.
I’ll forward this web-site to all family and friends for their protection.
Best of luck getting some justice.
John
December 10, 2010 at 1:18 pm
My own personal experience with this company has slowly but surely left me outraged at what lengths they will go too to try to either deny claims, provide cheap badly done repairs or delay processes to the point where you feel like giving up. I just want to say that it is pointless arguing with AAMI because it seems that once a decision has been made (even if the decision is obviously flawed) nearly every single staff member you speak too will just repeat the original decision and are not open to taking a fresh look at your situation. For the smoothest (although still time consuming this is free) way to deal with issues, here is some advice:
1. As soon as a decision has been made that you are not happy with, ask to speak directly to the manager of that department and ask for the details of their decision to be put in writing-this is something they legally must provide.
2. TAKE THE NAMES OF EVERYONE YOU SPEAK TOO, INCLUDING LOCATION AND DEPARTMENT as soon as your call is answered.
3. Once you have spoken to the manager, if your issue remains unresolved – ask them directly for the name of the person who has the authority to review their decision and ask for this to also be noted in your file.
4. You must go through the above steps to be able to access the AAMI consumer appeals service for the final review, get their decision in writing.
5. After this you are free to go to the FOS.
Most importantly:
If ever you call to make even a general complaint, you must ask for the details of that complaint to be noted on your file WHILST YOU ARE ON THE PHONE WITH THEM – then call back in the evening when it is quiet to confirm the notes are there on your file.
Never accept what you know is not right!!!
Hope this helps
Luke
December 26, 2010 at 8:12 pm
Thankyou for sharing what you have been through. I’m shopping around for house insurance at the moment and was seriously considering AAMI as their price was so low but after reading this i’m staying well away.
Lui
January 5, 2011 at 9:28 pm
Hi there, I took out a cover-note with AAMI before Christmas as my current home insurance was about to expire but after seeing this I have decided that I should pay the extra $150.00 to my original insurer as they have never given me any hassle with regards to claims in the past 7 years, so I canceled my cover-note. Thanks to everyone involved with this website for this community service.
Notice to AAMI: I’m sure that loosing one policy like mine worth $1400.00 per year isn’t that crucial to your business, but is the hassle your giving these people worth loosing another 100 or even 1000 policies?? I own my own business and I would not want to loose any business to a poor reputation, but I guess that’s the view of the little person not the big guns like AAMI.
andrew harris
January 11, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Hhahaha!
I have heard of slow & lengthy insurance claims, but this just sounds like complete Bull****.
As if any assessor would deem the pictures above ‘safe’, even my 7 year old daughter would know thats unsafe.
Just sounds a tad exaggerated.
-
I myself lodged a building claim, and unlike other insurers i have dealt with, AAMI fixed it quick smart and till this day still is fine.
And my damage was less than this.
Rhyss Freeman
January 13, 2011 at 9:44 pm
Disgusting what AAMI are doing with the floods in Queensland! If you have a policy with them now and have not been affected by the floods then cancel your policy with this rougue of an insurer!
Pete H
February 13, 2011 at 10:07 am
Unfortunatley it is not disgusting.
The AAMI Policy for Building and Contents clearly states they do not cover flood. If you have a look at their product disclosure statement you can clearly see what they do and dont cover.
Flood is an exclusions and is clear….it is not hidden in some small fine print.
I ran a search for insurance companies who do cover flood. You will be suprised that MANY do not!!
NRMA is clever they say the cover flood (in NSW AND TAS ONLY) so on a search engine for flood cover they always pop up!
AGAIN I URGE EVERYONE to read their product disclosure statements. Different Insurance companies are targeted at different markets. If people DO NOT READ! when they are covering their most valuable assest, they unfortunatley are going to open themselves up to claims that may be denied!
I still feel for all those people who have been flood effected and have donate money personally. I just do not think a company should be forced to pay for something they clearly do not cover!
claudio
January 17, 2011 at 12:10 am
Hi there,
Well done on your website and for fighting back. I’m going through a similar thing with the incompetent muppets at GIO.
It’s funny that as I’m taking my 3 policies out of GIO, I was thinking of going to AAMI, but not now. So you are making a difference.
Keep it up!
Lisa
January 18, 2011 at 5:02 pm
Great job getting a website up re the famous insurance company. Hope you get some peace with your issue resolved. Will change all my insurance policies with them soon after reading this (we have about a dozen in the family)
Rod Bowen
January 19, 2011 at 1:50 pm
“At the end of the day however the biggest thing worth remembering is this… ALL the staff within the “Consumer Appeals” department, regardless of if they call themselves an “ombudsman”, collect a big big fat paycheck from AAMI Insurance”
Not to mention the fat paycheck they CASA!!!!
Dave
January 21, 2011 at 9:03 am
I have had a Terrible Time with AAMI.
After a car accident that was not my fault – it has so far taken them over 3 weeks to get it fixed.
Wont give me a loan car – and I had to catch a cab back once I took it into their assessment center.
I have had a terrible time trying to get to work and just to do the food shopping.
As soon as I get my car back I will be canceling my policy with them and going elsewhere
I warn everyone out there NOT TO go with AAMI.
Pete H
February 13, 2011 at 10:03 am
Perhaps you should have considered buying one of AAMI’s Hire Car Benefits. I myself have bought the free hire car and have experienced a situation where my car was gone for 3 weeks.
Because I read my policy and looked at the benefits i purchased the hire car which only cost me an additional $80 a year.
Now I have a free hire car for as long as it takes for my car to be repaired……..AT NO COST!
Perhaps people should read there policy booklets, read their quotes!!!!
Dew
February 28, 2011 at 11:50 pm
I am surprised to have stumbled upon such a website, big applaud for the creator!
Hi Dave,
How is your claim going now with AAMI? You’d waited for only 3 weeks, whereas I have been waiting for my car to be fixed for almost 3 months and my rego is soon to be due.
Every time I’d called to chase up, they always provide false duration of repairment and every time is the same responses. This is my first claim and the experiences had left a deep sour taste in my mouth. AMMI is a major company, so foolishly I had trusted them and even paid for my renewal policy even during the repair.
After many delays of the repair, I’ve called to ask them I want a complete refund on my renewal policy and they cannot return my money unless my claim is over. Every time this subject arises my blood boils and this is the end to my patience. I am planning to contact AAMI for a repayment of the agreed value, if they refused I will take legal actions. I just want to put an end to this and do not want to play the waiting game anymore.
HATE AAMI FOR LIFE! >=(
Eve Palme
March 11, 2011 at 1:46 pm
I too have had a bad experience with AAMI.
I legally parked my car outside a bank and some girl swiped it up one side.
I have contacted HER policy holder (AAMI) for my car to be repaired. I had to drive around with this damage for 2 weeks until they assessed it.
I was then told I would have to leave my car there for a period of 6 days of which I would be left with no transport and cannot get to work, and I had to rely on friends to take me grocery shopping.
I have made a complaint to the supervisor and explained that it was their customer who hit my car and how could they justify the inconvenience of the victim being left without transport, to no avail.
AAMI don’t care about customers or the people their customers hit, all they care about is the money they will get from the idiotic human beings who are fooled by their television commercials of the smiling, friendly girls.
All I can say is “what a crock”!
This has been a real eye opener for me never to insure with them, never.
Very unhappy.
Les Mykyta
January 21, 2011 at 9:25 pm
In Oct 2010 My wife, not insured with aami rolled into the back of another car (aami insured) they got out no damage to either car, both agreed no damage,exchanged details and left. my daughter took photo of our car, We didnt report anyting as both parties agreed no damage. January 2011, we get a letter of demand from the other driver for $800 plus. I know its not a lot in this day and age, and we agreed not to claim and settle out of our own pocket. Aami letter to us demanded we pay and also for his car hire adding to the costs. Funny but the quote i asked aami to provide had the repairer quote for repair to a petrol flap ON THE SIDE, REMOVE< RE PAINT RETURN etc,and the assessor even acknowledged previous old damage to his car to the rear, side and quarter panel. I dug my heels in saying we were still happy to pay for the bumper but would not pay for a fraudulent claim by aami in that the damage was not consistent with a rear bumper/numberplate tap. The guy on the phone insisted just to pay and that we wer going around in circles. Someone was trying to repair other damage not caused by my wife and just cover it by using our unfortunate incident. I told them i was familiar to the game and asked to see the repair and copies of the photos by the assessor then wait for their reply. He hung up and amazingly rang back saying that there was an error in the quote and there would be an ammendment. and they would get back to us.(this is no doubt that aami assessors didnt take photos of the damage and cant corroborate or prove such damage done on this occasion). Short of fraud, i will still pay for the minor damage, but PLEASE CHECK QUOTES AND REPORTS AS THEY WILL TRY AND BLUFF YOU WITH LEGAL HYPE SCARING TACTICS AND THE LIKE. They think that you will sh…t yourself with their heavy letters and just pay up. Im waiting to see the results of the so called wrong quote(which they didnt apologise for) AAMI =AllwaysAnother Major Inconvenience. !!
Peter
February 11, 2011 at 2:02 pm
I have read this blog with increasing interest and apprehension of whether my existing claim with AAMI will be honoured folling recent flood damage to my pride a joy!. This triggered some research about AAMI which has led to a question – shouldn’t this all be directed to AAMI’s owners SUNCORP who own AAMI, APIA, Shannons, GIO and others…. ???
tony
March 16, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Great website and, I hope, the first of many ‘clones’ of this great idea.
I have had a similar experience with a previous insurer but I have to say good one ARE out there – try YOUI insurance.
Fast, friendly, and competent (and their rates are a bonus!)
Adam
January 25, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Touche – we are having the same issues with these looters (AAMI) here in Queensland now. Wish I had read your website before the floods.
Malcolm
February 3, 2011 at 9:16 am
AAMI have been hiding behind the recent QLD Storm/Floods by saying that they are so busy that call centres are overloaded and after 3 hours of waiting I managed to get an unhlepful lady who said send them another email and I would contacted within 48 hours. She did also say that although my driveway which was destryed wouldnt be covered as it contained gravel. I have a compacted drive similar to what Main Raods use. Only a Massive Storm watter run off from flooded drains could damage it. On page 18 of their policy they cover Storm and Rainwater Damage but try to get out of any claims later on in page 22 by saying thye wont cover washing away of any soild, earth, gravel or movement of any surface of any path or driveway !! This is contradictory and surely is misleading and contrary to public safety and interest. This company should be shut down for misconduct, misleading consumers and ripping off the Australian Public. A calss action should be pursued as this profit only driven company only understands pain in the back pocket.
sasha
February 4, 2011 at 1:54 pm
if any dodgy repairs on your vehicle send it to IVIC and check the website out http://www.ivic.com.au
Don't Want To Lose My Job
February 9, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Suncorp Insurance Companies as a general rule, use internal assessors, meaning their own employees assess their claims. An employee cannot be independant as they really have the companies interest at heart. They are not truly independant.
Suncorp companies mostly use ‘panel builders’ meaning they only use contractors approved by them. I don’t have any proof, but there is anecdotal evidence that to get onto these panels is not a question of work ethics, but how much ‘kickback’ you pay the ‘procurement managers’ of the Insurer’s….these are the people who let you into their little ‘panel’. Starting with an all expenses paid round the world trip is a good start I hear!
The ‘panel builders’ then just sub-contract out the works to other contractors who then sub-contract out to someone else, so you get the situation where the person who actually attends doesn’t give a damn, cos he is at the bottom of the heap.
People, remember. Taking matters to the actual Insurance Ombudsman costs Insurance Companies money…they hate it, I can tell you that much. If the claim starts to go awry, threaten the ombudsman early and they will jump to attention.
Also remember, you get what you pay for…they’re cheap for a reason!
Ajay
February 14, 2011 at 11:31 am
I agree with you, AAMI is a third class insurer when they have to settle claims. My car claim payment was mailed to me 10 days back and I still havent got it. I am not sure, if they are sending any payments.
Its a bloody third class insurance company. I would never ever use/recommend AAMI.
wish i cud have seen your website earlier.
Mark Stevenson
February 15, 2011 at 10:46 am
Going through a claim now for lightning damage. AAMI as well as other companies cover new for old fully on lightning damage but only electric motors if you claim under Fusion clause. If the item gets fried in a storm (no mater the item) claim as lightning damage. 5 weeks so far without a fridge but have been informed that the excess payable is now wiped for all the stuffing arround I have received and now hope that I am happy……….This morning earlier I informed AAMI that I was lodging an official complaint in writing and contacting the Insurance Council to upgrade my own claim!
Geoff Moine
February 16, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Unfortunately it’s not just a matter of being unlucky. They really don’t give a damn. Our situation is less critical, but has nonetheless dragged on for months.
They arranged for a “cowboy” builder to rebuild the central pillar of our garage that had been hit by a car. He did not build it vertical. As a consequence one of the garage doors will not open and close and the other one only does so whilst making horrendous noises.
AAMI’s response to our complaints – “that is exactly how it was before the repair was undertaken” and they claim to have the pics to prove it which is utter rubbish because they did not come and take pictures before the damage was done!! They must feel very proud to have rebuilt a pillar to a state that is exactly the same as the damaged one. The point is that it was damaged and needed rebuilding to the perfect state that it was in before the damage occurred.
Unfortunately that is apparently something that does not get covered under an AAMI home buildings policy !!
Nice work on the site and our sympathies to you and all other AAMI policy holders.
Mark
February 16, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Hi i’m having ,many problems with AAMI
they keep blaming delays on the floods.
Amazing! i put my claim in on 1/12/10. well before the floods.still waiting.
anyhow trying something else now. Sent email below to there “contacts dept” lets see what happens.
i am sick and tired of trying to get you people to sort out my ceiling that i reported 1/12/10
still hasn’t been fixed!!!
The FOS will be contacted tomorrow yet again.
Today i have been put on hold for my claim, now wasted many hours with you lot.
can some call me and save my phone XXXXXXXX claim number XXXXXXXX
God help the flood victims you people are looking after. This note is being placed on the Today Tonight web site section set up for your company complaints.
Record that.
Andrew
February 26, 2011 at 11:34 am
AAMI are very quick to answer the phone when they give quotes or take you money. When you call the claims line they never answer their phones – forcing us to wait 75 minutes just to talk to them. They prmosie to get back to you in 3 days but never do, When you call them back, they are too busy and you have to wait 70 minutes again. The receptionist who does answer the phone is not allowed to take messages so you can not request them to call you back. I tried calling RACV to check the response time and I got through first try. It is appalling that companies can get away with treating us this way and we have no real way of dealing with them.
CP Kennedy
March 16, 2011 at 3:06 pm
Interesting to say the least…Ive heard these terrible rumours before and now more have come to light..Im insured with YOUI and they are brilliant……very fast and NO waiting time to talk to a REAL person
Mary
March 25, 2011 at 7:53 am
I have been waiting for 8 month for repairs to my home from storm damages. AAMI NEVER AGAIN
Tammy Zanchi
April 1, 2011 at 5:34 am
We are currently dealing with AAMI on the building side of life. We had our own builder come in and do a quote, he spent 2 hours measuring and inspecting. The AAMI builder came in and spent 10 minutes took photos, didn’t want to talk to me and left – his building quote was half the price of our builder. I do not want this guy but I do not want to be out of pocket $30,000. Any suggestions on how to fight this battle???