| It has been a challenging 2 weeks for all South Africans, with the efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 resulting in more severe measures being implemented, in particular the lockdown which will last from midnight on Thursday 26 March until midnight on Thursday 16 April 2020. We are fully supportive of the efforts taken by the South African Government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. As we all come to grips with what this means, we want to ensure that the impact of the lockdown is as little as possible on you. Although many of our Momentum Short-term Insurance (MSTI) employees will be working remotely to flatten the disease curve and slow down the spread of the virus, we remain fully operational across all business areas. As a result of these measures you might be experiencing delays in service delivery and turn-around times. We once again apologise for any inconvenience caused and assure you of our continued commitment to strive for service excellence under the current circumstances. |
| Below you will find some frequently asked questions, as well as answers following the lockdown announced by the South African President this week. |
| 1.How do I go about getting in contact with you regarding a query on my existing policy during the lockdown period? We have enabled our operational teams to work remotely. You will be able to contact us for all your insurance needs. We might experience network quality issues with voice calls from time to time and therefore encourage you to make use of the self-service options on our website or mobile app. Simply go to momentum.co.za. You can also still contact us on the following share call number 086 000 6784 or alternatively send us an e-mail at: shorttermclientservice@momentum.co.za. Our call centre hours remain unchanged. |
| 2.Due to the lockdown I will not be driving and I want to cancel my car cover for 21 days and take it up again when the lockdown is lifted? It is our obligation, as a responsible insurer, to advise you that cancelling your insurance may not be a good idea as your assets remain at risk for any unforeseen event and a financial adviser should be consulted. |
| For example: even if their vehicle is parked at home it is still exposed to fire or theft. |
| Also, if your vehicle is financed a finance house will still require that such a vehicle remains comprehensively insured. It is also important to note that you might still have to use your vehicle to buy essentials such as groceries, and you will have no cover for accidental damage if you downgrade your cover to ‘limited’ or ‘third party only’ cover. A ‘downscale’ option is certainly available however should be considered carefully. We do however understand that clients may be under strain financially and may find it difficult to afford an increase in premium once they change the cover back to comprehensive cover. In light of this, we have undertaken the following; if this change is done within the lockdown period and reverting to the original cover happens within 10 working days after the lifting of the lockdown restriction, we will keep premiums the same as what it was before the change, provided that there is no material change in the risk. |
| 3.Are there any plans from MSTI’s side to assist clients that are financially affected by the pandemic? In addition to the measures mentioned above, we are also providing clients with a unique once off opportunity between 1 April and 30 June 2020, to choose to receive an early payment for a portion of their accumulated Rewarder (no claims bonus) and/or their Safety Bonus. We believe this will go a long way in boosting cash flow for many clients. Clients who have this option available, but do not need it may also choose to donate their payment to the Solidarity Fund to assist those in need during this period. If the early payment is selected on the Rewarder benefit, the no claims period will be reset. For the Safety Bonus, the accumulation period will remain the same, but no Safety Bonus will be paid after the next policy anniversary. Should you require advice in this regard or if you want to make use of this option please contact us on the following share call number 086 000 6784 or alternatively send us an e-mail at shorttermclientservice@momentum.co.za. |
| 4.Will I still be rewarded for my drive-free Safe Dayz™? You will automatically earn Safe Dayz™ during the lockdown period and be rewarded with a drive-free day when staying home and not traveling. |
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| Claims |
| 1.How do I go about reporting an incident during lockdown? We have enabled our operational teams to work remotely. You will be able to contact us for all your insurance needs. We might experience network quality issues with voice calls from time to time and therefore encourage you to also make use of our mobile app and web functionality. Simply go momentum.co.za to report an incident. You can however still contact us on the following share call number 086 000 6784 or alternatively send an e-mail to shorttermclaims@momentum.co.za. |
| 2.What process will you follow for assessments on new claims submitted during the lockdown period? Upon claim registration, the claims consultant will talk you through the claims process and what you can expect during this period. Our processes will as far as possible remain unchanged. |
| 3.What process will you follow in terms of indemnification after a valid incident: Our process of indemnification remain the same however we have to advise that due to depleted stock and parts availability experienced by the majority of our service providers and motor body repairers we might offer alternative indemnification options. We will consider each case on its own merits. |
| 4.Will 24/7 assistance (emergency assist) services still be offered? We will continue to provide emergency services and our senior management team will continue to work with service providers to make sure we can provide these essential services. |
| 5.What will happen if my vehicle is currently at panel beaters? Our service providers have already started contacting clients where repairs have not yet commenced in order for these vehicles to be collected. Following the lift of the lockdown, new appointments for repairs will be made. Vehicles, where repairs are underway or in the instance where clients could not fetch their vehicles in time before the lockdown commenced, will be kept safe by the service providers until repairs can continue. All the affected clients will be informed accordingly by the service provider. |
| 6.Will car hire be extended at no cost to the client for all motor claims still pending? We have been working very hard to authorise as many claims as possible in the last couple of weeks, but in those cases where we were unable to do so, would have made contact with all clients who currently have rental vehicles. We will determine whether it is possible for clients to return the hired vehicle to be reissued when the lockdown is lifted. If this is not possible we will make alternative arrangements. |
| 7.What happens in the case of a burst geyser, fire or burglary claim? Our aim is to assist with all insurable events including emergency events and assess the damages as soon as possible. If the property is not habitable, alternative accommodation will be arranged for the household, subject to limits provided in our policy wording. Security will be deployed to the damaged property to safeguard the assets. |
| 8.Will my business be covered for Business Interruption as result of COVID-19? We regret to inform you that ‘Pandemics’ and ‘Epidemics’ do not form part of our insured perils under our Business Interruption cover. What is covered under Business Interruption cover? Financial loss suffered during the indemnity period following interruption of your business. The interruption must be as a result of a loss that gives rise to a valid claim for fire, office contents, buildings combined or electronic equipment, which you have insured with us. The interruption must be as a result of a loss that would give rise to a valid claim under these sections. The loss must also have occurred during the course of your business and at the business premises noted on the schedule. |
| 9.In the event of an accident where my client cannot drive further, will the vehicle be towed? We will continue to provide emergency service’s which includes towing. We have arranged for 24-hour storage yards during the lockdown period. |
| 10.Will all insured items be covered under lockdown against looting, break-ins and destructions? The same cover and cover conditions will apply as in the case before lockdown. It is advisable to consult your broker and/or policy wording and if necessary to re-assess your cover and sum insured. Also ensure that you have selected SASRIA cover in this instance. |
| 11.What about the availability of HomeDrive during the lockdown period? Please take note that our HomeDrive services will not continue during the lockdown period as this is not an essential service. Clients with existing bookings will be notified accordingly and bookings cancelled. |
| 12.Will the Safety Alert functionality still be available during the lockdown period? Our Safety Alert providers will operate as normal and this functionality will still be available during the lockdown period. |
| 13.During this period I won’t be able to renew my vehicle licence – how will this be dealt with from a claims perspective? We will continue to assess each claim on its own merits and rest assure that qualifying circumstances like this will most certainly be taken into account at claim stage. |
| We understand that these are uncertain and challenging times, but we are confident that we will successfully weather this storm. We are always stronger together! |
| We remain thankful for your continued support and understanding and would like to wish you good health and safety during these times. |
| Kind regards Vickey Swanevelder Head of Operations: Momentum Short-term Insurance |
