[ForeRunner]

Hello Friends,

I am writing this post to clear some hype created on Royal Sundaram car insurance and Maruthi's dealership. I have been a owner of Swift Dzire for more than a year. Initially i took insurance with New India and have been servicing my car with the maruti service masters (MSM) chennai. Everything was going fine till last week when my car hit with a stray dog in NH45 near Trichy.

It was a dark night when a black stray dog suddenly crossed the road and i eventually hit it. Fortunately the dog escaped but my car was at the receiving end.

Maruti's notorious build quality has shown its colours. My front bumper was tore apart and there was nothing left in the horizontal bottom grill. Worst thing was there was a leak in the radiator coolant protruding like water from the dam. Even horn and fog lamps are gone with this little impact.

I think all the junk plastic toy cars are dumped on us from Japan. I couldn't image waht would have happened if i encountered something else like a Buffalow or a Calf. I would be finished off.

Then i proceeded to trichy which was 30 kms away with utmost precaution with an eye on the temperature gauge. Replenished the coolant with water at every 8~9 kms i reached Trichy. In between i called my service person at MSM who always tries his best and helped me on many occasions. He suggested me to bring the car to PLA motors.

It was late night around 11 O' clock and the workers were starting a personal tour on that day. The shop manager waited for me and when they saw the car they said they can't do anything for the next two days since they would be in travel. I had no other option and i left my car at the workshop and left Coimbatore by bus. PLA motors didn't have any claim form with them and they asked me to get it some where else.

My nice friend Sridhar at MSM arranged me the claim forms and filled in the forms and sent back to PLA by email (scanned copy) and also sent the hard copy by courier. I hoped the car would be ready by monday evening. I waited for the full one day but the surveyor didn't turn up. But the real night mare started on monday morning when i called PLA motors. They cooly said they will start the work only after the surveyor from "Royal Sundaram" inspects the car. On tuesday evening the survey had come and he asked the original documents immediately. I told him that,'Boss i am in chennai and i had never been asked to bring the originals either in MSM or in ABT'. I told him that whether i can send a scanned copy (even though i funished a photo copy of all the documents and original insurance copy to them) or i shall bright the originals when i come to take back my car.

But this insurance surveyor (named Prabhakar) was very adamant and refused to approve my claims if i fail to furnish the original RC book and my Original Licence. I don't understand why these people are asking for originals even the photo copies of the documents are already provided.

It is a high risk if i send my RC book through courier or post. This guy didn't bother about this. I even offered to visit Royal Sundaram's chennai office to show the originals and have a sigh of verification from them. He simply stuck to his guns and adamantly told me to send the documents.

The nest day i sent the documents hoping that atleast i will get the work done before week end so that i can travel to Trichy to bring back my car. Then the next demand (better say harassment) from the surveyor tonight was he needed the vehicle inspection report from MSM from where i renewed my insurance few months back. There was no valid reason behind it and the surveyor was in a clear mood of harassing the customer so that we will not go to them for a claim .

Amidst my office work Again i had to run pillar to post to get these documents. It all consumed 6 days excluding today and there was no light in the tunnel. Till this moment PLA motors hasn't touched my car for repairs. I don't know when i am going to get my car back.

These people got somehow the dealership from Maruti but never showed any interest in doing business. It seems they are just some voluntary social workers who had a part time hobby of doing car service. It was a friday night and i had to reach coimbatore next morning. The only solace for me is the good support from MSM's Sridhar and Nagarajan of PLA.

The surveyor may come with some intutive questions and may ask my Ration card, Pass port, SSLC Mark sheet and other stuff tomorrow. With such harassment i will never go with 'Royal' sundaram again and willn't surely recommend it for my nears and dears.

Its lession...

[krish3]

Hard experience. Royal Sundaram was known to give troubles when claims are raised. They give least quotes, but give maximum headaches in case of claims.

Better stick to something else like Reliance, Bajaj Allianz, New India Assurance as they are better when you have to deal for claims.

Good lUck!!! And teach them a lesson by not renewing with them.

[SPEEDY_RACER]

Hi Forerunner,

its really bad what has happened to you, but happy that nothing happened to occupants.

But any Insurance claim requires the Original Documents and they need to validate them before they approve the claim.

but if the insurance has taken by maruthi, then the Maruthi dealer should have got your work done, and he will not deliver the car until unless the insurance guy see's the original.

the same happened to me when my car met with the accident, the originals were in my suitcase when i forgot the same in my home town.

i told them to start of the work(i confirmed them that i will submit the originals before the delivery), and they finished the work. before 1 day of delivery i showed them the originals and they approved my claim.

its not only Royal Sundaram, all the insurance guys do the same kind of Behavior.

[ForeRunner]

Originally Posted by krish3

Hard experience. Royal Sundaram was known to give troubles when claims are raised. They give least quotes, but give maximum headaches in case of claims.

Better stick to something else like Reliance, Bajaj Allianz, New India Assurance as they are better when you have to deal for claims.

Good lUck!!! And teach them a lesson by not renewing with them.

Yes Krish.. It was hassle free with New India and two times i went for claim and it wa smooth. I switched to Royal Sundaram at the insistance of MSM people. They said they had a tieup with RS.

Originally Posted by SPEEDY_RACER

Hi Forerunner,

its really bad what has happened to you, but happy that nothing happened to occupants.

But any Insurance claim requires the Original Documents and they need to validate them before they approve the claim.

but if the insurance has taken by maruthi, then the Maruthi dealer should have got your work done, and he will not deliver the car until unless the insurance guy see's the original.

the same happened to me when my car met with the accident, the originals were in my suitcase when i forgot the same in my home town.

i told them to start of the work(i confirmed them that i will submit the originals before the delivery), and they finished the work. before 1 day of delivery i showed them the originals and they approved my claim.

its not only Royal Sundaram, all the insurance guys do the same kind of Behavior.

I agree with you Razer, But the point is why the dealer hasn't taken up any work till i show my originals. In case if i had gone for a long tour to north eastern india and met with such an accident what might happen. According to them i should return back to my native to send them back the originals and wait for a month to get my car repaired.

[drpullockaran]

Thanks for the heads up. I have my health insurance for the family from Royal Sundaram and claims have been smooth so far and was thinking of auto insurance from them too. After your episode I am going to stick with HDFC for auto insurance from whom I have my car loan too. Anyone have poor or good experience with HDFCERGO?

[ghodlur]

@Forerunner,

Its sad to see that you had go through hell of a time when dealing with Maruti and Royal Sundaram.

I had a slightly different experience with Royal Sundaram though not for my car but my colleagues who owns a Ford Figo. His car had met with an accident at around 4.30 pm and got his vehicle to Ford workshop in Thane. I was there with him when we made a call to RS office which promptly asked the Surveyor in the vicinity to immediately have a look. Within half an hour of calling RS, the surveyor was at the workshop did an initial survey and gave a rough estimate. All within 2 hrs of the accident. And of course the original RC, Insurance copy and driving License is needed for the surveyor to proceed and approve the estimate.

I would suggest you to write to Royal Sundaram and highlight the pain points.

[nfsfreak]

@Forerunner,
Its Sad to know about the accident but glad that occupents are safe.
As Ghodlur mentioned i guess you have to take it up with RS headoffice in Chennai.
Check with them if you really need all the originals etc to even get a rough estimate and to give go-ahead on working repairs.

OT:
Dog escaped and Dzire suffered such damage !!!
Build quality is seriously something Dzire owners to worry about. I knew they are not like tanks but not expected this also.

[NetfreakBombay]

Have you complained to Royal Sundaram about this issue? Specifically about service provided by surveyor.

You can complain that "Surveyor did not furnish a list of document that are required. He asked these documents in a piecemeal fashion".

You can also ask them to use a different surveyor.

[noopster]

Submitting original RC and DL is standard practice for any insurance claim, not just RS. Am surprised the dealer didn't collect these from you at the time you left the car for repairs. With all due respect, the surveyor was just following the process- you can't fault him for doing his job by the book. Am relieved nobody was hurt, including the dog! Would suggest you count your blessings and move on. By all means change your insurance provider the next time you renew.

[narayanang76]

Forerunner - sorry to hear your agonising story. Most cars suffer when we hit anything, bumpers etc come off so easily (like paper) I envy when I see the good old ambassador kind of bumbers!

I assume you have taken the 'hassle free' / 'cashless' maruti insurance with Royal Sundaram?

Regarding your story here are my thoughts:
As many have mentioned before, we are bound to submit the original documents as RC book, License and Insurance at the time of going for an insurance claim. So that was right from the insurance company asking you for it. But I assume PLA motors should have advised you when you gave your car there (to some extend users should also be aware of the process). Is PLA motors listed as a Authorised service center for Maruti and also gets listed in the Royal Sundaram MASS list? Just curious. Also the circumstances (11 PM at night, they were starting on a tour at the time of your arrival etc) is mostly the reason I feel for missing this out from the PLA side - I feel. Even though I appreciate the manager waiting for you at that time of the night, otherwise you would have been in more trouble that night dont you?

Regaring the RS asking you for vehicle inspection report - I want to ask you:
- All the previous years your car was with National Insurance?
- Is your car in the first year with Royal Sundaram?
- Have you renewed your insurance with RS post renewal date?

If any of the above is YES I believe the surveyor/insurer can ask for these documentation, otherwise the details will be with themselves already.

If not you can file a complaint to the Insurance Ombudsmen - if you are unhappy with the insurance claim proceedings - but it might take time and effort please note.

The only thing I would ask you - do you think getting the car (towing) to MSM will improve th situation? It might work easy for you as well I assume.

narayanang76

[finneyp]

Only Royal Sundaram insist for original docs, other insurance cos accept the photo copies.

The extensive damage to your car caused by dog hit shows the flimsy build quality of Maruti cars.
My car too had a dog hit at high speed, only damage was crack in the bumper, which I had to replace.

[esteem_lover]

The only problem here is because you took your insurance from MSM whereas the repairs are to be carried out in a different garage. There is a nexus between the dealer and the insurance company when they sell policies. The dealer gets a very big cut over and above the IRDA specified commission rates. This is used as a buffer in case of claims. This is the reason that RSAIL is very annoyed at getting to repair your vehicle in a different dealership who would be having a nexus with a different insurance company. These are high level frauds. Do not fret, go to the insurance ombudsman or at least threaten that you will.

[ForeRunner]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Have you complained to Royal Sundaram about this issue? Specifically about service provided by surveyor.

You can complain that "Surveyor did not furnish a list of document that are required. He asked these documents in a piecemeal fashion".

You can also ask them to use a different surveyor.

Yes i have complained by calling them and sent a formal mail to them with all the information. But no reply/action from their end.

[ForeRunner]

Originally Posted by finneyp

Only Royal Sundaram insist for original docs, other insurance cos accept the photo copies.

The extensive damage to your car caused by dog hit shows the flimsy build quality of Maruti cars.
My car too had a dog hit at high speed, only damage was crack in the bumper, which I had to replace.

Yes You are right.. I had my previous year's insurance with Maruthi's National Insuarance and they never asked my originals. It was a fresh insurance booked at ABT (Maruti's Dealer) and I did a claim through MSM but it was really hassle free.

[JEHU]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

The only problem here is because you took your insurance from MSM whereas the repairs are to be carried out in a different garage. There is a nexus between the dealer and the insurance company when they sell policies. The dealer gets a very big cut over and above the IRDA specified commission rates. This is used as a buffer in case of claims. This is the reason that RSAIL is very annoyed at getting to repair your vehicle in a different dealership who would be having a nexus with a different insurance company. These are high level frauds. Do not fret, go to the insurance ombudsman or at least threaten that you will.

Even I was cajoled by MSM folks to go in for Royal Sundaram and they offered 3 Free Water wash, Free Wheel Alignment and Wheel Balancing and a TROUBLE FREE CLAIM and COVERAGE as RS was the one which gives maximum coverage. When my SWIFT hit a puddle and the engine was overhauled, RS paid just 40% of the repair and I had to bear 60% of the cost. The insurance Surveyor promptly ticked off most parts in the repair list (AFTER THE WORK WAS CARRIED OUT) stating that it was not covered. After 10 days of frantic calls, they only agreed to repair the AC compressor with a written note to me stating that they would replace the unit if the compressor conks off. Similar treatment for the power steering unit and it even now I drive with the remorse of having fallen for the words of the MSM executives that Royal Sundaram provides the maximum claim on all parts of the vehicle.

Please let me know if there is a way to get the original bill and the matching coverage provided by RS. Whom should I write to for asking them to reconsider their coverage. My vehicle was repaired 4 months ago and my Insurance Coverage gets over on 16th June. Is there a way to get my issues addressed before the expiry of this insurance tenure. Please guide Team