AAMI good or bad for comprehensive car insurance?

[Clevo8]

My present insurer RACV has gone and upped my premium by 30% on my daily driver so I have been getting some quotes. the cheapest by far is AAMI, I mean they are almost half the premium of RACV and less than half that GIO is offering. So I was wondering if anyone here has any good or bad stories dealing with AAMI for comprehensive car insurance claims or the like?

[xr8_forever]

Got my SS insured with them.

Never had an issue but I've never made a claim either......

[BPXR6T]

I've got all my cars with AAMI. I switched to them after seeing how good they treated a friend who lost everything including cars in the Canberra bush fires a few years back.

[Sorted]

AAMI don't have choice of repairer and they are also have an assessment center that if you car is drive-able after an accident they may send you there to get your car assessed

Try Budget Insurance, the have an online quoting system and have choice of repairer - their premiums are prob in the same region as the AAMI premium

BUT if you have had an accident in the last 5 years they bump the premium up.

ALSO Budget Insurance offer discounts if you exclude drivers under 25's or 30's or 40's

If you choose the pay by the month option the premium is more than if you choose pay yearly.

But there are so many variables with car insurance that will change the premium............

[Sam_Boss260]

How are Budget with mods done to cars? Like exhuasts, extractors?

[nugget378]

AAMi hate paying out,make you jump through hoops,thats my experience anyway.

[MoreHPformyXR6]

Originally Posted by nugget378

AAMi hate paying out,make you jump through hoops,thats my experience anyway.

I & my family & close friends use the same Insurance Broker of 30 plus years experience & he's always told me dont touch AMMI with a bardge pole if you need to claim. My hairdresser experienced this 1st hand (within last 12 months) & she was with AMMI full comp & the hoops she had to jump through & the heatache she went through for them to pay up, was like getting blood from a stone. Also I wouldnt have a policy without my choice of repairer.

[Sorted]

Originally Posted by saml

How are Budget with mods done to cars? Like exhuasts, extractors?

I don't know, I know they are good with the Std Car but when you add mode I am unsure, you can always give them a try online and add your mods and see if you get a quote

AMMI did have a very bad name with repairers as they made them use Non-Genuine parts and then when the customer came back complaining that the parts were not a perfect match AMMI would not warrant the repairs

BUT they have got their act into gear since then ALTHOUGH to this day numerous repairers still have signs on their shops if you are insured with AMMI go elsewhere

[LTDHO]

You need to look into what you get for your money, just not the cheapest.

[Sorted]

Originally Posted by LTDHO

You need to look into what you get for your money, just not the cheapest.

That's a never ending arguement BUT the most requested requirements are Choice of Repairer and Rating/No Claim Bonus Protection with Windscreen Protection coming in Third.........

[nugget378]

Originally Posted by MoreHPformyXR6

I & my family & close friends use the same Insurance Broker of 30 plus years experience & he's always told me dont touch AMMI with a bardge pole if you need to claim. My hairdresser experienced this 1st hand (within last 12 months) & she was with AMMI full comp & the hoops she had to jump through & the heatache she went through for them to pay up, was like getting blood from a stone. Also I wouldnt have a policy without my choice of repairer.

Yep,and a few panelbeater mates have told me the same thing,I didnt want to go into specifics,it seems as if the people in charge of aproving the claim get a bonus for every one they can weasel out of,they asked me a million weird questions,luckily I got wind that they were looking for excuses and refused to answer most..

[Yaw]

Best advice anyone can give you is to get a quote from your perspective insurers, actually take the time to get the quotes sent to you so YOU can actually read the PDS and decide the best one for you. I know it seems like a lot of work, but its the only true way you can honestly see what right for you without guessing or having someone else guessing what it is you want in a policy.
The other place you can go is to the the IOS site, the insurance ombudsman service web site and make sure the insurer you choose is a member. You will see members have to comply with a code of conduct. Part of this code is actually for the insurer to look for ways to pay the claim under thier policy, not ways to deny it. tell your insurer the whole truth when you insure a car, wether it be AAMI, NRMA, RACV, GIO etc ect, I can pretty much garuantee you will not have a problem lodging any legitimate claim.

[arm79]

Originally Posted by MoreHPformyXR6

I & my family & close friends use the same Insurance Broker of 30 plus years experience & he's always told me dont touch AMMI with a bardge pole if you need to claim. My hairdresser experienced this 1st hand (within last 12 months) & she was with AMMI full comp & the hoops she had to jump through & the heatache she went through for them to pay up, was like getting blood from a stone. Also I wouldnt have a policy without my choice of repairer.

I had a stack, not my fault... Car was towed at 1am to a holding yard. Then towed to AAMI assessing centre next day. I got a phone call to say it was there as I wanted to collect a few things.

Got there and collected my stuff and asked if it would be a write off. They said yes, but confirmation will come on the Monday (next business day).

Monday confirmed car was a write off. Has $12.1k deposited into my account the following day. And they kept my policy open at no cost for 6 weeks until I found a new car, which then went straight under the old policy at no cost to me.

Not bad for a company that supposedly makes you jump through hoops to get money out of.

As for choice of repairer, they do allow it. A couple of minutes of arguing and show them the cheaper quote from your repairer will have them going your way.

[4.9 EF Futura]

Yeah be careful when listening to complaints regarding poor claims handling experiences.

Something like 90% of domestic motor claims are paid by the insurance industry with little fuss and no dispute.

If someone has a hard time with their claim becuase the car is modded, they didnt get all the details from the accident, didnt follow appropriate claims protocols etc... can the Insurer really be blamed for this?

[Clevo8]

Thanks for you opinions and stories guys, I really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by DRHEMI

AMMI did have a very bad name with repairers as they made them use Non-Genuine parts and then when the customer came back complaining that the parts were not a perfect match AMMI would not warrant the repairs

They told me over the phone that their repairers only use genuine parts and there is a life time warranty on the repairs.

I know what people are saying about you get what you pay for, but is seems to me if you disclose every thing to them and be honest about the claim you shouldn't have any issues.

If anyone else would like to put their 2 cents worth in, please do.

[robjh80]

I have nothing but absolute praise for AAMI.

Similar issue as you "Clevo8"........I had both cars and house and contents insured for many years with Suncorp, never made a claim, rating 1 for life etc, got my yearly renewal in the post for my car and the premium had increased nearly $100 from what it was the previous year.......WTF!!

Rang around, got quotes etc, turned out Suncorp were by far the most expensive, heard good reports from others about AAMI so I gave them a go, insured both cars with them........told Suncorp to shove it.

Unfortunately only a couple of weeks after taking out the policies, some dimwitted airhead in a Landcruiser ran up the back of the missus Lancer while she was stopped at a pedestrian crossing allowing an old lady to cross the road........the airhead was not even watching the road at all, probably on her yuppie phone whilst sipping a take-out cappucino or something, made a pretty bad mess of the missus Lancer in the rear end but the car was drivable.

Phoned up AAMI straight away when we got home, from that point on it was a breeze, the whole matter was handled by AAMI in the most professional manner I think I have seen from any company for many a year..........and I can tell you now I am the "consumer from hell",........I am not very easily pleased.

They arranged everything from the taxi to and from the hire car place which was also arranged by them to the repairer and everything else in between.

They also kept us up to date daily on how things were progressing with the repairs, when they said they would call they actually did!!

As for the repairs..........first class, I think the car came back better than new.

My Brother-in-Law is also a Mechanic and in all the insurance jobs that come into their workshop, he reckons that AAMI are by far the toughest in regards to the quality of repairs that they demand.
He said most other insurance companies are quite happy to cut costs by having repairs carried out with second-hand parts etc whereas AAMI demand the use of brand new parts only.

I for one am very impressed with AAMI.

[colossus]

I have used AAMI for all my cars as they usually give the best price, pretty good customer service - never had a problem with them.

[merlin]

Another vote here for AAMI. On the turbo they told me no-one under 25, my wife is 24, so reasoned with one of their managers and she let me put her on for no premium increase - so happy with their customer service at least. Not to mention they always quote a very competitive price.

[Aaron_EF8]

A big vote against AAMI here.

My parents XF was stolen around 3 years ago, it was an immaculate car, and originally covered for an agreed value of $3500. When it was stolen, it took 8 days for them to approve the hire car, which they could only have for 21 days. After 5 weeks of calling constantly, they said they would pay $1500, because that's the average price of XF's in the paper. Everyone in our family was also interrogated, we all had to produce mobile phone bills, provide all of our whereabouts at the time the car was stolen, and sign a stat dec, which we had to then take to a Justice of the Peace to have signed. So 7 weeks after our car was stolen, we had a cheque for $2500.

Originally Posted by Clevo8

They told me over the phone that their repairers only use genuine parts and there is a life time warranty on the repairs.

I also used to work for a crash repairer, and we had a 'no AAMI' policy, IE anything AAMI were going to pay for, we wouldn't touch. They have a tendancy to push for aftermarket or second hand replacement parts, take for ever to pay the crash repairers, and will try to cut labour costs wherever they can. I realise most people don't care if their panel beater isn't paid straight away, but the places that will accept AAMI quotes have to save the money somehow....

It's true, when I've rang them and asked if I can give them lots of my money for a piece of paper that says I'm covered, their customer service has been very good. The experiences I've had with their claims department leaves a lot to be desired though. I don't appreciate being treated as a criminal for making an insurance claim. They're cheap for a reason.

[arm79]

Originally Posted by Aaron_EF8

A big vote against AAMI here.

My parents XF was stolen around 3 years ago, it was an immaculate car, and originally covered for an agreed value of $3500. When it was stolen, it took 8 days for them to approve the hire car, which they could only have for 21 days. After 5 weeks of calling constantly, they said they would pay $1500, because that's the average price of XF's in the paper. Everyone in our family was also interrogated, we all had to produce mobile phone bills, provide all of our whereabouts at the time the car was stolen, and sign a stat dec, which we had to then take to a Justice of the Peace to have signed. So 7 weeks after our car was stolen, we had a cheque for $2500.

One must remember that they are a company out to make a profit. It is their money they are handing over to you, so it is within their right to make sure that the claim they are paying out is a legitimate claim. They run on risk management. If in your area or the car you are claiming on is of a high risk of "mysteriously disappearing", then they have to make sure everything is legitimate. Otherwise we'd all be "disposing" of our cars as stolen to make faudulent claims.

AAMI put my father through similar checks when his car was stolen, only because:

a) The car was widely known as a vehicle regularly stolen for parts
b) It was stolen from our driveway when they were out one night
c) They were in financial difficulty at the time, paying by the month, so it provided more of a smell of being a fraudulent claim.

My oldies are honest good people, and would never do something like that. But AAMI don't know that and have to investigate everyone the same.

Oh, and I hope you didn't take that $2500 cheque. I think we all know that an insurance policy is a binding contract and that if they insured the car for $3500, they had to pay it. If not, there are plenty of avenues that will quickly correct that.

My car was insured for $12.6k, and AAMI rang to say the car doesn't have Ghia alloys. They insured a complete EL Ghia, not an EL Ghia on 14" stockies. So they said they will reduce the claim by $500 to compensate themselves. I agreed, as they were not getting my EL GT rims. There are reasons for reducing claims. AAMI acted very fairly in my case, and there was no argument from me.

[csv8]

Been with AAMI for years, no problems. One claim, handled promptly. They are the cheapest to insure my Fairmont Ghia V8, then I am on ole fart !!!!

[Sorted]

Originally Posted by Clevo8

They told me over the phone that their repairers only use genuine parts and there is a life time warranty on the repairs.
.

You didnt copy what i said in FULL

I said AAMI did have a very bad name with repairers , I said they DID.................... lol

Also goes with all insurers if you abide by your duty of disclosure you shouldnt have an issue when it comes to claiming...............

BUT with insurer's you can't really gauge how good thye are by what other people say as usually you dont get all the facts of a claim if it has been denied or took too long to settle etc etc

ONE MAIN FACTOR AAMI DONT HAVE IS CHOICE OF REPAIRER

[macca13]

The two claims we have had with AAMI have been a hassle of poor communication and shody repairs followed by months of phone calls with no joy. I've gone to another insurer that is about $50 a year more for the xr8 but at least I won't be stuffed around if I have to claim again.

[Clevo8]

Originally Posted by DRHEMI

ONE MAIN FACTOR AAMI DONT HAVE IS CHOICE OF REPAIRER

I must admit I did quarried that, but for the price of the premium I think I may over look that one, we'll see.

[S3SR]

september 2005 i was paying 1200 for full comp for a 02 AU3 Falcon
last year it went down to 1000, and i was refunded $260...cant remember why
now its 823 with a bodykit and im a rating 2 or 3 now

havent needed to claim yet so dont no how good they are in that field

also put your CTP on your rego and your insurance with them, get it somewhat cheaper and a $60 fuel card im still waiting for...

oh and modifications goes by power not by what it is..ie turbo or other premium goes up by the power it puts out and other factors not just that its a turbo, obviously age and driving record plays alot in that aswell

and customer service has always been good in the 7 times ive rung them, and they are human not press 1 for .... or say what your after

enjoy

[nugget378]

Originally Posted by 4.9 EF Futura

Yeah be careful when listening to complaints regarding poor claims handling experiences.

Something like 90% of domestic motor claims are paid by the insurance industry with little fuss and no dispute.

If someone has a hard time with their claim becuase the car is modded, they didnt get all the details from the accident, didnt follow appropriate claims protocols etc... can the Insurer really be blamed for this?

More assumption from the defender of the corporate world.
Just to clarify,my claim was in regards to a stock standard company registered Hilux,I was at fault,the issue was my driving record going back TEN years,this they wanted,I said NO,they paid up straight away but I was left with the feeling they werent happy about it.
I have a sister who was in the isurance industry and do have some background info on how they work,even as far as targetting people for investigation because of their surname.
IMO AAMI sucks..

Yeah my car is full comp with AAMI - no problems.

[Bill M]

[QUOTE=Clevo8]Thanks for you opinions and stories guys, I really appreciate it.

They told me over the phone that their repairers only use genuine parts and there is a life time warranty on the repairs.

I know what people are saying about you get what you pay for, but is seems to me if you disclose every thing to them and be honest about the claim you shouldn't have any issues.

If anyone else would like to put their 2 cents worth in, please do.[/QUOTE

If the clause about manufacturers genuine parts is in their policy document then it is worth something, "over the phone" is worthless because it cannot be verified.
cheers
Bill.

[Dauphin]

Whatever you do, if you go with AAMI, don't get them to award the repair job to a mob called Rugolos in Melbourne. One of my friends had his car repaired there with AAMI and when it was returned to him, it was a mess. For the next three months he had to keep returning it and being without a car on and off. I helped him get it sorted out and we ended up arguing with them about things. We starting leaving a printed "fault sheet" on the passenger seat and they ignored it every time. Whenever we would try and talk to the manager, he would be unavailable. Or, he'd talk to us and someone would call him away and he'd never come back.

[X000BOSS]

Originally Posted by robjh80

He said most other insurance companies are quite happy to cut costs by having repairs carried out with second-hand parts etc whereas AAMI demand the use of brand new parts only.

i think you will find their policy is to always use genuine parts, not always new parts. they will fit a 10year old genuine grill for example instead of a new made in china special. thats if the genuine part is no longer available new.

i have been using aami for over 5 years now and will never move away from them. nothing but praise for them. NRMA=scary.