[ASP007]

It amuses me how the insurance provider wash their hands citing an electrical issue, whilst the physical damage on wheel is visible. Even there is a bend on the rear axle due to the impact.

Try escalating to the insurance provider with the writings and findings from diagnosis. If nothing works, this should be a case for insurance ombudsman.

On a side note, the OP mentioned that he was driving through a rough patch of road at 50-60 Kmph. If the stretch was really bad, I'm happy that there is no further damage on the vehicle. Random potholes can put us through such experience, but not a stretch of bad road. One has to be careful while going through them.

[rpmmachine]

MODS, Kindly tweet this thread on your Twitter account too, and let other BHpians know about the Go-Digit's true face. No one should suffer like this. This will help a lot of people to understand and decide whether to choose Godigit or not as their future insurer.

[RMN]

Insurer is to be blamed here.

I was always a little apprehensive to go with Digit who doesn't have a huge track record and seems to be mostly an "online" only player?

Was renewing my 10 year old scooters insurance while reading this thread and it made my skip Digits quote even though it was the cheapest!

[purohitanuj]

Godigit should be avoided at best. They offer cheapest insurance and then do not honor claims. Its a sham insurance firm as I have heard of many such incidents.

[redohabitat]

Seems like vehicle owners need to get "ghost insurance" for claim against ghosts damaging a vehicle!

Dear go digit, wake up and smell the coffee. Sooner or later the word of your poor service and denial of legitimate claims will spread around. Atleast hundreds of readers of this thread, and even I am not renewing my insurance with your company.

[aniket13]

I resonate with the popular sentiment shared here - GoDigit should own-up and adhere to the policy. For a change it is good to see Skoda themselves making this a clear-cut case by giving a written statement. There shouldn't have been any more doubts/formalities after this.

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

My sympathies for the damage caused to your car and the frustration of going to the insurer and the manufacturer.

But if the car hits a pothole, then neither the insurance company will cover the damages nor the manufacturer. Google search says that we need to have an optional "collision coverage" to claim this.

Wow! This is a revelation for me - need to scramble home quick and see if my current policy has such add-on/Terms or conditions.

Originally Posted by ASP007

On a side note, the OP mentioned that he was driving through a rough patch of road at 50-60 Kmph. If the stretch was really bad, I'm happy that there is no further damage on the vehicle. Random potholes can put us through such experience, but not a stretch of bad road. One has to be careful while going through them.

I remember one of my known going through such hassles because the insurance company termed the incident as "Careless/Reckless Driving on Bad Roads". He had to fight hard and I think finally got a satisfactory resolution.

[comfortablynumb]

I was in two minds whether to continue with Digit for my Scorpio's insurance renewal in another couple of weeks or not. But this incident settles it. Will opt for another company this time.

[MVij91]

GoDigit is a pathetic insurance company. I bought an insurance for my 2016 Grand i10. They denied giving me insurance even though my car is in pristine condition. When asked about the reason, they say that my car is a high mileage car and it cannot be insured. It has been driven just a little over 1 lakh Km.

[AKSarkar1]

It is nice to see that Skoda has been responsive in this process, I was actually expecting worse from them. The letter that they have provided is key to determine that this in fact was not a fault of any sort since the car functioned the way it is expected to i.e. trigger airbags if a signal is generated.

Regarding the insurance company, I would go ahead and further try and reason with them. Contact the higher-ups in the company and escalate the matter. If even this doesn't yield any results then I would seriously consider sending them a legal letter. I would also say that please make sure that the car is repaired properly since this is a crucial safety feature.

This repair bill isn't going to be cheap (new seat + headliner + labour etc ) and IMHO this is a classical case of insurance companies using 'insurance speak' to get away with paying for the repairs. This is one of the reasons why I try to stick with reputed and old insurance companies rather than relatively new ones.

I hope your situation gets sorted fast and cheaply, do keep us updated!

[Herschey]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

But if the car hits a pothole, then neither the insurance company will cover the damages nor the manufacturer. Google search says that we need to have an optional "collision coverage" to claim this.

But won't an accidental vehicular damage invariably be the resultant of some sort of collision in a vast majority of the cases? While the extent of liability would be different for a 3rd party insurance cover, shouldn't the 'collision cover' be an intrinsic component of a comprehensive insurance policy?

In any case, it is unfair on Digit Insurance's part to deny a claim without conducting a proper inspection. I just hope that they do a course correction and do that quickly, conduct a thorough inspection in consultation with the workshop guys, and cover the claims arising out of the damage before the word spreads out like wildfire.

Happy customers are the real making of a brand, an honest investment that reaps real long term benefits.

[airbus]

An eye-opener for me. I have both my car and two wheeler insurance from godigit. I thought these new age insurance companies are better, but it seems opposite. I may need to go back to my original insurance companies at the time of next renewal.

godigit must act now and honour the claim before more damage is done. If we can take godigit insurance based on positive feedback here on team-bhp, we can drop them too after receiving negative feedback.

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Can you ask the vehicle owner:

a. What make are the airbags? By any chance Takata?
b. Was an occupant (co-driver) or others present in their seats and belted when the airbags got deployed?

I know of a very similar case in Germany, where the driver (owner) got seriously injured, went into coma after 3 weeks of a 'similar' airbag accident. He sued the company for criminal liability and claimed damages. He won.

From what has been written and from the pictures I see, my preliminary assessment says, the airbags are NOT supposed to deploy. Which could mean a possible defect in the product. And with Skoda, the lesser said the better.

Spike

[maddy42]

This is ridiculous. Please get this issue to any higher ups. I had a issue with Acko unwilling to accept claims on rat damages as the work was already done at the dealer.

Better to stick to the older guys and give the Go 0 Digit or Facko a miss.

Maddy

[sunikkat]

One of the main reasons I don't go for any provider outside HDFC, ICICI, Royal Sundaram, Bajaj Allianz etc. Not that they are great, but don't have the confidence in trying these new players.

Then on another note wondering, would the outcome have been different with any other insurance company, even these big players?

[Quoter]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

But if the car hits a pothole, then neither the insurance company will cover the damages nor the manufacturer. Google search says that we need to have an optional "collision coverage" to claim this.

This is not true for India. The standard OD cover in India covers collisions as well. Unless the insurer in this particular case has launched a special policy which specifically excludes collisions, there are only two options:
- Either Insurer proves that this is a manufacturing defect and Skoda pays for repairs since the vehicle is in warranty. In this case Skoda will only pay for the airbag components and insurer will still need to pay for other repairs (axle etc.)
- There is no manufacturing defect and insurer pays for the entire cost.

Such situations are the reason why insurance is still taken from the dealer despite higher prices. No insurer will refuse a claim for dealer sold policy on the grounds of manufacturing defect.