How to file a car insurance complaint in Saudi

What to do when you have a car insurance complaint regarding their services? Where do you turn? That’s what many Saudi policyholders want to know when they are having trouble with their car insurance companies.

So, what would you do if you were having trouble with your car insurance company?  How do you file a complaint in Saudi Arabia?

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) is dedicated to insurance regulation and supervision. It aims to protect the interests of consumers and to ensure that insurance companies deal with their customers professionally and fairly.

SAMA’s Insurance Rules And Regulation

In accordance with the Insurance Consumer Protection Principles issued by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), insurance companies should provide simple and appropriate means for their clients to file complaints. These grievances may arise when customers are dissatisfied with the services or products provided and must be properly addressed without delay.

Furthermore, car insurance policyholders can also submit an Insurance complaint directly to SAMA if an insurance company does not meet the standards of customer service.

Do You Want to File a Car Insurance Complaint against an Insurance Company in Saudi?

First of all, you have to know the different types of car insurance complaints:

1. After Sales Service.
2. Claim Procedures.
3. Insurance policy pricing dispute.
4. Rejected policy renewal.
5. Renewal price increment dispute. Find out what made your car insurance rates go up!

Documents needed to file a complaint

1. Full personal information.
2. The complaint’s reference number was received from the financial institute.
3. Any relevant documents to support your complaint.

Where to submit the complaint?

There are different ways in car insurance a policyholder can file a complaint against the services of an insurance company. If you wish to submit a complaint about your car insurance, here are the most common options and channels:

• Contact your insurance company’s call center.
• Submit your complaint online on your insurance company’s website
• Visit your insurance company’s customer service office in person.

By either means, you will receive a complaint reference number, so that you can follow up on the status of the complaint.

If you are unhappy with the way your insurance company addresses your complaint, whether it’s time or manner, take it up to SAMA.

• Phone calls: You can call SAMA on the toll-free number: 800-125-6666 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
• Customer Service: Visit the Customer Service office at SAMA Head Office, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Street, Riyadh, from 08:00 am to 3:30 pm.
• Mail: Complaints are to be sent to the address of SAMA, Customer Protection Department, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Street, PO Box 2992, Riyadh 11169, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Or try SAMA’s e-portal, SAMACares, to file a complaint against an insurance company online.

Steps to follow to file a complaint with insurance companies through SAMA Cares website

• Open a safe browser from a Smartphone / PC Desktop to visit SAMACares official website.
• After that, click on the “Make a complaint” button.
• Next, log in or create an account if you are a new customer.
• Then, click on the Add New Order Button to file a complaint.
• Make sure to file your complaint under “Insurance Companies” and Fill in the form.
• After that, upload any related documents needed.
• Finally, click on the submit button.

However, before buying car insurance, comparing and finding the right car insurance in Saudi Arabia is advisable.

Finally, when it comes to getting the best car insurance, we advise you to: 

• Compare car insurance prices & features online in Saudi.
• Select the car insurance policy that you think meets your requirements best.
• Select the car insurance policy within your budget.
• Ensure that the duration of your car insurance policy suits your needs.

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Complaint SAMA can help with

If you have an issue with your insurance company, be it about pricing, the claim process, unfair treatment, etc. The first thing you should do is contact them and try to resolve the issue directly. You may contact them, either by writing to them or calling their contact center.

If you’re unhappy with their response, or if they don’t respond, you can bring your complaint to SAMA. To ensure your complaint goes smoothly, read your car insurance policy thoroughly first; to know what’s covered and what’s not.

For example, you can complain to SAMA because your insurer:

Deducting VAT from compensation 

ZATCA officially announced that Third-Party claims settlements are outside the scope of VAT; since it only applies to sales and purchases. Therefore, SAMA obligates all insurance companies to settle claims to the third party and compensate them for the VAT. However, at-fault drivers might have to pay VAT when filing a comprehensive claim. Learn more about what’s VAT and Non-VAT here.

If you think your insurer is acting unreasonably in refusing to pay the full amount of your claim you should try to reach an agreement with the company first. Then, you can lodge a complaint to SAMA.

Taking too long to process the claim

According to SAMA guidelines, insurance companies must settle claims in a timely manner. In fact, once you file your claim, insurers have (15) days to initiate the process and request any necessary documents related to claims. In most cases, your claim must be approved or denied within 15 days of the date your insurance receives all required documents.

Here’s everything you need to know about filing an insurance claim.

Delaying payments

Ideally, insurance companies must pay your claim within (5) business days after approving the claim; if it’s under SAR 2,000.

But larger amounts of money payment, you can expect some delay. Nonetheless, the insurance company must initiate your payout within (15) business days of the date of the claim

Decline Rental Car Reimbursement 

If you have replacement hire car coverage on your car insurance, you will be eligible to rent a replacement car up to a certain amount per day. Typically, this coverage will kick in when you can’t use your own car due to any covered event.

Similarly, if you need to rent a car because the insurance company is taking an unreasonable time to settle your claim. You have the right to ask the insurer to front the rental costs as reimbursement for not settling your claim in a timely manner.

Decline Cancellation Refund 

Naturally, if you sell a car you will have to cancel your insurance as soon as you transfer car ownership. This is because car insurance follows the car, not the driver. People also cancel their insurance when the car is totaled or when they are unhappy with the level of service they receive.

If you cancel your policy before it expires, the insurance company must refund the remaining balance.

As per the time limits set by SAMA, insurers should directly deposit the remaining amount to your bank account via IBAN.

Overlooks No-Claims Discounts

For every year of driving without making an insurance claim, insurance companies offer a no-claim discount to policyholders. The no-claims discount, also known as NCD, can cut 15% of the car insurance costs for one year without making a claim and it increases according to the number of years without a claim, reaching 50% for five consecutive years of no claims. Before buying car insurance, you can check your insurance discounts eligibility on Najm website.

If you believe there has been a mistake in calculating your NCD or the price of the policy – you may ask for a proper explanation or file a complaint.

Safeguard your car on the way

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