KUALA LUMPUR: THE Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) has called on insurance companies and workshops to ease the burden of car repairs on owners who do not have flood coverage.
Fomca chief executive officer Dr Saravanan Thambirajah said the sudden floods would have caught many new car owners off guard as they might have not subscribed for the optional flood coverage in their motor insurance policy.
"So, only those who have subscribed for it can file for insurance claims. Uninsured consumers will have to fork out their money to cover repairing costs.
"However, Fomca hopes that insurance companies will be considerate towards new car owners and ease their costs of repairing, where possible. Car service centres should also roll out rebates for affected vehicle owners," he told the New Straits Times.
Saravanan advised consumers who lost their documents during the floods to get replacements at the National Registration Department.
Continuous rain since Dec 17 caused massive floods that crippled the Klang Valley and parts of the peninsula over the weekend.
Besides forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes, the floods also damaged cars and other vehicles that were submerged for days.
The General Insurance Association of Malaysia and the Malaysian Takaful Association, on Monday, urged policyholders to review their coverage to ensure their properties were insured against floods.
They said claims for policyholders who were insured against floods would be expedited.
Meanwhile, Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Bhd has deployed four-wheel-drive vehicles and a team of adjusters in Selangor and Pahang to facilitate claims by its policyholders.
Allianz general head of claims, Damian Williams, said customers could call 1-800-22-5542 to file their claims and an adjuster would be sent within 24 hours to survey the affected property.
"These are unprecedented circumstances and the damage has been immense. We have mobilised our Allianz-branded 4x4s and team of adjusters on Friday.
"However, due to the forced closures of major roads and highways and inaccessibility, as well as the influx of cases, our customers will see some delays in service and assistance," he said.
Damian said the company would pay a full claims settlement or an interim payment for individual policyholders (such as Smart Home Cover) within five days of the adjuster's visit.
Customers with fire insurance (commercial lines) can expect an interim payment within five days of the visit from the adjuster, with a full settlement between 21 and 28 days.
Damian said if the company was unable to settle the claim before the 28th day, a second interim payment would be rolled out before the 30th day.