MAKKAH — Motorists have complained about the poor performance of car insurance companies despite the hefty increase in premiums they impose on vehicle owners. Many citizens accuse the companies of violating the agreement terms and delaying payment of compensations. Sultan Al-Yamani, a Saudi, complained about the delay in receiving compensation after an accident as per the terms of the agreement. "I have given SR4,000 to the insurance company but I did not get any benefit. I had to bear the cost of accident after going through hectic procedures," he said. Al-Yamani said the insurance company's office for accidents in the industrial region was not suitable. "It has no administrative office to give proper guidance to customers," he added. He said the office does not have a specific place to check damages on vehicles. "It's difficult to get the bills of spare parts endorsed by the traffic police in order to get compensation," he said. Talaq Al-Otaibi, another Saudi, said: "My car involved in an accident recently as somebody hit its tire on the left side. The engineer did not check the problem properly. I later convinced him to check the vehicle again and the result was quite different from the previous one. The owner of the other vehicle had to pay a huge amount of money because of the poor service." Fahd Al-Yamani has another story to tell regarding the poor performance of insurance companies. "Somebody hit my car. The mistake was totally on the driver of the other car. Both of us had insurance coverage. The Najm company for insurance service was called in to report the accident and determine the responsibility. After visiting the three workshops located in a single place, I understood that one of them is in charge of estimating the value of spare parts," he said. He added: "All estimating companies are now located in a single office with an area of 10 square meters. Customers face a lot of difficulties due to the office's narrow space." Ayman Najjar, one of the victims of insurance companies, urged the authorities to establish a suitable place for estimation of car accident damages, providing it with advanced technological facilities to identify damages easily and correctly and handle vehicles in an orderly manner. Col. Talaat Al-Mansouri, traffic director in Makkah, said his department was very much concerned with developing the car accident estimate center along the Haj Street in Makkah. "We have set up a committee for the purpose and will start its work shortly in cooperation with other departments after removing all obstacles," he told Makkah daily.
