WFI

"After years with WFI our last experience has resulted in us changing to another insurer. Cancelled our car repairs without informing us, so a wasted an early morning trip involving two vehicles, no acknowledgement of the inconvenience caused, given the run around again and again and again. Treatment of the elderly and the stress and anxiety caused for elderly clients is extremely disappointing, cavalier attitude of assessors leaves much to be desired. Reception staff were always helpful and apologetic but unable to resolve issues or complaints. No follow up without spending hours of your own time on hold and having to continually repeat the same details for no result is just wasting everyone's time. Disingenuous rhetoric and fake sincerity was disappointing."

"Can't speak highly enough of WFI. We have had a rural policy with them for years and any claims, including the latest one after the February fires in the Perth hills, have been paid up within a week. Their local rep is a very efficient, sympathetic and supportive person. We would recommend anyone looking for top insurance service to look at WFI. Great company and excellent staff."

"I work for WFI insurance Claims department, and had WFI Home and Contents insurance. I have received such a pathetic services in dealing with my claim so far which I can't explain in words. I had sheer harassment by the WFI Victorian Customer service, Dispute Management and Investigations department. I got advised in the recorded line that my claim fully settled and I will receive money in my account with in 3 to 5 working days, received no response contacted WFI after 3 to 5 working days got advise that my claim has gone to Investigation, when I asked reason no reason was provided by consultants. The WFI employed service providers (Perth Asset Care) who visited my home checked the water damages on the wall and TV and confirmed the contents damaged due to water. I provided all the contact details and number of the relevant parties involved to the investigation department for their investigations but they never contacted any one. WFI consultants never advise that they will require the damaged contents for further assessment due to which my wife threw them in the bin because they were of no use and we already got advised the full and final settlement of the claim. Later Investigation asking for those items. I spoke to Dispute manager on first instance that he settle the claims because we already advise the final settlement to your account later advise me to go to AFCA. I spoke to WFI Investigations Team Lead asked me to go to go through an interview with Factual investigator, I agreed but he didn't mention time. Later the case manager sent me a letter advising me and my wife and all the related parties to go through an interview with Factual investigator for 90 minutes. I advise that no one have time if you want every one including my self to go through an interview WFI would need to pay for their time off in week days. The Factual investigator was based in Eastern Australia time and we are based in Western Australia time. Now my claim / Case / Complaint is with AFCA and I am getting threatened by WFI Investigations that my insurance will be cancelled. They are not responding to AFCA or resolving the complaint but sending me threat emails and letters. This is happening when I am employee of WFI. We follow HEART principle in our organisation but what I have seen is just disheartened customer service without any empathy. It looks like there is no one to listen."

"Year 1: Had a roof water leak coming into the lounge. WFI did an inspection and repaired the damage. Year 2: The same leak returned. WFI did another inspection and repaired the work. Year 3: Same water leak returned. WFI did another inspection and repaired the work. Getting annoyed as the previous two occasions, they assured me they found the cause. Year 4: Same water leak returned. Couldn't be bothered with WFI and left the ceiling damaged. Year 5: Same water leak returned. WFI did another inspection and concluded it was now a building defect and declined the claim. Be warned. This company put me through a lot of stress every year tradies cutting out the ceiling, re-plastering, electrical work and re-painting the whole ceiling. Clearly, they just decided in year 5 they were done with it and used the "Building Defect" as an excuse. Wasn't a building building defect between years 1 to 5. Avoid WFI..."

"It would be so nice to write a warm, fuzzy feelings kind of review about the guys at West Farmers Insurance (WFI), but sadly that’s not the feeling we are left with. Actually, we should be clear West Farmers Insurance is actually part of Insurance Australia Group (IAG). They sold out some years ago. No complaints whatsoever about the process of taking out a policy, paying the premiums, renewals etc. It’s all very smooth and efficient, until, that is, you get to that unfortunate time when you need to make a claim. Is this starting to ring any bells with anyone else? These guys are very impressive. Have you ever seen the movie or read the book “The rainmaker” by John Grisham? It’s sub-plot is about an insurance company called “Great Benefit” who take avoiding claims almost to the level of an artform. I just couldn’t stop thinking about “Great Benefit” as I struggled with some claims on policies with WFI. I’m sure WFI don’t actually have a manual on how to deny claims. I think they are a bit smarter than that. The art, of course, is all about how you word the “small print”. Have you noticed how thick policy documents are? That’s not a sign of how comprehensive the policy is. It’s a sign of how many exclusions they have been able to dream up. I’m sure other companies have similar get-out clauses, but WFI are masters at using “sub-standard”. So, if a truck knocks down your wall, it’s because the wall was “sub-standard”. It’s nothing to do with the weight of the truck. How about deniability? I’ll remember that whenever I deal with an insurance company to ensure I have plenty of recording equipment with me. After contacting WFI about a damaged wall a person claiming to be an assessor from WFI visited the site, confirmed the damage, confirmed that the damaged wall could be demolished, and set out the restrictions on the demolition. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a card and forgot his name and company (not realising that we needed to know anything other than he was from WFI). Sometime after the wall was demolished, WFI sent a different assessor who reported back to them that the (no longer existing) wall had not been damaged by a truck after all. WFI then set out to deny the claim, but offered a settlement (by phone) of $8000 because of the “misunderstanding” caused by the first representative. When we somehow indicated that we had no details of the first assessor, they denied the offer and denied that he ever existed! Then there are the delaying tactics: a year to settle a robbery claim! They couldn’t get out of it. The photographic evidence was too compelling. This was a raid on a Jewish household which included the theft of a number of silver and gold religious artefacts. One attempt to settle the claim for as little as possible involved some smart-Alec at WFI going to an on-line site selling Jewish artefacts and listing the cheapest possible alternatives. It included items such as a gold chain with the ten commandments that was valued at $3799. The replacement offered cost $10.19 on ebay! A Menorah from “World of Judaica” costing $89 was offered as a replacement for a solid silver Menorah valued at $5,047. Speed of claims is important, particularly in the case of a robbery. Not only is it a distressing experience, but slow claims can have consequences. A break in at one of our commercial premises left 4 external doors badly damaged. Straight-forward you might think. WFI still managed to delay giving the ok for repairs long enough to allow the thieves to break in again through the temporary arrangements, do more damage, and take artefacts they missed the first time. I have worked in the industry. I’m not proud of that. I probably wouldn’t give any modern insurance company more than 3 stars (and that’s being generous), because I understand their cultures too well. It’s such a shame that the original concept of insurance based on mutuality has pretty much been lost in this time of corporate greed. “Peace of mind” used to be the mantra. I’m afraid to say that is now an illusion."