It’s raining. I’m driving home from a customer. Suddenly the world is spinning. Wait no, that’s my car. The airbags explode. Smoke and shards. I skid 10 metres across the junction, just past a set of traffic lights and a parked BMW, into a raised flower bed. Then everything stops, only my ears are ringing.
I get out of the car and stagger through the rain. On the other side of the junction is a big BMW. It has hit me from the right at high speed. I immediately try to find a witness. After an endless 30 seconds, someone comes up to me. Yes, you had the green light. I think so too. Unless the person in front of me also crossed the junction on red, and the witness behind me did the same.
Nothing happened to the person who caused the accident. My hand is bruised and my bum hurts like hell. The shaking starts. Shock. It could have been a lot worse. You can hardly see anything on the BMW apart from a few big dents and a badly displaced axle. My car is scrap: the whole right side is smashed, the dashboard is broken. And where the engine used to be is now just a heap of metal.
The police come. The car owner only asks about the car, not about his wife’s well-being. I guess that’s normal for three-week-old cars. People gawp. I stand shivering in the rain, smoking. My second car was killed today, and again not my fault. Starting to get on my nerves.
The rest of the day is like the weather: rubbish. The towing service lifts my car out of the bed. I’ve already removed all the music equipment and take it home. The valuer is called to the ADAC. My chest starts to hurt. Home by taxi. Another serious accident has happened right on my doorstep. Off to the doctor. My neck is getting stiff and I’m off sick for 10 days.
On the way back, the taxi driver has an endless monologue: “They all drive like idiots…”. I grin stupidly and silently out into the rain.
Epilogue: 8.00 pm. After 18 unsuccessful attempts over 8 hours, I finally reach the HUK24 “emergency hotline”. I’m pissed off. Let’s see how they react…
Dear Sir or Madam,
I had a serious car accident on Friday 17.04.09 at 11.30 am. The question of fault is relatively clear due to witness statements: I am not at fault. My car is probably a total loss, I have a few bruises and other material damage. In the meantime, the accident has also been reported to them (the person who caused the accident is also insured with them).
On Friday, I immediately tried to call the “24-hour emergency hotline” on 01802 48544533. I wanted to know what I had to do, whether I should go to the doctor, who should tow my car to where, whether I needed an expert, whether I could get a taxi to the doctor, which garage would be responsible and much more… simply all the questions that someone has if they have never been involved in a serious accident.
I called you a total of 18 times between 11.45 and 20.00 without success. I am aware that the emergency hotline of online insurers in the low-price segment can sometimes be temporarily overloaded. I am willing to accept this up to a maximum of one hour.
What I am definitely not willing to accept is paying for a service that I do not receive. A hotline that is so unreachable for more than 8 hours is not an emergency hotline. It is a hotline emergency.
I was in shock and had to organise everything myself. Make me an offer for a partial refund of my insurance premium!
MfG
Frank Woelky
Update 25.04.09
HUK gave me two pens today as compensation. That’s really nice. I have not received any emergency assistance. I want part of my insurance premiums back!
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.