How Concorde Motors, Worli, Mumbai Cheated Me!

(When I exchanged my used Alto LX with a Zest XT)

Concorde Motors collects my car - an Alto LX on 28-10-2015 and makes an insurance claim to ICICI Lombard on 03-11-2015 using the stance that the vehicle was involved in an accident on 24-10-2015 (even before I had sold the car). The claim form has a forged signature of mine (think this is a serious crime?). ICICI Lombard sends me an SMS message on 18-11-2015 (15 days after the fraudulent claim – saying that my vehicle will be inspected) and within 2 days, in a great hurry, make a “cashless” payment to the garage - Allied Auto Agencies on 20-11-2015. I protest and use all my energies to stop the payment of the false and fraudulent claim in the short window of two days between 18-20 November 2015. I am not sure I could have done anything more.

How exactly did Concode (with help of ICICI Lombard) cheat me?

Mr. Akshay came all the way from Worli for a test drive of Zest XT and that was the start of the ordeal. Within 2 days on 28-10-2015 I had made the full payment vide NEFT transfer to Concorde Motors who are one of the authorized Tata Car dealers across major Indian cities for a Zest XT Platinum Silver in exchange for an Alto LX (which was insured by ICICI Lombard with 50% No Claim Bonus (NCB) till July 2016).

The same evening (28-OCT-2015 at 0815 pm) Mr. Amit and Mr. Akshay from Concorde Motors, Worli came and picked up my old Alto. They made sure that they collected INR 300 for petrol to take it to their Kandivili (suburb in Mumbai) workshop! During this visit, Mr Akshay asked for some documents - self attested copied of PAN, Aadhar, address proof for registering the new car. What they did not tell is that they would use these very documents for claiming insurance to get the Alto repaired at my cost! The onset of cheating!

With a 50% NCB I was hoping to get the benefit on my new Zest XT in terms of insurance; but the cheats did not allow it!

Concorde Motors, to whom I sold the car, fraudulently raised a claim with ICICI Lombard. They in the claim (see the Figure) form said that the vehicle was involved in an accident on 24-10-2015 (4 days before I had actually sold the car to them) using the mobile phone of someone else (My guess, they were hoping that ICICI Lombard would not contact me!), using my PAN copy (photocopy of a self attested PAN card given for new vehicle registration) and now the real cheat, they forged my signature quite inartistically (clear fraud visibility!) and submitted the claim request to ICICI Lombard.

The beauty, ICICI Lombard sends me an SMS on 18-11-2015 “Dear Customer, Kindly note that PUNEET SINGH on 7506396809 will assist you on your Claim No. MOT05021959”. Horrified because I had not raised any claim I immediately called Puneet Singh on 7506396809 who picked the phone once and when I mentioned that I did not ask for this insurance claim, after that he refused to pick the phone. Sensing something amiss I called ICICI Lombard call center 18002666 and asked them to stop any processing of the claim MOT05021959 suggesting that this claim could be fraudulent because I did not raise the claim. Apparently they made a note but asked me to contact Puneet; when I mentioned that he was not picking the phone they gave me his managers (Yogesh Kamble, 9167990256) number. I immediately contact him (Yogesh) and poured my woes and asked him to stop processing. He asks me to send a SMS which I do on the same day, namely 18-11-2015 (“Please cancel the claim No MOT05021959. Sunil Kopparapu. Please confirm”). As expected I get no confirmation. When I call him, he says that he will inform his office to stop the claim. One more call to 18002666 (ICICI Lombard) and they ask me to fill in a form to stop the claim. When I protest that I did not in the first place raise a claim so how can I fill up a form to stop the claim, they promise to stop the claim verbally. I feel the job is done and I felt that ICICI Lombard would see, with clarity, that they were being robbed under their nose.

That is, until, I get a mail from ICICI Lombard that they are “As part of our continued endeavor to provide you transparent and speedy claim settlement experience, we are attaching herewith the detailed claim assessment report of claim no. MOT05021959 under policy no. 3001/71650482/03/000 against your vehicle bearing registration no.MH-03-S-9372 for your reference.” This is when (see Figure) I figure out that the claim was made on 03-11-2015.

I call 18002666 again on 21-11-2015 (a day after receiving a sweet message that we have paid for the fraudulent claim!) and ask them why they have paid because I had asked the claim to be not entertained. They give vague reasons saying that “it was already processed”, “it was cashless” etc.

As the ordeal continued, I ask for the claim papers and that is sent by Yogesh (ICICI Lombard) that is when I get to see the forged signature.

Using this information, I asked ICICI Lombard (series of mail) that they seemed have been paid for a claim that did not contain my signature and so they should restore my 50% NCB.  Their reasoning is vague and beating around the bush. The problem with a ICICI Lombard call center (both speak and write) folks is that they seem to pretend not accept what you say. While I insisted that the claim document was forged so they might have done a mistake by paying the claim. Their response, without addressing the forged signature was “We have made the payment so we are sorry!” and this continues when you write to the next person in escalation process (“If the resolution you received does not meet your expectations, please email Ms. Deepa R., Manager - Service Quality”). Escalation takes time and this is the mail received from 14-12-2015 from customersupport@icicilombard.com

“This is with reference to your email regarding claim: MOT05021959.

Please be informed that as per the confirmation received from the concerned department the claim amount cannot be reversed as the same is already processed on cashless basis.

We request you to collect the same to whom vehicle is sold or to whom the deal is (Done) for vehicle transfer.

Thank you for choosing ICICI Lombard.”

The response from Service Quality seems to be not worried about their inability to see a forged signature (failed process!!). They seem to think that it is the amount that the person is after. May be I should escalate (“If you are still not satisfied with the resolution provided, please email Ms. Vasundhara B, Vice President – Service Quality”).

I keep wondering what happened between 03-11-2015 when Concorde Motors, Worli raised a fraudulent claim and 18-11-2015 when I got a first hint of some fraudulent claim being made on my sold car. ICICI Lombard has no answers. While it is possible Concorde Motors, Worli and the folks in ICICI Lombard might be hand in hand. I will not speculate on this. May be they are may be they are not.

Lessons

1. Sweet speaking auto sellers (like Concorde Motors sales person) are not to be believed.
2. Do not give self attested copies of any of your document without knowing what they are for. Make sure you write the purpose on the document when you self attest.
3. Customer loyalty is the last thing (ICICI Lombard – customer for 10 years!)
4. Do not assume that the process in  big companies are good (example ICICI Lombard can not and do not want to spot a clear forgery!)
5. Do not believe in verbal assurances of any (in this case ICICI Lombard) insurance companies