Carl J.* has been waiting for his car for six months. He didn’t order a new one, but instead took it to his insurance company’s authorized workshop to have it repaired after severe hail damage. He should have gotten it back in the spring. But instead of his car, the Bavarian only got excuses.
The hailstorm that hit Lake Tegernsee in August 2023 left a trail of devastation: broken roof windows, shattered greenhouses, stranded ambulances and submerged Porsches on the side of the road. And of course dents and cracked windows on tens of thousands of cars. In the Miesbach district alone, where Lake Tegernsee is located, 20,000 vehicles were affected.
One of them was Carl J’s white and red VW T6 bus. The result after ten minutes of hail: hundreds of dents in the hood, body edge and roof, indicators and tail lights smashed, rear window wiper shattered, window cracked. Such damage is of course annoying, but in Germany, storm damage is covered by partial comprehensive insurance, and J has it…
Hail odyssey throughout Bavaria
He reports the damage to Allianz, which has an assessment drawn up. Three weeks later, the damage is determined: 20,000 euros in damage with a current value of 35,000 euros. Most of the damaged parts have to be replaced. What sounds simple, at least simpler than dent removal, only causes trouble for the Miesbach resident. An odyssey through Bavaria begins, which is still not over today, a year after the damage.
After the assessment in autumn 2023, Allianz referred him to its workshop partner “Know-How-Systems”, KHS for short, based in Malta due to the contractually agreed workshop commitment. The company has commissioned a workshop in the district to carry out the repairs for them. The employees there prepare J. for a longer wait: VW has delivery problems, there are no spare parts. “I understand that everything is taking a little longer, after all, tens of thousands of vehicles in our district were affected and shortly before there was also major hail damage in the neighboring district,” emphasizes J..
In January, things finally get started. J. hands over his car and gets a rental car from Allianz: a VW Polo with a manual transmission. “I knew that in such a case you always get a smaller car, I thought it wouldn’t be for long,” explains J. But the smaller car causes problems for the J. couple in everyday life; they are not used to the gearshift and need a lot of space to transport their equipment for their hobby. They are also planning a vacation with the family. But summer is still a while away.
Replacement roofs defective
In March, KHS contacted him again with the information that the roof could not be repaired as planned and that a new one would have to be ordered. A few weeks later, they said: The roof delivered is there, but broken, and according to KHS, the next roof delivered is also unusable. At some point, the workshop is no longer reachable, and instead KHS announces that all damage in the district has been dealt with and that all workshops in the district will be closed accordingly. J. is confused: “They probably mean all damage, just not ours.”
Finally, a third roof is delivered, which is intact. But the KHS workshop in the Miesbach district no longer has an appointment to install the roof, J. learns over the phone. His bus is taken to Ulm. At this point, KHS has already had his vehicle in the yard for four months.
But nothing happens in Ulm either. When J. calls the KHS hotline, he gets mixed answers: the paint shop employees are sick or on vacation. Finally, in July, more than half a year after the car was dropped off at KHS, an employee confirms on the phone that the car will be delivered next Monday. J. cancels his appointments, takes vacation and waits. And waits. One Monday after the other. No one ever cancels; the employees always put him off and the car never arrives.
“This is a delaying tactic”
“You don’t believe anything anymore, it’s a delaying tactic,” complains Carl J. He has cancelled his holiday and is already doubtful whether he will get his car back. That’s why he turned to FOCUS online: “It was clear that things wouldn’t go so quickly given the amount of damage, but the way we were put off from week to week really made me suspicious.”
In retrospect, the whole procedure gives him something to think about: He did not receive a handover protocol from the workshop, all information was only available over the phone, and when he asked by email or at least via WhatsApp, he was put off. “Luckily, I at least still have the vehicle registration document,” says J.
He turns to his Allianz representative several times, who in turn writes to his colleagues in the department management, who in turn notify the Allianz hail organization team. This in turn passes the case on to KHS, which takes almost two weeks to respond. After the repair in the body shop, silicone leaked out, writes the KHS claims clerk to the Allianz contact. This meant that the vehicle had to be dismantled, reassembled and repainted, which led to a considerable delay. However, he only sends this information to the Allianz representative at Tegernsee when the Allianz clerk asks for it. KHS sets the next delivery date for the first week of August.
Finally things are moving
But the car doesn’t arrive. Only after FOCUS online asked for information did something happen. Allianz announced that the workshop was closed and would not reopen until the beginning of September. KHS referred all press inquiries to Allianz.
In the statement, Allianz also admits: “In general, this claim history does not meet the claim settlement standards that we have as a comprehensive insurer for our customers. We expressly apologize for the delay in repairing our customer’s vehicle.” It processed a total of 60,000 hail damage claims last year.
The company will contact the workshop as soon as possible: “Either the repair can be completed immediately or we will have the vehicle transported to a workshop of the customer’s choice at our own expense in order to avoid further delays.” However, Allianz did not answer the question of how long a repair after hail damage usually takes.
Instead, she writes that she is in contact with the customer and has offered to provide him with a suitable rental car until the repairs are completed and for his vacation trip. Allianz is too late, but J. is still happy about the larger car: “At least it makes everyday life easier again.” The question is, however, when he will see his car again. So far, he hasn’t heard anything else about it.
*Name changed, the correct name is known to the editors
