Le 16 Novembre 2007, Christina, en temps que cliente de la société d’assurance Mauritius Union, a écrit sur son site internet personnel une note dans laquelle elle exprimait son indignation sur le niveau de service offert par cette entreprise.
Hier, Jeudi 6 Décembre 2007, vers 20:00, un huissier est venu nous remettre une notice légale nous intimant l’ordre d’enlever cette note du site internet de Christina.
Voici un scan de cette notice:
Suite à cette notice, nous avons envoyé le email suivant à M. Jacques de Navacelle, Managing Director de la Mauritius Union. Cet email a aussi été copié à M. Joël de Rosnay pour que celui-ci puisse apprécier l’attitude de cette entreprise vis-à -vis du pronétariat mauricien. M. Joël de Rosnay, invité par M. Jacques de Navacelle, avait donné le 6 Novembre 2007 une conférence remarquable à l’Université de Maurice sur le thème des Nouvelles Technologies, Innovations et Résistances au Changement. Voici le email:
Cher M. Jacques de Navacelle,
Nous sommes clients de la Mauritius Union depuis plusieurs années. En particulier, nous assurons notre voiture, une Renault Mégane, chez vous.
J’ai été victime d’un accident mineur l’année dernière. Depuis, ma femme et moi sommes extrêmement insatisfaits du service de la Mauritius Union notamment pour un manque chronique d’information, de conseil et d’accompagnement concernant notre dossier.
Ma femme, excédée de cette situation, a exprimé sa frustration sur son site internet personnel:
http://christinameetoo.wordpress.com/2007/11/16/mauritius-union-peace-of-mind/
Suite à cela, ma femme a été extrêmement déçue de recevoir des menaces téléphoniques de (nom de l’employé omis), au nom de la Mauritius Union, le vendredi 30 novembre à 21:00.
Nous venons de recevoir à l’instant un document légal nous intimant d’enlever l’article écrit par ma femme de son site internet d’ici demain et de payer Rs 4000 pour les frais.
Vous trouverez copie du dit document en pièces jointes.
Après l’avoir lu, ma femme et moi trouvons que c’est une aberration. La Constitution de Maurice nous permet d’exprimer librement nos opinions et notre frustration.
De plus, nous sommes convaincus de notre bonne foi et nous rejetons entièrement les points 7, 9 et 10 (ce dernier étant franchement pathétique car techniquement ridicule).
Ce genre de menace porte atteinte à notre droit d’expression fondamental. Vous constaterez que nous avons aussi envoyé copie de ce courriel à M. Joël de Rosnay que vous aviez invité récemment à Maurice.
Je n’ai nul doute que M. Joël de Rosnay vous fera aisément comprendre qu’en 2007, une entreprise ne peut pas employer des tactiques de terreur à l’encontre de deux intellectuels ayant leurs propres sites internet.
Ma femme et moi avons tous deux une formation française. Je suis ingénieur en Informatique et ma femme possède une maîtrise en Communication. Nous connaissons nos droits et nous n’avons pas l’intention de nous laisser faire.
Le dit document nous donnant un ultimatum, nous vous en posons un également. Si d’ici 14:00 demain, vendredi 7 decembre, nous n’avons pas reçu un appel téléphonique ou un courriel de la Mauritius Union nous confirmant l’annulation de cette notice (suivi bien sûr d’une lettre officielle), nous nous réservons le droit d’alerter les médias locaux, les organismes de défense des droits des citoyens du pays, les organismes de défense des droits des internautes et l’ensemble des réseaux communautaires sur internet (tels que Agoravox, Facebook et les sites web, blogs et forums mauriciens). Nous nous réserverons également le droit de recourir aux moyens légaux pour dommage et préjudice subis.
Internet est devenu un carrefour où les gens s’expriment librement. Cela peut quelquefois déplaire mais, comme le dit si bien M. Joël de Rosnay, “Une nouvelle démocratie est en train de naître, inventée grâce aux nouvelles technologies ou médias des masses (Internet, blogs, SMS, chats…) par les citoyens du monde. Or ni les médias traditionnels, ni les politiques n’en comprennent vraiment les enjeux…”. J’ajouterai “ni les entreprises traditionnelles”…
Il serait très inconvenant que la Mauritius Union, qui veut se donner une image d’entreprise citoyenne et moderne, passe pour une entreprise dépassée par la modernité et employant des moyens totalitaires à l’encontre d’intellectuels exprimant librement leur opinion sur leurs sites internet personnels.
Vous pouvez être sûr que si la Mauritius Union prend la bonne décision d’annuler cette notice, nous en parlerons sur nos sites internet respectifs ce qui ne pourrait qu’être bénéfique à votre image.
Ce genre d’expérience va certainement se répéter à l’avenir en raison de l’emergence des nouveaux médias des masses. Si vous apprenez à réagir positivement dès maintenant, votre entreprise en sera grandie.
En espérant que la Mauritius Union prendra cette décision, je vous donne nos coordonnées: (suivent nos coordonnées)
Cordialement, Avinash et Christina Meetoo
Il est actuellement 18:00 et la Mauritius Union aurait du nous appeler depuis 4 heures déjà . Nous en déduisons que cette entreprise a choisi de continuer de nous insulter et, par extension, d’insulter l’intelligence des Mauriciens.
Nous avons décidé d’enlever la note du site de Christina parce que nous savons très bien qu’entrer dans une démarche judiciaire ne pourra que nous faire perdre du temps et de l’énergie bien que la Mauritius Union n’a aucun motif valable de nous accuser. “The pen is mightier than the sword” (Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1839).
La Constitution de Maurice nous garantissant la libre expression, nous laissons le soin aux Mauriciens de juger.
i was thinking.. if all bloggers blogged about this, wud they send all bloggers court notice?i would be very happy to see some dude coming to tell me to take off something which is ON MY SITE! He’ll learn it the hard way.. whether he is a person or a country.
I’m disgusted by this legal approach. It was totally unnecessary from the part of M.U and above that obliging you to pay for the Attorney’s fee which amounts to Rs4,000 (l’argent pas gagne lors pied sa.)
So, what are your next moves?
You see, what just happens, will make people thinks twice to set up their own blog, or comment about a particular topic IN THIS PARTICULAR COUNTRY.
Some times back, there was the case of Facebook and now yours!
This matter diserves attention as this goes against Article 12 of our constitution, which is our supreme law abiding content in Mauritius. I take this opportunity to paste Article 12 (AVAILABLE FREELY ON THE GOVERNMENT’S WEBSITE):
12 Protection of freedom of expression
(1) Except with his own consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of expression, that is to say, freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference, and freedom from interference with his correspondence.
(2) Nothing contained in or done under the authority of any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of this section to the extent that the law in question makes provision –
(a) in the interests of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health;
(b) for the purpose of protecting the reputations, rights and freedoms of other persons or the private lives of persons concerned in legal proceedings, preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, maintaining the authority and independence of the courts, or regulating the technical administration or the technical operation of telephony, telegraphy, posts, wireless broadcasting, television, public exhibitions or public entertainments; or
(c) for the imposition of restrictions upon public officers,
except so far as that provision or, as the case may be, the thing done under its authority is shown not to be reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.
As far I we can deduce, the article written by Mrs Meetoo, does not go against Article 12(2)(a), 12(2)(b), 12(2)(c).
The only section which is debatable is 12(2)(b); but as far as I know, the content of the topic was not defamatory to any PARTICULAR person, but was referring to the SERVICES of a COMPANY (indeed a legal personality); but in any way it degraded a the company.
Therefore, the question is the extent of Mrs Meetoo comments. But to me, she had all her rights to express herself about her feeling concerning the services that she paid for. Nothing difammatory in that!
Keep us updated.
Oh My God. Why why why?!
I could have ended with a legal notice too. ->http://christinameetoo.wordpress.com/2007/11/26/interview-lexpress-samedi/#comments
Anyway, I assure you that you ARE WITHIN LEGAL REALMS to express yourself. THERE IS NO GROUND ONTO WHICH Mauritius Union can sue you.
Moreover, they posted on your blog too – BEFORE SENDING THE LEGAL NOTICE.
This means that they were aware of the post and decided to respond (giving out the plate number of the car as well).
——
La Constitution de Maurice nous garantissant la libre expression, nous laissons le soin aux Mauriciens de juger.
——
Exactly! -> Plus, by suing you, they are damaging their own image.
Avinash and Christina for the win! MU PWNED!
Ames
P.S
I do believe that pictures can be taken from the outside (random shots). Were the pictures licensed under CC? – just in case you’re sued for that as well.
Also, there is nothing that can prevent a writer to cover the story. Ok, we don’t have Pamela Jones (Groklaw) in Mauritius but there can be 3rd party (or ghost writer) that can cover the story online – say on several social networking sites as well as blogs (mirror all posts/articles/comments). That would be awesome (ICTA blocking blogger.com)
I, for one, am pretty sure you’ll win this one! MU is wrong!
I don’t understand how you don’t get mad at a brainless attorney or company (that also some bloody lowly finance people who just deals with sums of money and who don’t produce anything useful to the human race other than just manipulating virtual money which is just an invention of another of the human mind called society).
pfffttt, you know all too well how you can piss that guy off by posting these anonymously everywhere on the web and they won’t be able to prove anything!
En tout cas, on est tous avec toi.Apres tout,les clients ont des droits .D’ailleurs ,dans le contract avec un assurance , il n’y a aucun mention que vous n’avez pas le droit de critiquer positivement la compagnie…qui aurait du revoir sa strategie de “Customer Service” et de”Customer Relationship”..sinon pourquoi analyser les “Feedback” avec les clients,n’est-ce-pas pour pouvoir s’ameliorer d’advantage pour ne pas perdre un client .
C’est triste.
Franchement si les clients ne mettent pas leur argent dans une companie d’assurance ..est-ce que la compagnie existerait.La logique c’est que s’il n’y a pas nous..il n’y a pas eux.C’est eux qui ont plus besoin de nous que le contraire.Nous on peut existait sans eux mais est-ce que la compagnie peut exister sans nous?
Il y a une terme dans la loi Mauricienne qui s’appelle le “Fiduciary Duty” ,c,a ve dire que quand vous payer pour un service ,.. la compagnie doit faire son devoir et prendre toute sa responsabilite envers vous et donner le service qu’il vous doit .
En tout cas s’il fallait donner une note au Performance Management et au Customer Care ,je me demande quel note on pourrait donner?
Oh my god! I just realised something – what if the mauritius union people had read my post (about the legal advice i was threatened with) and decided to apply that to you?! OMG, my posts sparkled the evil idea!
OMG. In case that is so, I excuse myself. I had no intention of posting about my trouble online and had no idea it would be “used.”
I do hope that Mauritius is PWNED! That company is destroying its own image.
btw, comment number 10 -> they clearly don’t understand the workings of a blog! MODERATION IS A FEATURE!!!! Grr…incompetent/ignorant brats!
Not bad thinking Selven.
I wouldn’t mind joining in if the Meetoo’s agree on that :).
So? Anyone else?
Just an assumption. What would Mauritus Union do if, instead of ranting ( sorry for this word but it is th emost appropriate one) on your blog , you had brought this piece of complaint to the news media – a newspaper?
Would the legal advisor or the in-louse sollicitor pull the same stunt, trying to muzzle ” les faits constates jusqu’a present” or the author? I doubt this would be the case.
This is the Internet and the dinosaurs better realize that this is a David v/s Goliath situation.
Instead of satisfying an irate ( but patient ) customer, they may lose business. Customer satisfaction down the proverbial drain.
Hi all,
Thanks for your positive comments. In the letter sent to the Managing Director of the Mauritius Union, we wrote:
So this is (potentially) just the beginning. For the time being, my wife and I are happy to have written this post. But if MUA continues its totalitarian behavior, then the sky is the limit for us…
Dodo mentions David v/s Goliath. I believe traditional companies don’t have any clue of who might be the David and who might be the Goliath. The Internet has completely changed the world. It has completely changed the way companies communicate and basically do business. In this era of the pronétariat, anyone has the means to voice out his/her opinion on a lack of service (and this is what we are simply doing). That is happening all over the world. And most companies are reacting very positively by having proper customer feedback procedures. A customer is someone who comes to your company TWICE.
Unfortunately, some are still stuck in the dark ages…
If someone wants to blog on this issue, feel free to do it and link to this post.
you’re so going to win. and yes, there will be some Mauritian Pamela Jones (Groklaw) to cover this.
hey, in this case, knowing that web and real life clash is present, don’t you think that the brats would ask you to release the list of members of your respective blogs? if they do, will you be releasing the database to the authorities if asked to?
I look forward to seeing articles about this case in newspapers :) Mauritius Union PWNED.
More importantly, don’t let MU affect you much, enjoy these festive days knowing that you shall win in court (if that is brought to court – but i don’t think so – MU must be afraid.)
Enjoy your weekend :) *hugs*
[Icebreaker says that posting an opinion on a lack of service without targeting any specific person absolutely no relation to defamation. He says that the Supreme Court has previously ruled that freedom of speech is a right that all Mauritians have. He then adds that Christina’s blog entry (which is now deleted) should be reinstated. He finally adds that the legal persons involved should pay special attention to what the Mauritian Constitution says.]
(ice_breaker, you’ll notice that I’ve (extremely) heavily amended the comment that you have posted and I’ve completely removed the court judgement because it was too long :-) — Avinash)
The way you and your wife are being treated by the insurance company is downright inadmissible! It is totally unfair for a company to use strong-arm methods and its big cash reserve to suppress freedom of speech.
I can’t imagine any legal department of any respectable company working around the clock, serving legal notices to each and every blogger criticizing the company’s practices, lack of customer support or even the CEO himself!! What a waste of time, resources and shareholder’s money that would be. I guess Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs have better things to do with their life…Mauritian companies should stick their head out of their a** and realize that as paying customers, we expect a minimum quality of service! We don’t expect to be treated like princes or princesses!! Just do you f*cking job!! And if they can’t live up to expectations, we have the right to voice out our frustration and do our business elsewhere! As citizens, Mauritians should to be aware of their rights! There is definitely a need for public awareness.
i am for blogging this thing koz it happenned to me too, wiz nomad but fortunately the guy knew that i have the right to express my views the way i want…
am posting some note on my blog and linking back here!
LONG LIVE THE BLOGGING COMMUNITY!!!
It seems that in Mauritius, we learn nothing from past experiences. ICTA got it all wrong with facebook and now Mauritius Union is doing the same mistake.
Power has now shifted hands! In Mauritius, given that the Internet culture does not have so strong roots, we are still in the transition period (Power is being shifted). ICTA and Mauritius Union are the tantrums of this adolescence period.
Fran tout… Ine ler pou lev ene bezer… sorry, mais mo pa p gagne lot mots la…
Kan mem! Dimounes nepli ena droit dire c ki zot penser dans sa pays la??? WTF???
Pfffffttt…
Je suis avec vous Avinash et Christina.
Nous sommes tous avec vous, sauf les cons bien sur.
Vive la liberte d’espression.
;o)
3 cheers to Avinash and Christina for raising their voice for freedom of expression.
I would be more than happy to post this on my blog. what these people don’t realise is that no can control the internet entirely. Moreover, a Mauritian does not have to fly to another country to see the content hosted on a server in that other country. What will they do? Close all access to every single website ?
Sad…
weh en trois lignes c’est bien ca avec des inexactitudes legeres :p mais cependant c’est pas la cour supreme mais la cour intermediaire qui est une cour inferieure!:)
now there is a lot of talk going on…
have MU contacted you again?
if not, I think that you both should bring this matter to court to settle this matter once and for all, being the first Mauritians, and who knows, the first person in the world to bring a case for freedom of expression concerning blogs, websites onlines, definitely the contents of blogs being within the legal limits as I don’t know if there is any case like that in the world.
Like this, the proper guidelines will be properly and finally set and not in the future some political nominees who comes forward to say that this or this is contrary to a particular political figure or policy..
If we have to contribute money, I will contribute for this fight, you can count on me.
It’s worth a try, believe me!
This is getting absolutely crazy. I am finding it very hard to believe that Mauritius Union is going to this ridiculous extreme. If they had some sense in their pea-sized brains, they would have contacted you and try to help as much as possible. You expect companies to go to extremes to help customers. They had a golden opportunity here do show how much they care about customers.
But, it is the complete opposite. They are ready to fight you in any possible way.
I remember a quote by Mahatma Gandhi: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”
In this case here, I am confident about who is going to be the ultimate winner. Hats to the the Meetoo couple for standing up and fighting their case. If more people were like that, Mauritius would definitely progess.
Kot nu p aller dans sa pays la ..pfffffffffffff
May one should think twice before getting insured there.
As far as I recall there have been some disputes in relation to the MCB scandal. They may be liable for the losses AFAIK.
Is there a chance of them closing down should they lose the case?
Its a shame!! MU has over-reacted..its nw MU faux-pas lol
So much bla bla when Joel de Rosnay came…n so ironic that made conference for JEC! Enta tapaz dan vide… ces gens ne comprennent meme pas comment un blog fonctionne..Nu nepli lepok margoz..:) Fo pas se laisser faire!
Bon courage pour les etapes suivantes…I thk its a gud idea that evryone share this with other Mauritian internet users, on facebook..doit etre mediatisé…coz this cant continue
Its so ridiculous…n Cyber-Island we say?
Should invite them in ur class on new media Mrs Chan Meetoo ;)they r nt grasping it yet!
Hi all,
Thanks a lot for your support. Thanks to understand that the matter is a matter of freedom of expression.
I don’t know MUA understands that. Perhaps they think I’m trying to get my car repaired by them (I don’t – if someone has to repair my car, it’s the adverse insurance company…)
Gandhi’s quote (thanks Ajay) is priceless: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you winâ€.
Anyway,
No authority whatsoever can ever impose its will on a personal blog. It forms part of the fundamental right of Mrs. Meetoo to express herself on her own site. It is revolting to what extent this insurance company has stooped low and resorted to measures which have done nothing but ruin its credibility.
Christina and I have just noticed that someone using different names (an anonymous coward?) and (fake) emails and originating from IP 72.22.139.215 is trying to post stupid comments on our two blogs.
We are deleting the comments because, well, they are stupid :-)
hey, i post anonymously with a fake email address. LOL – wasn’t me though.
quote: (an anonymous coward?
How much time do you spend on /.? lol
Current IP: 202.123.XX.XXX (had to put Xs to avoid some brats from pinging me lol)
Enjoy your evening :) and new week :)
(Hi Ames, I’ve removed the part on Google. Hope you understand.)
Anonymous coward does not know the intricacies of the WEB LOL!
(I’ve removed the line concerning the stunt — Avinash)
Avinash, Christina
Well done, I’m sure every insurance client is behind you. For too long we’ve been taken for a ride by insurance companies who make us feel like beggars when you have to make a claim.
Its a pity to see such a reaction from MU..we r in a democracy and preventing someone to express or threatening to remove an article is ridiculous….Dude We r today living in an Information Society whereby information is the central theme.i think its high time for them to realize the fundamental paradigm shift.
One should think well before taking up an insurance…In fact i do have a similar case..got an accident two months back and am still chasing the insurance company for my money..Its a shame for we took up insurance to rest assure in times of problem but its the contrary most of the time!!!
Well very unkind of the Mauritius Union, well Mauritius can be sued according the rules set by the ICTA and the global ICT rules!
Unkind is not the proper word :-)
In my opinion (and I am allowed to have one as guaranteed by my Constitution), they have absolutely no idea what the Internet is…
:p lol long live bill clinton then :p
fink u did the rite fing mate!! yora tujur des tetes brulées…sometimes its just not worth the hassle!
may the force b wiv u!
http://www.google.mu/search?q=mauritius+union
I think Mauritius Union is going to lose a lot of customers.
Perhaps they don’t care about Google (I wrote that I think they have absolutely no idea what the Internet is).
Anyway, a number of journalists have contacted us. What do you think we should do now?
[Incidentally, we were expecting MUA to contact us following our (nice) email to its Managing Director. But, so far, nothing. Pretty childish, I would say…]
I think you should open up the truth to the press and show that even we normal mauritian citizens have power to shake up the whole :) they should know the truth & ofcourse, MUA should be disgraced for such an act, they feel that we mauritians are fool and gonna get afraid of a legal notice!!
P.S, its my personal advice
Yeps childish indeed.. Maybe you should see what those journalists have to propose you.
hhmm what do you expect when you play with Pandora’s box ;),to add to that,MU took the key which was until now well sealed, and opened it ^^,now face the consequences!
i think you are right,they have no idea what is going on,they just know that they have a legal team,and they use it,for their own good? god knows
as far as i know,reputation is like the sword of Damocles,it takes a LOT to get a good one and it takes nothing to bring it down,that is why most of the time,respectable companies prefer to end cases as such in good terms rather than have their reputation tarnished…even if the customer was at fault (which is not the case here,bt you get the idea)
@Jevin,i have noticed that too,and they might not know what the internet is,but your blog being ranked no.2 result is catastrophic if the key words are Mauritius Union,i dnt thk they have yet realised the magnitude of this…too bad for them
to think we try to promote our island as a cyber island and we get this in return (1st was facebook,now this and now this makes me wonder how much more were before this,but not able to express themselves?)
Anyway, a number of journalists have contacted us. What do you think we should do now?
The answer is rather obvious ;)…. i thk we are a bit like the Gandhi quote,but reloaded… after the right and the left cheek has failed, you are not gonna wait to be beaten up huh ^^,fight back intelligently unlike your counterparts :)
to illustrate a bit funny way how things will end ^^
http://www.fukung.net/images/5648/378414193_ace0b2bb8a_o.gif
you = indiana jones
MU= Guy in black
Legal team = Knife ;)
p.s. i looked for the said IP… from SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES o_0,did not know you were that famous to be of interest from there :D!
Jounalists have contacted you, that’s great news.
They are the medium of free expression. Maybe you can just voice out your opinion about the reality of freedom of expression in today’s world through internet (blogs, etc) and highlight how companies in Mauritius need to adapt themselves to the new reality.
Some are simply out of touch.
Cheers !!!
Just give the FACTS to the journalists – timeline from the day of the accident up to the notice from the bailiff ( hopefully the right term).
Your expectations to see this situation resolved and why after X months, the MU has not delivered on the services they are selling and you have purchased “de bonne foi.”
Confirm that you have used your personal blog to rant about the lack of customer satisfaction for insurance paid because you were caught in a catch-22 to see closure of your repairs BUT THIS IS YOUR RIGHT UNDER MTS FREEDOM OF SPEECH. There was no libel whatsoever.
ONLY THE FACTS WRT SAID ACCIDENT REPORT – inlcuding your policy and your coverage and the interval that you have been waiting to have the assessment of the repairs to be done and your claim if req.
Jevin, didn’t notice that over google..
i think it’s a bad bad publicity whats appearing on the page of google.
avinash, i think you should let those journalists comment on this matter.
Thanks all for your support :-)
Avinash Gunessee wrote something very interesting:
As for n!135h’s Indiana Jones clip, I find it very funny :-)
From L’Express Newspaper of today:
http://www.lexpress.mu/display_article.php?news_id=99389
Brèves
Maurice bien notée. Le site Internet anglais World Audit affirme que Maurice prend la première place en matière de respect de la liberté de la presse et de la lutte contre la corruption au sein de l’Union africaine. Il se base sur les études menées par des organisations telles qu’Amnesty et Transparency. Au niveau mondial, le pays se classe 33e sur 150 pays. D’après le magazine Foreign Direct Investment publié par le Financial Times, Maurice prend aussi la première place en matière de business friendly countries en Afrique. C’est ce qui ressort de communiqués émanant de la direction de communication du bureau du Premier ministre.
Here are some interesting statistics from the World Audit website:
World Democracy Audit overall ranking (1-150) => 33
Political Rights (1-7) => 1
Civil Liberties (1-7) => 2q (I don’t know what the q means…)
Press Freedom (0-150) = 34
Corruption (0-145) = 40
Not bad. But there is room for improvement.
For example, concerning freedom of the press, there are 33 countries above Mauritius among which the Nordic countries, lots of other European countries, the US and Canada, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Taiwan and Mali.
It’s true that we live in a nice country though :-)
Geezzzz…If only mauritius union knew about COMMENT MODERATION…
Pheeww…can’t help it though
it simply mean to question :p
what’s the update avinash concerning the matter..what have you decided yet?
btw how did you find the performance of Liverpool against Marseille.. :) magnifico isn’t it..
Yep. And I have a nice feeling about today’s match with the Scums.
i really hate this feeling.. when you know you are right yet because the whole legal procedures and not having any good advisor we just drop out of an obvious win!!
i think the best way to proceed now is to try avoid any face to face legal comfrontation.. build up a nice case and then declare war!!
anyway watever you decide.. i’ll be right behind to support.. (even if we have to manifest infront of their headquarters!!)
btw i’ve tried not tried wordpress but do we have access to our database of comments and can we delete and actually undelete a coment?? (no 10 in the notice)
@ jevin n nilesh
i’ve tried the google search
7 out of 10 reseults are really encouraging for new customers of Mauritius union lol
as nilesh pointed out!! its really sad that big companies are willing to play with their reputation like that..
@Avinash.M
hope you’ll keep us posted about the whole matter..
Hi Roopa, we are still waiting for a reaction from Mauritius Union following the letter we sent to its director. As I wrote above, it seems that they have decided to ignore us and this is pathetic as, as far as I know, I am still their customer!
For me, this confirms that they don’t care at all about their customers.
superbe les Meetoo
vous etes vraiment des inovateurs
c vous ki font la fierte de notre cyber island en demontrant ke vous pouvez tenir face a ces compagnies incredules
Check this out: http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/22/1323232
BTW, is there an organisation like EFF in Mauritius?
“a choisi de continuer de nous insulter et, par extension, d’insulter l’intelligence des Mauriciens.”
yes? who made you eligible to decide what insults me or not?
you have your problems with the company, fair enough, but please, cut the drama…
As from now, please read “a choisi de continuer de nous insulter et, par extension, d’insulter l’intelligence des Mauriciens sauf John philips”
I love being dramatic :-)
who is this john philips?
I don’t know. But until he/she uses his/her real name, we won’t know. And to be frank, I couldn’t care less :-)
Really sad… at least now I know where I should not insure my car or whatever…
This is Tevez… Hargreaves is wide… in the near post off Carragher… typical plunge… Giggs… this is Rooney!!… and it’s in!!!… and Tevez scores!!!!… and Manchester United have the lead!!!!
and the kop is silent once again… ;-)
wow. This page is 3rd on google search for Mauritius Union. Very bad for them but I think that you are right to express your opinion about this. You still haven’t gotten a reply to your email? That’s kind of odd.
I wonder how they came across your wife’s blog entry in the first place.
I used to think highly of Mr. de Navacelle and Me. Andre Robert. Not anymore.
http://www.lexpress.mu/display_news_dimanche.php?news_id=100523
http://www.lexpress.mu/display_news_dimanche.php?news_id=100523
Noted twice :-)
Instead of improving their service they sue. Very bad!!!
The article in l’express was the first thing my wife mentioned to me this morning. “Isn’t that about your friend Avinash?” she asked.
Are you pursuing the matter any further? I think I would.
lol and i was going to post that link ^^
hope they did notice it :P
and lol to John philips (or whoever hiding behind :D),the statement you just made is like a hole you dug in the ground but for yourself :P…
To Eddy:
You really think it’s worthwhile wasting our time, energy and money fighting against Mauritius Union? They have still not understood (in my opinion) that this is a matter of free speech. I’m sure they only have an “insurance company” perspective…
Personally, I’ve moved to other things. But I’m always ready to fight :-)
I suppose it depends on your disposition. I hope you are no longer giving them your custom!
What do you mean?
We have, of course, decided to get our car insurance from another company as soon as the current one will be over…
Avinash, i understand that it is not worth for you to spend time in court with this company and you are even paying a fine, right? But is it not sending a message to other bloggers that if they don’t want to pay fines, they better make sure not to complain about companies in mauritius? Isn’t it some kind of negative signal sent?
Maybe I’m wrong, but i feel that we, Mauritians, tend to think only for our own benefits and not for the society as a whole…(with the “what do i gain from this?”)
I just hope that the ‘another company’ knows with whom they are actually dealing with …
We have no intention to pay anything until we get the quality and level of service we should have got from the very beginning.
You see, life is simple: it’s “donnant donnant”. We are paying MUA thousands and thousands of rupees every year (since September 2004) to provide a service. They are not doing their part of the deal according to us.
We removed Christina’s article from her blog for strategic reasons. It’s not because of that pathetic legal notice.
As Kelly Brooke (pseudo I presume?) rightly says (I am not sure she (?) meant that), MUA has absolutely no idea with whom they are dealing with…
And remember,
We are not at all chickening out. We are just doing a very interesting social experiment.
So girls and boys, feel free to voice out your opinion if you feel like it. But remember the most important rule, stay in control…
lol Kelly Brooke (strangely enough,i have the feeling you are related to that philips guy >_>,could at least be original with the names ROFL <__<) not to add if someone tells you,”hey you saw that shop,head the price are good”,and you reply “nah i dnt recommend it to you,they have no manners”…now in this case,nothing harmful,just some bad treatment and you lose not one but more than one potential customer
now to be completely honest,i didnt know anything abt MU,was always insured to the state insurance,never got any problem whatsoever,but if tomorrow i was to change insurance,you can be hell sure i wont go there and worst if someone suggest the name,i would relate this story here and baaam,2 customers out and with us,try to derive the spanning tree (hello you are still following :D)…
you thk companies like Rogers, Barclays, Manillal, to name a few got their reputation when they opened their shop on the first day? or why do you think that when you suggest to some ppl that there is the buy now,pay latter,they tell you they prefer to buy elsewhere coz you get better products….
I have read in books abt management that when you have a problem with your customer and have a reputation at stake,you first try to settle the matter (and here is simple,do what you are paid for…nothing more) but if either parties are going to a dead end,the company itself takes the blame (see one of my posts lol),and close the case here,both are happy,customer got their satisfaction and in most case wnt renew there (so the company is happy) and the company gets to save the reputation part which is,far more precious than money (hell what would do if you dnt want to lose X amount here and in the long run have the company close down)
i dnt know abt you bt the proof are clear enough to me the very moment the police said the other lady was wrong and it was her insurance that had to pay,so i really dnt know how (lol) MU saw that the second party was not consenting (lol unless amateurism ,i dunno,seems so)
now im really happy that when i bought my new car (lol i here is my dad :D),he was suggested to insure at MU and he didnt,guess we made the right choice afterall
meh if MU or ppl on MU side want to defend themselves, at least do make strong and valid arguments instead of posting in a way that makes you look more amateur than we already got the impression of and what is sad here is that despite all the arguments we came with, they did nothing to correct anything, but in the opposite we have comments getting them deeper and deeper in the “mud”
bah to lose a loyal paying customer who is with you since 2004 :P…guess they can afford so ;)..amazes me how they (who ever feels concerned by the they lol) still get the courage to post random,no meaning posts :P
ooohh and wohhooo,your blog is ranked 2nd in google :){key word mauritius union},OMG, i typed “mauritius blog insurance” in google and you are ranked 1st :D…adding “problem” to it still got first search, lol there could have been some money made out of ad-sense :P (idea :D)
ohh and nice ending >_> {refering to “So girls and boys, feel free to voice out your opinion if you feel like it. But remember the most important rule, stay in control…“}
p.s. sorry for any grammatical error :)
p.p.s initial comment was so long,had to make it in 3 :),sorry ;)
Hi n!135h,
Nice comments. The fact is we are still technically speaking customers of Mauritius Union (as we paid for one year of car insurance). And, as far as I know, I have every right to say that I find their level and quality of service intolerable (since I am paying them).
I was having a conversation today with a friend from Romania and she was telling me how life was when Nicolae CeauÅŸescu was still alive. We are fortunate that Mauritius is a democratic country where free speech is a right guaranteed by our Constitution. But some “luminaries” there have still not understood anything…
Pathetic.
While reading the latest posts, I was wondering ‘These guys are really traditional or wot?!?’ … You are so funny by stating that my name is a pseudo, when actually it’s my real name. (Well Mum you should have give me a name like Priya or Marie Therese … would have been better, hahahaha)… such a silly thing you are aguing about, duh! And nopes unfortunately (Sorry to deceive you), I am not related to that ‘philips guy’. You think everyone having the same opinion are related?- Little minds –
You are constantly talking about Freedom of expression … does that mean we should always agree with the ‘victim’? We may be on his side or not … I won’t follow the majority in your case Mr Avinash.
What will happen when your car insurance expires at MUA? Are you going to keep on discussing and voicing out your opinions about the Insurance company?
I do understand you had quite a bad experience with the company and would like to inform the population of this company’s really bad service. I guess you’ll die for the company to close down, but what’s the point in that man? You won’t be one of their client in some months … Are you worried about the ‘destiny’ of the existing and future clients?
Enough for now …
Hi Kelly,
It may look like “such a silly thing you are aguing about” but for me it’s something important. I’ve been paying a lot of money to MUA for the past 3 years to insure our car. I fully understand that they are not supposed to repair my car themselves (it should rather be the other party and/or her own insurance company).
What bothers Christina and myself is the bad customer care we’ve experienced. Since the accident, Christina called there (as the legal owner of the car) more than 10 times. We got 10 different “answers”. Sometimes they promised to call back “immediately” but they never did.
Still we stayed there. In case you have not noticed, we renewed our car insurance there for another whole year even though we felt we were getting sub-par consideration. I remember saying to Christina that things were going to be OK as I felt, at that time, that they cared about us. How wrong I was!
A few months later, when Christina wrote her post on her blog, things started moving… but very bizarrely. MUA called us thrice. The first one was to tell us that everything would be settled quickly. The second one was to ask us if we went to the Police station after the small accident (of course, they had the Police report in their hands!). And the third one was to threaten us…
Since then, we’ve written a letter to Jacques de Navacelle, the General Manager there (sent by mail and fax) and I have had no acknowledgment whatsoever. No one has bothered to contact us even though, technically, we are still customers until July 2008.
This is absolutely pathetic as behavior. In my opinion, the reason they don’t care is that they know people have to have a car insurance by law. They know they have a “captive audience”. And this is why they don’t feel it’s important to value the special relationship they can have with one customer.
In my opinion, I am just a number in a database somewhere at MUA and this is extremely disturbing as, as you know, my money is hard-earned.
In July, I’ll change my car insurance company in order to be treated like a person and not only as a number.
As for ” you’ll die for the company to close down”, ahem, I don’t think so. I have so many more important things to worry about. That’s the reason why I am moving to another company. I don’t want to waste time with them anymore.
And about “Are you worried about the ‘destiny’ of the existing and future clients?”, to be frank, no. I am just worried about my own destiny… like 99.99% of us, n’est ce pas?
Happy?
thank goodness,i just thought you were another bot :D…sorry abt the harsh comments kelly :),no offense intended :D {Little mind,ahem , original >_>}
You are constantly talking about Freedom of expression … does that mean we should always agree with the ‘victim’? We may be on his side or not …
Lol,dunno where they said we should agree with the victims =),i mean, you are grown up enough (sure hope so :D) to get your own opinion and since we are in a democratic country,you govern your choice,which also means that bad choice go punished normally :P…but yeah,you are right, the majority are just a bunch of fools,thats why they side with Mr Avinash ^^ (nah nah,you didnt say it,mind you, but i mean,apart from that,i dnt see why a smart person would wish to disagree,unless since im ignorant,i might have missed something somewhere,but i like my approach of ignorance is bliss,though it does bug me and i go wander out of the shell from time to time :P)
but what’s the point in that man? You won’t be one of their client in some months … Are you worried about the ‘destiny’ of the existing and future clients?
ahem, O really o_0?,then if this was the case,whats the point of this comment woman :D
# Kelly Brooke Says:
January 9th, 2008 at 10:18
I just hope that the ‘another company’ knows with whom they are actually dealing with …
Are you worried abt the destiny of the other company :D?
free speech?, yes, needed? probably not, taken time to post, should have been important enough ;)
errr i really dont know abt you :D,but if this post can directly or indirectly influence me or make me influence others so as not to get go head on in a pile of problem,then in a way,though Mr Avinash was the biggest loser in that,he not only saved some ppl {lol strange words for that huh},but to make them come out of that big tower means that somehow the msg was hammered to them,they may chose to ignore it,so what,at least it was delivered :D,and the avalanche effect has already begun anyway and honestly when you pay for something and you cant get the messaged passed in normal ways for bad customer service,you just cross hands and wait =)?
the way i see it, if this was the only way to get the msg to where it was needed,then Mr Avinash has not completely loss ;)
Btw i was coming here to say that the post i made,there was a part missing and geez,i came here to write these lines …..
A company without or with bad reputation is like a castle (in case its a really BIG company) built on sand,no matter what you do,how you reinforce it,its already doomed :o.
Believe it or not,but when you take a pin and play with the little cozy bubble you are in,its bound to burst at one point in time and the fall can be very painful ;)
p.s. you could go find some guidence at ICP (Institute for Consumer Protection) ;)
Thanks for the tip n!135h :-)
smsShocker:
laisse “xplik ou k” chek sa problem là ..
mais moi, n fois mo ti p ekut n pioneer dans le monde du marketing kozé,, li ti dir n zafair…. “a complaint from a consumer is a gift”
c vré sa,, kifair zot pa p compran sa??
lot fois la, dan magazine NewsWeek, ti ena n lartik kot ban compagnie p coumance servi ban blog pou fair publicité, kot pblogger la pu consacré n post en entier pou publiciter n compagnie…. Mauritius Union ti bizin conne sa…
si Mauritius Union ti agir bien avek les meetoo, et ensuite les meetoo flatte Mauritius Union lor zot blog, c Mauritius Union ki ti pu bénéficié….
.
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…svp, n rivalité pa pu amén narien,, trouve ene consensus entre zot,,,, li pu bon pou zot mém…
moi mo pa conne personne, ni les meetoo, ni Mauritius Union,, mais n lépok mo ti p anvi koné avinash meetoo là kisanla ha,, parski mo bien intéréssé avk le monde IT,, n fois dan Radio Plus, suite a n reportage lor IT,, mo ti tann Avinash Meetoo so nom,, mo ti anvi koné kisanla ha… c azordi, ki mone tombe lor so blog….
.
.
… Mauritius Union,
kan mo ti ankor p al lékol mo ti apran dan ‘sets’ ki ‘union’ v dir met tou ansam… svp Mauritius Union, fair ou compagnie reflecté ou nom,,,
.
.
… smsShocker pa p pran part personne
smsShocker ni pran part les meetoo, ni li p dfann Mauritius Union…
apré si, li pou dificil pu conclur ha problem là koz p gagn n seul version d fai ici,,
smsShocker li neutral ladan,,
mais li pou pli bon si toulé2 tombe dakor
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.<>>>
a complaint from a consumer is a gift
best quote i have seen so far,thanks for sharing man ^^ and a very nice post of yours overall as well
p.s. ^^
Hope that ICP has brought some guidance and like our friend said, “xplik ou k” can as well and if im not mistaken (need to double chk that), xplik ou k’s host works in either ICP or something that has to do with consumer protection :)
http://www.lematinal.com/fullstory.asp?folder=engfeatures (since it is not static)
Embracing those complaining customers
“Just get rid of them!” Face it, when confronted by a customer with a complaint, all you really want to do is make them go away, isn’t it? After all, who wants someone in your face, telling you that you’ve messed up?
But guess what? You actually may be doing something wrong. And complainer isn’t just a troublemaker or a pain in the neck. That person standing before you – complaining – is someone who can help you understand how to improve your company. It’s in your best interest – and in the best interest of your bottom line – to deal with them, not just get rid of them.
Here’s something to remember – most unhappy customers don’t complain; they just go away. Sure, only one of the 100 guests at your hotel complained that the rooms were dirty. But that doesn’t mean the other 99 were satisfied. Many of those other 99 guests may have felt the same way, but they didn’t want to take the time or energy to confront you. Instead of letting you know, they’re just not going to come back and they may even warn other customers away.
Ask yourself (and your staff): When a customer has a complaint, do you truly listen to them and try to solve their problem? (“I’ll get my best maid to clean your room again, check it myself, and make sure that housekeeping is doing its job.”) Or do you just want to find the way to make them disappear? (“Have a free drink in the bar.”) There’s a big difference – in attitude and outcome – between just appeasing a customer and really caring about their problem.
Most complainers have legitimate concerns, often indicating systematic problems in your business. Maybe it’s not just one messed up order, but your shipping department is sloppy. Maybe your product actually isn’t performing properly or your employees aren’t providing the quality of service a customer should expect. Face it, when was the last time you made sure your housekeeping staff was consistently cleaning those rooms properly?
It’s easy to dismiss complainers. After all, sooner or later, every business will have some customers who are just impossible to please. No matter what you do, they’re never going to be happy. Often, these customers have misunderstood the nature of your products or services and want you to change completely to accommodate them. That’s not realistic.
For instance, in my company, we sell a Windows-based Excel application, making it clear on website that it does not work on Macs. Yet, we regularly get customers who complain because they can’t use it on their Apple computer. “Read the information on the website,” my staff wants to scream.
Yet, even those complainers are telling me something I need to know: Maybe it’s time to develop a Mac version of my product. Even unrealistic complainers need to be listened to and acknowledged.
True.
I like the part: “Here’s something to remember – most unhappy customers don’t complain; they just go away.”
We go away because (i) we have the possibility to do so and (ii) we don’t have time to waste (life is too short).
Chers Z’amis,
Veuillez croire que l’amère expérience des Meetoo avec les gros groupes implantés à Dodoland n’est pas unique. Essayez de faire une complainte pour mauvais (alors, là , “mauvais” est très léger comme adjectif) service chez Emtel, Barclays, British America, ou Mauritius Telecom… Essayez, allez-y, et puis on en re-parle…
Qu’on leur dise haut et fort qu’ils ont un service médiocre, et ne jamais fléchir!
Ave Dodoland!
Indeed what Mauritius Union did was purely intimidation but as a matter of fact,you cannot publish every piece of information on the internet even if you are an “intellectuel” or someone “intellectuellement limiter”. Mauritius Union has a brand image to protect and cannot let anyone on the premises of spreading his democratic rights to offend the company. I personnally believe that being rude and overzealous at the Mauritius Union has resulted in this pandemonium. I am personally a client for 10 years at Mauritius Union and am well satisfied with the service I have recieved so far. So my advice be courteous even if you are a self-proclaim intellectuel and the reciprocity will be the same.
Offend? Rude? Overzealous?
From their part, yes. Remember, we are the one paying for the service. We are customers. You know, the ones who “ont toujours raison” :-)
By the way, all intellectuals are self-proclaimed.
was on my way to revision and saw reply 93 and thought why not add my 2 cents to it again and was a long night today lol….btw before i forget, nice new layout Mr Meetoo
[quote]Indeed what Mauritius Union did was purely intimidation but as a matter of fact,you cannot publish every piece of information on the internet even if you are an “intellectuel†or someone “intellectuellement limiterâ€.[/quote]
Before i get in it, really, makes me wonder who is the actual “intellectuellement limiter”…. that little ” even if you are an “intellectuel†or someone “intellectuellement limiter— looks like child fight…common, you are supposed to be grown up right…why get lower to the level of…well guess it lol. I am still trying to link the issue with the belittling of the character..cant link if you ask unless you go to a level which i myself would think twice…well thats another issue
[quote]Mauritius Union has a brand image to protect and cannot let anyone on the premises of spreading his democratic rights to offend the company.[/quote]
So technically you are telling me that, (sorry if i may use a harsh word) if tomorrow some big company which i am a paying customer decides to screw me up,even after i got all the evidence that i have qualified for a service that i am paying and in the process try to yell at me, i should, according to your theory worry about the brand image and not about the money i invest in them?, which if you have not figured yet, i get from working ,Common, there is a line between being a fool and an idiot. I dont know if you are aware of the story from the start of just happen to grab a teaser and just get in here but things are not as nice as they seem, else this topic wouldnt have been.
[quote]I personnally believe that being rude and overzealous at the Mauritius Union has resulted in this pandemonium. [/quote] hmm when? you mean when they presented to the company with the official report of the police which said Mr Meetoo was not at fault and yet MU needed to confirm who was the real culprit or when the person working there insulted their customers? i dunno, maybe after they did all this, Mr Meetoo should have invited them for a tea party and dunno, invest more in the company, that would have been not rude…yeah right.
[quote]I am personally a client for 10 years at Mauritius Union and am well satisfied with the service I have recieved so far. [/quote]
Hmm as far as i know, you are always personally a client, unless i dunno, you get some “personal” attentions :D….enlight us please….and lol since you barged in with strong arguments, how many times have you been involved in an accident so that you can claim such?
[quote]So my advice be courteous even if you are a self-proclaim intellectuel and the reciprocity will be the same.[/quotre]
Child attack again lol…to be honest, having the ability to use long or complicated words in a way to make you look “intelligent” or lets use your favourite word “intellectual” doesnot actually make you one you know…more like make you seem dumb….at first, i was surprised in a good way by the english and all but at the end of the day…well end of the post… the “mindset” behind the writer is sad….
I wonder if the one trying to make Mr Meetoo look bad ever wondered what would have happened if the matter was spread out in the press with all the details and such… where would be the image of the company then? At least he got the courtesy to limit to here, so be glad
Paul Raymond, you know, there is a BIG flaw in your argument,well most of it is already a failure as i see it, but this is by far the worst
[quote]So my advice be courteous even if you are a self-proclaim intellectuel and the reciprocity will be the same.[/quote]
Well what NEXT? some thief robs you and you tend more money? {the word thief here is because its basically the same, you pay for something you are not getting}
As said, last time i checked, the customer was king…lol was there a take over :D? i am no expert in marketing but i know that in times like these where there is a dispute between you and your customer, no matter who is at fault, the time is not at investigating who did wrong, but to save your image and this include even bowing in from of the customer even if you are right and MU was not even in the “right” seat…. Unless you are “intellectuellement limiterâ€, you would see that right away… lol draw out your own conclusions
P.s. read my comment on post 89, hopefully you could “learn” some things XD
Hi n!135h,
Thanks for being my bodyguard :-) Our issues with MU are past memories now and we won’t renew our car insurance there. Losing one customer might not mean a big deal for MU. But my family and myself will be happier. And, at the end of the day, this is the only thing that matters to me.
Thanks Mr Avinash :)
honestly, i hate to see how ppl find it easy to just jump in and write nonsence with the key idea of making the innocent look more like a devil than culprit ^^ If they ask for it >_>
lol i almost forgot that you changed Insurance Company and yups, this one i agree, if at the end of the day you are happy (and manage to get the family in the same mood is a necessary bonus ^^), its all that counts
All the best :)
tu te souviens la foi derniere, ils etaient a la radio, deux dames et un monsieur. on dirait un ch chamber of commerce(la boutique chinois). et voila il voulait meme assurer la voix d’un chanteur d’apres une intervenante. demandez une quotation et tu verra, ils peuvent meme promettre d’assurer ta virilite
ma vehicle etaient accidente et j’etais en raison. et voila il augmente ma prime d’assurance et mon exces. la reparation s’est effectue avec plus de deux mois de retard.
Et malgré tous vos déboires avec Mauritius Union, la 4×4 que je conduisais lors de mon accident a été réparée sans aucun délai après que j’ai payé l’excès. Il se peut que ce soit l’assureur de l’autre accidenté qui ralentit la procédure.
Comme quoi, quelques cas particuliers ne reflètent pas le niveau de service d’une société toute entière. Toutefois, je considère toujours les menaces proférées contre le couple Meetoo hors de mesure.
Eddy.
You are right Mr Meetoo, the quality of service of these organisations is not to the level of the mauritian expectations. But even that, each and everyone have to be on time to pay their assurance each year else they will get problem. But when its you who they have to pay then they can have every excuse to make the process longer or be late in paying you what they owe you. Also I noticed that your wife had to make around ten calls to get into contact with the person @ MU…
This is very bad quality of service. Why they charge us, Mauritian people, that much when they can’t deliver the expected service to us…..
Is there institution where we can complain about these ” facons faire” of insurance companies.
Thanking you.
NB Mr Eddy comments and proposition are welcome too……
Regards
Shailand
well by reading all the comments of other people, I suppose you have done the right move, you will have those odd people who might think that you are wrong and try to belitttle you. I think as an intelligent person you got the right to complain if you are not satisfied, it doesn’t matter if Mr X is satisfied, good for him. (Its a free world my friend, lets be neutral do not be on one side.)
all the best
I think you should have kept the page active and take on the legal battle. I am sure it would have made competitors of MUA very happy and the latter may even have given a hand to fight MUA in court! I read somewhere on this blog or another one where someone referred to the MCB claim against the MUA and asked if MUA would close down if they eventually have to pay this claim.
Indeed with changes in the new Insurance Act 2005, such as new solvency calculation, splitting of Composite insurance companies into two separate entities, that is, life and general the financial position of MUA with be very seriously affected if they have to reimburse MCB’s claim. MUA’s reinsurer has rejected MUA recovery of the claim which essentially means that MUA would have to fit the bill on its own.
With their shareholders fund (capital) standing at only Rs1000 million they will be then left with only Rs200 million to pay their other claims and expenses which far exceeds Rs200 million. This will certainly put a lot of financial strain on them as with less funds available their investment income will also drop.
So, I would say yes, MUA will go bankrupt of they have to pay the MCB claim for which they have so far not made any provisions with they are legally obliged to do. The question we have to ask here as well is why has the Financial Services Commission not taken any action against them for not complying with the law as regards outstanding claims provision.
I don’t know if the Meetoo had a comprehensive insurance cover with MUA. If they did then irrespective of whether you were or were not at fault in the accident they should have indemnified you and then recover the claim from the Third Party. In many cases, I know that MUA does not even deduct Excess. But that’s a case of “guette figire”.
Did MUA inform you that if you have a complaint you could write to their Complaints Coordinator? Her name is available on the Financial Services Commission website http://www.fscmauritius.org . Did they inform you that you could write to the complaints coordinator of the other company too?
Did they inform you that in case of dispute over the claim they could refer the claim, on your behalf, to the Motor Vehicle Insurance Arbitration Committee (MVIAC Tribunal) for their ruling/judgement? Did they inform you that you could apply directly to the MVIAC in your own name and against MUA itself?
Hi Financenews,
Thanks for the great comments.
We didn’t pursue the matter further. We came. We saw. And we left. We have changed our car insurance company.
I know we could have fought with them but, to be frank, we both felt it was not worth it as the car damage was relatively minimal and we would waste a lot of our time and energy in the process.
The thing that bothered us was the fact that we were badly treated. We were customers. And we had expectations. Unfortunately, those were never satisfied. So, as I wrote above, we left…
This case got me thinking about mine…
In the same vein, I had a similar experience with Lamco: someone hit my car in 2007 and he accepted being the faulty party, and we filled in our ‘constat à l’amiable’ forms without any problem. When I found that the faulty party’s insurance was Lamco too, I thought the matter would be settled within weeks, and that the damages would be repaired and reimbursed sooner than other cases.
Hehe, wishful thinking!!
It took 3 weeks for them to despatch an “expert” to examine the damaged car. Repairs were ordered after 3 more weeks during which I had to “lasstik” them over the phone and in their offices countless times. Repairs were completed in 4 days, but it took another 7 months to get reimbursed costs of damages… And they reimbursed me only 3 weeks’ compensation as “loss of use”, at Rs 50 per day.
Wanna go to Lamco?
Akash, it is important to not however, that all insurance companies have certain procedures to follow. There’s the contract of insurance that also needs to be adhered to. For example, if in your case the other faulty party did not notify Lamco immediately then Lamco has to assume that the accident did not happen. They cannot only rely on your statement. But on the other hand, if the other party had reported the accident asap too, then… there’s an obvious delay there.
But at least Lamco didn’t issue any gagging order or attempt to silence you!
rightly said.. traditional company… and it will surely lose customers in future
@Avinash–>What happened to the problem with the insurance company?I know it’s very late to ask.But better be late than never..xD
We left them for one of their competitors :-)