A NUMBER of car buyers usually make the mistake of not taking an insurance that covers business use knowing that the car will not only be used for leisure or going to work.

A NUMBER of car buyers usually make the mistake of not taking an insurance that covers business use knowing that the car will not only be used for leisure or going to work.

A personal insurance does not cover damage that a consumer suffers while using the car to attend employment meetings.

Zamokuhle Ndimande learned the hard way that he should have taken an insurance that also included usage for business purposes.

Ndimande, a school principal, said when taking out his policy with Hollard through their brokers African Independent Brokers, he indicated that he would use the car for leisure and business purposes.

But the broker, who took his details, classified the type of use as social and work purposes.

But when he was involved in an accident in September they declined his claim on the basis that he was using the car for business purposes when he was not covered to do so.

"Their wording is very much ambiguous. They now say I must have interpreted this as only going to school," Ndimande said.

He said this was unfair to him as he was now caught up in the manner in which their had coined their limitation.

Ndimande said his duties were to teach and do administrative and management duties.

These duties include attending meetings, submitting departmental documents to the circuit, district and regional offices.

"When taking the policy, I was aware that I had to use the car to also carry out these duties and hence I wanted the policy that would allow me to also use it for work purpose."

After the accident he followed all processes of lodging a claim.

"My car was subsequently towed to Hollard's preferred panelbeater and necessary documents to facilitate repair to the car were signed," Ndimande said.

He said a month later he was called by an Hollard investigator to verify where he was going when the accident happened and also to confirm the type of usage he was covered for.

The investigator told Ndimande that they had investigated with a tracker company and found that he had had a long trip on the day of the accident and therefore, he was not covered.

"I think I have a right to go wherever I like with my car, the insurance had no right to specify or limit my journeys," Nzimande said.

He said he did not hear from Hollard until late last month when he received a letter from the claims manager Dindi Francis who declined his claim.

Nzimande's policy states that he can use the car "For social and to work", and when Francis unpacked the type of policy it gave a totally different meaning which was not disclosed to Ndimande when the policy was taken.

Francis told Ndimande that he was covered to use the vehicle for social, domestic pleasure including journeys between his home and permanent place of employment.

"They should have simplified this cover on the day they approved my policy and not after the accident, 'Ndimande said.

Attempts to get comment from Francis were futile.