Travel insurer refused volcano claim? Fight them all the way.

Coupon-mad

FH_Brit wrote: »

You agreed the terms of your policy when you bought it - now because either you bought cheap or that you failed to read the terms and conditions you want the IC to pay up for something you were not covered for.

You complain about it and if you bought enough coverage from a decent IC you would have nothing to moan about.

Encournging people to contact the FOS is counter productive as you will not win (unless there is a goodwill gesture) but you are blocking an already overworked FOS for a case they will not rule in your favour as Europ Assist have said none of their policies are covering it.

I feel the urge to bump this thread - wow you are judgemental! Care to peruse this judgement?

http://www.insurancetimes.co.uk/stor...orycode=389304

EuropAssistance protested too much methinks. And the FOS complaints have won the day it seems, they have reached a provisional decision with the same conclusion as the Yeovil County Court judge.

EuropAssistance and other insurers will be paying out now, at last!

huckster

I am pretty neutral on this subject as I can see it from both points of view.

What is certain is that the Insurers will contest this as far as possible, so this will go on for many months to come. There is too much money at stake for Insurers to concede at this point.

mikey72

I still have the same opinion as I had last year.
All the insurers have to do is make sure they pay their lawyers less than they get in interest on leaving the millions in the bank. It'll go on for years.

Coupon-mad

I disagree, I think the end is nigh for this issue at least. We are one of the 600 cases currently with the Ombudsman and, shortly before that linked Court case, they wrote to say they hope to resolve this in a matter of weeks, having already made their provisional decision in December.

For those neutrals, you should have seen the rubbish in the two refusal letters we were sent by Europ Assistance. Both letters quoted completely irrelevant paragraphs from their t&cs seemingly plucked out of the air, and on the phone they just said 'it's not an insurable event'. Hmmmm, we shall see, Europ Assistance!

The cases against the Airlines who haven't paid out yet is a separate matter and will rumble on longer IMHO as they get dragged to Court again and again. Again, we are in the middle of that process too but have a solicitor to be paid for by our house insurance legal cover which should take the pressure off us.

huckster

Suggest that you find out more about FOS provisional decisions, as I am not sure that they are necessarily indicative of the final outcome. There is an unrelated (not volcano or travel, but Home Insurance) case where the FOS made a provisional decision in the policyholders favour. They then changed their minds following further challenge from Insurers and it was then passed further up the line at the FOS, where it has remained in the Ombudsmans in-tray for over a year. The fact that there has been a small claims court decision will have no bearing on the FOS.

I would be very surprised if the FOS made a final decision within the next few months.

Coupon-mad

OK, I can wait...we have already waited 10 months and the main claim is against the Airline anyway. Once I have sorted that out I guess I could always take EuropAssistance to Small claims as well as I have 6 years to do that.

Rheumatoid

Letter from Ombudsman today.

Europ Assistance lost their case in the high court :-)

They will be making offers soon.

R.

toxiz77

True - but they won't investigate your complaint or try to resolve it until you have that deadlock letter.

I am sure this will rumble on long after the volcano goes dormant.