Volcanic ash insurance claim rejected

Annisele

Barneysmom wrote: »

I don't understand how one company will pay out and not another?

It's a bit like insurance for cars - if you get fully comp insurance and I get third party only, we both have 'car insurance' but only one of us can claim if our car gets stolen. 'Travel insurance' also has lots of variations: different policies, different terms and conditions, different things you can claim for.

For the OP - if you think the insurance company should have paid you, you can make a formal complaint to the insurance company. If you can't reach agreement with them within 8 weeks, you can refer your case to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

missile

I do appreciate that cheap insurance can be false ecconomy. The analogy with car insurance is not relevant. In my case the company are not honouring a claim which the underwriters have publicly declared they would.

I did ask for recomendations on this site and was advised that Travel Plan Direct policy is underwritten by Fortis who are reliable <LOL>

Maybe we can create a list of those companies MSE members recommend / a list for those we don't. Next time <LOL> I shall choose one of those companies who did pay out for volcanic ash.

I shall be complaining to FOS. Even if I get nothing, at least I shall have the satisfaction that it will cost them for the investigation.

missile

For your information>
This ......... insurance company sells insurance under a number of trading names = Acumus Insurance Solutions, UK General, Primary General Insurance Limited, Travel Plan Direct, and TPS.

cjgoodsell

missile wrote: »

For your information>
This ......... insurance company sells insurance under a number of trading names = Acumus Insurance Solutions, UK General, Primary General Insurance Limited, Travel Plan Direct, and TPS.

They may just be the underwriters for those products and may have slight different terms on each policy, Its like a broker who has 3 different fortis schemes all different... Sometimes one Fortis scheme with the company I work for may more expensive than another broker... So be careful on that.

cadoc

I was stuck out in Berlin when the ash cloud caused the chaos and my flight home was cancelled.
When I eventually got home 3 days later I wrote to my travel insurance company, (AXA), with all the relevant receipts, etc.
They wrote back saying that I wasn't entitled to anything. I replied with the following :

"Dear Axa,
With reference to my claim regarding trip cancellation can I refer you to paragraph 5 of the 'cancellation section' below which states :

“We will pay you up to £5,000 (Silver cover - £1,000) for any irrecoverable
unused travel and accommodation costs (including excursions up to £250) and
other pre-paid charges which you have paid or are contracted to pay together
with any reasonable additional travel expenses incurred if:
a. cancellation of the trip is necessary and unavoidable or
b. the trip is curtailed or interrupted before completion
as a result of any of the following events occurring:

5. A government directive prohibiting all travel to, or recommending evacuation
from the country or area you were planning to visit or were staying in, as a
result of natural disasters (such as earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, landslides,
floods, hurricanes or epidemic(s) / pandemic(s)."

Being as though the volcanic ash cloud was a natural disaster and there was a government directive that prohibited travel, please explain why I am not covered by this section of my travel insurance policy."

Can anyone put me right on this one ? i.e. was I right to challenge their refusal or am I really entitled to nothing ?
I've had no reply to my questions from AXA.

missile

cjgoodsell wrote: »

They may just be the underwriters for those products and may have slight different terms on each policy, Its like a broker who has 3 different fortis schemes all different... Sometimes one Fortis scheme with the company I work for may more expensive than another broker... So be careful on that.

I have compared Travel Plan Direct policy exclusions with Fortis own policy exclusions and they are almost identical.

I guess you could say be careful with any financial service? It would be nice to find a company one could trust.

Annisele

cadoc wrote: »

5. A government directive prohibiting all travel to, or recommending evacuation[/I]
from the country or area you were planning to visit or were staying in, as a
result of natural disasters (such as earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, landslides,
floods, hurricanes or epidemic(s) / pandemic(s)."

I can sort of see Axa's point. You weren't really planning to "visit" or "stay in" the air over the UK. Nobody was prohibiting "all travel" from Germany - trains, buses, ferries were fine - and the UK wasn't evacuated.

Whether the Financial Ombudsman Service would think that it was fair and reasonable for Axa not to pay out in those circumstances is another matter. I don't actually know which way FOS would go, but I think that you might as well refer it to them.

missile

Thought I should update for you>

Received final decision letter from "Direct Group Travel Services" rejecting my claim. Note, yet another trading name for these cowboys. I have forwarded my complaint to FOS.