Travel insurance beware...

thebrowski

Hi all,
took out a years travel insurance for myself and my family.

Went to Turkey (great time!!) but had a bag stolen (containing wallet+cash, camera, sunglasses and mobile phone!! Then got delayed (with two under fives!!) for almost 12 hours on the return journey!!

We were not accomodated and were given one soft drink each over the twelve hours!!!

Anyway, on return contacted Virgin travel insurance to find we are "not covered for delays!!" and that, despite having £1500 of "personal property cover" they only pay out up to £150 per item - so (with £200 excess) losing a £450 camera and about £400 cash meant that we would only get about a hundred pounds back for over £900 of losses!!!

Fortunately, our home insurance company will cover us better for the stolen property - but the virgin travel insurance was a waste of time!!!

Delays and thefts are the most common claims, so please check your policy carefully before parting with any cash!!!!

Just a word from someone who has just been burned by the insurance company (and before anyone else says it, we only have one camera and we used to take it everywhere as we are keen photographers and saved for it for ages - and we were out with our whole family for the whole day hence having enough cash for emergencies, three meals for all of us (five adults and two children) and taxi's to and from. We werent just carrying cash for no reason!!

huckster

Would it be any different with any other Insurers ? Not sure it would.

Read any Insurance details, before you buy the policies. Phone a company to ask questions about what the policy covers.

rs65

Virgin website shows money treated separately from possessions, with a £250 limit.

£200 excess seems high.

Have you checked your policy to see if the settlement is correct?

hughboss

Hi,

DO NOT USE Debenhams Travel Insurance. They use Travel Claims Services who are useless. Their post room lost claim papers, never e-mail or ring you - always the snail mail post. Everything is in 5/6 working days from when you ring them. They are 0844 numbers - always take ages to answer - get put on hold - then they are 'only' call centre operatives - with NO surnames!!

InsideInsurance

I think it is generally very good advice to read a policy BEFORE you buy it, ideally, and certainly BEFORE you are reliant on it.

In these days of everyone being willing to switch to save 1p most insurers are inevitably cutting cover to reduce prices so it is even more important than ever to look at value rather than price

losgiganteskid

hughboss wrote: »

Hi,

DO NOT USE Debenhams Travel Insurance. They use Travel Claims Services who are useless. Their post room lost claim papers, never e-mail or ring you - always the snail mail post. Everything is in 5/6 working days from when you ring them. They are 0844 numbers - always take ages to answer - get put on hold - then they are 'only' call centre operatives - with NO surnames!!

You are absolutely correct - try and avoid any policy whereby claims are handled by Travel Claims Services - it may be difficult as any policy wording is unlikely to disclose the chosen claims handlers that apply when and if you make a claim