Travel Insurance - Rejected Claim Issue

pdaps

I do not have that cover under house insurance.

hugoshavez

Then it's the FOS for you

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumer/complaints.htm

The complaint should include the fact that their decision letter does not make their reasoning clear.

Simultaneously you should get on to the insurer ask them to clarify their decision in writing. The insurer must do this if you request it whether you've registered the complaint with FOS or not.

dacouch

hugoshavez wrote: »

It's their job to apply the limits to the claim, not yours.

I've a feeling dacouch was tipping you the wink to the fact that, having been advised that there is a doubt over whether valuables will be covered, you could ensure the non-valuable items come to as close to the £1,500 as possible...

Or I could be mistakenly, horribly defaming him...:A

My post was to ensure the OP understood what the Travel Policy will pay out if the claim is agreed. Incredibly low limits on a Travel Policy and the addition of a deduction for "Wear and Tear". If he's not taken this into account his claim could be drastically reduced.

I definately would not recommend trying to inflate (Defraud) a travel claim as the chances or being caught are high and they will ask for receipts / proof of purchase

pdaps

I certainly don't intend on defrauding, and where I can I can provide proof of the suitcase contents through photos. I have estimated at the ~£1500 mark as the case contained things such as a Chester suit (£400 new), Barker shoes (£150 new), and a laptop worth £500.

I've estimated the value of contents in the bag at what it costs for me to replace, not applying maximum replacement costs, and not applying wear and tear.

dacouch

Had a quick skim read of the policy.

The cover is with UK Insurance who are a fairly good Insurer, they are relatively unusual in that they only deduct wear and tear for clothing (Most companies deduct it for everything.

The maximum they will pay for any one item is £300 with a total limit of £1500 and a maximum total of £500 for valuables.

They will make a deduction for wear and tear on the suit and probably the shoes unless they are totally new eg purchased very recently and unworn.

Putting a claim in for the exact amount you're covered for eg £1500 normally means the Insurer will investigate the claim more thoroughly.

I think the claim will be denied under this section (Or arguably it should have).

"You must take care to look after your personal possessions, in
particular your valuables. They should be kept on your person or
secured in baggage, which stays with you at all times. If this is not
possible these items should be locked in your accommodation or
safety deposit box. If you don’t take precautions with your property,
we may not pay your claim"

As Hugo mentioned the Ombudsman look at claims as to whats fair rather than what the policy says so there's a chance they will rule the claim should be paid, unfortunately they work at the same speed as continental drift. So it's worth going to them, but be prepared for a long wait

BobQ

dacouch wrote: »

I think the claim will be denied under this section (Or arguably it should have).

"You must take care to look after your personal possessions, in
particular your valuables. They should be kept on your person or
secured in baggage, which stays with you at all times. If this is not
possible these items should be locked in your accommodation or
safety deposit box. If you don’t take precautions with your property,
we may not pay your claim"

What this states is that you should take care of your possessions, not that they will not pay a claim for them because they are in the control of the hotel. Arguably items in your room are also under the control of the hotel since unless you put them in a safe (which is difficult for a suitcase) hotel staff have access. The cover provided is for a journey which they say (in definitions) starts when you leave home and ends when you return home so includes time in a hotel. I think its reasonable to argue you have taken care in that you have placed them in the custody of the hotel. So I would claim for your loss of suitcase, clothes etc in fact anything they do not define as a "valuable".

Whether valuables are covered is less clear. The above words arguably exclude valuables. When it states ".......in particular your valuables. They...." the "They" refers specifically to the valuables.

The question will be whether you were taking sufficient care in putting valuables in baggage you left in a hotel store room. We have all done this but they may argue you could have taken more care (carried them around on your person, asked the hotel to keep them in a safe etc). By all means claim but you have a weaker case for valuables. If they gave you receipt to produce and the room was locked you may have a stronger case than if they said you can leave it in a room that is unlocked and not well supervised.

Its all opinion of course - good luck