Flex Plus Travel Insurance Claim - Luggage Cover

organic_wanabe

I wonder if anyone has had to claim on their Nationwide Flex Plus Travel Policy under the 'Cover for Property' Section, and been successful?

My son has a FlexPlus account. He is currently in Vietnam.

Yesterday he took an overnight bus between destinations. He was told that his backpack had to be put in the luggage compartment under the bus. Fortunately the backpack has a large compartment for clothes etc. plus a removable daypack, so he unzipped the latter and took it into the bus with him.

When he arrived at his destination his main bag was nowhere to be found. He discovered that the bus had made a previous stop at another destination an hour beforehand, when he was asleep. Someone must have walked off with his backpack!

When he did his packing he thought he had made a sensible decision to distribute cards and cash between the main bag and the daysack, then at worst case scenario he wouldn't be stuck. As soon as he discovered the loss he phoned me and I cancelled the two cards he had lost (not Nationwide ones fortunately!). He had also distributed cash between both so he has only lost about £50, plus all his clothes, his flat keys and - what he seems most upset about - his Duty Free!

Someone from the bus company took him to the police station. They asked him to write out his statement, the police wrote a statement in the local language - he has no idea what it says - and stamped them both. So he assumes that he'll go on and enjoy the next 10 days of his holiday (with no clothes) and will have no problem dealing with the claim when he returns.

However, I am very suspicious of all insurance companies so thought I would have a look at my own Flex Plus Travel Policy. I was horrified to see that it states 'provide us with proof of ownership for the items you are claiming for to substantiate your claim'. I may have receipts for the clothes I gave him for Christmas (jeans, a couple of Tshirts) but I don't suppose he will have kept many (or any!).

It also reads as though they will expect him to have kept his bus ticket so fingers crossed that it wasn't taken off him upon boarding.

Hopefully he will now realise that there was some merit when I said 'If travelling around a country take mainly old clothes and throw them out when you have worn them (to lighten your load and your washing) and, if there is an alternative, do not travel by overnight bus especially in a foreign country.'