Travel insurance emergency number query

robbo223

Hi all

Earlier this year I booked a last minute trip to Spain, which lasted less than 24hrs due to me breaking my arm. I had taken out cover with a very large UK insurer - who I don't wish to name as I have taken this matter to the Financial Ombudsman.

Basically I had printed out the email cover sheet for this insurance, which included my full policy number, dates covered, and the name/address/telephone number of the insurer. However when I rang during the evening from Spain the office was closed and the answer message simply said to ring from 9am the following morning. I could not access my emails one of which contained no less than four separate pdf documents, buried deep within which was the emergency number. The company refuse to pay any of my expenses in leaving Spain early because I had not spoken to their office (I left Spain the following morning as there was only one plane heading back to the South West that day and I just wanted to get home).

The company say I should have made a note of the emergency number, I believe that any reasonable person would expect this very large company to provide the key emergency contact information on the main email or at least as part of the answerphone message.

Can anyone here point me in the direction of any relevant consumer law or case law precedent about this? Please no smart alec comments, I'm only now driving again after three months off work. This is genuinely about the principle not the price of a return flight home, I am disgusted that the insurance company can - without a word of apology - set people up for this sort of situation. Anybody give any sensible help?

Thanks

Rob

System

Could you not get online and find out the number ?

robbo223

That is exactly the kind of unhelpful suggestion I was hoping not to get. I was on my own in agonies of pain trying and failing to ring the company, and strangely enough it didn't occur to me to google the number!!

Caz3121

robbo223 wrote: »

I left Spain the following morning as there was only one plane heading back to the South West that day and I just wanted to get home

which airline allowed you to fly with a fresh cast? did the doctor not advise against flying? (at least without splitting the cast)

robbo223

I'm sorry but that is not in the least bit relevant to my question, which is about whether a travel insurance company has the right under current application of UK consumer law to hide the emergency number in a sea of paperwork. I'm hoping someone here may have come across a relevant ruling from the Ombudsman.

sheramber

You can search the Ombudsman's decisions here

http://www.ombudsman-decisions.org.uk/

robbo223

I appreciate the link, very helpful!

Chickenlips

It might be worth looking through the policy (if you haven't already) and seeing if there are any rules regarding the amount of time you have to submit a claim (do they specify with 24 hours or do they say a reasonable timeframe?). Also, does the policy state they need to agree costs before they can be covered?

Are the costs submitted reasonable? I.E. was the ticket home inline with the original ticker, or was it 5 times more expensive?

Have you submitted a formal complaint to them? This is what will trigger you being able to report it to the FOS (after certain timescales have passed).

System

robbo223 wrote: »

That is exactly the kind of unhelpful suggestion I was hoping not to get. I was on my own in agonies of pain trying and failing to ring the company, and strangely enough it didn't occur to me to google the number!!

It wasn't actully a suggestion it was a question .

takman

robbo223 wrote: »

That is exactly the kind of unhelpful suggestion I was hoping not to get. I was on my own in agonies of pain trying and failing to ring the company, and strangely enough it didn't occur to me to google the number!!

This is why you should always familiarise yourself with the claim procedure when you take the policy out then you would have known exactly what to do. I also always store copies of any important paperwork on my phone so i can read it even if i don't have a signal.

Now you may think this is unhelpful but your post is a good reminder to anyone reading this thread that you should check everything before you travel.