travel insurance companies that have a good reputation

Bill_Peters

[FONT=&quot]I run my own business and travel overseas regularly for business. For years I’ve bought an annual travel insurance plan that was priced at a reasonable cost of approx £90.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]On my last trip overseas I was on holiday with my wife and became ill. The short version of the story is that I ended up in hospital overnight plus several trips to outpatients. I wasn’t allowed to fly and had to stay overseas for an extra 10 days. I know it sounds like fun, but all I wanted to do was get home. Anyway, the insurance company I was with (MAPFRE) were about as useful as a chocolate teapot and I ended up organising and paying for all the hospital and hotel bills on my emergency credit card. The only thing MAPFRE organised was the new airline ticket to get my wife and I home.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]All this happened late October and despite me filing the claim within 7 days I’m still waiting for them to reimburse me.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]If I had been travelling by myself, been incapacitated and unable to organise and pay for hospital and accommodation it would have been even worse. So now I’m trying to research travel insurance companies that have a good reputation for looking after clients who fall ill overseas.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Anyone have any suggestions on where / how to research, or had a caring experience from a travel insurance company?[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Thanks in advance[/FONT]

NoodleDoodleMan

Packaged current accounts from major banks with travel insurance included get good reviews.

Go compare.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/best-packaged-bank-accounts/

We had the Nationwide FlexPlus for a few years and it's AXA travel cover.

It has other attractive benefits as well.

jonesMUFCforever

Check that any policy covers you for business use?

AlSto

Bill_Peters wrote: »

[FONT=&quot]I run my own business and travel overseas regularly for business. For years I’ve bought an annual travel insurance plan that was priced at a reasonable cost of approx £90.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]On my last trip overseas I was on holiday with my wife and became ill. The short version of the story is that I ended up in hospital overnight plus several trips to outpatients. I wasn’t allowed to fly and had to stay overseas for an extra 10 days. I know it sounds like fun, but all I wanted to do was get home. Anyway, the insurance company I was with (MAPFRE) were about as useful as a chocolate teapot and I ended up organising and paying for all the hospital and hotel bills on my emergency credit card. The only thing MAPFRE organised was the new airline ticket to get my wife and I home.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]All this happened late October and despite me filing the claim within 7 days I’m still waiting for them to reimburse me.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If I had been travelling by myself, been incapacitated and unable to organise and pay for hospital and accommodation it would have been even worse. So now I’m trying to research travel insurance companies that have a good reputation for looking after clients who fall ill overseas.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Anyone have any suggestions on where / how to research, or had a caring experience from a travel insurance company?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thanks in advance[/FONT]

What are the reasons given for the delay?
I too had a similar issue with MAPFRE, because of miscommunication between the hospital, MAPFRE agents and MAPFRE.
Initially the fault of the hospital, but general incompetence all round for failing to spot the mistake. In the end I had to do all of the investigating and discovered what went wrong.
They made a stressful situation much more stressful that it needed to have been.

Though in all honesty, I don't think they meant to do so. They just couldn't unravel what was happening, so just kept making the same mistakes over and over again.

After much ado, they apologised, offered reasonable compensation and paid all of the claim.

The claim they paid promptly. The compensation took a month to arrive, after I had again to chase things up.
Their Customer Relations department is abysmal. They have a policy of not signing emails, so you have no idea as to with whom you are communicating. It's a deliberate policy and really poor. I had to track down the manager and call his personal phone. He hides from customers....or in their parlance, he is not "customer facing".

So, in conclusion, a bit lacklustre. Poor communication within departments and an abysmal Customer Relations department.

There are some really good people working for them, but a few bad apples letting the side down. The Customer Relations manager should rethink his policies and organise his team as such. Clearly he thinks he is already doing a great job. But obviously not from a customer's perspective.

HoofeHearted

After a quick search, I found that MAPFRE are a Spanish Insurance firm which own quite a few other insurance firms/businesses.

They Include Direct Line and InsureandGo in the UK.


OP, depending on what your illness was, you may have to declare this as a pre-existing condition when getting quotes.

katejo

Bill_Peters wrote: »

[FONT=&quot]I run my own business and travel overseas regularly for business. For years I’ve bought an annual travel insurance plan that was priced at a reasonable cost of approx £90.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]On my last trip overseas I was on holiday with my wife and became ill. The short version of the story is that I ended up in hospital overnight plus several trips to outpatients. I wasn’t allowed to fly and had to stay overseas for an extra 10 days. I know it sounds like fun, but all I wanted to do was get home. Anyway, the insurance company I was with (MAPFRE) were about as useful as a chocolate teapot and I ended up organising and paying for all the hospital and hotel bills on my emergency credit card. The only thing MAPFRE organised was the new airline ticket to get my wife and I home.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]All this happened late October and despite me filing the claim within 7 days I’m still waiting for them to reimburse me.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If I had been travelling by myself, been incapacitated and unable to organise and pay for hospital and accommodation it would have been even worse. So now I’m trying to research travel insurance companies that have a good reputation for looking after clients who fall ill overseas.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Anyone have any suggestions on where / how to research, or had a caring experience from a travel insurance company?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thanks in advance[/FONT]

i find this a frustrating aspect of getting travel insurance. When I read reviews, 99% seem to be about the purchase of the insurance and the questions on pre existing conditions but virtually none on putting the cover to the test.

Bill_Peters

Check that any policy covers you for business use?


Thanks. Yes, I omitted to mention that this policy specifically included business travel

niktheguru

I had amex travel insurance which was excellent. Had to cancel my flight to thailand as wife got pregnant and we were unaware about the zika virus before we booked. They paid back without any quibbles and very promptly, much quicker than my wifes insureandgo and with a much easier form.

Have had insurance with morethan since. They've been good to deal with, but haven't had to claim.

Alex17

I use an insurance broker for my business travel. I use Ravenhall Risk Solutions who specialise in business travel and they'll sort out any claim if you need to. I often travel around the world for business.

Voyager2002

niktheguru wrote: »

I had amex travel insurance which was excellent. Had to cancel my flight to thailand as wife got pregnant and we were unaware about the zika virus before we booked. They paid back without any quibbles and very promptly, much quicker than my wifes insureandgo and with a much easier form.

Have had insurance with morethan since. They've been good to deal with, but haven't had to claim.

Yes, my last claim (back in 2011) was paid reasonably promptly, and the insurer was AmEx.