POST OFFICE TRAVEL INSURANCE REFUSES TO ALLOW CORONAVIRUS CLAIMS TO ITALY

whateverwhenever

This highly recommended Travel Insurance Company REFUSES to allow any claim on policies for those travelling to Italy despite FCO advice on only essential travel. It will only allow claims if WHO declares a Pandemic. Other companies might but this is disgraceful for a company of such repute. If you travel to Italy going against FCO advice then the Policy will not cover you if you fall ill whilst there. It will not cover your hotel costs or any other associated costs eg Museums etc. I hope the Post Office Travel Company feel ashamed. Bad enough losing the holiday but the money is adds insult. My case will not be the worse.
Martin Lewis update your website and then shame them

leylandsunaddict

The Post Office aren't a travel company. It's not their insurance, they're just an agent selling it on behalf of someone else. Perhaps the policy you bought didn't cover cancellation for FCO advisories? As for your consequential losses, did you buy a policy that covered for them? There's plenty that don't, unless you buy an add on to cover for independent travel. If your policy wording says you are covered for cancelling in case of an FCO advisory against all but essential travel, and that it covers for consequential loss then you need to pursue it, but if your policy doesn't say it covers these perhaps you bought the wrong policy?

Aylesbury_Duck

It does sound like you bought a policy that doesn't cover you for things you want cover for.  Did you check all this when you bought it?

ComicGeek

whateverwhenever said:

If you travel to Italy going against FCO advice then the Policy will not cover you if you fall ill whilst there.

Why would they cover you if you don't follow FCO advice?

zagfles

ComicGeek said:

whateverwhenever said:

If you travel to Italy going against FCO advice then the Policy will not cover you if you fall ill whilst there.

Why would they cover you if you don't follow FCO advice?

The point seemed to be that it doesn't cover cancellation if you choose to follow FCO advice and not travel there, and it doesn't cover you if you ignore FCO advice and do travel there! So either way you're screwed! If this is true it's a rubbish policy. But a lot of travel insurance policies are rubbish...

Westin

All rather strange if indeed interpreted correctly.
Who is the underwriter and can you post a link to the policy cover?

leylandsunaddict

Westin said:

All rather strange if indeed interpreted correctly.
Who is the underwriter and can you post a link to the policy cover?

It's underwritten by Great Lakes as far as I know. 

Westin

If this policy then I don’t see the restriction you mention.

https://www.postoffice.co.uk/dam/jcr:fc1a02af-f50c-44cb-aaba-6da1ba30a32f/travel-insurance-policy-october-2015.pdf

In fact they are specific that your travel insurance benefits (such as medical treatment abroad) would not apply if from this exclusion -
“Any claim arising from You travelling

to a country or specific area or event to which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice) or the World Health Organisation (www.who.int) has advised the public not to travel.”

If the FCO advisory is not to travel to a particular area then I would expect the travel insurance to kick in if a refund was it possible from your holiday or trip supplier.

kflem

Post Office - very disappointed 😞 

I was due to travel to Italy this weekend Friday 13 March 2020, but the FCO have said only but essential travel due to Coronavirus, This was a family trip and we are all covered by different travel insurance policies Barclays, Virgin Money and the Post Office. We were obviously disappointed but started the process with our claims Barclays and Virgin dealt with this in efficient manner claim forms sent within minutes. The Post Office however took a different stance they will not cover you I unless you added on disruption to travel whilst purchasing. They are only one of a very few insurers who will NOT cover you . Your policy won’t cover you now if you travel and they won’t pay out because you can ‘t travel does not seem fair! The Post Office is a long standing institution and you would have thought you would have been safe in their hands - NO. Please be wary of purchasing a policy and carefully read the small print. Very disappointed in the customer Service team very dismissive and not willing to listen and not wiling to refer me to a Manager. I suggest you think very carefully before purchasing a policy with the Post Office.

TELLIT01

Post Office travel insurance isn't the only one which wouldn't pay out in these circumstances.  Staysure don't pay out on FCO "essential travel only" except for flood, fire, hurricane or earthquake.  I had always assumed that travel insurance would simply pay if FCO advice was not to travel to a location.  Fortunately I realised in time, and purchased insurance through another company which does have this much simpler (fairer?) interpretation. 

Aylesbury_Duck

kflem said:

Post Office - very disappointed 😞 

I was due to travel to Italy this weekend Friday 13 March 2020, but the FCO have said only but essential travel due to Coronavirus, This was a family trip and we are all covered by different travel insurance policies Barclays, Virgin Money and the Post Office. We were obviously disappointed but started the process with our claims Barclays and Virgin dealt with this in efficient manner claim forms sent within minutes. The Post Office however took a different stance they will not cover you I unless you added on disruption to travel whilst purchasing. They are only one of a very few insurers who will NOT cover you . Your policy won’t cover you now if you travel and they won’t pay out because you can ‘t travel does not seem fair! The Post Office is a long standing institution and you would have thought you would have been safe in their hands - NO. Please be wary of purchasing a policy and carefully read the small print. Very disappointed in the customer Service team very dismissive and not willing to listen and not wiling to refer me to a Manager. I suggest you think very carefully before purchasing a policy with the Post Office.

It sounds like you're comparing apples with oranges. Two of you got a policy that covers something that the third insurer doesn't.  That's down to your various choices of cover.

If they've gone against their own terms, then you have a legitimate complaint.  If they haven't, then the responsibility lies with the purchaser. 

We're in extraordinary times, and people are starting to realise that choosing insurance on price alone, without actually understanding what they're buying, is not a wise move.