Wedding insurance

deborah_sloan

Just emailed my wedding insurance provider ( dreamsaver insurance found on this website) about government forced venue closures etc and apparently your not covered. How is this fair ... whats the point in having insurance.
Deborah

Undervalued

Did you read the full terms and conditions?

Normally with insurance there is a 14 day period within which you can cancel and get a full refund if you are unhappy with the policy. Assuming what the told you today complies with the terms of the policy (does it?) then they are within their rights not to pay. If they are wrong and you feel you have a valid complaint then make one and if necessary take it to the ombudsman.

deborah_sloan

I got my insurance a year ago so cant cancel it. They sy its because there is a clause about government acts that were not covered. But if a venue is closed due to outbreak of disease then your covered. But they are saying closure due forced by government isnt covered. 

smolty

In exactly the same scenario with the same insurer. I was hoping someone more knowledgeable regarding insurance or contracts could advise on the this as there was no such law or legislation in place when the agreement was entered into. But a new law would then effectively form part of the agreement. I'd have thought the clause relating to government laws and acts relates to people trying to do things which are illegal such as unlicensed venues or illegal marriages. The whole point of insurance is to pay to protect against risks, there's literally nothing we can do to change what may happen and surely this is the point of insurance. Also, the reason for an assumed law to stop gatherings, for example, is due to contagious disease outbreaks, which event takes precedence?

Hy09fkm

I am dealing with the exact same issue. I am trying to figure out if I have grounds based on what defines an act or regulation. My understanding is that a piece of legislation that has gone through parliament - much the like Coronavirus Bill is moving through now. At the moment the government as advised/ordered closures but does this count as an act/regulation? 

mattyprice4004

I'd say it's regulation, yes.
If the insurance doesn't cover the prescribed event, you're rather out of luck - insurance is there to mitigate loss in a pre-defined set of events, not as a catch-all. When taking it out, you need to read through every last bit of small print to make sure the eventualities you want covered are included. 

As awful as it seems, I think they're covered and right not to pay out in this instance. I'd try talking to the service providers, and seeing if you can move dates etc, perhaps for a small fee. 

lea872010

I’m having same issue, Im getting married in the south of Ireland and am from the north, I have wedding insurance with dreamsaver and got the policy checked out, it seems cancellation of the wedding, due to the venue being unable to host it, is covered (Section 1 (A)(a) ) However, as already identified by outlining in red, this is subject to the general exclusion for act or regulation by Government. The Oireachtas passed the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2020 at the end of February, making Covid19 a "notifiable disease" and therefore adding it to those covered by existing primary legislation, such as the Health Act 1947. In short, any closure of the venue due to a restriction put in place by the Government will in all probability not be included under the policy. I am looking to move my wedding to next year and therefore am going to try and change the date on my policy. There is a section on the certificate that allows alterations outside of your 14 day cooling period for £15. 

19JOA87

Hi Guys,
Wondering if anyone could help? or if they have experienced a similar ordeal..
We, like many others were due to be married abroad this year, we decided to take out Wedding Insurance last August (Long before the Coronavirus was even on the Radar).
We paid for the Policy in full and received all the documents and read through them as normal.
Upon the COVID-19 pandemic grounding all flights leaving the UK, ultimately our Wedding was cancelled, we had already paid our Photographer in full and had bought multiple personalised (dated) items regarding our Day.
We immediately contacted our Wedding Insurance Company to begin the claim process, we received the Claim Form through the Post and completed it, at this point I must state, we didn't claim for any Flights or Accommodation as this was covered by our Travel Provider, it was simply the Photographer Money as our Contract with him stated no refunds if it was less than a month before the date, plus any dated and personalised items.
Total Claim was approximately £3,500 on a Policy that covers upto £28,000
Upon sending all the Documents and Bank Statements off as proof of payment, I have received a Phone Call stating our Claim has been Declined and/or Rejected due to the following reasons:
You Are NOT Covered For:
Any Claim Arising Directly or Indirectly from Government Regulation or Act    Additionally    Losses arising from Prohibitive Regulations by the Government of Any Country
I understand it is written in my Policy, now prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, I don't think anyone would have gave this section a second thought as it is the first time in History that we have been confined in our own Homes and Country.
Does anyone know if we have any Rights in relation to this decision under the current circumstances, I think its tough to accept and I have stressed my desire to appeal but just looking for a bit of advice in the meantime prior to commencing

Thanks

JOA

Life__Goes__On

Have they given you anything in writing?

mr_stripey

19JOA87 said:

Hi Guys,
Wondering if anyone could help? or if they have experienced a similar ordeal..
We, like many others were due to be married abroad this year, we decided to take out Wedding Insurance last August (Long before the Coronavirus was even on the Radar).
We paid for the Policy in full and received all the documents and read through them as normal.
Upon the COVID-19 pandemic grounding all flights leaving the UK, ultimately our Wedding was cancelled, we had already paid our Photographer in full and had bought multiple personalised (dated) items regarding our Day.
We immediately contacted our Wedding Insurance Company to begin the claim process, we received the Claim Form through the Post and completed it, at this point I must state, we didn't claim for any Flights or Accommodation as this was covered by our Travel Provider, it was simply the Photographer Money as our Contract with him stated no refunds if it was less than a month before the date, plus any dated and personalised items.
Total Claim was approximately £3,500 on a Policy that covers upto £28,000
Upon sending all the Documents and Bank Statements off as proof of payment, I have received a Phone Call stating our Claim has been Declined and/or Rejected due to the following reasons:
You Are NOT Covered For:
Any Claim Arising Directly or Indirectly from Government Regulation or Act    Additionally    Losses arising from Prohibitive Regulations by the Government of Any Country
I understand it is written in my Policy, now prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, I don't think anyone would have gave this section a second thought as it is the first time in History that we have been confined in our own Homes and Country.
Does anyone know if we have any Rights in relation to this decision under the current circumstances, I think its tough to accept and I have stressed my desire to appeal but just looking for a bit of advice in the meantime prior to commencing

Thanks

JOA

Agree. Of course there will be people who will claim that you should read the small print and of course they are correct. But in the real world very few people and even those who do may not be able to forsee every possible exclusion. My own annual travel policy via my employer (I pay each month) appeared very comprehensive and I did study the T&C's along with my colleagues but none of us spotted (or realised the signifciance of) the fact that the entire policy become practically worthless if a global pandemic is declared!

Life__Goes__On

I'm not well versed in insurance matters, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Ombudsman rules certain causes to  having too wide of scope so become void.
If I thought  I even had the slight chance  winning against an insurance company I would fight their decision, as the only cost is time.