Wedding Insurance trying to get out of Covid-19

newbie26

Ive just received the below from the wedding insurance company:

Dear Mr X,

We're getting in touch with anybody who's recently taken out a Wedding Insurance policy with The Insurance Emporium. Due to recent news regarding Covid-19 (Coronavirus), we're receiving a lot of questions about our insurance. We want to make clear what is and is not covered in your policy, so you can make a decision as to whether or not you would like to continue your cover.
The Insurance Emporium, like most insurers, do not cover any claim as a result of any notifiable disease - any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities. Covid-19 has officially been registered as a notifiable disease in the UK, so any claim relating to Covid-19 would not be covered by your Wedding Insurance policy.
Rest assured, nothing about your policy has changed. You'll still receive exactly the same level of cover for Cancellation, Rearrangement, the rest of your Standard Benefits and selected Optional Benefits, subject to the terms and conditions set out in your policy wording. You can find your policy wording either on our product pages or in your insurance agreement. If, despite this, you wish to cancel your policy, we'll be happy to offer a full, no quibble refund on any Wedding Insurance policy purchased after 1st January 2020.

How can the policy state: 

Cover – rearrangement
If, as a result of the following, it is necessary to cancel or curtail Your Wedding or Reception, We will pay (up to the amount shown in Your policy schedule) for any
Rearrangement Costs.
• the booked venue for the Wedding or Reception being unable to hold your Wedding or Reception due to weather conditions that cause major disruption to the venue, an outbreak of infectious or contagious disease, damage to the venue, murder or suicide at the premises, etc etc etc
authority.

And then later go onto state:

Exclusions

24.Any claims as a result of any notifiable disease.

They contradict themselves?

Also I bought the policy on the 3/3/20 and covid 19 only became a notifiable disease on the 5/5/20.

The wedding isnt until late August so hopefully I wont have to use insurance but they're are already trying to weasel out of it.

rs65

newbie26 said:

The wedding isnt until late August so hopefully I wont have to use insurance but they're are already trying to weasel out 

Looks like they are responding to many queries and pointing out that notifiable diseases aren't covered.  The exclusion has always been there.

MikePreedy

We have insurance with the same company and my daughter's wedding is at the end of May. They came out with the same waffle to us. We are getting a lawyer to look at it because when we looked at the policy, the same as you, we though phew we are covered when we saw about the infectious diseases, but as always they are looking for a way out of paying up, always happy to take your premium though.

paddyandstumpy

MikePreedy said:

We have insurance with the same company and my daughter's wedding is at the end of May. They came out with the same waffle to us. We are getting a lawyer to look at it because when we looked at the policy, the same as you, we though phew we are covered when we saw about the infectious diseases, but as always they are looking for a way out of paying up, always happy to take your premium though.

 They were equally as happy to take your premium, as you were at paying the premium without reading the cover properly and understanding the cover. 

Takmon

newbie26 said:

Ive just received the below from the wedding insurance company:

Dear Mr X,

We're getting in touch with anybody who's recently taken out a Wedding Insurance policy with The Insurance Emporium. Due to recent news regarding Covid-19 (Coronavirus), we're receiving a lot of questions about our insurance. We want to make clear what is and is not covered in your policy, so you can make a decision as to whether or not you would like to continue your cover.
The Insurance Emporium, like most insurers, do not cover any claim as a result of any notifiable disease - any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities. Covid-19 has officially been registered as a notifiable disease in the UK, so any claim relating to Covid-19 would not be covered by your Wedding Insurance policy.
Rest assured, nothing about your policy has changed. You'll still receive exactly the same level of cover for Cancellation, Rearrangement, the rest of your Standard Benefits and selected Optional Benefits, subject to the terms and conditions set out in your policy wording. You can find your policy wording either on our product pages or in your insurance agreement. If, despite this, you wish to cancel your policy, we'll be happy to offer a full, no quibble refund on any Wedding Insurance policy purchased after 1st January 2020.

How can the policy state: 

Cover – rearrangement
If, as a result of the following, it is necessary to cancel or curtail Your Wedding or Reception, We will pay (up to the amount shown in Your policy schedule) for any
Rearrangement Costs.
• the booked venue for the Wedding or Reception being unable to hold your Wedding or Reception due to weather conditions that cause major disruption to the venue, an outbreak of infectious or contagious disease, damage to the venue, murder or suicide at the premises, etc etc etc
authority.

And then later go onto state:

Exclusions

24.Any claims as a result of any notifiable disease.

They contradict themselves?

Also I bought the policy on the 3/3/20 and covid 19 only became a notifiable disease on the 5/5/20.

The wedding isnt until late August so hopefully I wont have to use insurance but they're are already trying to weasel out of it.

Just to point out it's not a contradiction because they would cover any disease that is not notifiable so that applies to quite a lot of diseases that could locally disrupt the venue. It's the same as you being covered if the venue is damaged but you won't be covered if the venue is damaged by war. All insurance policies will have limits to the scale of event that they cover and it's not them trying to weasel out of it. 

newbie26

MikePreedy said:

We have insurance with the same company and my daughter's wedding is at the end of May. They came out with the same waffle to us. We are getting a lawyer to look at it because when we looked at the policy, the same as you, we though phew we are covered when we saw about the infectious diseases, but as always they are looking for a way out of paying up, always happy to take your premium though.

Did you buy the cover before CV19 became a notifiable disease? Please let me know how you get on.

Manxman_in_exile

Isn't it quite common for insurance policies like this not to cover "notifiable diseases"?  (Not sure why).

Seems to me the government have done policy holders over by making it a "notifiable" notifiable disease - if you see what I mean.

Rebecca101

Can anybody explain whether, if we are able to get a new policy to cover a postponed wedding, if the venue go bankrupt before that new date, as they have lost all their income as a result of Covid-19, will that covered? Or does that fall under the umbrella of 'No cover for claims resulting from Covid-19'.

csgohan4

You won't be covered for related Covid 19 usually now, unless the insurance was bought way before this was known, usually 13/3/20

Rebecca101

@csgohan4 Thanks - what I'm not clear on though is whether a bankruptcy, for example, would be classed as 'related' to Coronavirus. I understand that we are not covered for anything directly affected by the virus (which I agree with everyone else is pretty disgraceful really) but there's no point in getting a new policy if they are going to cite the virus as a cause for any suppliers or venues going out of business. That's what I'm trying to clarify. 

lincroft1710

The virus itself probably would not cause a bankruptcy. Taking precautions to avoid possible contact with the virus or heeding government advice or ban may cause a bankruptcy