Holidaysafe Insurance

Shuggieg

In the light of the regulator restrictions on TIF group is Holidaysafe still a safe bet for holiday insurance

Voyager2002

Threads that discuss TIF get deleted very quickly from this board; from Trustpilot and elsewhere. The 'Times' story about TIF can no longer be read online, only a report that the TIF libel action against the 'Times' was settled out of court.

Shuggieg

Just gained access to the Times article without the paywall and while the regulator is not saying what the issues are with TIF, they do say "just before Christmas the company started selling cover administered by Collinson Insurance through its HolidaySafe brand"

Birseh_

These are some of the details involving the FCA action against tifgroup of which Holidaysafe is a ‘trading name’.

The new insurer behind Holidaysafe is Collinson. The TrustPilot reviews are bad with 22% of respondents giving a ‘bad’ rating. The man most associated with Holidaysafe is Stephen Howard. He is a director of Infinity Insurance Solutions Ltd  https://find-and-update.company information.service.gov.uk/company/04319592/officers with the CEO of tifgroup and the Crispin Speers who owns tifgroup in effect through CSP Holdings.

Tifgroup having had their permissions removed by the FCA.

Mr Howard has his own company called Milsom Howard and tifgroup may be using this or given the FCA only banned tifgroup from

"carry on any services (whether regulated activities or otherwise) for, or on behalf of, an insurer in relation to claims handling" and "enter into any agreement with any insurance undertaking or insurance intermediary, whether domiciled in the UK or overseas, to provide any outsourced services relating to claims handling"

they may be just using their website to earn introducer income without being able to do the underwriting or claims given the FCA’s ban. I suspect the FCA will move again soon but we will have to see.

Mr Stephen Howard personally issued legal threats and intimidatory letters on this forum through his solicitor Pannone Corporate based in Manchester. Actual threats passed on by this site who then removed some threads. The nature of the material in some of those threads accurate given the FCA removed tifgroup’s permissions in December and their insurer URV in July. The GMC currently prosecuting the medical director https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/insurance-firm-doctor-made-mind-blowing-claims-to-avoid-airlifting-patient-jf92jdvh7

Pannone Corporate’s solicitor said to the Times on behalf of tifgroup: “this is untrue. Tifgroup has approached the FCA following receipt of the email and it is tifgroup’s understanding that the FCA has not opened any formal investigation into the practices of Tifgroup for fraud or otherwise”.

We now know the FCA was on them awhile back just as the Times and threads on this forum alluded to. The forum’s very own UK1 doing his(her) homework and reporting tifgroup to the FCA after checking the threads here.

Tifgroup’s management refusing to name the doctor who is fabricating stories about the Blake family for the very death case he is being prosecuted for. The list is endless. The Times will be running further tifgroup stories that will curdle the blood where Mr Stephen Howard was “head of product” according to photos and other poses by him. Tifgroup saying they had no record of tape when given the day, hour and second of their medical director falsely claiming to a vulnerable family that he did “all the medical repatriations for the MoD” which is they deny any knowledge of the man. As do Great Ormond Street for a similar claim. The only problem: tifgroup sent the tape out themselves.

Mr Howard’s daughter Amber Moon (nee Howard) been has been ‘spinning’ as far back as 2013 and even on this forum https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4044379/holidaysafe-travel-insurance-your-feedback/p27

https://www.travelfish.org/board/post/travelinsurance/21312_avoid-holidaysafe-insurance-  and elsewhere.

Have a very good read of this. https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/files/287376/DRN-1851370.pdf

“The complaint Miss P is unhappy with the service she received from Union Reiseversicherung AG when she made a claim on her travel insurance policy. What happened In June 2019 Miss P was on holiday with her boyfriend, Mr S, when she became very unwell. She was referred to the nearest hospital by the local clinic and, upon arrival at the hospital, was diagnosed with a kidney stone and infection. The hospital wanted to carry out surgery straight away because of the severity of the infection. She says that when she provided details of her insurer she was told, in summary, they were black-listed because they don’t pay bills. Having spent a long time on the phone to URV Miss P’s boyfriend was told to move her to a public hospital and to walk out of the hospital they were in, pretending they had no money. They were sent to a different hospital, which was a public facility, which URV said would be able to treat Miss P. On arrival there Miss P was again told that hospital wouldn’t work with URV because of issues with payment. She also said the hospital wasn’t clean. Whilst waiting for a call from URV, Mr S took Miss P back to the local clinic. Mr S called URV and spent a long time trying to get through to URV and he was also placed on hold. URV then recommended a third hospital, this was now around 12 hours since Miss P had learned she needed surgery. On arriving at the third hospital Miss P was treated but Mr S says he was told by the hospital they’d need proof from URV they’d pay the medical expenses which led to further calls with URV. Miss P said that the whole experience was traumatic and scary for her and Mr S. Miss P complained to URV.”

Mr Howard who has been ‘head of product’ for tifgroup according to an Insurance Times photo has some explaining to do. Hospitals literally globally writing into the FCA has unpaid bills.

28th April 2021 https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/files/305277/DRN-2194264.pdf

· Delays in confirming cover · Poor levels of service during phone calls · Unnecessary discharge from hospital · Lack of action and failure to make medical decisions · Incorrect information about commercial flights and air ambulances

-          20 July 2019 – one of URV’s doctors called Miss H and explained the medical team didn’t recommend flying for about three weeks post initial injury. Miss H said URV was delaying the repatriation to avoid spending money. The doctor made comments about there not being enough Air Ambulances (AAs) in the world and that there may not be one available for Mr N, although this hadn’t yet been checked. Miss H became upset and said she hadn’t seen her son for a week and had been messed about by URV. Another doctor spoke to Miss H later in the day and outlined the risks and dangers of AAs, including the risk of death. But he said an AA was the only option for Mr N and that URV would plan the repatriation the following week.

 

-          The doctors who spoke to Miss H told her an AA may not be available without checking, which added to her frustration. She was also told about the risk of death when travelling in an AA although this was the only option available for Mr N. So this would have been distressing to hear.

 

I am sure the FCA will be questioning Mr Howard about his role at tifgroup and as one MP said “the FCA is clearly taking effective action – where there is strong linkage between entities I am sure this is something of which they will be cognisant”.

The FCA typically move in stages. Having removed URV’s licenses in July and then URV’s claims and underwriting partner tifgroup themselves in December. The FCA having prevented tifgroup from using another insurer for underwriting in between. Acting against tifgroup themselves on the 7th of December 2021. This is just getting started I would suggest.

Birseh_

Voyager ...it's been a long battle and you are referring to a n article several years ago. Here is the lastest https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/travel-insurance-facilities-restricted-by-regulator-7j3v8ggbc
https://www.itij.com/latest/news/uk-financial-regulator-adds-restrictions-travel-insurance-facilities-activities