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Fullflex last minute - unfair fees
rbdes
Posts: 5 Forumite
Hi,
I wonder if you can help?
I’m quite new to this and didn’t really know where else to turn so excuse me if this is in the wrong place.
I’ve booked flights last December after being diagnosed with cancer, but also been told that we can travel. I purchased full flex flight insurance as I thought this would give me a good cover when it came to any problems that came up in relation to the cancer side of things with no strings attached offer.
I wonder if you can help?
I’m quite new to this and didn’t really know where else to turn so excuse me if this is in the wrong place.
I’ve booked flights last December after being diagnosed with cancer, but also been told that we can travel. I purchased full flex flight insurance as I thought this would give me a good cover when it came to any problems that came up in relation to the cancer side of things with no strings attached offer.
When I found out that I have cancer back again I went to cancel our families flights, and my own, as my wife had to stay to look after me. My flight is not due until the 18th of August 2023.
I was expecting to receive 90% (paid £1,314.54 for the flights and baggage including €116.97 for one insurance apparently and €128 for the Fullflex cover) of my ‘ticket’ (This word is apparently very important). value back yet when I went to speak to last minute (as their chat line is so bad with the language), they suggested that there is no physical way that I receive 90% back of the full value of the flight package and what ever happened the best case would be a voucher for €787.99 (~£674.54)
The other option was to take a risk and send over medical documents to them and they will check with the flight companies EasyJet and Veuling in this case about a refund which they couldn’t guarantee. They suggested we may get no BM money back and any way, Lastminute would eat it all up in admin er .. It is completely down to the flight companies and their policies. When I spoke on chat, LM seemed to be a lot more positive about this and didn’t suggest that we may not get anything back from them.
This is what was sent by LM with language and spelling left as hence my call to them.
Please, have you got any advice on what to do (have until the 14th August approx), it seems to stem around the terms ticket. I thought I had read the t@c’s and certainly wouldn’t have spent nearly €255 on insurance that leaves us with nothing! My view on this,
nothing is made clear. At no point until I asked this did I see a breakdown of what we would get back and assumed we would receive 90% even as a voucher?
Be grateful for any expert comments on this or those that have fought and won this stupid insurance before..
I will try through advance insurance if not but not sure valid due to cancer status, no enter to call, this was tough.
thanks all for the support and hope I can help in the future in other areas.
RBDES.
The other option was to take a risk and send over medical documents to them and they will check with the flight companies EasyJet and Veuling in this case about a refund which they couldn’t guarantee. They suggested we may get no BM money back and any way, Lastminute would eat it all up in admin er .. It is completely down to the flight companies and their policies. When I spoke on chat, LM seemed to be a lot more positive about this and didn’t suggest that we may not get anything back from them.
This is what was sent by LM with language and spelling left as hence my call to them.
“As we have revwied your reservation is confirmed and if you wish to proceed with the cancellation we are unable to provide the assuarnce about the refund as it depends on the airline and please provide us the medical certificates so that can check with the refund with the provider,
Also as you have purchased the fullflex insurance in the reservation you can proceed with the cancellation using the fullflex insuarnce so that can proceed with the cancellation using the fullflex insuarnce and you We like to inform you that if you wish to cancel the booking your refund amount will be as follows:
- Refund is equal to 90% of the ticket price and calculated by deducting from our total price:
- FullFlex cost
- Agency and payment fees”
————
Also, I did send medical documents but they obviously missed them which maybe a good thing overall.
Please, have you got any advice on what to do (have until the 14th August approx), it seems to stem around the terms ticket. I thought I had read the t@c’s and certainly wouldn’t have spent nearly €255 on insurance that leaves us with nothing! My view on this,
nothing is made clear. At no point until I asked this did I see a breakdown of what we would get back and assumed we would receive 90% even as a voucher?
Be grateful for any expert comments on this or those that have fought and won this stupid insurance before..
I will try through advance insurance if not but not sure valid due to cancer status, no enter to call, this was tough.
thanks all for the support and hope I can help in the future in other areas.
RBDES.
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Comments
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Their site states that FullFlex provides "an electronic voucher to the value of 90% of the price of the flight/train ticket originally purchased by the customer, which can be used on any of lastminute.com Group’s websites", so I'd assume that the base figure for that calculation will be the actual flight ticket price, i.e. excluding insurance premiums and perhaps extras such as baggage or even taxes, so it won't be 90% of the total price paid for the entire booking.
Do you have access to (a) the full price breakdown of your booking and (b) the full Ts & Cs of the FullFlex product?
If I'm understanding your post correctly, they will also ascertain if the airlines are prepared to offer a refund based on your medical situation, as travel insurance typically only covers costs that can't be recovered from elsewhere.0 -
so basically by getting their ‘travel insurance’ and I may have disadvantaged myself.I think it is simply the wording as I feel 90% is very, very misleading.. I will look for a breakdown..
thanks so much for your help.Just trying to attach Fullflex details, can’t seem to attach a pdf, might be a MSE feature?
…also, are correct about the option (risky) to try and get a refund from the airlines.0 -
al also, I can’t see over got a break down, maybe when booking but the invoice doesn’t show this and this is my argument, how the hell are you meant to know what 90% of the ticket price is when you are buying all in and don’t see that again anywhere I can see, I have found it seriously misleading. Front page of their website makes it sound oh so simple (bottom image). There are obviously the standard Last-minute terms also that apply. Let me know if these will be of use?
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rbdes said:so basically by getting their ‘travel insurance’ and I may have disadvantaged myself.
[...]…also, are correct about the option (risky) to try and get a refund from the airlines.
Those terms confirm that they exclude baggage costs, but if you don't have a breakdown of the cost of your booking and they don't provide details of their calculation then it's not going to be viable to validate this.0 -
Thanks again eskbanker,
what I meant by that was that I have HSBC advance travel insurance and you mentioned that they only pay out when al other avenues have been utilised. So if I had not had the full flex I might simply have been able to claim in the HSBC insurance.
in terms of validating the price, so effectively it seems I have nowhere to go except take their voucher, even though I can never have known how much I was actually going to receive back from them? It is a shame they do not make this a LOT clearer.
any other thoughts appreciated.
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Getting a breakdown of a fare is never easy, on my recent Emirates purchase I only received cashback on less than 50% the price I paid due to the various surcharges and taxes involved.
Unfortunately, when booking after a cancer diagnosis, normal travel insurance is unlikely to pay out either unless they have specifically agreed to covering you.
It looks like your only option is to accept the Full Flex payment.
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rbdes said:what I meant by that was that I have HSBC advance travel insurance and you mentioned that they only pay out when al other avenues have been utilised. So if I had not had the full flex I might simply have been able to claim in the HSBC insurance.rbdes said:paid £1,314.54 for the flights and baggage including €116.97 for one insurance apparently and €128 for the Fullflex coverrbdes said:in terms of validating the price, so effectively it seems I have nowhere to go except take their voucher, even though I can never have known how much I was actually going to receive back from them?0
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Thanks everyone for your input it is really helpful.
I have to say, I was concerned that the HSBC would just be a big hassle to pay out and got excited to go away and just booked all I could to get a decent refund easily.
Surcharges are outrageous as you say, 50% is a pittance.. and a voucher when money it’s tight, but it seems the only option...
I’ll ask them for the breakdown and really appreciate everything suggested.Please also excuse Chemo brain on some of this.
thanks.0
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