Travel Insurance general question

Mr_Benn

I like to look at reviews for many things I buy. Were holidaying in Spain for 5 days. Travel Insurance reviews all seem to be either 'great' because the "cost was low",  or 'awful' because they wont pay out for claims.   Having been ill abroad before , and an Axiety worrier, Im probably spending too much time on this, but just looking for some comfort on this.
Coverwise for example, have a very high Tripadvisor rating of 4.7.But looking thru the reviews all the positives are mainly just about price and website, and any negatives are about claims. (though there are so many good reviews I havent looked thru them all to be fair ) .
Is it just a case of people more likely to post about claims if theyve had a bad experience than good ?   
Anybody else who can share their thoughts, Id be much appreciated.

eskbanker

I thought it was generally accepted that review sites will often be skewed towards negative experiences that prompt reviewers to share, so they should always be treated with caution, but you're correct that it's far more useful to assess insurers' dealings with claims, rather than the upfront sales process!

Indout96

Click on the name / photo of the person leaving poor reviews and see what else they are saying about other reviews, we found that in general the "Zero star" complainers had nothing but poor reviews on their accounts so I would discount them (possibly looking for refunds ??)
If on the other hand they generally leave decent reviews and this was the exception then I would tend to trust it.
We have only ever claimed off travel insurance once and Staysure were brilliant, not sure if they do "normal" travel insurance as we use them for a couple of health conditions but we were very impressed with how fast they paid out when we had to cancel a holiday to the US as my wife was on a waiting list for Skin cancer.

DullGreyGuy

Mr_Benn said:

Is it just a case of people more likely to post about claims if theyve had a bad experience than good ?   
Anybody else who can share their thoughts, Id be much appreciated.

Mass market consumer insurance is a highly commoditised distress purchase. People go down the pub and talk about how they've managed to get their insurance cheaper this year, not that they've decided to treat themselves to a Hiscox policy. Similarly people will leave a consumer focused household brand to go to an unknown offshore outfit to save under £2 a year.

With that backdrop its no wonder that its a race to the bottom of the barrel as the easiest ways to get cheaper prices to the customer is to cut the quality of the product and service. 

I'm generally not a fan of review sites, there are a lot of really silly reviews out there... a review on a £2,000 TV states 2* because it turned up 3 days late and the box was bashed, how's that a review of the TV? Likewise 1* review as insurance wouldn't payout for my £2,000 laptop because I'd bought a policy with a £500 single item limit, that's not a review of the insurance but of the reviewers ability to read.

It's somewhat inevitable that people more commonly leave negative reviews, irrespective if it's their fault or that of their insurers. In the event of a claim (so you've experienced a negative event) your best realistic outcome is that you are restored to the pre-event position less an excess in a reasonable timescale. People don't get too excited about being put back to almost where they were before compared to getting a new car delivered  or those perfect pair of heels for a night out. 

youth_leader

I'm just back from a trip of a lifetime, a three week tour of NZ.  What an astounding country, I so wish my late husband could have been with me to see it too. 

I have world wide multi trip insurance with Staysure.  I have three medical conditions I declared.  I highly recommend them following my very recent experience.

At the end of week 2 on the Wednesday I tested positive for Covid.  The Riviera Travel tour guide told me I would not be allowed to board the coach and continue the holiday, and would have to stay behind in isolation in the hotel.  She sorted out a 'rate' for me to pay for the additional nights in the hotel room, and contacted Riviera to see if I would be able to fly home to the UK after 5 days in isolation. 

The next day the coach drove off without me, leaving me completely alone 11,000 miles from home.  Admittedly in a very nice hotel, but I did still feel upset and a bit scared, it certainly wasn't what I'd expected to happen.   

I rang the Staysure Medical Emergency 24 hour line and received advice on what I'd have to do.  Unfortunately it involved going to the medical centre to have a PCR test - none of the local taxis wanted to take me, it was a struggle to find someone.

A very pleasant 'night shift' Riviera Travel representative rang me to confirm I could fly, and book and pay for the Queenstown/Christchurch flight on the Sunday. On the Monday we had a full day of flights, Christchurch to Singapore, then Singapore to Heathrow..  I was so grateful for his call, I did feel quite dreadful.  I'm 66 and haven't had Covid before.  I think it was lucky I went for a booster a week before the holiday, perhaps I'd have felt even worse.   The girl I was sitting next to also tested positive the next day and had to come from Te Anau to Queenstown on a very long bus ride.  She also flew with me Queenstown to Christchurch.

I can only praise Staysure.  Because I was so poorly I couldn't work out how I'd manage my bags on my own - of course the taxi drivers helped. 

I have now claimed and there is a long wait because of so many claims, I'll have to remember to pay the credit card I hadn't expected to use.  I was too ill to think straight and didn't ask the taxi drivers for a receipt, both of them charged double both to and from the airport.

  

youth_leader

I've just had an email to confirm my settlement, 11 days after submitting my claim.  

I had claimed £641 and an excess of £65 is being deducted.  I am going to receive a settlement of £576.  Very good timing as the credit card I had to use is due for payment.