Preparing small claims court case against Axa travel insurance

stoem

More progress. Ryanair offer a webchat based 'request no show confirmation' service via this page
https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-gb/sections/12488381174289-Insurance

I've requested this and the latest email from Axa gives me the impression that they will settle the claim once I send them the no show confirmation. They've claimed down from 'cancellation invoices are required for all elements of the trip' and no seem to accept that 

• the accommodation was not cancelled but only partially unused 
  
• the car parking provider clearly states that no refunds are given within 48 hours start time
• Ryanair does not issue cancellation invoices in such cases but will issue a no-show letter which they now accept will be sufficient
  

I'll update here with further info as I get it. 

RavingMad

Hope your daughter is recovered and that those that went on holiday could enjoy it without parents being there. Did they have to pay their own way lol

I do wonder if I should pay extra for a recognised insurance firm when I look at comparison sites. I generally go for a high defacto rating as long as it's not too much above the other quotes.

You'd hope it would be straightforward and sympathetic to your case but having to force them to payout is ridiculous. They should be made to payout extra for the stress 

I remember our insurance not paying out when COVID hit. Luckily Love holidays refunded at the time and the airline.

DullGreyGuy

RavingMad said:

I do wonder if I should pay extra for a recognised insurance firm when I look at comparison sites. I generally go for a high defacto rating as long as it's not too much above the other quotes.

You'd hope it would be straightforward and sympathetic to your case but having to force them to payout is ridiculous. They should be made to payout extra for the stress 

It depends, just because they are a big name doesnt mean they are top shelf. Admiral are a very well known firm but certainly in the Motor space they are firmly in the "cheap and cheerful" category rather than than "all the bells and whistles". Motor is a relatively basic product so is probably ok but for other much more complex products like Home and Travel you may want to consider if it meets your needs. 

Similarly the largest insurers like Aviva do a whole spectrum of products from the "value" proposition all the way up to High Net Worth so the name alone doesnt tell you that much. 

Defacto should be treated in the same way as hotel star ratings; it's ultimately a scorecard of product features and not any comment on the level of service etc. It's very possible to intentionally hit a particular star rating and you may find a lower star rated product which actually gives much better experience. 

As a tangental example, one TV programme a while back was helping B&B owners to improve their business, in one episode they told a 3* place to stop offering their smallest room as it was rarely actually occupied and it dragged down the average room size. Simply by closing that room they were rerated as a 4* and increased their prices by £30 per night. 


Whilst in this case it appears to be Axa dealing with claims there are many examples where an insurer is the ultimate carrier of the risk so their name appears on the documents etc however all aspects of the insurance has been delegated to the intermediary and so all that "Axa" add to the considerations is the financial stability. As a rough guide check the complaints section of the policy book and see if it says for Claims if you go to the seller or the insurer. 

stoem

RavingMad said:

Hope your daughter is recovered and that those that went on holiday could enjoy it without parents being there. Did they have to pay their own way lol

Thanks for asking, yes she's fine and yes the others enjoyed it very much with the help of my credit card