A BIT OF A STRANGE ONE

Bobby4puddings

My sister in law (who is up and down with mental health problems) booked a Mediterranean cruise sharing a cabin with a good friend of hers, due to sail next week.

She took out travel insurance for herself and paid the full premium, she also disclosed all her illnesses.

However she unfortunately had a big fall out with her friend, which didn't help her health. This Monday just gone she went to see her GP who said she was not fit to travel, and gave her a dated letter stating that. She told her friend she was not going. We told he to make a claim with her insurance company.

For some unkown reason this Wednesday 2/3 days after she got the dated GP's letter she phoned the insurance company and cancelled the policy without making a claim! (probably because she couldnt think straight)

We told her she must make a claim and she phoned the Insurance back this morning, who told her she cannot claim as she had cancelled the Policy before making the claim.

Our argument is that she has a letter from the GP dated before the cancellation, so in effect she was covered on that date.

Are we correct in saying this.

Keep_pedalling

Is the friend stilll going?

Woodstok2000

When did she cancel the cruise? The cover will need to have been valid on the date she made the cancellation, unless the insurance company decide to be very nice about it.

Bobby4puddings

Yes she is

Keep_pedalling

So the holiday is not actually canceled, even more complicated.

Bobby4puddings

I have spoke to her for furher info.

She got the doctors letter saying she wasn't fit before cancelling the cruise.

The booking was in her friends name. My sister in law telephoned Royal Caribbean and told them she wanted to cancel her booking. They said they could not speak to her about the booking as her friend was the lead passenger, but they did say her friend had cancelled my sister in laws booking and replaced her another persons name which they gave who she knows to be her friends cousin.

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82139654#Comment_82139654

In that case the easiest option may be to recoup the money from the person who is actually going. The insurance company are unlikely to pay for a cruise that's still going ahead.

As a thought experiment - I want to go on a cruise with my wife. We book the cruise for my wife and her friend, her friend gets a note to say she can't go, we change the cruise to my name, her friend claims back half the cruise cost and I get a half price holiday….

dunstonh

You may wish to request that this thread is moved to the insurance forum. This section is the mis-selling forum, and your questions aren't about mis-selling. The Insurance section will probably have more readers who understand travel insurance more.

PennysIntoPounds

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82139694#Comment_82139694

Maybe I've misunderstood but why would the friend who's going pay for someone else's cancelled/unneeded travel insurance? Presumably she's paid her share for the cruise and her own travel insurance (which is possibly a lot cheaper if she doesn't have health issues that need to be covered).

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82140083#Comment_82140083

Unless Ive misread, The OP is trying to help his sister in law get back the money for the cruise she cant go on. She cant claim on insurance because she cancelled it. As her travel companion has removed her from the booking and replaced her with someone else, the beat avenue is to get the cost of the cruise repaid from that person. Nothing to do with reclaiming the insurance cost.

PennysIntoPounds

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82140089#Comment_82140089

I read 'travel insurance' as just covering for the sisters health care needs if they occurred, rather than covering wanting to cancel the cruise, in which case that's nothing to do with new person.

Of course if your reading is right and new person is getting a freebie holiday off the back of someone else's mental illness then that is bang out of order!