We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
Misselling of Travel Insurance?
Options
RoseV
Posts: 17 Forumite
We recently bought travel insurance for a trip to the States.
After a lot of questions including asking about swine flu to make sure that we would be covered if we got it and had to cancel, we agreed to buy a policy.
We were then advised that an annual policy would only be £4 more than a one-trip policy so agreed to buy that.
Without thinking, we agreed (can't remember who suggested) that the policy start date would be our date of travel.
Anyway, a week before we were due to go my husband pulled a muscle in his back and had to get pain killers from the doc and visit an osteopath.
We also rang the insurance to inform them of the condition to make sure that they knew in case it flared up again when we wwere out there. Imagine our shock when we were told that it could not be covered without a hefty fee because the insurance had not yet started. If we had taken it out from the day we rang up it would have been covered.
So, here is the question. Having agreed to the start date being the date of travel, should we have been warned that we would not be covered should anything happen in the meantime?
In retrospect it seems like the bleedin' obvious, but I have to say that I feel that we have "been had".
What do you think?
Rose
After a lot of questions including asking about swine flu to make sure that we would be covered if we got it and had to cancel, we agreed to buy a policy.
We were then advised that an annual policy would only be £4 more than a one-trip policy so agreed to buy that.
Without thinking, we agreed (can't remember who suggested) that the policy start date would be our date of travel.
Anyway, a week before we were due to go my husband pulled a muscle in his back and had to get pain killers from the doc and visit an osteopath.
We also rang the insurance to inform them of the condition to make sure that they knew in case it flared up again when we wwere out there. Imagine our shock when we were told that it could not be covered without a hefty fee because the insurance had not yet started. If we had taken it out from the day we rang up it would have been covered.
So, here is the question. Having agreed to the start date being the date of travel, should we have been warned that we would not be covered should anything happen in the meantime?
In retrospect it seems like the bleedin' obvious, but I have to say that I feel that we have "been had".
What do you think?
Rose
0
Comments
-
They hadn't actually missold you anything. If you bought any insurance with a date of commencement in the future, this means that anything before that date is considered a pre-exisiting condition.
Essentially you are the ones responsible for deciding the start date which in most cases would be the date of travel.Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open.
- Thomas Dewar0 -
I do not understand why you cannot remember who suggested when the policy should commence. Perhaps you were asked when you wanted it to commence and you replied with the holiday start date?0
-
They hadn't actually missold you anything. If you bought any insurance with a date of commencement in the future, this means that anything before that date is considered a pre-exisiting condition.
Essentially you are the ones responsible for deciding the start date which in most cases would be the date of travel.
Surely it should be the date of booking the holiday?...or perhaps 1 or 2 days after that at most?0 -
For a annual cover, yes.Single trip is usually 1st day of outward of travelMinds are like parachutes - they only function when open.
- Thomas Dewar0 -
Holiday insurance covers cancellation usually, doesn't it? So when I take out holiday insurance I do it immediately, or soon after I book - we usually book last minute, but who knows what could happen between booking and going?
I would have thought this was standard practise because cancellation is one of the main features of insurance.0 -
Thats what I thought. I assumed that the date on the policy meant start of travel, not start of policy and assumed that we were covered for cancellation from the date we took it out. We were very careful to buy it on the same day that we booked the tickets!
It seems a bit stupid that I was asking about cancellation due to swine flu and they were saying that yes we would be covered ... then I discover that we were not covered for anything unless it happened between midnight on the day of travel and when the flight takes off which is 11am. Big deal!!
Lesson number one for the future ..... always check!!
I now feel so stupid.... and poor!!
Rose :-(0 -
Its pre existing condition if something happens prior to inception. Why would you be covered for cancelation of holiday prior to the insurance being taken out! And anyway your only covered for cancelation if the tour operator cancels/changes the holiday.!0
-
Yes. And the reason I am confused is that, as far as I can remember, the conversation went something like:
Me: Hello, I would like to buy travel insurance for a trip to the states. We are travelling on dd.mm.yy
Ins: OK. No problem. For single trip ins that will be £xx.
Me: OK. That's fine. Can I just check about cancellation - would we be covered for swine flu if we got it before we went and had to cancel because we were not allowed to travel.
Ins: Yes. Swine flu is covered. Do you have any medical conditions now that we should know about? etc etc.
Me: Yes. I have .......
Ins: OK. Thats no problem, we can cover that. Just one last thing. Did you know that an annual policy would only be £4 more and would cover you for any trips overseas within the year?
Me: That sounds interesting. OK. Lets do that.
Ins: OK. So you need cover from the dd.mm.yy?
Me: Yes, that right. (Not realising that this then negated the previous conversation that we had had!)
So. Question. Should they have said that I need cover from the date of the conversation if I was to have the benefit of cancellation cover as we had just discussed? Or should I have realised that?
Rose0 -
Who did you insure with?0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 12 Election 2024: The MSE Leaders' Debate
- 344.2K Banking & Borrowing
- 250.4K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 450.1K Spending & Discounts
- 236.3K Work, Benefits & Business
- 609.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 173.6K Life & Family
- 248.9K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards