GrumpyOldGuy
Contributor
I recently had a bad experience with travel insurance, my issue was with Allianz which has operated under different names (including Access America) in the past. I don't know if my issues are just with that company or a general issue.
Many travel professionals recommend travel insurance for expensive vacations in case of cancellations. This seems wise and if you are dealing with reasonable people it probably is good. Insurance companies however work to collect payments and pay out as little as possible. If you run into one less than honorable, you are screwed.
In this case our church planned a trip arranged via a travel agent (not Scuba, but group travel). We purchased the insurance and then had to cancel to to my wife's medical conditions. In the mean time, the travel agent will not return phone calls (screen all incoming calls), nor email nor certified letters (3 month time span)
I filed a claim with Allianz and they have refused to pay up and we are out $600 plus the $244 for for the insurance. Not the end of the world, it could have been a lot worse. Here is what I have learned.
1) If you have preexisting medical conditions, you must purchase the insurance at the time of deposit or it will be denied. I read the policy and did this.
2) Should you make a claim, they will barrage you for documentation. Example, even though I only made a claim for the deposit, I had to show them airline tickets. The list of required documents filled an entire page.
3) If the claim is medically related, you have to show them detailed, personal medical information (I did).
4) Where I got hung up on is this travel agent will not communicate with individuals, only the group leader. Although I have a receipt for the deposit, it does not say nonrefundable deposit. Without this, Allianz will not pay the claim. They will not pursue direct contact with the travel agent nor will they pay up of the agent never responds.
5) Small claims court is worthless to purse for this type of claim in Texas, since the insurance company is out-of-state.
6) I am going to try the credit card rout to see if they can reverse , but since its been 8 months since I made the deposit I am not sure that will pan out.
My advice is before you purchase travel insurance, check them out carefully. Best case would be to talk to someone who has gone through the claim process with the travel insurance company to make sure you know they will deal with you honorably. The contacts are written to their advantage and some will take advantage to you and as an individual dealing with an out of state company you have little recourse should they decide no to pay up.
If you have any idea how I can pursue this or additional advice, please chime in.
Many travel professionals recommend travel insurance for expensive vacations in case of cancellations. This seems wise and if you are dealing with reasonable people it probably is good. Insurance companies however work to collect payments and pay out as little as possible. If you run into one less than honorable, you are screwed.
In this case our church planned a trip arranged via a travel agent (not Scuba, but group travel). We purchased the insurance and then had to cancel to to my wife's medical conditions. In the mean time, the travel agent will not return phone calls (screen all incoming calls), nor email nor certified letters (3 month time span)
I filed a claim with Allianz and they have refused to pay up and we are out $600 plus the $244 for for the insurance. Not the end of the world, it could have been a lot worse. Here is what I have learned.
1) If you have preexisting medical conditions, you must purchase the insurance at the time of deposit or it will be denied. I read the policy and did this.
2) Should you make a claim, they will barrage you for documentation. Example, even though I only made a claim for the deposit, I had to show them airline tickets. The list of required documents filled an entire page.
3) If the claim is medically related, you have to show them detailed, personal medical information (I did).
4) Where I got hung up on is this travel agent will not communicate with individuals, only the group leader. Although I have a receipt for the deposit, it does not say nonrefundable deposit. Without this, Allianz will not pay the claim. They will not pursue direct contact with the travel agent nor will they pay up of the agent never responds.
5) Small claims court is worthless to purse for this type of claim in Texas, since the insurance company is out-of-state.
6) I am going to try the credit card rout to see if they can reverse , but since its been 8 months since I made the deposit I am not sure that will pan out.
My advice is before you purchase travel insurance, check them out carefully. Best case would be to talk to someone who has gone through the claim process with the travel insurance company to make sure you know they will deal with you honorably. The contacts are written to their advantage and some will take advantage to you and as an individual dealing with an out of state company you have little recourse should they decide no to pay up.
If you have any idea how I can pursue this or additional advice, please chime in.
