To whom can I complain about Travel Insurance?

Should you wish to complain about a travel insurance policy. Your first port of call is the company that sold you your policy. You need to put any complaints in writing, making it quite clear what you are complaining about and what you wish the company to do to recompense you. If you reach deadlock with your insurer, you need to approach the financial ombudsman service.

The financial ombudsman service was set up by the government to arbitrate between consumers and finance companies. Again, you need to provide all of the documentation you have, and make sure that you explain exactly what you are complaining about. It's worth pointing out, though that you do NOT have to accept the ombudsman's ruling, although your travel insurance company does have to accept it. However, the cost of using the ombudsman is free. The cost of using the courts (your next step) is not free; in fact it's very expensive.

However, the financial ombudsman service have given holidaymakers a boost, by saying that not enough has been done by the travel insurance companies to explain what can be very complicated policies.

The ombudsman feels overall that travel insurance policies are too complicated and contain too many exclusions than should reasonably be expected. This is partly caused by the fact that travel agents, who are not experts in insurance, often try to sell travel insurance anyway, and are not trained well enough to draw the purchaser's attention to all of the exclusions.

The ombudsman talks also about how often they are upholding a particular sort of claim. These are when policyholders become seriously unwell and find themselves confined to a hotel room, although they have not been hospitalised or repatriated. Eventually, though, the sick holidaymaker gets fed up of staying inside their hotel room and decides to return home. They return home early and claim compensation for the curtailment of their holiday. But many travel insurers will refuse your claim, as they don't deem you ill enough.

Some people, on not going to hospital, are actually saving travel insurance companies money, as the cost of their hospital treatment would have most likely been more expensive than the claim the person is making for the curtailment of their holiday. Also, it is unlikely the person was aware that this exclusion existed in the first place - hence the ombudsman tends to uphold these claims.

The Ombudsman also asks those asking for travel insurance cover for 'adventure' holidays must make sure that their insurer has full information about the activities they are partaking in. In turn, insurers must make it clear which activities they regard as hazardous. If they don't the ombudsman will give the consumer the benefit of the doubt should they claim.

© AskFinancially.com 2008

Travel Insurance

Insurance & Loans

Copyright

To whom can I complain about Travel Insurance?

© AskFinancially.com 2008

Travel Insurance

Insurance & Loans

Copyright