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Insurance a cautionary tale


kerryincork
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In March I posted my tale of woe of how I got snowed in at an airport in Ireland and missed my cruise in the Caribbean. It wasn't all bad as it was a B2B and I got to go on the 2nd week.

 

Also my travelling companion who lived in a different country was able to make the full cruise.

 

So I sensible contacted my insurance straight away and told them what happened and they said to keep my receipts and submit my claim when I returned home, so far so good.

 

I had a nice holiday if a little disappointing. I returned home sent in my receipts and a couple of months later got an offer from my insurance of about 40% of my extra costs (accommodation, food & flights)

 

I naturally had to provide evidence that I was booked on a cruise. But because there were two people booked in the cabin they devided my claim by half and said my travelling companion had to claim from her own insurance!

 

I contacted them and explained that I was only claiming for myself and that my travelling companion made the cruise.

They replied that I had stayed in double rooms so that meant there were two people sharing. My name was the only one on the receipt.

 

Long story short 4 months after my cruise I am now trying to find evidence that my travelling companion and I travelled separately. Which is really hard.

 

If I had realised at the time I was staying at the hotel I could have gotten the hotels to make it clear on my invoice that the rooms were single occupancy.

 

So as a reminder to you all out there if you are travelling with a party and their names are on the booking too, to get/keep evidence that you were in fact travelling separately.

 

Luckily for me my travelling companion found her end of cruise invoice with all the dates recorded and I have found one hotel invoice that states single occupancy. I am hoping that will be enough to satisfy the insurance company.

 

Sent from my VTR-L09 using Forums mobile app

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I'm finding your report a bit confusing in terms of how you explained it.

 

Have you submitted proof of BOTH of your payments (charge receipts or such for each of you)?

Get this also from the cruise line?

 

And a letter from the cruise line that you did indeed share a cabin?

 

This is where an insurance broker would have come in handy. They can help sort out this type of glitch.

 

RM

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My story is just a reminder for those who are going to claim on their insurance to make sure they keep all their invoices and if they are travelling solo to get hotel invoices stating single occupancy of rooms.

 

I booked a B2B leaving Miami. I live in a different country so we don't travel to the port together. Due to bad weather I was snowed in at local airport for 3 days and missed the first week of cruise.

She was able to board as normal.

I informed insurance, keep receipts and claim when I return.

I was a single person staying in rooms with double bed.

Caught 2nd week of cruise.

Returned home, submitted expenses for delay i.e. 9 nights accommodation.

5 months later the insurance will only pay half of my expenses as I was in a double room so I could have been sharing with someone else.

They have asked me to prove I was by myself. I don't have a problem with this request.

I have a problem with being asked to do this 5 months later when it is very difficult to get/find this information.

 

I did not realise I needed this level of detail on invoices. If I had I could of requested this type of invoice when checking out.

 

I have never claimed on travel insurance before and I just wanted to warn others so that if they are ever in similar situations they know the level of detail required.

 

My travelling companion is sending me a copy of her cruise invoice that shows she was on board for 2 weeks and one of the hotels has sent me screenshot of their booking system showing single person on booking.

 

 

 

Sent from my VTR-L09 using Forums mobile app

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My story is just a reminder for those who are going to claim on their insurance to make sure they keep all their invoices and if they are travelling solo to get hotel invoices stating single occupancy of rooms.

 

I booked a B2B leaving Miami. I live in a different country so we don't travel to the port together. Due to bad weather I was snowed in at local airport for 3 days and missed the first week of cruise.

She was able to board as normal.

I informed insurance, keep receipts and claim when I return.

I was a single person staying in rooms with double bed.

Caught 2nd week of cruise.

Returned home, submitted expenses for delay i.e. 9 nights accommodation.

5 months later the insurance will only pay half of my expenses as I was in a double room so I could have been sharing with someone else.

They have asked me to prove I was by myself. I don't have a problem with this request.

I have a problem with being asked to do this 5 months later when it is very difficult to get/find this information.

 

I did not realise I needed this level of detail on invoices. If I had I could of requested this type of invoice when checking out.

 

I have never claimed on travel insurance before and I just wanted to warn others so that if they are ever in similar situations they know the level of detail required.

 

My travelling companion is sending me a copy of her cruise invoice that shows she was on board for 2 weeks and one of the hotels has sent me screenshot of their booking system showing single person on booking.

 

Sent from my VTR-L09 using Forums mobile app

 

I'm still having trouble understanding.

 

No one could possibly prove that one was "alone in a hotel room", not without 24 hour surveillance camera, etc.

 

Presumably they are interested in "the other person you were/were supposed to be traveling with.

So just show that that person was *elsewhere", like on the cruise where you were NOT, or perhaps in a different hotel room.

 

It still sounds like there is some confusion, based upon some of the terminology.

 

However, the bottom line is that the insurer does have the right to make sure it is a valid claim.

I just don't quite understand why you aren't able to show how the two of you diverged paths, which was indeed part of the basis for *your* claim for *your* half of the total for what should have been shared accommodations.

 

Maybe we aren't understanding: What type of accommodations did each of you have?

Were you supposed to share one cabin? Or did you each have separate cabins?

 

GC

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It's the 5 month delay that was the issue as the only booking my friend and I shared was the cruise itself. So I don't have any direct access to any of her records for flights, hotels, on board spend, etc. She had no reason to keep all those invoices, as she had no need to make any claims.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my VTR-L09 using Forums mobile app

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  • 4 weeks later...

Good news everyone. My insurance agency has gotten in touch and they are now going to refund me the full amount allowed by my policy.

 

Really happy with the result.

 

I was glad I had insurance and if something like this happens again I will know what details I will need to keep for my claim

[emoji4]

 

Sent from my VTR-L09 using Forums mobile app

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Good news everyone. My insurance agency has gotten in touch and they are now going to refund me the full amount allowed by my policy.

 

Really happy with the result.

 

I was glad I had insurance and if something like this happens again I will know what details I will need to keep for my claim

[emoji4]

 

Sent from my VTR-L09 using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

Persistence paid off, well done. Glad it’s worked out for you!

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