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Global Alert Insurance - don't do it!


yellowdog4
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I purchased insurance from Global Alert after speaking to 2 different reps who guided me through the process. Once I had to use the insurance they denied my claim ... get this.... based on what THEY themselves told me! Go with another company. Don't trust these guys... rip off!:(

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I have no idea what your policy said, what the ins. rep. told you, what you submitted a claim for or the reason for the claim denial.

 

All I know is that you feel ripped off, which is too bad.

 

It doesn't matter what anyone tells you. What matters is what the policy states it will cover. If your claim was denied, the company is saying you weren't covered.

 

If you read through your policy and think you should have been, file an appeal.

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You can also have your claim reviewed by your States Insurance Commisioners office.

 

However, since insurance reps are specifically trained NOT to say something is covered when speaking over the phone,,,,,,

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The reps went through the policy, word for word, with me and explained that the timing of my payments and what would be 'paid' and therefore the 'cost of the trip'. I had all the details in front of me, including amounts and timing and when 2 different people at 2 different times telly you the same thing, then you should feel comfortable with it. NOT!

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I purchased insurance from Global Alert after speaking to 2 different reps who guided me through the process. Once I had to use the insurance they denied my claim ... get this.... based on what THEY themselves told me! Go with another company. Don't trust these guys... rip off!:(

 

If you feel you were treated unfairly you have rights:

 

http://www.travelinsurancebasics.com/claimdenial.php

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Specifics, or it didn't happen.

 

FWIW, from the little research that I have done - it appears that in most cases - claims adjusting for travel policies is often done by one of several firms that do a larg part of the industry.

 

Meaning that - very likely - the entity doing claims will do it similarly for various companies depending on what policy you purchased. And you are going to get reimbursed or not depending on what the policy specifically said.

Edited by triodes
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Guys.... I HAVE given you the details. If you have an affinity to want to believe this company or buy their insurance, then my all means do so.

 

I told you the details.... I called the reps and told them all of my trip details. What I have paid for to-date (flight) and what was to be paid when I signed rental agreement and when that payment was due (when I arrived). They BOTH told me to insure what I had paid for as by the time I paid the other amount I would already be at my destination. I did that and in addition covered any amount of cancellation fees. Meaning... to be CLEAR... I paid for coverage to those amounts.

 

Unfortunately, I did have to cancel this trip and but through all of the paperwork, even included an additional letter from the rental owner explaining the cancellation fee I had to pay. To be CLEAR, ALL of those fees were included in the amount of coverage I purchased.

 

My claim was denied based on the amount of money I would have had to pay once I arrived at my destination. THAT detail was told to me and confirmed TWICE by 2 different reps.

 

Is that clear enough???

 

I posted this to forewarn people, but if you don't want that type of help... I'm sorry I did this.

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Yellowdog, I think you are missing the point of what people are saying. It is not the amounts they are asking about, it is the REASON for the cancellation. You have said nothing about the circumstances of what caused you to cancel, and travel insurance is for specific, named reason coverage only unless you have also purchased the any reason coverage. Those are the details that people have been asking about.

 

This is just a guess, but from the statements made in your last post above, it seems that there may be some issue with the requirement that full trip costs must be insured if you want to invoke certain coverages. Is that correct? That is a common clause, but we do not know if your entire claim was denied and for what reason.

Edited by cherylandtk
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Guys.... I HAVE given you the details. If you have an affinity to want to believe this company or buy their insurance, then my all means do so.

 

I told you the details.... I called the reps and told them all of my trip details. What I have paid for to-date (flight) and what was to be paid when I signed rental agreement and when that payment was due (when I arrived). They BOTH told me to insure what I had paid for as by the time I paid the other amount I would already be at my destination. I did that and in addition covered any amount of cancellation fees. Meaning... to be CLEAR... I paid for coverage to those amounts.

 

Unfortunately, I did have to cancel this trip and but through all of the paperwork, even included an additional letter from the rental owner explaining the cancellation fee I had to pay. To be CLEAR, ALL of those fees were included in the amount of coverage I purchased.

 

My claim was denied based on the amount of money I would have had to pay once I arrived at my destination. THAT detail was told to me and confirmed TWICE by 2 different reps.

 

Is that clear enough???

 

I posted this to forewarn people, but if you don't want that type of help... I'm sorry I did this.

 

I'm still confused. It sounds like you did not insure the amount you were to pay the rental owner/manager because that amount was not due until your arrival. I assume you were going on the theory that if you had to cancel you would not be out that money so there was no reason to insure it. Correct?

 

You said the rental owner/manager submitted a letter showing the cancellation penalty. Was that amount greater than the deposit that you put down? I assume you put down something like $1000 rental deposit + $500 security deposit in which case you would have insured $1000. Did the rental owner keep the $1000 deposit plus maybe $100 of the security deposit as a penalty/booking fee?

 

What I'm not getting is the reason for the denial. Apparently you were told that the reason for the denial was that you did not insure the FULL cost of the trip (including the amount you would have paid had you showed up). Correct?

 

Questions:

 

Did you purchase the optional Cancel For Any Reason benefit?

Was the reason for the cancellation one that was covered under the normal plan terms?

 

The reason I'm asking is that if you did purchase and file a claim under the Cancel For Any Reason coverage and if the rental owner did indeed charge you a cancellation fee over and above the deposit amount you insured then Global Alert would have been correct in denying the claim as you did not insure the full amount subject to penalties.

 

That's about the only scenario I can come up with that would explain this.

Edited by cruiseco
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Guys.... I HAVE given you the details. If you have an affinity to want to believe this company or buy their insurance, then my all means do so.

 

I told you the details.... I called the reps and told them all of my trip details. What I have paid for to-date (flight) and what was to be paid when I signed rental agreement and when that payment was due (when I arrived). They BOTH told me to insure what I had paid for as by the time I paid the other amount I would already be at my destination. I did that and in addition covered any amount of cancellation fees. Meaning... to be CLEAR... I paid for coverage to those amounts.

 

Unfortunately, I did have to cancel this trip and but through all of the paperwork, even included an additional letter from the rental owner explaining the cancellation fee I had to pay. To be CLEAR, ALL of those fees were included in the amount of coverage I purchased.

 

My claim was denied based on the amount of money I would have had to pay once I arrived at my destination. THAT detail was told to me and confirmed TWICE by 2 different reps.

 

Is that clear enough???

 

I posted this to forewarn people, but if you don't want that type of help... I'm sorry I did this.

No, sorry, it's not clear. You state you insured your airfare, the rental deposit and the rental cancellation fee, and then cancelled, filed a claim and were denied.

 

You didn't state your reason for cancelling, what type of policy you purchased or the reason you were denied.

 

It's of no help to anyone, just a rant. Lots of people complain online when they don't get what they want. Sometimes, when they provide all the relevant facts, it turns out they had no valid complaint. I have no idea what the truth is for you.

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What did your policy say? Verbal communication can never cover every detail. Even the written policies as long as they are can be open to interrputation.

 

I think there are a couple of cancellation reasons that are only covered if the entire cost of the trip is insured. If you don't ask about those reasons specifically you might get the answer for reasons that are covered if you insure a lesser amount.

 

So if you share the exact details, it might help others more with Global Alert and any other policy.

 

So we know that you did not get the right advice on the phone.

 

Additionally what did the policy say?

 

Maybe the advice to others would be not to rely on phone conversations and to the read the policy? Or maybe both were messed Up?

 

Or if you provide details, there may be a way to reapply for a credit based on what some of the experts here might know.

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No, sorry, it's not clear. Sometimes, when they provide all the relevant facts, it turns out they had no valid complaint. I have no idea what the truth is for you.

 

I'm inclined to think that if he was as unclear in framing his questions to the customer service reps he spoke with as he has been here, I'm not real surprised that there could have been a mis-communication somewhere leading to the claim denial. That's why I always recommend that these types of questions be submitted in writing/email so there is a written record of the answers, and just as important, a written record of the questions. If a claim is denied and you choose to get your state's department of insurance involved this can be a huge help instead of a "he said, she said."

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So we know that you did not get the right advice on the phone.

.

But will still do not know who that was? Was it an agent? was it Global Alert? All we know is "reps" which is not really clear.

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But will still do not know who that was? Was it an agent? was it Global Alert? All we know is "reps" which is not really clear.

 

And it's very possible he did indeed get the right answer but was asking the wrong question.

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I purchased the cancel for any reason policy called Global Alert Preferred Plus plan. And yes, ANY reason was covered. The reps I spoke to were with Global Alert, as it was their 800 #. I paid for coverage that covered: full airline ticket costs, what any cancellation fee charge (and I had the owner write a separate letter explaining the fee to be extra cafeful) would be from the rental unit and rounded UP. I did not pay for what was to be paid when I arrived at the destination. THAT amount is what caused the denial. THAT amount is what I asked both reps about. So, to be clear... tickets costs about $1800. Cancel fee was $500 and I got a policy for the amount of $2600. The amount I would have paid upon arrival was a few thousand more. I am not a stupid person. I have the dates I talked to these reps and their names. But, again, it does me no good. They want to hide behind "they should not have told you that". It is THAT I want people to be aware of. Forgive me but I thought it was helpful to know when a company is deceptive. This is an interesting forum. I am not looking for advice. I wanted to forewarn people as I looked all over the internet for reviews of this company before I purchased and this type of information would have helped ME decide to go with a different company. It is THAT reason for my post.

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I purchased the cancel for any reason policy called Global Alert Preferred Plus plan. And yes, ANY reason was covered. The reps I spoke to were with Global Alert, as it was their 800 #. I paid for coverage that covered: full airline ticket costs, what any cancellation fee charge (and I had the owner write a separate letter explaining the fee to be extra cafeful) would be from the rental unit and rounded UP. I did not pay for what was to be paid when I arrived at the destination. THAT amount is what caused the denial. THAT amount is what I asked both reps about. So, to be clear... tickets costs about $1800. Cancel fee was $500 and I got a policy for the amount of $2600. The amount I would have paid upon arrival was a few thousand more. I am not a stupid person. I have the dates I talked to these reps and their names. But, again, it does me no good. They want to hide behind "they should not have told you that". It is THAT I want people to be aware of. Forgive me but I thought it was helpful to know when a company is deceptive. This is an interesting forum. I am not looking for advice. I wanted to forewarn people as I looked all over the internet for reviews of this company before I purchased and this type of information would have helped ME decide to go with a different company. It is THAT reason for my post.

 

Last question from me. Have you pursued any appeals to get this handled?

 

http://www.travelinsurancebasics.com/claimdenial.php

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Go to your state insurance board.

 

Assuming you cancelled at least two days prior to your trip, this should be unambiguously covered.

 

If the amount wasn't pre-paid, then it does not need to be insured. Period.

 

I agree. Here's the plan wording:

 

"Cancel For Any Reason Benefit

 

If You cancel Your Trip for any reason not otherwise covered by this policy, We will reimburse You for the percentage of the unused non-refundable prepaid expenses for Travel Arrangements You paid for Your Trip as shown in the Cancellation Penalty Schedule shown below, provided:

 

1. Your payment for this plan is received within 15 days of Your initial deposit/payment for Your Trip; and

 

2. You insure 100% of all prepaid Travel Arrangements that are subject to cancellation penalties or restrictions by the Travel Supplier; and

 

3. You cancel Your Trip two (2) days or more before Your Scheduled Departure Date."

 

As long as you also met conditions #1 and #3 and everything else you posted is correct I think you should pursue this. Your state's department of insurance should be listed at that link. It takes less than 5 minutes to get the ball rolling.

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I am not looking for advice.

Why not? Wouldn't you like to get your money back?

 

Now that you've posted the details, you've received good advice. File an appeal or complaint with your state's Dept. of Ins. to get your claim paid, and come back and post what happens. That's helpful to a lot of people. They learn what to do when they are apparently incorrectly denied for a claim and see that you can fight it and win.

 

Good luck.

Edited by 6rugrats
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Cruiseco, What about number 2 where it says "restrictions" what are those? Can you give a example?

 

You are very helpful, I have Global Travel Preferred and have this wording in the policy. Cancel for any reason was why I bought the policy. I think the OP has a case to protest as you posted if all is as it appears.

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Cruiseco, What about number 2 where it says "restrictions" what are those? Can you give a example?

 

You are very helpful, I have Global Travel Preferred and have this wording in the policy. Cancel for any reason was why I bought the policy. I think the OP has a case to protest as you posted if all is as it appears.

 

The term "restrictions" isn't defined in the plan wording so there's some room for interpretation. It's kind of a catch-all to describe the various justifications travelers will come up with to avoid insuring the full trip amount when required.

 

Where most travelers get in trouble with this is where the travel supplier (such as an airline) is willing to transfer the ticket to a future travel date should the insured have to cancel. If the insured thinks "great, there's no cancellation penalty if I have to cancel this trip and can use them later so I don't have to insure the cost of the tickets" he's rick having his claim denied. Or perhaps if he has to cancel he can sell his Super Bowl trip arrangements to Cousin Fred to use so there's no cancellation penalty (maybe he can actually make a profit) but that would probably be determined to fall under the general term "restriction" if he didn't insure them upfront.

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Yellowdog - thanks for giving full info.

 

While you were mainly wanting to warn people, it appears that you have a good basis to fight the denial.

 

One way to go about it has been suggested.

 

Global Alert uses Tripmate as a 3rd party servicer, and handle a number of companies - mistakes do happen, sometimes adjustors or their supervisors can be reasoned with.

 

Plus, it appears you have a bonafide reason to fight the denial.

 

We don't think you are stupid, we couldn't fully grasp an respond to limited information.

 

From the manner in which you have posted and responded in this thread - on the surface it appears you become frustrated when you believe you are being hassled.

 

I will suggest that if you simply copy the wording that applies, note that you are complying with the policy and documentation required - get a supervisor on the phone - email it to them while you are talking with them, let them know you believe that it is covered by the policy, and were told it would be covered -and that you will go to your state insurance commission and file a complain in order to get it covered - you may well get it done.

 

There's an old saying " he who loses his cool loses on the deal" or something to that effect. You will likely be more successful at getting the claim paid if you keep your cool and simply reason with them, while letting them know that denial of your claim is not something that is acceptable to you, and you are not going to simply go away quietly without your money.

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Global Alert uses Tripmate as a 3rd party servicer, and handle a number of companies - mistakes do happen, sometimes adjustors or their supervisors can be reasoned with.

 

.

 

Actually, they're tied together closer than that.

 

The "Global Alert" name used to be how the MH Ross agency marketed their travel insurance plans. For whatever reason, a couple of years back MH Ross started selling plans under their own name and gave up the Global Alert name as you can see when you check any of the major comparison sites.

 

TripMate was basically in the business of administering plans for other companies. But they really had no plan of their own that they could sell direct to consumers via sites like insuremytrip. So when MH Ross gave up the Global Alert plan/name TripMate bought it. They own it 100% now -- even the trademark.

 

So yes TripMate does in fact handle the claims function for the Global Alert plans but not as a third party -- they own Global Alert. I don't know that this makes any difference in the OP's case but he should know that when he's talking to Global Alert he's talking to TripMate and vice versa.

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