Travel Insurance claims experience

swanvill

Hi,
We are two adults, 1 3yr old & 1 baby with VHI. I was pricing travel insurance, single trip, with 123.ie, blue & AA. All very good on price but I still need to check excess & cover etc.

Has anyone ever had to make a claim on their travel insurance & did you have a good or bad experience when dealing with the insurance company & who was the company?

Btw my wife had a nightmare trying to get her travel insurance claim paid by VHI about six years ago, so would not reccommend them.

Thanks.

ScouseMouse

I did ligaments in my shoulder while in Tenerife last year.

I went up to the hospital and showed them my policy on my iphone.

We rang the helpline. Helpline faxed cover confirmation and that was it.

In and out in about two hours.

coylemj

swanvill wrote: »

Btw my wife had a nightmare trying to get her travel insurance claim paid by VHI about six years ago, so would not reccommend them.

So with just your word on it nobody on boards.ie should purchase travel insurance from VHI?

Everyone is entitled to a fair hearing, would you please tell us what obstacles VHI put in your way - maybe you couldn't come up with the correct paperwork and that's why they wouldn't pay the claim?

More details please or you just sound like someone who's trying to 'get at' a supplier who's service didn't match your expectations.

swanvill

Thanks for your feedback Superscouse who was your policy with?

Re VHI - It took four months from filing the claim to final settlement, they argued over everything! We produce police report in Spanish & english, produced a full list of all items with receipts (in our original claim), they tried to get her handbag classfied as a luxury good (as it was made from leather) so as to reduce the value of the claim, instead of 'stolen baggage' section. They were very slow and tried to deny everything on the claim. We followed their procedures to the letter but they only offered to pay half of the claim after two months (from date of filling claim), it took several letters & a promise to take it to the ombudsman before they settled. This was in 2005. They maybe better now to deal with but in 2005 they were very difficult. I would not reccomend them after our expereince.

@Coylemj - In the interest of transparency do you or someone connect to you work for the VHI? If not tell us your positive expereince about making a claim on travel insurance, which was my original question.

schemingbohemia

swanvill wrote: »

Thanks for your feedback Superscouse who was your policy with?

Re VHI - It took four months from filing the claim to final settlement, they argued over everything! We produce police report in Spanish & english, produced a full list of all items with receipts (in our original claim), they tried to get her handbag classfied as a luxury good (as it was made from leather) so as to reduce the value of the claim, instead of 'stolen baggage' section. They were very slow and tried to deny everything on the claim. We followed their procedures to the letter but they only offered to pay half of the claim after two months (from date of filling claim), it took several letters & a promise to take it to the ombudsman before they settled. This was in 2005. They maybe better now to deal with but in 2005 they were very difficult. I would not reccomend them after our expereince.

@Coylemj - In the interest of transparency do you or someone connect to you work for the VHI? If not tell us your positive expereince about making a claim on travel insurance, which was my original question.

See if you had said all that in the first place then Coylemj wouldn't have had to ask. I think it's unfair of you to claim some sort of underhand link between them and VHI when it was a very fair question that was asked.

Personally, I've never had to make a travel insurance claim, but I do know mates who took the piss by adding to/making up claims so can understand why, of all types of insurance, travel insurance gets the most queries/doubts raised by claims persons.

ScouseMouse

I have VHI health insurance and then took the special offer option they had running which was 69 euro for travel insurance.

It appears that you were looking to claim for material loss. I was needing medical treatment. When I produced my policy on my iphone, the guy in the hospital said "Great, they pay quickly".

I believe whoever looks after the claims is well regarded - for medical issues at least.

galwayjohn89

superscouse wrote: »

I have VHI health insurance and then took the special offer option they had running which was 69 euro for travel insurance.

It appears that you were looking to claim for material loss. I was needing medical treatment. When I produced my policy on my iphone, the guy in the hospital said "Great, they pay quickly".

I believe whoever looks after the claims is well regarded - for medical issues at least.

Was insured with WorldWide insure when I was in Florida. Taken ill and they paid the hospital directly (thankfully, bill was quite high!)

They settled the claim for walk in clinic and medicine costs within 5 days and also setted the claim for hotel due to missed flights within 4 days. Was brilliant to deal with. Especially for the hospital. I was in touch with them a few times and they were always friendly and seemed more worried about how I was getting on then money which was nice.

Call me Al

we've had to make a couple of claims over the years. Once for baggage that arrived late and, when it did arrive, looked like it had been driven over a few times and sprayed with oil. But that was in the 90s. More recently my husband was pickpocketed at one of the grand prix races. It took a while to process the claim. The couple that nicked the stuff took his wallet with cards, Irish rail annual travel card, and about €200 cash. The excess for each individual item claimed for was about €85 which took a big chunk off what he was eventually awarded. They were also very picky about documents we filed and the technical details of every aspect of the claim. I can't remember the company we dealt with but they were based in Galway. They lost our paperwork too. Somehow I always felt like they were trying to catch us out with something on the phone although they would obviously never admit to that.

swanvill

@ schemingbohemia A fair point made.

My wife claim was for a stolen handbag with passport, money cards etc in a taxi from the airport.

I was in hospital on holidays once & like the other stories they settled the medical bills quickly & efficently.

Thanks all for your feedback

coylemj

swanvill wrote: »

@Coylemj - In the interest of transparency do you or someone connect to you work for the VHI?

I have no connection with the insurance business - medical, motor or general. I think you've accepted the point(s) made by schemingbohemia so let's leave it at that.

You probably weren't even dealing with VHI people...

Vhi Healthcare is tied to Aria Insurance Services Limited for MultiTrip Travel Insurance.

This policy is underwritten by Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) PLC.

Quotes are valid on, and for, the date of issue subject to no changes to the information you’ve provided.

sarah_ie

I know I won't be recommending 123.ie travel insurance, I took out the gold policy that is said to cover personal belongings. I had my mobile phone stolen, but I checked my insurance documentation which led me to believe that they would pay up to €350 for the phone, saw that I would need a police report, which was by no means easy to obtain in Lanzarote!

Anyway when I got back home, 123.ie told me to recheck the fine print.... at the very end in the smallest writing, after they address issues like the they do not cover the loss or theft of artificial limbs or dentures, they add in the same sentence mobile phones!!! I was so disappointed as my last day of the holiday was spent going round looking for an interpreter and sat in a spanish police station!!!

schemingbohemia

sarah_ie wrote: »

I know I won't be recommending 123.ie travel insurance, I took out the gold policy that is said to cover personal belongings. I had my mobile phone stolen, but I checked my insurance documentation which led me to believe that they would pay up to €350 for the phone, saw that I would need a police report, which was by no means easy to obtain in Lanzarote!

Anyway when I got back home, 123.ie told me to recheck the fine print.... at the very end in the smallest writing, after they address issues like the they do not cover the loss or theft of artificial limbs or dentures, they add in the same sentence mobile phones!!! I was so disappointed as my last day of the holiday was spent going round looking for an interpreter and sat in a spanish police station!!!

You didn't read the exclusions, that's hardly 123.ie's fault!

It is hugely important to read the fine print in travel insurance policies in particular, there are large exclusions as so many people have tried to fund their holidays from fake claims.

finbarrk

It's important to have every bit of paperwork when making a claim. Boarding Passes, accommodation receipts, etc.

Fratton Fred

There is a huge amount of bogus claims on travel insurance, some people see it as their right to claim a new camera every year.

Unfortunately, that means that bonafide claims are treated more diligently.