Who has made an actual claim and how did it work out?

I am curious who has had to actually make a travel insurance claim and how hard or easy it was to get paid. It seems like many insurance policies have so many loopholes for the company I am always leary if anyone actually gets paid in the unfortunate event they need the insurance.

I filed a claim with TravelGuard. My wedding band was either lost, misplaced, or stolen.

1st step was to get a form from the cruise line stating that I had asked for them to look for, that they did not find it, and that they were not liable.

2nd step was to provide the original receipt

3rd step was to file the claim.

Once filed. I had a check in my hand within 14 days for the maximum amount of coverage.

Last year I had to cancel our Baltic cruise less that one week before it was to sail, less than two days before we were supposed to fly to Amsterdam. I had to cancel because I was in the hospital having a semi-emergency cardiac cath. We were insured with Square Mouth/Tin Leg. They were most helpful at first about getting me the claim forms I needed. As soon as I saw my doctor for my first post op visit--2 weeks after the procedure--I had him fill out his part of the form and mailed it along with all of the forms that had been requested. Things like receipts for payments, copies of our cruise, hotel and airline reservations etc. A month later I started calling to see what was going on. I got a lot of double talk and excuses. For one hotel that was pre-paid they needed more paperwork so I sent it that day and they promptly lost it and did not tell me. They refused to pay $500 of the cruise fare because I had used a Celebrity gift card and they did not consider it a real payment. Cash, checks or credit cards only they said. At two months I finally got payment for the airfare change fee for both of us and our cruise fare less the $500. After 3 months I finally got paid for the pre-paid hotel. I only got that at 3 months because I called them after a month of waiting after I sent in the new forms they needed. They never mentioned they lost them until I asked about it and then they only said "gee maybe you should send them again". In the end, I got over 90% of my money back and we booked a new cruise for this year and it was great and my health is great but...dealing with SquareMouth and Tin Leg was a real pain. I have a new insurer now and hopefully I will never have to find out how good or bad their claims process is....

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2225458

Here is our experience.

Coming back on a CDG-ORD flight, as we landed I turned on my phone and got a text from the airline that our next flight (ORD-DEN) was cancelled, and we were automatically rebooked for a flight the next day. Got off the plane, booked an airport hotel from the baggage claim area, checked into the hotel, then called the insurance company (Travel Guard). After we got back I requested and got a note from the airline about the cancellation, faxed in the note, receipts for air tickets, hotel, meals, and boarding passes. We were fully reimbursed (hotel+meals) for the trip delay The process took about a month - including waiting two weeks for the airline note.

One of the more interesting aspects was that our flight was one of the many cancelled because of that fire that was set at the Chicago ATC center. The note from the airline had a vague 'operational reasons'. I guess that met the 'carrier caused' phrase of the policy. Mine is not to reason why, mine is just to cash the check.

We had a good experience last year with Nationwide. We had to cancel a cruise at the last minute due to a medical emergency. Making a claim was easy. I called Nationwide and they immediately emailed me the necessary forms and instructions. It took a few days to assemble the documentation for the airline and cruise ship cancellation charges and the doctor's verification. I scanned and emailed the paperwork to Nationwide and received a check for the full amount in about 14 days. We were really happy we had the insurance.

We completed a trip in January that resulted in claims for a damaged bag, lost bag and trip interruption. TravelEx claim review and payment was timely. Details about our insurance claim experience are at http://travelscrivener.blogspot.com/search/label/Travel%20Notes

Bob

Filed a claim in 2013

DH got sick the morning we were to fly to Miami for a B2B

sent in all the paperwork (a book)

paid in full all $15 grand took about 2 mths

Filed June 1st for an interrupted cruise because DH got sick 6 days into the cruise

still waiting for the decision ;)

anyone want a DH :D

Have Allianz for a 2016 world cruise but my DH has gone. Was totally surprised when I was issued a refund for his part of the insurance policy as figured that it was money gone. There was a slight upcharge to cover my addition for my single supplement to the fare. Also, the cruise line issued a refund - thankfully!

Only time we had to make a claim was 2 years ago with Allianz (spelling)? It was fairly small - one of us had to go to shp's doctor, received treatment and meds, got a receipt, paid, went home. We called Allianz and they said we needed to submit the bill to our regular health insurance company before they would consider paying it. We did that, and our health insurance covered it (surprise, surprise!) No need for Allianz to pay anything.

I've just spent an hour pouring over the fine print with insurance companies. I was disappointed to see that most, or probably all, companies provide dental insurance, but it's only for injury to natural, sound teeth. I certainly wouldn't want the companies to pay for a dentist to fill a cavity, but there seem to be some things that crop up suddenly in your mouth that can't just be ignored for a couple weeks and I was hoping an emergency visit to a dentist would be covered! So now I just ignore the differences in $ amount for dental care.

Basically I look at trip cancellation (though I don't expect to need it), trip interruption, medical, emergency evacuation, and stuff like that. I don't sweat the small stuff. I'm leaning heavily towards choosing Insure Assist's Trav Can Premier insurance. We're going to the South Pacific next, and I have to get this choice right!!

We have used CSA on nine or 10 occasions and had to file for missed trips on three occasions. The first two times my mother had been hospitalized. CSA refunded our full cruise amount and airfare in both cases. We had to provide proof that my mother was ill.

The third time was more of a hassle. My wife and a friend from Maine were doing a cruise from Florida. There was a giant snowstorm and the woman from Maine had her flight canceled and there were no other planes to get her to Florida. The letter from the airline said that the flight was canceled because of crew unavailability. CSA refused to pay anything because "crew unavailability" was not a covered hazard. Eventually the airline sent another letter saying that the crew was unavailable because of the weather. CSA then paid without further question.

We will use them again on our upcoming cruise, primarily because of their medical exclusion policy.they will give a medical exclusion if the policy is purchased at the time of the final payment. The other policies appear to only give this exclusion if you buy the policy at the Time that you make your initial deposit.

Always read the fine print in the contracts.

Ken

I checked my claim online today the amount showing is more than what I claimed for

So now I am curious I have to wait for the detailed report & cheques hopefully ;)

Anyone ever get back more than they claimed for ??? :confused:

Lyn

We made a medical claim on a TravelSafe policy that required extensive documentation and had extremely slow processing.

It was a life-or-death surgery according to our doctor, but the processor even demanded proof that we had purchased the policy. Surely they had a record?

Yes, that pre-existing waiver was confusing to me. Now I always prepare to buy insurance within 14 or at most 21 days of my initial payment.

One thing I always check is the trip interruption coverage. Some companies only pay the amount of the trip, but in our situation, that would leave us paying to fly home on our own, as the airfare is included in the cruise line fare, and I doubt the cruise line would just turn over the money they paid for our flights home.

I have certainly never gotten back MORE than I claimed! That would be a exceptional surprise!

I checked my claim online today the amount showing is more than what I claimed for

So now I am curious I have to wait for the detailed report & cheques hopefully ;)

 

Anyone ever get back more than they claimed for ??? :confused:

 

 

 

Lyn

Got our cheques today (about 5 wks since filing)

The difference was this time they converted the USD amounts to CAD (bonus)

Last time they did not they just paid the dollar amount no exchange rate taken into consideration

Same company so maybe different adjusters :confused:

I have had to submit a trip interruption claim before - used RBC insurance (we're Canadian).

Our flight home post-cruise was cancelled due to a terrible ice storm at home. Unfortunately the airline kept us waiting for 12 hours in the airport with repeated delays but no formal cancellation until that night. They wouldn't do anything to assist with alternate arrangements or hotels as it was a weather delay. They wouldn't even re-book our flights until their corporate office would do so the next day, so we had no clue when we would get home.

After over an hour on the phone trying to get through to the insurance company, they were great. We were on our own in terms of planning as their travel agency was closed for the night, but they told us how much we were allowed and authorized the use of the policy. We ended up calling the same hotel we stayed at pre-cruise to book a room, and hopped in their free airport shuttle to get there. We went for dinner next door to the hotel, purchased snacks and water at the hotel, and booked our own new flights online from the hotel lobby (at a cost of $800 per person - to fly one way from Newark to Toronto!!! [emoji33]).

Long story short, we made it home the following night, and submitted all of our receipts to the insurance company along with their claim forms and the email from the airline stating that our flight was cancelled, and my eventual notice of cancellation of the flight they re-booked us on (which wasn't until 4 days later!!!).

We got everything back - flights, tips to the shuttle drivers, dinner, food in the airport during our stop over, drinks on the plane, taxi home, and even our extra 2 nights of dog boarding... Plus the exchange for those items paid for in USD.

I was quite happy with everything! No arguments necessary! :)

I purchase it for big items like a cruise - the "downside" is big enough that I would hate to just eat the cost of a week-long trip for the two of us. On the other hand, the one time I did try to make a claim - for delayed (by two days!) baggage on an international trip, the insurance company (a normally very reputable one) made it difficult to file a claim for the small but perfectly legitimate costs of getting some basic toiletries, a toothbrush, a cheap shirt, and a pair of clean socks - all of which were badly needed after 24 hours in planes and airports in the middle of summer.

So far, the responses posted have only been experiences with third-party travel insurance. Has anyone had experience with cruise line insurance, specifically Royal Caribbean?

I have had to submit a trip interruption claim before - used RBC insurance (we're Canadian).

 

Our flight home post-cruise was cancelled due to a terrible ice storm at home. Unfortunately the airline kept us waiting for 12 hours in the airport with repeated delays but no formal cancellation until that night. They wouldn't do anything to assist with alternate arrangements or hotels as it was a weather delay. They wouldn't even re-book our flights until their corporate office would do so the next day, so we had no clue when we would get home.

 

After over an hour on the phone trying to get through to the insurance company, they were great. We were on our own in terms of planning as their travel agency was closed for the night, but they told us how much we were allowed and authorized the use of the policy. We ended up calling the same hotel we stayed at pre-cruise to book a room, and hopped in their free airport shuttle to get there. We went for dinner next door to the hotel, purchased snacks and water at the hotel, and booked our own new flights online from the hotel lobby (at a cost of $800 per person - to fly one way from Newark to Toronto!!! [emoji33]).

 

Long story short, we made it home the following night, and submitted all of our receipts to the insurance company along with their claim forms and the email from the airline stating that our flight was cancelled, and my eventual notice of cancellation of the flight they re-booked us on (which wasn't until 4 days later!!!).

 

We got everything back - flights, tips to the shuttle drivers, dinner, food in the airport during our stop over, drinks on the plane, taxi home, and even our extra 2 nights of dog boarding... Plus the exchange for those items paid for in USD.

 

I was quite happy with everything! No arguments necessary! :)

I submitted a claim 11 weeks ago to Trip Mate for Travel Safe Ins. Still no action. My flight was cancelled due to a storm in Dallas. They booked me on another flight to arrive four hours after the ship departed Vancouver. I too submitted all necessary paperwork AND a copy of the flight cancellation text.

It took them 7 weeks to confirm from the insurance company that I did indeed have a policy despite the substantiating paperwork paperwork and credit card statement.

Glad you had a good company. I'll not buy through this company ever again.

So far, the responses posted have only been experiences with third-party travel insurance. Has anyone had experience with cruise line insurance, specifically Royal Caribbean?

I was just reading this story(below);

http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2015/07/13/widow-warns-trip-insurance-may-not-cover-your-emergency/30116587/

Experts say it's important to know what you're buying and at the very least, make sure it covers what you need.

“When this story was brought to our attention, we just could not in good conscience not help her out,” AAA spokeswoman Jessica Brady tells Yahoo Travel. Brady personally presented Leggett with a check for $3,451.94.

Not a happy camper. My wife left the ship in an ambulance and was taken to a local Hospital in Europe. I contacted TinLeg and they arranged an ambulance flight at a cost of $ 95,000. So far so good.

On returning home, I submitted the paperwork for the cruise fare and the Hospital bill (paid at their urging, with the promise of immediate reimbursement). This was in November,2015. To date March,2016, no recognition, just "We never received the documents", all of which have been sent numerous times. From another website this seems to be the norm for

TinLeg. The SquareMouth "Zero Tolerance" promise seems to be a sham.

My advice: Go elsewhere.

The very first time we purchased travel insurance was for our first "big trip", for a major birthday and the start of "pre-retirement" travel.

With less than 2 weeks before our departure, DH had a medical emergency, and the medical orders were "Don't even think about traveling".

Our only "travel" was constant trips back and forth to medical appointment for testing, observation, and treatment.

We filed the claims late (but within the deadline, of course), because we were totally preoccupied with medical issues.

"Proving" all of our non-refundable expenses got tedious, given we had paid in parts over several months.

So... we finally figured that "Google et al." probably already "know" about all of our "charge account activity", and there wasn't anything really private on our statements, so we just printed out months of statements, and sent them along, with the relevant charges highlighted.

("Google et al." probably are long since tracking our charge account spending habits...)

Then it turned out that on a critical form, the physician had neglected to write in the "diagnosis" (ooops!).

So we got that taken care of and faxed in, and in less than a week, we got a call that the check would be in the mail, and in less than another week, we got the check.

We purchased the insurance worried more about medical concerns *after* leaving home. But it was indeed very nice - while dealing with the medical issues - to know that we weren't going to have to "pay again" to take that trip.

Then, a few trips later, we had an emergency trip interruption in the middle of an overseas land trip (didn't need to return home early, however).

Steve (at TripInsuranceStore.com) contacted TravelInsured about how to characterize the claim, which we did when we got home.

In our case, we ALWAYS insure with a 3rd party insurer (Travel Insured mostly, and once, CSA), and we always get the waiver of pre-existing condition exclusion.

(That also meant that the insurer didn't need to demand past medical records, which helped speed up the claim, I'm sure.)

The only thing we did find peculiar, as mentioned above, is why they demanded proof of purchase of the insurance.

SURELY they have their own records...?

In our case, these two early claims will pay for years and years of future travel insurance premiums.

And as we get older yet, chances are that more "things" are likely to happen. And that doesn't include regular "stuff" like canceled flights/weather problems, etc.

We also keep annual coverage with MedJetAssist.

Last year, we *almost* called them to get me home from an Italian hospital. It got to within hours, when my condition stabilized, and we didn't want to cancel ALL of the rest of the trip.

Insurance is covering the cost of several extra nights in a city we were supposed to have left the day after I got sick, and the cost of several sets of train tickets we couldn't use.

(The Italian hospital refused to accept any payment, stating they didn't have any way to do that. We tried very hard to pay, as we didn't feel entitled to free care, and certainly hadn't expected that.)

Yes, the "paperwork" for the claims was a bit tedious, but the insurer definitely has the right to determine that the claim is valid.

It would have been a lot *more* tedious if we'd needed to send in months and months of assorted prior medical records (or whatever is needed if the insurer needs to rule out a pre-existing condition exclusion) - or, I suppose for some folks who are healthier, to prove the *lack* of recent medical records...?

Not a happy camper. My wife left the ship in an ambulance and was taken to a local Hospital in Europe. I contacted TinLeg and they arranged an ambulance flight at a cost of $ 95,000. So far so good.

On returning home, I submitted the paperwork for the cruise fare and the Hospital bill (paid at their urging, with the promise of immediate reimbursement). This was in November,2015. To date March,2016, no recognition, just "We never received the documents", all of which have been sent numerous times. From another website this seems to be the norm for

TinLeg. The SquareMouth "Zero Tolerance" promise seems to be a sham.

My advice: Go elsewhere.

===========================

For your next trip....

Agree, too many odd connections and parties involved @ TinLeg. TinLeg distributes Seven Corners insurance policies so who is really doing the sales & servicing. Best to go direct to an actual insurance provider. CSA has a high claims payout based on our experience. Their website for claims is not great but they were fast to pay us.

http://www.csatravelprotection.com

We just received word from TravelInsured, which we purchased via USAA is going to pay out our claim entirely.

We had secondary coverage, as we have good coverage through our employer that includes oversees treatment.

We saw the Dr on the ship, then, on his advice, we went directly to the ER once we docked before flying home, making sure we were safe to fly. I had logged into our insurance company's site from the deck of the ship once we docked to find an ER in network, and called a friend to be sure of their opinion of that hospital before we went there. As a result, the expenses that we submitted were relatively low.

I also rented a car to get from the ship to the ER. When I called about the claim, I let the agent I spoke with know that I had done so. He encouraged me to submit the receipt for the car along with a note that I had rented it as a way to get from the ship to the ER in the most expedient way possible.

I had to pay all the bills and submit them, but once I had them all, along with the EOBs, I sent them all to TravelInsured. I received an email in less than 3 weeks that our claim was being paid in full.

We just received word from TravelInsured, which we purchased via USAA is going to pay out our claim entirely.

 

We had secondary coverage, as we have good coverage through our employer that includes oversees treatment.

 

We saw the Dr on the ship, then, on his advice, we went directly to the ER once we docked before flying home, making sure we were safe to fly. I had logged into our insurance company's site from the deck of the ship once we docked to find an ER in network, and called a friend to be sure of their opinion of that hospital before we went there. As a result, the expenses that we submitted were relatively low.

 

I also rented a car to get from the ship to the ER. When I called about the claim, I let the agent I spoke with know that I had done so. He encouraged me to submit the receipt for the car along with a note that I had rented it as a way to get from the ship to the ER in the most expedient way possible.

 

I had to pay all the bills and submit them, but once I had them all, along with the EOBs, I sent them all to TravelInsured. I received an email in less than 3 weeks that our claim was being paid in full.

Thank you for posting this information!