FCC for Covid isolation - HELP!

[FireFighter115]

Let me start by saying I am by no means a complaining Karen, and I actually have put off making this post for a few weeks now.  I also apologize if this is a topic covered elsewhere on the boards.  I am only a casual user here.

 

My wife and I are platinum and have cruised exclusively on Princess for the last 10+ years.  On our recent Panama Canal cruise my wife was ill and tested positive for covid.  She fully recovered but spent six days isolated in the cabin.  The staff was great to us and the communication was very clear as to do's and don'ts and the services provided for us.  One of the items listed was that we should expect a FCC for the days she was in isolation.  I inquired on the ship how this was to take place without any clear direction other than call Princess when we get home.  I kept all the documentation of the isolation and tests that we took to support a claim later to get a FCC.

 

When we arrived home Princess told us to file a claim with Aon since we had vacation protection coverage purchased through Princess when booking the cruise.  On a different call we were told to fill out a form on the Princess website asking for reimbursement.  We have done both of these things.  I made the Aon claim on December 6, and have filled out the reimbursement form on the Princess website now a number of times.  I have also called my vacation planner at Princess and emailed the customer service email address at Princess more than once.  All to no avail.

 

I am now calling Aon every day making sure that a record of my call is put on my documentation there.  No response from Princess is a little disheartening to say the least.  Aon says to please give them 30 days to make a decision on my claim, but it has been 50+ days now.

 

Three thoughts...

 

1. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get this cleared up?

2. If Aon gets all of our business through Princess for vacation protection should their customer service be better?  Should Princess hold them accountable to take care of us since they are funneled all of our business?

3. Obviously there are other cruising options.  We love Princess, but radio silence and the courting of other lines honoring loyalty status makes spending our dollars somewhere else a real possibility.

 

We have already booked our next Princess cruise, but will it be our last with them for a while.

 

Sorry to rant, anyone have any suggestions?

 

FF115

[Rick&Jeannie]

We have gone through AON twice now...and both times it took about 6-8 weeks for resolution.  I think you will get some type of response within the next couple of weeks.  Give it some (more) time.

[memoak]

It does take some time to get the FCC’s applied to your account. If you use a Princess CVP you may be able to get it escalated. We did this and it helped but it still too several months. Ours was complicated due to Canadian hotel quarantine as well

[CaptainPedantic]

It took about 6 weeks for our FCC to be applied from our July 2022 Sky Princess cruise. We did get a letter while onboard telling us how much the credit would be and this was correctly applied. Hope you get yours soon!

[PacnGoNow]

3 hours ago, FireFighter115 said:

Let me start by saying I am by no means a complaining Karen, and I actually have put off making this post for a few weeks now.  I also apologize if this is a topic covered elsewhere on the boards.  I am only a casual user here.

 

My wife and I are platinum and have cruised exclusively on Princess for the last 10+ years.  On our recent Panama Canal cruise my wife was ill and tested positive for covid.  She fully recovered but spent six days isolated in the cabin.  The staff was great to us and the communication was very clear as to do's and don'ts and the services provided for us.  One of the items listed was that we should expect a FCC for the days she was in isolation.  I inquired on the ship how this was to take place without any clear direction other than call Princess when we get home.  I kept all the documentation of the isolation and tests that we took to support a claim later to get a FCC.

 

When we arrived home Princess told us to file a claim with Aon since we had vacation protection coverage purchased through Princess when booking the cruise.  On a different call we were told to fill out a form on the Princess website asking for reimbursement.  We have done both of these things.  I made the Aon claim on December 6, and have filled out the reimbursement form on the Princess website now a number of times.  I have also called my vacation planner at Princess and emailed the customer service email address at Princess more than once.  All to no avail.

 

I am now calling Aon every day making sure that a record of my call is put on my documentation there.  No response from Princess is a little disheartening to say the least.  Aon says to please give them 30 days to make a decision on my claim, but it has been 50+ days now.

 

Three thoughts...

 

1. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get this cleared up?

2. If Aon gets all of our business through Princess for vacation protection should their customer service be better?  Should Princess hold them accountable to take care of us since they are funneled all of our business?

3. Obviously there are other cruising options.  We love Princess, but radio silence and the courting of other lines honoring loyalty status makes spending our dollars somewhere else a real possibility.

 

We have already booked our next Princess cruise, but will it be our last with them for a while.

 

Sorry to rant, anyone have any suggestions?

 

FF115

I think sending messages repeatedly, only slows down the response for claims.

 

Sounds like you applied for just the FCC’s?  Check her account periodically, for Future cruise credits. They will just appear in her account.  
 

If you applied Dec 6th, you may hear in February, I would think. Some have waited a lot longer, as AON handles claims for several lines, not just PCL.

 

No excuses, just reality of staff shortages everywhere. 
 

I would lean on your CVP and ask if they could help expedite things.  I also applied on Dec 7th and haven’t heard anything.

 

When you check your claim number on AON, does it say “In Progress?”

 

Does anyone know how long the “In Progress” usually takes?

 

Good luck and let me know when you see those FCC’s.  TIA

[Rick&Jeannie]

You *should* get an email directly from AON once they have "blessed" your claim.  At that point it is turned over to Princess (by AON...nothing for you to do) and then you generally have another potential delay in the credits showing up on your account.  I may be wrong...but I don't think Princess ever sends out any communication when they have applied to your account;  it just shows up.  Keep an eye out for that email from AON.

[pklein9747]

We did not use Princess insurance on our Alaskan cruise where we contracted Covid.  Princess, however, had promised us FCC and, at the time, a daily food allowance as we were required to quarantine off the ship.  After filling things out, and waiting 8 weeks, someone on CC said it was best to contact Princess Solutions.  The thing was...you can't contact Princess Solutions directly...you have to go through Princess Customer Service.  

 

So on a day when I had lots of time, I called the main Princess number.  After being on hold for over a half hour, I spoke with a rep and asked to be transferred to Princess Solutions.  Two & half hours later I finally spoke with a lovely woman and explained about our FCCs, covid, etc.  After checking her records...of which there was not one for us...she explained that she needed to contact the ship to confirm we had test positive and had been quarantined.  I also emailed her all of the documentation that I had.  She asked that I give it 10-14 days.  Two weeks later I emailed her to follow up and precisely two days later we had our FCCs and a check followed the following week.

 

It may definitely be worth your time to contact Princess Solutions.  Oh, and when you get transferred to them and are on hold, it may seem like you have been disconnected.  Just stay on the line.  Best of luck.

[JoRoy218]

Similar scenario here, hubby tested + on our cruise (disembarked 1/3),  did the required 5 days isolation. Fortunately I remained negative.  Treated very well, lots of staff checking on him. Lots of confusion who was responsible for removing used dishes and garbage. Overworked cabin steward took responsibility. Re: FCC, we were told same, should take 30 days. Filed with our private health insurance for Dr. Charge and meds given. (May not cover any since we were out of country.) AON will review after our health insurance responds. I can see a long process here. 
One major complaint, we are both medical, packed “just in case” meds and home tests, when medical evaluated hubby they said they'd supply Tylenol and cough drops. He said “we don’t need those.” They appeared with meds, including above. The charge for the cough drops alone was $10.00 for basic cough drops.  Can see how complicated this will be. 

Edited January 28, 2023 by JoRoy218

[memoak]

26 minutes ago, JoRoy218 said:

Similar scenario here, hubby tested + on our cruise (disembarked 1/3),  did the required 5 days isolation. Fortunately I remained negative.  Treated very well, lots of staff checking on him. Lots of confusion who was responsible for removing used dishes and garbage. Overworked cabin steward took responsibility. Re: FCC, we were told same, should take 30 days. Filed with our private health insurance for Dr. Charge and meds given. (May not cover any since we were out of country.) AON will review after our health insurance responds. I can see a long process here. 
One major complaint, we are both medical, packed “just in case” meds and home tests, when medical evaluated hubby they said they'd supply Tylenol and cough drops. He said “we don’t need those.” They appeared with meds, including above. The charge for the cough drops alone was $10.00 for basic cough drops.  Can see how complicated this will be. 

We have a Medicare Advantage plan through Kaiser Northwest and got reimbursed for all tests and meds including Paxlovid but it took a month or so to get the check

[JoRoy218]

10 minutes ago, memoak said:

We have a Medicare Advantage plan through Kaiser Northwest and got reimbursed for all tests and meds including Paxlovid but it took a month or so to get the check

Thanks! Very encouraging news. 

[JoRoy218]

On 1/28/2023 at 9:43 AM, JoRoy218 said:

Similar scenario here, hubby tested + on our cruise (disembarked 1/3),  did the required 5 days isolation. Fortunately I remained negative.  Treated very well, lots of staff checking on him. Lots of confusion who was responsible for removing used dishes and garbage. Overworked cabin steward took responsibility. Re: FCC, we were told same, should take 30 days. Filed with our private health insurance for Dr. Charge and meds given. (May not cover any since we were out of country.) AON will review after our health insurance responds. I can see a long process here. 
One major complaint, we are both medical, packed “just in case” meds and home tests, when medical evaluated hubby they said they'd supply Tylenol and cough drops. He said “we don’t need those.” They appeared with meds, including above. The charge for the cough drops alone was $10.00 for basic cough drops.  Can see how complicated this will be. 

Follow up to above post, before debarkation Princess gave us a letter stating FCC to be returned to our account based on 5 days of hubby’s isolation. This was credited exactly 30 days after final cruise day. 
We did submit medical charges from on board to our insurance (Humana PPO) and declined to pay since we were out of the country. 😕 So, proceeded to file with AON (1/30). As of today I see it has not progressed past “assigned.”  Guess I need to be more patient. 
I appreciate everyone’s input, thanks! 

[JoRoy218]

I have to share positive news for a change. I was totally shocked to get an email from AON/Princess Vacation Protection re: our claim for reimbursement. We filed on 1/30 and were notified claim was settled for full amount and should be rec’d in 3-5 days. Never expected it to be that quick! There’s hope!

[Sailin Gal]

Similar situation, DH got covid on a sailing last August and was quarantined most of the cruise.  We had the platinum insurance  from Princess.  It took a little more than 5 months for AON to pay the claim and Princess to issue FCC.  We spent many hours on the phone with AON because the first reimbursement they sent us was just a fraction of the claim, and there was no explanation and the amounts didnt match anything we had submitted.   I hope yours is resolved much faster than that. 

[venussuz]

Similar here as well, in that we disembarked June 13, stayed in a quarantine hotel outside of London for five nights, then flew home. We had the platinum insurance as well, filed the claim June 19th and the claim has been "in progress" since mid August. I've been trying to deal with Aon "Absolutely you've submitted everything you needed to. You just need to wait for the examiner to finish with it." Then they requested my positive Covid test again last month - I sent it for the third time. A week later I got an email requiring the proof for my hotel stay as well as documentation for all meals. I sent that for the third time. I haven't received a check but I know two of the people in our group each got a check for a random amount ($247 or some such) in August. The other four haven't gotten a thing from Aon or Princess. 

@PKlein9747  I will definitely try to contact Princess Solutions tomorrow. If that doesn't work I'll file a complaint with the state's insurance commissioner.  

[MaisonRose]

Who are Princess Solutions? What is Aon?   I travelled Apr 16 on Emerald. My husband & I disembarked May 1 for purposes of quarantine,

having missed two days on ship + May 1/9 British Isles.

Nothing shows on my Princess account and I can’t find any forms to fill out on the Princess website.

 

We have other travel insurance but must clear up the Princess situation before filing.

Thanks for any further discussion.

Susan

 

[kiwimum]

@MaisonRoseSounds like we were on the same cruise.  DH tested positive at the end  of our BI cruise May 2022 after the TA.  Inadvertently I forgot to add Princess insurance.  Worked to our advantage as we did not have to deal with AON for reimbursement.   Spent 7 days at Radisson Blu Heathrow, 5 days paid by Princess.   Filed claim with Princess for 2 days, per diem, testing expenses upon return home.   Princess changed our flights home with no additional charge.  Reimbursed end of October for all out of pocket expenses.  
 

if you go to Princess.com, select contact us, support request and use the drop down to claim out of pocket expenses. Your FCC for days in isolation should have appeared in your accounts, ours appeared within days of the cruise end.

 

Dealing with AON insurance is the hold up.

Edited February 27, 2023 by kiwimum

[FireFighter115]

Update!

 

I call AON about once a week just to make sure they continue to make notes on my file about how long it has been since I made my insurance claim for covid isolation on our November Panama Canal cruise.  Their website says allow for 30 days.  Next week will be 90 days!  Last week I received an email from AON again claiming that they are "experiencing a large number of claims" and to please allow them ANOTHER 30 DAYS to review my claim.

 

AON = completely useless.  If Princess wants to funnel the cruise insurance business, of which I would believe that they receive a portion of what we pay for AON to get the full scope of the business, to a company that is incapable of providing quality service, then I will at least choose another insurance provider, if not another cruise line.

 

I have continued to communicate with my vacation planner, but that is about useless also.  I have on a number of occasions gone to the contact us portion of the Princess website and submitted for reimbursement there.  This issue is one of three that I currently have with Princess customer service.  (I promise I am not a complaining Karen.  I have never had a customer service issue like this before with any company.)  Yesterday when I logged in I found a goodwill FCC of one day of per diem and a $100 casino credit for a new booking sometime in the next year.  No call, no email, no explanation, it just showed up.?.

 

I will enjoy our Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Regal in a little over a week, but I have realistic expectations on Princess customer service moving forward.  Possibly looking at going on the red and white ships later this year.

[san diego sue]

sounds like if one has covid and are isolated it was better not to have the insurance at all.Looks like from reading this , those people got paid right away from Princess direct.

I always have Aon. We get it because we worry about having to cancel before a cruise.Had to do this twice and was greatful we had the insurance. Both times easy, just asked for FCC and got it. No big waiting.

Also reading all this, it can make people not report they are ill and not be isolated. Then Covid will be spread to the passengers.

 

[FireFighter115]

Final Update...

 

We received an email from Aon this week stating that we will get a check in the mail for the days in isolation.  When we filed the claim they said allow 30 days.  It turned into 90 days.  Our next cruise is next week and obviously we hope to be healthy and not need the insurance, but for our next vacation we will do some do diligence in finding a better option.  A better option is not only how expensive it is, but also how it rates with reviews of the users of the policies it issues.

 

On a scale of 1-5 stars...

 

Aon 2.5 (we did end up getting the result we wanted but not in the time we wanted.  I was always able to call and speak with a person even if they were not able to help, at least they listened.)

 

Princess Customer service 1.5 (Radio silence from emails and forms filled out on Princess website asking for help and reimbursement.  My previous vacation planner has left Princess, and my new one is not so helpful.)

[billco]

2 hours ago, FireFighter115 said:

Princess Customer service 1.5 (Radio silence from emails and forms filled out on Princess website asking for help and reimbursement.  My previous vacation planner has left Princess, and my new one is not so helpful.)

We filed our Covid claims with AON and Princess last August. They were paid in January. Can’t speak for AON, but was told that Princess has an office of 14 handling over 60,000 claims. Makes sense to me that the process has been stretched to the limit. Even more if resources are devoted to answering questions that can’t be answered.

[Buckeye10640]

1 hour ago, FireFighter115 said:

Final Update...

 

We received an email from Aon this week stating that we will get a check in the mail for the days in isolation.  When we filed the claim they said allow 30 days.  It turned into 90 days.  Our next cruise is next week and obviously we hope to be healthy and not need the insurance, but for our next vacation we will do some do diligence in finding a better option.  A better option is not only how expensive it is, but also how it rates with reviews of the users of the policies it issues.

 

On a scale of 1-5 stars...

 

Aon 2.5 (we did end up getting the result we wanted but not in the time we wanted.  I was always able to call and speak with a person even if they were not able to help, at least they listened.)

 

Princess Customer service 1.5 (Radio silence from emails and forms filled out on Princess website asking for help and reimbursement.  My previous vacation planner has left Princess, and my new one is not so helpful.)

I am glad you appear to have gotten a resolution! My experience for a post cruise travel delay (nor Covid) was similar. Claim filed in March, paid in full in August after many followup calls, additional doc, etc. It was very easy to get someone on the phone, but all they could really do was read the case notes to me. It was my first time using Princess insurance (AON) instead of purchasing my own policy and first travel claim with any insurance, so I dont know how efficient other companies are in a similar scenario. Have a good trip!

[PescadoAmarillo]

1 hour ago, billco said:

Can’t speak for AON, but was told that Princess has an office of 14 handling over 60,000 claims.

So Princess wants to operate their business, but only the on board and reservation parts of their business. And the latter only when their system allows for it.