Travel Insurance Rip Off

[g1057]

Hi ,brother in law booked a four day holiday to the Canaries a few months ago to go next week. He has Leukemia , and declared everything to the travel insurance company, and after giving him his quote,he decided to buy. Now the FCO are saying only essential travel to these islands, making his travel insurance invalid. Even though Ryanair are still flying ,he cannot travel without insurance due to his medical condition. He contacted his insurance to see if he could put in a claim , he was told that he couldn’t , he then asked for a refund as he cannot travel and wasn’t needing his insurance , again they refused him. Where does he stand. Thanks

[bednobs]

I think he just has to accept their decision. I presume they told him why?

[fiction-factory]

I'm obviously sympathetic regarding his medical condition and his bad luck regarding the FO advice, but I don't think his leukemia has any bearing on the insurance company's position

[fiction-factory]

I'm puzzled though. I thought in this circumstance the holiday company should reimburse. Did he book a package or via Ryanair.

As ana side I will never travel with Ryanair again after the ducking and diving regarding my cancelled holiday this year. They keep sending a voucher and i reject it. Every time I chase up my refund they send another voucher. They are now asking me for all sorts of documents before they can process a refund- copies again of all relevant emails, proof they cancelled the flight, copy of my passport, proof of address, proof I rejected a voucher....

[Ellipsis]

We did a chargeback through our credit card when given the run-around by the abysmal Ryanair. That should work for you FF.

Not so sure it would work for your BiL, g1057, as Ryanair are willing to fly him. I think it is an insurance job.

[fiction-factory]

Chargeback did sometimes work but, as Simon Calder and Martin Lewis have reported, a lot of credit cards are not now pursuing chargeback because the airline is not refusing to refund you- it's saying it will refund you at some stage as soon as it can because of huge backlogs etc etc(yeah I know) and in the meantime there is a voucher offer in case you want that.

[fiction-factory]

Oh yes- Ryanair also said that as a condition for requesting a refund I had to agree I wouldn't do a chargeback claim- and if I did subsequently make a claim I'd go to the back of their queue again.
I won't touch them with a bargepole in future.

[Ellipsis]

Wow, sorry to hear that factor, but good to know as I'm starting to think about booking a holiday again ...

[bednobs]

Tbh they are probably all the same

[Prudie]

Has his brother checked with his insurance that they will cover him if he decides to go? We are in a similar position, all booked to go somewhere against FCO advice but flights are still going. We (husband and I) have separate policies through our banks and both confirmed that if we decide to go we are still covered as normal. It was if we personally chose not to go that we would come up against re-claim problems.

[Prudie]

Sorry meant your brother of course

[g1057]

Brother in law was told that if he did travel ,his insurance would be invalid. Now they have said that due to him unable to travel ,they would refund half of his policy fee ???

[Ellipsis]

Who is the travel insurance firm? It sounds like they're making it up as they go along.

[bednobs]

i would presume as it was only booked a few months ago (in the midst of a global pandemic) that it did not cover the FCO changing their advice about particular countries