Credits or refunds on unused travel insurance

[PSC]

Hi All,

FYI World2Cover provided a full refund for a policy that I had,
that started on the 28th of Feb and went until 1st of April,
had to email saying I would not lodge a future claim.

Cheers
Tristan

 

[PeterM]

"I'll post a comprehensive account of my experience with Cover-More when I receive my refund, hopefully within a week or so. But a full refund was indicated as one of my three alternatives, and that was what I chose.
And, as i said in my initial post, that is what AAMI gave me - no questions asked."

Since my last post (quoted above) I have received my full refund from Cover-More. They were prompt and true to their word. Unlike AAMI they were not easy to contact. Waiting times to either talk to an operator or get onto live chat were OTT, and at one point on chat my waiting time showed 13 mins, then inexplicably slipped back to 41 minutes. I stuck it out.

Once I got on they were fine. They gave me 3 alternatives whcih unfortunately I didn't write down, but one was a full credit and one was a full refund. It was the latter that I was after. The operator indicated that she wanted my assurance that I had no intention of lodging a claim on the policy. I had no problem assuring her of that, and it was plain sailing after that. My credit card was recredited within 7 days as promised.

Cover-More had previously ignored my request via online form apart from an email acknowledging receipt of it and promising to get back to me within 2 working days. They didn't. I then sent their email back to them requesting a response (and was careful to use an address other than the "no-reply" one). Same response = no response. I then typed and posted them a letter. Ditto.

The moral of the story appears to be that you must communicate with a real person who can communicate with you on the spot.

Neither AAMI nor Cover-More wanted any sort of fee or % - full refunds were provided in both cases.

Good luck everyone. I hope this is helpful.

 

[daft009]

"I'll post a comprehensive account of my experience with Cover-More when I receive my refund, hopefully within a week or so. But a full refund was indicated as one of my three alternatives, and that was what I chose.
And, as i said in my initial post, that is what AAMI gave me - no questions asked."

Since my last post (quoted above) I have received my full refund from Cover-More. They were prompt and true to their word. Unlike AAMI they were not easy to contact. Waiting times to either talk to an operator or get onto live chat were OTT, and at one point on chat my waiting time showed 13 mins, then inexplicably slipped back to 41 minutes. I stuck it out.

Once I got on they were fine. They gave me 3 alternatives whcih unfortunately I didn't write down, but one was a full credit and one was a full refund. It was the latter that I was after. The operator indicated that she wanted my assurance that I had no intention of lodging a claim on the policy. I had no problem assuring her of that, and it was plain sailing after that. My credit card was recredited within 7 days as promised.

Cover-More had previously ignored my request via online form apart from an email acknowledging receipt of it and promising to get back to me within 2 working days. They didn't. I then sent their email back to them requesting a response (and was careful to use an address other than the "no-reply" one). Same response = no response. I then typed and posted them a letter. Ditto.

The moral of the story appears to be that you must communicate with a real person who can communicate with you on the spot.

Neither AAMI nor Cover-More wanted any sort of fee or % - full refunds were provided in both cases.

Good luck everyone. I hope this is helpful.

Thanks.v I'll call covermore today too

 

[pomona]

It would appear it is best not to use a "big name" company.
I submitted my claim for unused travel insurance to ALLIANZ back in March when APT pulled the plug on a trip. Got the usual auto response saying they will get back to me in 10 days & here we are 3 months later with zero info/action.
Called & was told the policy was only valid for 12months, however, I found a "Coverage Alert" for COVID, dated March 5th, where it stated....."may change the dates of coverage on their travel protection plan for up to 770 days from the original date...."
Called again, no idea about the doc & simply reverted to the PDS, which, of course does not include a COVID scenario.
Does anyone have a similar experience with ALLIANZ, caveat emptor?
Otherwise the next step will the Insurance Ombudsman in Brisbane
Thanks

 

[stoney]

I took out a NIB comprehensive policy for both of us in October 19 to cover us for a RTW trip commencing 17th of June 20. My first contact with them was 29/1/20 as the Covid 19 was not looking good and I wanted some guidance on claiming hotel bookings (at this stage no pandemic announced) referred me to the PDS. As it became aware it was a pandemic it was clear that the policy was no longer useable and so several phone calls were made to determine what could be claimed and the answer was that if a claim was made and if the claim was denied then that made the possibility of a refund of the policy cost not possible. I submitted a claim for a refund of the policy cost on the 28/5/20 and I am still waiting for a decision. Tomorrow is the last chance NIB has to refund or I will put a Disputed Transaction notice on the credit card and reverse the transaction.

 

[pomona]

CHALK & CHEESE...…?

Further to my Allianz debacle, they have until 22nd to respond, Inspiring Vacs has now pulled the plug on another trip in Sept this year. I called NIB this time, minimal delay, & spoke with a young lady in the Philippines who sent the email below outlining options just 5 minutes after I put the phone down

"We have reviewed your request and while we are unable to cancel your policy and offer a refund, as you are outside of your policy's Cooling-off Period, we are pleased to be able to offer you two options:

1. Amendment of your policy; or
2. Credit for the full value of your policy premium

Please read the information below to help with your selection.

1. Amendment of the departure date on your policy.

If you can reschedule your holiday, know the dates and are heading to the same destination, depending on your new departure date we may be able to amend your policy for you. If you do this, you will have the normal pre-trip benefits available under the policy, subject to the terms and conditions of the policy, which does exclude claims related to any COVID-19 and the associated government travel restrictions as this is now a known event. Just let us know before your current policy ends, ideally a few days before your scheduled date of departure, and we can change this for you. The new travel dates should commence within 12 months from issue date. If there is any additional premium payable for your new dates, we will let you know; or

2. Travel insurance credit for your policy.

If you are not sure at the moment when you will be travelling, we will happily offer you a credit for the full value of your policy premium. If you want to accept this offer, just reply to this email and let us know before 30 September 2020, so we can update your policy record and provide you with confirmation of your travel insurance credit. To be able to redeem this credit, you will need to purchase your new policy with us before 30 June 2021 and we will cancel and refund your unused policy...."

Of course this 12 month from issue date is useless as one takes out a policy months before departure to protect ones deposit, so, it seems option 2 is the way to go & at least protect our "investment".

At least they had plans in place for COVID & clearly explained options instead of just mumbling PDS.

Mind you, I do like Stoney's idea of a credit card Disputed Transaction Notice, will check that out with Amex re Allianz, as services were not provided as per contract of sale.

 

[NM]

I took out a TI policy through Columbus Direct in January for travel to NZ planned for July. Trip is now cancelled and I have refunds either paid or pending payment for all reservations, less $35 admin fee for my accommodation deposit that I had paid (which I agree is a reasonable amount to cover their admin costs). So I emailed Columbus Direct requesting cancellation of my travel insurance policy. I received a very prompt response offering a refund of about 65% of the premium amount I had paid, which I accepted. I then received confirmation that the premium has been cancelled and refund processed and funds should appear on the credit card statement withing 3-5 business days.

Pretty fair and reasonable outcome in my opinion. I do not expect a 100% refund in these circumstances, since the policy was active for 5 months covering all pre-trip risks. In the end I did not need to make any claims under the policy to receive refunds for the flights, accommodation etc., and the admin fee held for teh cancelled accommodation was reasonable and less than the travel insurance excess anyway.

Thanks for everyone's contribution to this thread. Without reading this thread I would not have been aware that I was able to request to cancel my policy for a partial refund.

 

[pomona]

Re My Allianz debacle I called the ombudsman office in BNE & was swiftly passed through to afca. Called them & received an email on how to lodge a claim
"If you would like to lodge a complaint call: 1800 931 678 email [email protected]
To allow us to lodge a complaint for you, please provide the following information to [email protected] or reply to this email with your answers:"
You can also find a complaint form on their web site.
Apparently the underwriters for Allianz are AWP Australia, seems they have history, allegedly

 

[JohnM]

I took out a TI policy through Columbus Direct in January for travel to NZ planned for July. Trip is now cancelled and I have refunds either paid or pending payment for all reservations, less $35 admin fee for my accommodation deposit that I had paid (which I agree is a reasonable amount to cover their admin costs). So I emailed Columbus Direct requesting cancellation of my travel insurance policy. I received a very prompt response offering a refund of about 65% of the premium amount I had paid, which I accepted. I then received confirmation that the premium has been cancelled and refund processed and funds should appear on the credit card statement withing 3-5 business days.

Pretty fair and reasonable outcome in my opinion. I do not expect a 100% refund in these circumstances, since the policy was active for 5 months covering all pre-trip risks. In the end I did not need to make any claims under the policy to receive refunds for the flights, accommodation etc., and the admin fee held for teh cancelled accommodation was reasonable and less than the travel insurance excess anyway.

Thanks for everyone's contribution to this thread. Without reading this thread I would not have been aware that I was able to request to cancel my policy for a partial refund.

Upthread I posted that I also got 65% refund from Columbus Direct and was similarly happy with that.

 

[pyffii]

We had a Travelcard Insurance policy through our insurance broker which we hadnt used since activating but had 6 months left on the policy ( we had 3 overseas trips booked from June through to November ) and as we had received all our deposits and payments back we cancelled our policy and had the funds in our account a few days later....Well worth using an insurance broker

 

[pomona]

Further two updates on Travel Insurance unethical behaviour, "when money talks ethics walk";

1) Today called AWP (Allianz) on 1800 133 494, their claims team, & explained my issue to a very empathetic young lady, who, unfortunately passed me over to a "dragon" whom was supposed to assist. Maybe she attended the FSB College on customer relations but basically was totally uninterested in my claim stating "the management have not decided on any claims & will not until next month". I reminded her I had the AFCA complaint form on screen to lodge a complaint, she could not have cared less. Allianz have had my money since last September !
AVOID ALLIANZ at ALL COST.

2) Received a reply from Chubb (AMEX travel Insurance) claiming that as tickets were only one way , BNE/KEF, then I was ineligible to make a claim, so much for AMEX "explorer" card, you can only explore if you leave Australia & return. Will need to check their PDS , just the thing if you cannot get to sleep, probably on page 93 !

Not a good day re the insurance crooks, BUT, have just received a positive SMS from BYO stating we shall get a total refund with no cancellation fees, maybe they are human after all.

Per ardua ad astra, but bloody hard ardua !

 

[pomona]

Further to submitting my claim with AWP online using the AFC complaint form 2 days ago I received a phone call from AWP this morning stating their claims management had magically reviewed my case & in view of the "delay" will be reimbursing my credit card for the full amount.
I know it is tiring but that is what some companies, esp. in the financial arena, rely upon, customer apathy.
Nil coughum Carborundum, or words to that effect !

 

[Dr Ralph]

I've applied to NIB for a refund of my annual policy which was due to start in August.Email response indicates I can change the dates of the policy. but didn't respond directly to my request for a refund.

 

[stoney]

I've applied to NIB for a refund of my annual policy which was due to start in August.Email response indicates I can change the dates of the policy. but didn't respond directly to my request for a refund.

I will be very interested to see how you get on and how you worded your request for a refund. My policy was for comprehensive. Still waiting on an answer to a request for a review due to the DEFAT level 4 restriction.

 

[Dr Ralph]

I will be very interested to see how you get on and how you worded your request for a refund. My policy was for comprehensive. Still waiting on an answer to a request for a review due to the DEFAT level 4 restriction.

FYI, here is my original email requesting the refund. As I indicated they have offered 'change of dates'. I'll take this if it is all that I can get, but I am pushing for the refund.

"Dear Sir/Madam,


I refer to policy number xx_xx_X. This was an annual policy due to commence on 2 August 2020. You would be aware that the Australian government is currently restricting all international travel. Earlier this week all of our international flights were cancelled by Qantas. Therefore we are unable to travel internationally for the foreseeable future and this policy is redundant.



On this basis I request that you provide a full refund for this policy ($675)."

 

[stoney]

Thank you Dr. Ralph,

I have responded to NIB’s knockback with the following:

Hi Pete,

Thank you for your notification. I am not satisfied with the decision as the NIB PDS states:

“Cancelling outside the cooling-off period
If you request to cancel your policy outside the cooling-off period, we may, at our discretion, refund that part of your premium paid for the unused period of insurance; we may charge an administration fee to do so. Also, you cannot have started your trip, made a claim and/or intend to make a claim or exercise any other right under your policy.”

This clearly states that NIB will refund my premium as I have not used the policy which commences on the 17/6/2020 or claimed on any part of it as there is a Level 4 placed on travel by DEFAT.

Please have a revision of the decision and reply ASAP as this has gone on too long.
from Chris

 

[Oubline]

In case it’s of use to anyone else, I got a full refund from Insure4less for a medical only policy due to start later this year. They’re the same group as TravelInsuranz and the underwriter is Berkshire Hathaway.

Their initial answer was that they would only put it on hold for a later date, but when I replied again explaining that it would be of no use to me they checked with the underwriter and the underwriter agreed to refund.

I had given up but decided to give it one more go and glad I did. Full credit to the insurance company as well.

 

[Dr Ralph]

FYI, here is my original email requesting the refund. As I indicated they have offered 'change of dates'. I'll take this if it is all that I can get, but I am pushing for the refund.

"Dear Sir/Madam,


I refer to policy number xx_xx_X. This was an annual policy due to commence on 2 August 2020. You would be aware that the Australian government is currently restricting all international travel. Earlier this week all of our international flights were cancelled by Qantas. Therefore we are unable to travel internationally for the foreseeable future and this policy is redundant.



On this basis I request that you provide a full refund for this policy ($675)."

No response from NIB. Sent another email reminding them that this is now a junk policy and referring them to their PDS.

 

[Dr Ralph]

No response from NIB. Sent another email reminding them that this is now a junk policy and referring them to their PDS.

Got another email from NIB. Best they are prepared to offer me is a credit with them that needs to be used by June 2021.

I'm pushing again, a bit harder this time. Prepared to give AFCA a shot if I don't get a positive response:

"Dear Christine,



Thank you for your most recent response to the series of enquiries I have made over the past few weeks with regard to obtaining a refund for policy number xx_xx_xx_XX. This is now the fourth contact I have had with NIB about this matter.



At this time I am not satisfied with the progress that I have made. Without prejudice, below I outline for you the salient facts and once again request that you process a refund for this policy.



1) NIB has sold a junk policy. That is a policy which NIB knows that I will never be able to use or make a claim against.



2) It is incorrect for you to state: "we are unable to cancel your policy and offer a refund." Under the PDS, NIB IS able to offer a refund of my policy. Your PDS explicitly permits this to occur. As you appear to be unfamiliar with the PDS, I provide the relevant part of the PDS for you here:

"If you request to cancel your policy outside the cooling-off period, we may, at our discretion, refund that part of your premium paid for the unused period of insurance; we may charge an administration fee to do so."



3) NIB is aware that it is very unlikely that I or other Australian citizens will be able to travel internationally by the time that the proposed credit would expire. The offer of the credit is therefore inappropriate.



4) I am prepared to lodge a formal complaint with AFCA if this matter is not satisfactorily resolved and this email serves as the notice to you that AFCA requires.



If you are not in a position to consider this further, I urge you to refer this matter to a more experienced member of staff who is familiar with your PDS, so that the refund that I have now requested multiple times can be processed without further delay. "

 

[PPOW]

Just called Covermore to cancel my policy after no response from my online enquiry submitted mid june.

Total call time - 4 minutes.

3 options - 24 month credit from date policy started, change of dates or full refund to be issued in 3-5 business days.

Confirmation email of my cancelled policy was emailed within a minute of ending the call.

Nearly changed insurers for this trip due to cost, but glad I stayed with them now.