Travel Insurance *******

The issue: Selling travel insurance that is not worth the paper it is written as part of a travel booking on and then refusing to pay claims against the policy even when they admit that they should.

The result: Both Travelstart and Hollard have lost and my business interests as a client and I have lodged a complaint with the insurance ombudsman.

Those involved: Travelstart – from whom the ticket and defective insurance was acquired Hepstar Financial Services (Pty) Ltd – Financial Services company that issued the policy Hollard Insurance – the Insurance police underwriters Oojah Travel Protection (Pty) Limited – processes the claim

Events in short: 1. On 14 August 2018 we were informed that my sister was in a critical medical condition in Tel Aviv Israel 2. I immediately booked two tickets via Travelstart for my father and myself – copy attached – flights leaving the 15 August and returning 19 August 2018 3. Included in this purchase was travel insurance – certificates attached 4. Unfortunately, my father’s passport had expired, and home affairs refused to supply emergency travel documents despite this being clearly possible on their website subject provision of a travel ticket as acquired from Travelstart. As a result, we had to cancel my father’s ticket and incurred a cost of: a. Airline Penalty: R 3789.00 b. Admin Fee: R 250.00 c. Total: R 4039.00 5. I then travelled on my own. 6. Unfortunately, my sister passed away on 18 August 2018 7. As a result, I had to postpone my return by 1 day in order to attend her burial. The cost incurred for this are: a. Airline Penalty: R2100.00 b. Admin Fee: R R598.00 c. Total: R2698.00 8. I then lodged 1 claim and then 2 separate claims at the request of the insurer despite me being the insured party i.e. I am responsible for the insurance and any claims or refunds would be processed through me. 9. The claim against the policy in my father’s name has been rejected on the basis that it was issued incorrectly as he over 71 years old and should never have been issued. In addition, the policy has been unilaterally cancelled and the fee refunded post the travel by Travelstart. I suspect the reason the policy was issued incorrectly is on buying the policy I was asked if I was over 71 (I am not) and therefore the system processed the cover for me and my father. Travelstart was fully aware of my fathers age as I called into their call centre to discuss how I could organise wheelchair service for him. Travelstart has admitted the error and refunded the cost of cover i.e. R225. Unfortunately, this does not cover my damages of R4039.00 against a policy I fully expected to cover this event and where Travelstart has also admitted to liability in issuing a defective policy. 10. The rejection of Claim against the policy in my name is because and I quote “The reason we don’t provide cover for extending a return back home or postponing a return back home is because it is not a common experience.” This even though, they acknowledge that the event of my sister passing away is a covered event as explicitly stated in the policy leading to me missing my connecting flight to Zurich and then home. I quote “Your references below to the events that are covered under the peril of Postponement of a Trip (due to the death of a close relative) are correct, but only due to the covered perils (Cancellation of a Trip, Cutting your Trip Short, Postponement of a Trip, including the other named perils for Section 4). “ Clearly then my loss of R2698 should be covered for the following two reasons: a. Why bother buying travel insurance if incidents that cause delays during the actual travel are not covered. I also cannot believe this not a common occurrence – loss of passport, getting arrested and myriad of other incidents would not then be covered negating the use of this travel insurance altogether. b. The entire idea of travel insurance is to cover travel and the police clearly states in bold “MISSED CONNECTING FLIGHT or CRUISE” that’s exactly what occurred.