HI Pete , sorry to hear of your accident and best wishes for a speedy recovery .
What the hell were you doing falling off a roof !!!! which would be the response I would get from my wife and family if I did the same , and it can happen any time to anyone ( serious accidents ) so good to hear you have received good service from a couple of companies which means less to stress about and no financial loss .
I have insurance through barclays and though I haven't yet needed to use it , it's good to know they are helpful , prompt and sympathetic like your travel agent as well .
I suppose it's fair to say that insurance through barclays is probably not the cheapest out there and H&J might cost a bit more than other agents , but when problems arise it proves you get what you pay for , and using reputable companies means a peace of mind and good service .

Wishing you a speedy recovery and return to full health .

I hope you're making a speedy recovery.

It's always pleasing to hear of a Tour Operator and Insurance company doing a good job.

To be fair though, I've never had anything but good service on the couple of occasions I've had to cancel or claim for medical on travel insurance (not H&J or Barclays). The 'bad customer service' seems to arise when people think the Tour Operator or airline should refund them because it's not their fault they can't travel. They post on FB and then everyone says how disgusting ???? is not giving you all your money back etc etc.

I think when insurance claims are cut and dried as in an accident preventing travel most pay out without hassle. On both occasions I've had a cheque back within a week of them receiving the claim documentation. It's when pre existing conditions come into play that it can get messy

In the link below , it mentions that the ombudsman has an average of 43 complaints a week and finds in favour in over half the cases for the consumer , so a fair bit of bad service going on there !!
I think that in Pete's case he was impressed with the speedy and helpful service at what must have been a very difficult time in that his son was able to start the process on his behalf and they were very helpful in this , it's all very well companies doing what they are legally obliged to do , but providing helpful and sympathetic service is an extra that deserves mention and praise , I think we've all experienced at some time how difficult and uncompromising some companies can be .
Once again , good to hear of excellent customer service , and thanks for naming the companies , good service should be recognised and often it isn't .

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/jun/09/travel-insurance-pick-best-policy#comments

Aww Pete, first & foremost so, so sorry to hear of your accident! And what an accident it was! Sheesh.


Pleased to hear though that your insurance company dealt with your claim swiftly & to your satisfaction which must have taken a lot of stress from you all.

Thanks Pete & wishing you well. Please keep us informed of your progress xx

Sorry to hear about your accident and hope that you are back on the holiday trail in the not to distant future.

andy66 wrote:

In the link below , it mentions that the ombudsman has an average of 43 complaints a week and finds in favour in over half the cases for the consumer , so a fair bit of bad service going on there !!

I wonder what that is when expressed as a % of all claims made? That's the only way one can really judge whether there is a lot of bad service out there or whether the great majority of claims are settled just as speedily to the custoemrs satisfaction.

It is good though to see Hayes and Jarvis receive some praise here given the posts of the 'Don't touch them with a bargepole' type that have appeared here over the years. There are probably many satisifed customers of all the other TAs too but people do tend to only post when they have a problem and it is nice to see positive feedback to counterbalance the negative.

SM

SMa wrote:

I wonder what that is when expressed as a % of all claims made? That's the only way one can really judge whether there is a lot of bad service out there or whether the great majority of claims are settled just as speedily to the custoemrs satisfaction.

SM

I'm sure there are thousands of claims made per year and would like to think most claimants are satisfied with their claim , some might not be happy , some might take the time to complain to the financial ombudsman service and of these that do make it to the FOS , over half of the cases find favour with the claimant .
There might not be a lot of bad service , but there could be a fair bit of bad service suffered by claimants overall , we don't know how many do not complain or use the FOS .

http://conversation.which.co.uk/transport-travel/travel-insurance-policy-rejected-claims-survey-small-print/

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/sep/23/ombudsman-insurance-claims-alcohol-abuse

I'm sure the vast majority do receive good service , and that should be the norm , there are reports of bad service though , but very pleased to hear of excellent service that Pete received .

Firstly thanks to all who have wished me a speedy recovery - I am still smarting from being reminded (rightly) by my wife that she told me not to go on the roof and her supreme sarcasm in thanking me for sparing her the horror of a lengthy visit to one of our favourite hotels in one of our favourite countries - Thailand. Of course she is right - I'll never live it down!

I am rather hoping that good customer service is likely to feature more and more, as TOs and TAs realise that if they want repeat business they have got to do something to deserve our custom. After years of DIY trips, we are suddenly finding that specialist companies are now able to "package" various elements at a very cost-effective rate. Indeed this is the third Hayes & Jarvis package that we have booked in 3 years, the previous two being to Bali and Mauritius.

The thing that has attracted us back has been their price AND their service. Whilst no company will ever get things 100% correct - especially when relying on 3rd parties for much of their offering and, of course, relying on the realistic expectations of their clients - it is nice to know that some companies do try.

Barclays have had some exceptionally bad press today regarding the closure of premium package accounts that include such things as travel insurance. Following my good experience of their "packaged" travel insurance, I hope that they realise that they can very rapidly lose the confidence and loyalty of their customers.

Whilst I have not been directly affected by Premier account closure, their high handed and insensitive approach has made me worry for the future. Like others, I stick with my (admittedly old) package, simply because it provides worldwide travel for myself and my wife until age 79. I still have a good few years until I reach that age, but it was a major factor in my choice of account, many years ago, and to withdraw this particular element, just as it is coming into play would be a great worry. Barclays should note that loyalty is a two way thing.

Nevertheless, my experience this time has been excellent.

Peter

Good to hear you're feeling better , apart from the sarcastic reminders part and parcel of married life !!
Having confidence in suppliers is obviously important and encourages repeat business which makes me despair at why bad service exists . Pleased you have found someone who suits your needs and can provide the specialist nature of your holidays, hope you get something rebooked soon .

Thanks for the info on barclays , I will check up on my situation , I'm sure I have the same package as you , will see the manager as I'm in there every day !!