i had to cancel a holiday this year as my dad passed away
we had a lot of hasstle with the insurance company as i didnt tell them my dad was ill
but eventually i got my money back less exsess
was a hasstle but we won in the end

Well, it is my own father that has been taken ill. He does not want to travel now and in any case, he is too ill to do so, but this has never happened to me before.

I have no idea of what the procedure is, or what to do first. The money is not the important thing, although it amounts to around £2,000 for the three of us.

I just need to know what to do basically, as I have never ever had to cancel a holiday before, let alone only one week prior to departure.

get in touch with your insurance company and give them the details of why you have to cancel your holiday. (as long as it is not an ilness your farther has had for a while that you did not informed your company when you booked your holiday) you should get your money back less any exess they will probbely ask you for a doctors certifacaite but you should be ok

hope i have helped the fatboy

ps hope your farther gets better soon

I think you're missing the most obvious thing here. First contact either Thomson's directly or via the agent and tell them you need to cancel. Given that you are so close they will probably tell you that you've lost everything but if prompted should do this in writing.

The insurance company probably won't want to look at a claim until they have some written proof of how much has been lost (and that there was no other way of recovering it). You should tell them as soon as Thomson give you their answer.

And don't repeat the phrase "he does not want to travel", the bit they will cover for is the being too ill - and that will need a doctor's certificate. More bad news- most doctors charge for these and most insurance won't pay for them.

If you get the paperwork right and the insurance company is half decent you should only lose the excess' (maybe £50 each) and the cost of the doctor's certificate. You ought to have the rest by Christmas.

The insurance company will want cacellation invoice from thomson before they will look at your claim. When my mum cancelled her holiday due to a illness she didn't have to supply a medical certificate and I believe the insurance company contacted her GP. But one insurance company to another have different rules when it comes to claiming.

Ring your insurance company and tell them what has happened and they should send you what you need to do, they did with my mum and her insurance was through thomsons.

Thomson will want your cancellation in writing, but your first port of call is the lunn poly shop you booked through.

Benidorm you might struggle with anyone who isn't closely related to your father in getting your money refunded by the insurance.

I would firstly ring the insurers and ask them what the position is with regards to one member of a party falling ill. You might wish to make the decision of some of the party taking the holiday as planned.

Hi Gary,
Hope your father is feeling better now. I'm sorry about you all missing your holiday - I know how you have enjoyed your trips to Benidorm and I used to look forward to reading your reports (in the Good Old Days!!!)
Wendy

If you dad has already received medical assistance for this illness then your insurance may not cover you if his pre existing medical complaint wasn't declared on your insurance form so be careful.

Hello everyone, and many thanks for all of your helpful replies so far. It really does mean a lot to me to know that there are complete strangers out there who care.

Ok, I went to the Lunn Poly (Thomsons Holiday Shop) today to try an cancel both bookings. My booking was separate to my parents, although linked to it. But they need my mother's signature before they can cancel my parents booking.

So I've got my mother to write a letter out and signed it as she does not want to leave my father's hospital bedside at the moment.

I have been informed that Thomson cannot refund us because it is so close to departure, so we have had to *pay* a 100% cancellation fee in the form of forfeiting all of the holiday cost.
I've been advised that I will be able to claim a portion of my own holiday cost back as I am family and related to the person who has been taking ill.

My mother can also claim a portion of the holiday cost back as she is married to my father, but we have do do this via the Insurance.
In order for my father to claim anything back he needs a Doctor's sick note (medical certificate).

I have got a cancellation invoice from Thomsons for my holiday, but cannot get one for my parents until I take my mother's letter down.

What I cannot understand is that Thomsons have received payement for the holiday, (Hotel Rooms, Airline Seats, Coach Transfers etc), and now that they can re-sell the Holiday, they will make even more money. This does not make any sense to me.
We are the one's losing out here, not Thomsons.

Still, my main priority at the moment is the health of my father, so please forgive any spelling or grammar errors in this post as I am sat here crying as I write this. Not for the loss of the holiday, but through worry about my father.

Incidentally, whatever the illness is, my father was not aware of it, to the very best of my knowledge, prior to booking the holiday.

But many thanks to all of you who have taken the time to respond so far, believe me it really is very comforting and much appreciated.

Gary

Have you spoken to the insurance company?

I would suggest you advise them of the circumstances ASAP. You would also be able to confirm what documentation they will require.

Holiday cancellation insurance specifies which members of family illness/bereavement may be considered as reason for cancelling.

In your case I would think you would be entitled to a full refund less excess.

Your comment regarding resale of the holiday is one that I have heard for many years. When you make a claim you are expected to mitigate your losses. From the TO point of view, they can in effect, profit from your loss.

fwh

Hi gary
hope your father makes a good recovery very soon

please contact your insurance company straight away, and give all the documentation they need ASAP
Best of Luck

Fiona

Hi

Hope your dad get's better soon. I really feel for you. I had to cancel a holiday for my parents a few years ago and would advise you to contact the insurance company ASAP (if you haven't already done so). They should take some basic details regarding the claim and then forward the claim forms to you to complete and return with all the relevant documentation. As you say your father's illness isn't connected to a pre existing medical condition I would have thought you should get a full refund less the excess. Check your policy document if you have it , probably not what you want to be doing at the moment I know, but it will tell you exactly who will be covered in the event of a claim like this.

Best Wishes

Nic

Hi
Had to cancel our holiday a few weeks before we should have gone due to being diagonised with breast cancer and needed to go into hospital asap. I contacted the travel agent who issued me with a cancellation invoice,this is needed for insurance purposes. Contacted the Insurance co. more or less the same time. You have to complete forms and I had to ask the GP to complete a medical history form,(didnt get charged for this one).The insurance company dealt with the claim within a few weeks.
I lost my deposit, but was releived to get the rest of the money,then we were able to go away in Oct with the refunded money.
I hope your father is able to go on holiday at a later date, I wish him well.

Hello. I've been in contact with the Insurance Company, but they have sent me the claims forms via email. I have no way of printing them off to complete, so I have had to ask them to send them in the post.

It looks like we will be able to get most of the money back minus the £75 excess (x3) so that is better than nothing.

My father is still very ill and I doubt he will ever be well enough again to travel by air, so we will be looking at other alternatives to get to Spain, possibly for Christmas 2008.

Thank you so much to everyone who has replied here. It really is much appreciated.

Gary

Wishing your father a speedy recovery Benidorm.

Sorry to hear about your Dad Gary, hope he recovers soon.

A few years ago we had a very unfortunate experience with Hubbies Aunt passing away and my Mum having a severe Stroke. Both five days prior to our travel date. We were in such a state I didn't even look at recovering monies till at least a month after. (apparently holiday company had us down as four No Show's aparently) It was still straightforward & we recieved the cost back less the excess.

Good Luck sorting it out.

Gary - Hope your dad makes a full recovery.

Good luck with your claim, and I hope everything goes smoothly for you regarding this.

Regards, Belly!