he good experiences with travel companies are far far outweighed by the bad, we pay
damned hard earned cash for a holiday which from the ads is going to be wonderful, only to
find sub standard accommodation, unhygienic conditions and a raft of other problems. lf that's
the case then travel companies SHOULD compensate customers.

that's where modern modern technology comes in to place, Internet, looking up reviews on the hotel your interested in and area, reading forums and maybe asking what you would like you would like to know.

Not every one will do this but for me I do not book a hotel before reading revoews and looking up online first, you pay good money for something you expect to get that.

I'm glad you got a result in the end rickshaw you have the patience of a saint. So frustrating that these companies never settle until the week before cases are due to go to court, when they must know they are in the wrong all the way through. Like you I have no time for them either, the presumption that everyone is on the fiddle and thus they can treat the genuine claimant like dog poo makes my blood boil. I suspect many many genuine claimants just give up as they don't have the stomach for the flight, especially if they have been injured in pain for 9 months etc. Its encouraging to hear of those that peruse things to the end.

Thanks Doe and everyone else.

Advice to everyone, if you have photographic evidence then persue
your claim....Rick

Hello, I read the whole of this thread with interest, I too was unfortunate to take out insurance with the same companies as Rickshaw, in my case my wife and I were on holiday on the Algarve, 5 minutes after going to bed my wife went to the bathroom, I asked her if she was alright, she replied "yes", a few seconds later she called my name three times and said "I'm going to pass out". I leaped out of bed, put my arms around her and she died instantly, nearly two years later I replay her last moments dozens of times every day finding it increasingly difficult to get on with my life.

After the Paramedics, Police and Fire Service had departed I was left alone but with friends we had made whilst there, the next morning I telephoned the Direct Insurance emergency number and arranged a meeting with the International Funeral Directors, I was told my insurance covered repatriation of my wife's body to the UK, before they would proceed I had to arrange with the Funeral Directors in Gatwick and pay immediately via my credit card £3120 to fly my wife home, there were many other expenses which I paid for, altogether getting my wife home and the funeral cost around £8,800, that was everything and when I put in my claim I stated everything but requested that they as the insurers knew which items were covered by the policy I had taken out, there were three grades of insurance cover and I went for the mid of the range one, something I think everyone does, the cheapest one would have given me the same cover, I think it stated up to £10,000,000 NOT Nothing.
After I had put in my claim still being told my wife was covered by the policy I eventually received their decision, my claim had been turned down because my wife may or may not have died from a pre-existing medical condition.

I met the International Funeral Directors/Insurance companies representative about 7 hours after my wife died, I was a wreck, nothing appeared real, that was when I arranged payment of the £3120 repatriation fee, I was also required to sign a form authorising the wife's doctor to send a copy of her medical records to the insurers, which they did, after the claim was turned down I asked the insurance company what was the pre-existing medical condition responsible for their decision, it was then I was told that ELEVEN YEARS previous she was treated by her doctor for high cholesterol, I said she was treated then and was below the high level when she died, they said it still remains it may or may not have contributed to her death.

I went to the doctors to discuss the situation, the doctor said she could not help me because of the data protection act, although her husband I was not allowed to see my wife's medical records because it would be an invasion of privacy, to help me she said she would contact the MDU (Medical Defence Union) for permission to help me, they agreed to her writing a letter to the insurance company telling them that in the year 2000 her cholesterol level was 7.1 but at the time of her death in 2011 it was 4.7 below the minimum high cholesterol level of 5.1, eventually little cheques appeared but I still had to keep fighting bit by bit the total came to about £3000 short of what I thought may be fair £4200.
When I was told I could not see my wife's medical records, I asked how I could give permission for the insurers to have a copy of something I was not permitted access to, the answer was "there's money involved" I said I was in the same position, I had already paid substantial amounts of money.

The wording about repatriation was confusing, all down to interpretation, their limit was 2500, I told them that I had the cheapest method of repatriation from the Algarve of £3120 but they would not budge from their decision so part of the £3000 was the £2500 repatriation.
I challenged One Assist - UK Underwriters - Insure for - UK General Insurance Group and Direct Insurers about their scale of benefits, (they are all in the same pot together half the time you do not know who you are talking to), I said I was going to get the FSA to look into things also the Ombudsman because I didn't think they had increased their benefit prices since they started their business although they had increased their premiums in line with inflation, I also said I doubted the legality of their business because their insurance scales and conditions were not dated, almost overnight these were revamped, the repatriation raised to £5000 and dated in big figures.

I purchased the policy via moneysupermarket.com

I noticed at least one of the names above in the Thomson Travel catelogue, so how safe is our travel insurance with so many different groups in the same pot and employ people who lie when challenged about things they say they did not say, I got that one past the head person when I said play the recording you have of our conversation, it's there for both our benefits.

I am ashamed to say that grief overcame me to fight them to the end and I hate myself for aborting what at one time was a crusade.

So sorry to hear about your wife's untimely death TheHotSpurs. I can't imagine the pain, hurt and confusion you had to go through.

What a distressing story TheHotSpurs. Don't be too hard on yourself considering what you had been through and the way the various bodies treated you at the time, I think you did well to fight and claim as you did at what must have been a heartbreaking time for you. You have lived through many people's worst nightmare.

Thank you for sharing your very sad story and it was very brave of you to come on here and tell it to us.

One would have hoped that insurance companies would conduct themselves with compassion and dignity but it seems that money comes before everything in this world. It makes me very sad.

Sending a big internet hug x

Thank you Wendywu.

I should add that I was made to feel as if I was grave robbing because to receive any money in those circumstances was not vital to me, as a family we were attempting to come to terms with our unexpected loss, every letter to the insurers was painful to write.

I would like to add (others may benefit) that when my wife reached 75 (I was 74) we both took out a funeral policy (monthly payments) that paid £2500 plus profits at death with the Coop (CIS Ltd), when I contacted them payment was immediate. Unlike many policies there was not a two year quafifying period, my wife was a week away from he 76th birthday. Old established companies could be the best to deal with at the end of the day.

Another thing that made settling my wife's affairs a lot easier was that we had both made our will's, without doing so things could have been a lot more difficult.

I repeat Tank you for your reply.

Ivorx

Glynis & Doe Thank you.

Being in Portugal there was a language problem, fortunately we had got friendly with the people who owned a bar/restaurant, the English lady who owned it acted as interpreter and if not available pointed us in the right direction. If like me people create their own holidays, I book direct with the airline, direct with the hotel and other services I may need, an important part of independent travel is to get chatty with the business people you come into contact with be it a bar, hotel or whatever accommodation etc being used, you never know when you may need them.

Cheers,Ivor xx

Do you know Ivor i am a member of the Coop, through my personal travel advisor. I get coop points from all my holidays and a cash bonus once a year.

But the Coop have let my transfer holiday deposits from one holiday to another, add extra baggage last minute at the standard price and not the price Thomas Cook quoted for it. So i think what you are saying may be right and the old ones are the best , companies that is not holiday makers