One of my friends died before a group trip to Dubai - why is it so tricky to sort with the travel firm? SALLY SORTS IT
These were made for my 60th birthday celebrations in Dubai but it became a nightmare to resolve the final bills following the tragic death of one of my friends who was due to come with us. J.H., Bolton.
Sally Hamilton replies: What you planned as a joyous occasion has been clouded in sadness.
Your dear friend died of suspected food poisoning while on holiday in the Indian Ocean at the end of last year.
You considered cancelling your five-day trip but decided as a group to go ahead and celebrate her memory at the same time. Her widower told you that's what she would have wanted.
He had to make a claim on her travel insurance for her £1,200 deposit. But you were astounded that Voyage Prive would not confirm that the member of your party who was due to share a room with your late friend would have her booking altered to single occupancy – and it looked as if she would be charged the full rate for the double room – £6,798.
You had been corresponding at length with customer services but not getting any clarity, despite an initial sympathetic response.
You had to send the death certificate twice and you chased for weeks.
Without a clear resolution you asked me to intervene.
When I got in touch, David, a member of the Voyage Prive team simply said 'there's no need to worry… everything is in order' and wished me a lovely day.
That wasn't the concrete answer I had hoped for but I felt reassured that at least your case was being looked at.
My contact seemed to do the trick, however, as a week or so later you got confirmation that your friend would not face the full double room charge.
The holiday firm was probably having to negotiate hard with the hotel on the price.
In the end, she was billed just £3,456 – less than you had calculated, with no extra charges for sole occupancy.
You feared this meant there might be some nasty additional charges waiting at the destination, but thankfully these did not materialise.
When I caught up with you recently, you said the trip had been 'amazing' – and you forwarded me a photo of the group toasting your friend's memory.
Straight to the point
I took out a single-trip travel insurance policy in April for me and my wife with Insurance 4 Medical, and I declared all our medical conditions.
A few days before the cover was meant to start my wife developed swollen ankles, which our doctor said he would investigate if it was still happening after our holiday.
I told the insurance provider but they cancelled her cover. She will now have to answer 'yes' when future insurers ask if she has had an insurance policy cancelled.
G.R., via email.
Sally Hamilton replies: White Horse, Insurance 4 Medical's underwriter, apologises and says the new undiagnosed medical condition meant cover had to be withdrawn.
It will refund the premium and it will provide a letter of explanation that cover was cancelled due to a change in risk, rather than fraud or non-disclosure.
I bought an oven from Currys which was installed by an electrician, but 30 days later it caught fire.
As it was a bank holiday, I reported it the next day but Currys said as I reported it on day 31 after it was installed I had to speak to the manufacturer to get an inspection before they could take it back.
But the manufacturer says it won't inspect it, only repair it. I've had to buy a new oven out of my own pocket in the meantime.
I.S., via email.
Sally Hamilton replies: Currys apologises and says it is refunding you as a goodwill gesture, even though your initial report of the fault fell outside the 30-day return window.
Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@dailymail.co.uk — include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given.
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