13 hours ago
I was £845 out of pocket – and my insurance provider claimed I'd already been refunded
Dear Gill,
In April I was due to travel to Crete with easyJet on a trip organised by Greenwings Wildlife Holidays. Unfortunately, due to a 24-hour air traffic controllers' strike in Greece and Italy, the flight was cancelled. EasyJet was unable to find me a seat on subsequent flights and so refunded the fare within seven days.
To its credit, Greenwings accepted that I had been forced to cancel the trip due to events beyond my control and it has managed to recover £650 from its Cretan travel agent, which is repaying. As the trip cost £1,495, I applied to Avanti Travel Insurance for the balance of £770 (less the £75 excess).
Avanti uses a third-party claim administrator which has refused my claim, saying I have already been given a full refund! Please can you help get my case reviewed.
- Sue Miller
Dear Jane,
Avanti's travel policy clearly says, under Travel Delay, that there is cover if the intended departure of your first outward flight is delayed as a result of a strike or industrial action. However if the delay is significant, customers can abandon their trip after 12 hours has elapsed beyond the intended departure time, and make a claim under the Cancellation section of the policy.
This says that Avanti will pay 'your non-refundable deposits and amounts you have paid (or are contracted to pay) for your travel and accommodation... and pre-paid excursions that you cannot use because you were forced to cancel your trip'.
Avanti's Classic policy, which Sue took out, provides £6,000 cover for abandonment, so there should be no argument over paying her claim. When an outsourced administrator refuses a claim, it is best to go back to the insurer itself which should have a complaints department to deal with these matters.
I contacted Avanti and asked it to look into your case. 'We would like to apologise for the recent difficulties experienced by one of our valued policyholders, whose claim for a refund on pre-paid holiday accommodation – cancelled due to industrial action – was not handled as it should have been,' said an Avanti spokesperson.
'After reviewing the situation, we discovered that the claims handler had mistakenly believed the refund had already been processed, which unfortunately led to the claim being declined in error. We deeply regret the confusion and the inconvenience this has caused and have ensured that the full claim has now been paid'.
Not all insurers provide decent cover for cutting short or abandoning a trip through no fault of your own. Given the high chance of strikes and industrial action at European airports this summer, it's important to check your insurance policy's wording. Some base-level 'Essentials' policies don't include travel delay or financial losses if you are unable to book an alternative flight.
Your travel problems solved
Gill takes on a different case each week – so please send your problems to her for consideration at asktheexperts@ Please give your full name and, if your dispute is with a travel company, your address, telephone number and any booking reference. Gill can't answer every question, but she will help where she can and all emails are acknowledged.
