We are at it again - preparations are In hand!

Travel Insurance

We have always had good dealings with our insurers, we seldom need to claim but over the years we have received payments in a fair and reasonable manner. UNTIL NOW. Now I think differently, to be admired is the proliferation of clauses and sub-clauses in the fine print in the insurers policies which are conjured up by a gnome with a PhD whose job it is to exclude any minor detail in order to justify no payment.  (I apologise now if I have offended any gnomes out there)

My story goes like this:  I book an airfare to Adelaide to play a weeks golf with my 9-hole friends leaving on 10 April.  I book an airfare for David leaving on 17 April, we will then have a week's holiday together touring around Adelaide and return to NZ on 25 April.  We book travel insurance through the AA. The policy is emailed to us on 24 March at 9.39am. All good to go.

I took my little grandson to the play park on 24 March and tripped and fell heavily on my shin.  I hobbled to the car, was able to drive home, and we finished the day watching 'Maisy' together.  Later that night my leg was the size of a melon - and getting more swollen. So off to A&E, Dr says haematoma, rest, crutches etc for 2 weeks.  I hobble around for 2 weeks and then Physio says that flying would not be advisable because of the risk of a DVT.  I then have to cancel the flights and accommodation for us both.

I check the insurance policy and am greatly relieved to see my accident happened after the policy came through. I put in a claim with pages and pages of relevant information, and after a couple of weeks I am told they can't progress my claim because the Policy clearly states there can be no claim during the initial 7 days after issue (mmm.... didn't notice that!).  What a bummer. 

Then of course I realise I have paid my airfare with my ANZ Visa card.  So give ANZ Visa a ring, they are so sympathetic, and send me a claim form. Two weeks later they say they can't validate the payments from my visa. So I go and check again, bummer, I used my BNZ visa for the airfares for David, so fair enough the rules say...........!

Undaunted I go through the whole process again with BNZ Visa, surely this time... If nothing else I should be rewarded for tenacity!  Two weeks later I get an email from them covered in fine print, clause after sub clause.  Essentially because some of the airfares were paid for by air points the small print says the whole fare has to be paid in air points to be valid (mmm....didn't notice that), and while I can claim for an accompanying spouse they notice he has his own Visa card (we have both got a card for the same visa account with slightly different numbers) and sub clause 3.(b).C.2.2 (didn't get around to reading that one!) says that he must pay his fare with his own card for it to be valid, and anyway he was not accompanying me for the whole trip (mmm...didn't notice that either).

My heart goes out to those poor people in Christchurch, I now believe the damning reports in the press about claim payout avoidance - making an insurance claim is a bit like a cryptic crossword, you don't know any of the answers until the final word goes in.

I thought it was simple, I had an accident, had to cancel airfares and accommodation, and was supposed to be covered by insurance - in fact 3 ways.  Bummer!

Fortunately I am fit and well now, just in time for our trip to France.  Not the best way to start my blog 'France 2014 - The Sequel'...mmm... must go and check the fine print on our very expensive travel insurance......