Author Topic: Allclear Travel Insurance.  (Read 1347 times)

Hugh

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Allclear Travel Insurance.
« on: Mar 18, 2018, 07:55:11 AM »
Sorry to bring this company up once again but I am very concerned that people will be travelling with worthless travel insurance if my experience is to go by. I have plenty of email correspondence to back up my story. Look up the company your self and you will see why elderly people with health conditions are flocking to get covered by them. I am £3000 out of pocket but I can live with that because we will not be travelling abroad again. So savings on travel insurance £600 plus and air fares so no real problems although it really annoys me that I have given them money over several years. At moment trying to get my local press to run my story.

xetog

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Re: Allclear Travel Insurance.
« Reply #1 on: Mar 18, 2018, 09:47:16 AM »

I don't think I have read your story Hugh and would be interested to see it in here again.  But as a frequent traveller, I have come to the conclusion that if you are old and at all infirm, an insurance company will do its best to wriggle out of liability.  Consequently, I try to keep enough capital in hand to meet any likely medical costs, but deciding what that is, £20k to fly you home? £50k for a short hospital stay in the USA?  It is difficult to know.  All I do know is that I answer all their questions honestly and pay sometimes 300% over the odds, but that if I ever needed to claim they would dig deep into my medical past and find some small, long forgotten issue from 50 years ago that 'invalidates' my policy.


All power to your elbow.


Mike. 8)
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Hugh

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Re: Allclear Travel Insurance.
« Reply #2 on: Mar 18, 2018, 10:46:50 AM »
Last November I was taken ill in Tenerife I was rushed to a private hospital, on the second day Allclear told the hospital they would not cover my treatment. After forking out £2500 to get my passport back I was transferred to a public hospital in the north of the island. On returning home I contacted Allclear to find out the reason for my cover to be void. No its not void they said its still under investigation. A few weeks back I got a phone call to say my claim was being covered. I had to contact reactive claims to make my claim. Sent off my receipts but was told every thing must be itemised and they would not except receipts. The last I heard they were going to give me £50 and the hospital was going to return my money. Ps I have photo copies of my receipts although I have requested my receipts to be returned but they have ignored my request.

xetog

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Re: Allclear Travel Insurance.
« Reply #3 on: Mar 18, 2018, 11:20:05 AM »

A very sad, and typical tale Hugh.   Did you carry your EHIC card?  In the small print of most policies covering European travel there is a clause requiring you to insist on a public hospital if you are ill.  Standard practice with tourists in Spain (and I suspect elsewhere) is to call a private ambulance and send you to a private hospital.  They will commonly insist on some assurance that their bill will be paid.  Obviously, I do not know what ailed you, but public hospitals in Spain are usually first class.


As far as getting your money back, have you asked why Allclear will not do the reimbursement, that is why you take out insurance after all? Otherwise you might as well just use your EHIC card and get free public care (ultimately funded by the NHS).  I fear that you stand little chance of getting your money back from a Spanish private hospital, a route which in itself seems rather strange.  Have you spoken to the Financial Ombudsman?  failing that I would send a demand to the private hospital in Spain to see if they intend to settle anytime soon, if not ask for a Legal Complaints form and say you intend to take out a 'Denuncia', that might just oil the wheels.  There are some no win no fee debt collectors around in Spain who might be willing to act for you.


To be honest, I don't think they are liable as the insurance company should pay you, but £2,500 to return home in good health doesn't seem to me a bad thing.  I fear that if the sources I mention cannot help, then a letter to say the Daily Mail financial people may do the trick, otherwise, is it worth continuing to pursue this and probably make your health worse?


Mike. 8)
If you want to control peoples thoughts, first control their words.

sueboo

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Re: Allclear Travel Insurance.
« Reply #4 on: Mar 18, 2018, 11:31:37 AM »
Sorry to hear about the bad service.


If this helps anyone when we take out health insurance we ask for copies of all our records from our Doctor which we forward onto the insurance company.  Our Doctor has always been happy to do this for a small fee.    This way insurance company cannot weedle out of anything.



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xetog

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Re: Allclear Travel Insurance.
« Reply #5 on: Mar 18, 2018, 12:07:55 PM »

Insurance companies are not obliged to investigate your health before charging a premium, so I doubt whether a doctors notes would be read until after an event.  I think premiums will rise if they do.  I first fell ill at the age of 6, so technically there  would be 69 years of notes to wade through.  They simply do not exist, but I can imagine the time a full investigation would take.  Health issues that would require immediate treatment (as opposed to waiting a couple of weeks until I return home, are few, yet I have to declare those things as well and pay a premium.


We pay insurance premiums so that there will be funds there at the point of need, not so that they can trigger a get out process which leaves us to foot the appropriate bill and then (maybe) claim it back when we get home.  When abroad I always carry sufficient means to meet bills of up to £50k and yet I still have a nagging feeling at the back of my mind that it will not be enough.  Now I am 75 I am holding my breath for a huge increase in insurance bills when my new travel premium is due in August.


I can see that the insurance industry has to make a profit and that if fraudulent claims were paid, premiums would skyrocket, but to have an ethos where avoidance of any claim is a priority and seizing on minor errors to do so is patently unfair.


Mike.
If you want to control peoples thoughts, first control their words.

Hugh

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Re: Allclear Travel Insurance.
« Reply #6 on: Mar 18, 2018, 12:23:47 PM »
Xetog like you I had funds to get me out of trouble. I fear for people who do not have funds and may not have Medical card with them. If my wife had fallen ill abroad and not at home just imagine the financial difficulties I would be in at the moment People do take out health insurance and expect to be treated in the private hospital and not in a public hospital.I am more interested in informing as many of there customers or future customers as I can to make them aware they will not be getting the treatment they expect if they fall ill Money back be easier to get blood out of a stone.

sueboo

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Re: Allclear Travel Insurance.
« Reply #7 on: Mar 18, 2018, 06:53:34 PM »
Scarely we've had to call out an ambulance in Spain for my other half after a serious accident.  I was panic stricken but a wonderful Spanish man told me to ask for a public hospital and show our EHIC at hospital which I did despite me telling him we had private insurance.   They were wonderful getting my other half x rays etc within minutes.  I cannot fault their care and dedication and treatment. 
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fortyone

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Re: Allclear Travel Insurance.
« Reply #8 on: Mar 18, 2018, 10:15:26 PM »
Good job you weren't here in the UK....

Hugh

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Re: Allclear Travel Insurance.
« Reply #9 on: Mar 19, 2018, 06:32:41 AM »
Sueboo you did not fall into the trap I fell into with Allclear. I ended up with the private hospital bill but it was a public hospital which got me fit to travel home. Over crowded but excellent treatment.

Hugh

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Re: Allclear Travel Insurance.
« Reply #10 on: Mar 27, 2018, 11:01:59 AM »
With a little luck All my expenses will be recovered in the next few days.


Our troubles started because we did not spot on the inside page in dark print on a dark back ground the words you must ring if you require medical assistance MAPFRE. They will dispatch an ambulance which will take you to a public hospital. Failing to phone MAPFRE it could make you policy void.


I just wonder just how many people believe they will be treated in a private hospital!!!!


They have found a way of giving Medical Travel Insurance to people with health condition which would not get covered else where. Should I travel a broad again I would use them again because I do not now trust private hospital.





Bobcat

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Re: Allclear Travel Insurance.
« Reply #11 on: Mar 27, 2018, 02:29:33 PM »
Just because you have had a bad experience it does not mean that this a bad company

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.allcleartravel.co.uk

78% of 9,720 rated the company as excellent and only 1% rated them as bad - sadly it looks that you are one of the 1%

Hugh

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Re: Allclear Travel Insurance.
« Reply #12 on: Mar 27, 2018, 04:05:16 PM »
Bobcat please read my post again                        Should I travel a broad again I would use them again.




It wouldn't surprise me if many of Allclears customers think if they fall ill, they will be treated in a private Hospital like all other health insurance policy they have had before. They will put you in a private hospital if the public one cannot treat you. If I travel abroad again I will certainly use them.