Stone Bridge Travel Protection CSA Travel Protection False advertising San Diego, California
They advertise via Air Tran that if you have to cancel your trip, they will reimburse you up to the entire cost of the trip, and they don't specify what reasons there are they will or will not cover...but when you make a claim, they have a whole list of things they will only cover...this is delivered in a pdf attached to an email they send when you purchase the coverage. Their advertising makes it seem as if you can cancel your trip for wanting to watch Judge Judy if you want to...that is, it doesn't matter what happens...you can be late, have a fight with your girlfriend...whatever...but they have 12 stringent reasons for coverage, and even for illness, they specify :
Trip Interruption due to Sickness, Injury or death of you, your Family Member or Traveling Companion. The Sickness or Injury must commence while you are on your Covered Trip, require the examination by a Physician, in person, at the time of Trip Interruption and, in the written opinion of the treating Physician, be so disabling as to prevent you from continuing your Trip
So if I get food poisoning and am dizzy from vomiting, unless a Dr. is there to prove that I am sick, they will not pay. Other reasons for coverage include mandatory evacuation, being in a traffic accident, hijacking, quarantine, fire, flood, natural disaster, bad weather, mechanical breakdown, airline cancellation, theft of visas or passports, act of terror, or being fired from your job...
NONE of these stipulations are mentioned in the advertising, and are only spelled out in this attachment that I did not even notice until it was time to file a claim...and the documentation threshold is so high, most would say ...awww, fug getaboutit...anyway, I will not be using them again...
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Kate
United States of AmericaDeath Claim Denied by Stonebridge Travel Protection
#3Consumer Comment
Wed, September 26, 2012
Stonebridge Travel Protection does not cover trip cancellation for the death of a family member unless it meets a narrow, obscure list of requirements. That being said, I do not think that they should be allowed to advertise or summarize their coverage to include cancellation due to death of a family member when in fact that is rarely the case.
My Dad was in a car accident on July 21. My brother and I immediately flew home. For 10 days he remained in a coma, yet physically stable. The doctors said that he could remain this way for months. With this information my brother and I decided to fly back to where we live so we could return to work until his condition changed for better or worse. On the day of our scheduled flight, my Dad's condition worsened and we could not leave. I immediately called Stonebridge Customer Service. An unknowledgeable person told me he wasn't sure how the policy worked and all I could do was submit a claim. My Dad ended up dying 30 hours later.
The physicians documented this situation per CSA Stonebridge Travel Protection form instructions. Six weeks later, after calling Stonebridge repeatedly, I was stunned to discover that my trip cancellation was not covered and my claim was denied because my dad's accident was a "pre-existing condition". Buried within the PDF that is sent AFTER you buy their insurance, is an "exclusion waiver" that details in very confusing language that if you, your traveling companion or family member has been ill or even taken prescription drugs for a condition in the past 60 days, death is not insured.
Clearly visible in multiple locations on the Stonebridge website is the claim that they cover travel plans due to death of a family member, etc. Even when you download the PDFs that are readily available on their site, this information is not shown. Instead it is hidden in a small link titled "sample certificate" at the VERY bottom of the website home page. Only AFTER you purchase the insurance is the policy given to you. Stonebridge offers a "10 day free look" so you can have 10 days to review the plan and decide whether or not to cancel your insurance. This is presumably a tactic so that they can hide critical information about your policy until after you make your purchase, and then claim that you should have known because you still could have cancelled it.
I am not a lawyer and I cannot afford a lawyer to translate a convoluted travel insurance policy. When I buy a plane ticket from AirTran and I am offered a travel insurance option that claims it covers the death of a family member, that's what I should get. I should receive a refund for the money I paid for this policy, because when I called customer service to ask about my policy I should have been given accurate information. AirTran should offer a better insurance company.
CSA Stonebridge Travel Protection has a business model based on deceit. I can only imagine the misrepresentation they make for their supposed other coverable claims. When I spoke with AirTran about this situation, the response I got was "if that isn't covered by travel insurance, then what is?"
CSA Travel Protection
San Diego,California,
United States of America
Please read policy carefully before purchase
#3UPDATE Employee
Mon, September 24, 2012
In our advertising, we have limited space to summarize the plan and benefits, but it is spelled out clearly in our policy and available for review prior to purchase. In fact, we encourage all policyholders and prospective customers to read their policy clearly before purchasing.
We proudly stand behind our products and services. That's why we offer a 10-day free look on all our travel insurance plans. We will provide a refund of your insurance premium if you cancel your insurance within 10 days of purchase and have not filed a claim or departed on your trip.
CSA is committed to its customers and holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.