Because of concerns of an up and coming business trip, I decided to purchase travel insurance on the American Airlines ticket system to cover the cost of the trip in the event of trip cancellation as advertised. The $550 ticket was insured for $23 against cancellation.
As expected, my customer did cancel the meeting and I needed to re-route to my next meeting. I was under the impression that by purchasing the extra trip protection/cancellation insurance that I would be able to get a refund on the cost of the ticket.
I selected the insurance option and the price was added to the cost of the ticket.
I received an email from Allianz Globlal Services indicating their appreciation for me purchasing the insurance and then provided me a copy of the policy. The policy was 33 pages with a summary at the top that indicated reasons for trip cancellation. This was after the purchase was made. Upon receipt, there was no exclusion for trip cancellations that would meet my criteria so I assumed that the insurance was valid.
I filed a claim on January 2, 2017 and provided the required documentation of the cancellation notice from American Airlines and the reason for cancellation as requested..
No additional communication with the compan was received until I checked on the status on February 2, 2017 and realized that the claim was denied.
I immediately contacted Allianz Global Services (1-800-628-5404) and spoke to Sarah. She refused to provide her last nameor any other identifying information. I requested reasons why the claim was denied and placed on hold for a three minute period. When she returned she indicated that the denial was for reasons of exclusion as stated in the policy.
I requested to speak to a supervisor and was denied. I then requested documentation where in the policy it stated that if a trip was canceled unexpectedly, the insurance would not provide a refund. Again I was placed on hold while the research was conducted. When Sarah returned she directed me to a page and cited a reason that I was not a member the military or had an emergency situation therefore the claim was denied.
I once again requested to speak to a supervisor and was denied. Sarah then indicated I could file a written appeal or an email appeal to the following address:
Allianz Global Assistance Claim Appeals
9950 Mayland Drive
Richmond VA 23233
which I have done. Based upon the fact that they would not allow me to speak to supervisory personnel, I'm going under the assumption that the letter that I'm submitting will go unanswered and on responded.
I view this is out and out fraud by not providing clear understanding of front of what this worthless insurance policy covers since it clearly does not cover trip cancellation for reasons outside of the ordinary.
If nothing else, I hope that someone will read this Ripoff Report and not experience the same frustration that I have.
Sarah, HelpTeam
Richmond,#2UPDATE Employee
Fri, February 03, 2017
Dear Martin,
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with feedback. We will share your comments with our customer service and claims departments.
We’re very sorry that the insurance you purchased didn’t provide the coverage you needed. While we have designed our products to cover the most common unforeseen situations our customers might encounter, not all events and situations are ones which trigger coverage in our insurance programs. We want consumers to make an informed choice when it comes to purchasing insurance, which is why we provide a link at the point of purchase to review the policy's terms and conditions.
We also provide at least a ten day review period so that you can examine your policy to make sure it meets your needs. Should you decide the coverage doesn't work for you, we’re happy to provide a full refund of the cost of the policy. Unfortunately, a change in plans is not something that is typically covered by travel insurance. If you need further information, please reach out to us at [email protected]