Michele Keller was all set to take a dream vacation to the Dominican Republic through Apple Vacations last year, when her significant other fell ill. After he took an unexpected turn for the worse, she learned that the insurance on her vacation didn’t cover her the way she though it would. Now she’s holding a voucher for a vacation she’s never likely to use.
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INSURANCE
Here’s a truly strange case, brought to you by the H1N1 virus and our friends at Access America.
You might say Marian Levin’s claim was denied on a technicality. An important technicality that I’ll get to in a moment. But it’s how her problem was resolved that’s even more interesting: Her travel insurance company turned down [...]
Ahem. Are we forgetting something? The debate about health-care reform seems to be ignoring a significant group of Americans: international travelers.
Does your health insurance cover you when you leave the country? A survey commissioned by the US Travel Insurance Association suggests you aren’t.
Gordon Houston prepaid $97 for a rental car in Cancun through Hotwire — a rate that was supposed to include all required fees. But then his car rental company, Europcar, added a mandatory insurance charge to his bill, leaving him with a $268 bill.
Who pays?
In the short term, Houston shelled out the extra money. But [...]
Remember Prime Travel protection, the Colorado travel insurance company that shut down amid allegations it sold unlicensed policies? Turns out it’s not dead yet.
When Jessica Santangelo and her husband check in at the Hertz rental counter in Zagreb, they’re told they have to buy insurance. But Santangelo had been told she was fully covered before her trip. Should Hertz refund her insurance now that she’s home?
Colorado has issued a cease and desist order again Prime Travel Protection, the bankrupt travel insurance company based in Arvada, Colo. The move caps an extensive investigation by the state and comes on the heels of a similar action by Florida.
The state of Florida notified three large travel agencies earlier this week that insurance offered by Prime Travel Protection might be illegal. What does its actions mean for agencies and their customers, particularly those with policies underwritten by Prime Travel Protection and other companies owned by Jerry Watson? For an insider’s view, I turned to Al Ferguson, a vice president at Legendary Journeys, one of the agencies named in the orders.
Florida has warned three travel agencies that sold insurance policies offered by bankrupt Prime Travel Protection Services of Arvada, Colo., that its activities may run afoul of state statues. State authorities on March 5 issued an intent to order a cease and desist against Port St. Lucie, Fla.-based Vacation Superstore, which operates Best Price Cruises; Sarasota, Fla.-based Legendary Journeys and Lake Worth, Fla.-based Palm Coast Travel, which owns the site Smartcruiser.com.
Suzanne Baxter’s husband falls ill on a trip to China, forcing the couple to file a claim on their travel insurance policy. Three months later, there’s no sign of the money and the Baxters feel as if the insurance company is stringing them along. Are they? And if so, is there anything they can do?
Authorities in two states appear poised to take enforcement action against Prime Travel Protection and travel agents who sold its policies. “There’s an ongoing investigation,” says Chris Lines, a legislative liaison for Colorado’s regulatory agencies. “We expect it will come to a head in a matter of weeks.”
Kay Schroll says she lost $6,820 — the price of two cruises — when she bought travel insurance through Legendary Journeys, but then had to cancel her vacations for health reasons. Her case is just one of many that have landed on my desk since the bankruptcy of Prime Travel Protection, the Colorado company that offered these unlicensed policies.
When Angela Gross buys a ticket through Frontier Airlines’ Web site, it tacks on an extra $10.95 for travel insurance. How did it manage to do that? By having a checked box on the booking screen that she had to opt out of. Now Frontier is balking at a refund.
When Kimberly Esquivel rented a car from Alamo in Orlando recently, she thought her credit card would cover her. She discovered how wrong she was by accident.
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