TRAVEL INSURANCE

Another lawsuit filed in fake travel insurance case

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That fake travel insurance story just won’t go away.

First I got sued by a travel agency for reporting on it, along with another customer. (Both cases were dismissed.)

Then their customers sued back. And now they’ve done it again.

A lawsuit was filed yesterday in United States District Court in Miami against Revelex, a booking engine used by agents, and two travel agencies, Legendary Journeys and Four Seasons Tours and Cruises. The suit, which seeks class action status, accuses some or all of the defendants of negligence, unfair and deceptive trade practices and unjust enrichment for their role in selling what the suit calls “bogus” travel insurance.

Here’s the full text of the complaint (PDF).

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Palm Coast Travel fined $2,500 and placed on probation for selling unauthorized travel insurance

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Looks like Palm Coast Travel, the Boca Raton, Fla., agency accused by the state of Florida of selling unauthorized travel insurance, while at the same time trying to sue one of its own customers and me into silence, has quietly negotiated a settlement with insurance regulators.

Under the agreement (PDF), which was signed today, Palm Coast Travel, which also does business online as Smartcruiser.com, has agreed to cease and desist selling unauthorized insurance and will pay a $2,500 fine as well as restitution to its customers affected by the purchase of an unauthorized insurance policy. It will be placed on 18 months’ probation and has agreed not to sell unauthorized insurance in the future.

The consent order is practically identical to a draft settlement agreement (PDF) that has been circulating between Palm Coast Travel and insurance regulators since last summer, and which I obtained after filing a public records request.

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What was Palm Coast Travel doing with its Access America policies?

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Florida’s Department of Financial Services is in the early stages of a far-reaching investigation into the activities of Palm Coast Travel and its affiliated companies, according to documents released this week under the state’s Public Records Act.

The documents also raise new questions about the relationship between Access America, the largest travel insurance company in the world, and Palm Coast Travel, which also does business online as Smartcruiser.com.

In a prepared statement, Access America yesterday suggested its current and future relationship with Palm Coast, which is accused of selling unlicensed insurance, is an internal matter.

“Thus far we have been contacted by both customers identified in the Florida investigation and we are working to resolve each matter appropriately,” a spokesman said. “Access America will continue to take steps consistent with providing ongoing care for its customers.”

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What’s next for Palm Coast Travel? Here’s what happened to agencies that settled with regulators

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As I reported last week, Palm Coast Travel and its companies, including Smartcruiser.com, are headed to a hearing with a Florida administrative law judge to determine if it sold unlicensed travel insurance. This is an important story, because fake “trip protection” policies are known to have been sold to people across the country for years, potentially costing travelers millions of dollars in lost vacations.

So what’s next for Palm Coast Travel?

There are two possibilities. First, the judge could rule the agency didn’t sell unlicensed insurance. But that’s unlikely, given the customers who have already complained to state regulators that they were sold these allegedly illegal policies. Second, the court could find Palm Coast Travel guilty of selling bogus insurance.

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