Trip Mate review: Non-payment of trip cancellation

a) We travelled on a Viking cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest (July 29 to Aug 12) for which we paid insurance.

b) We paid extra insurance ($200) for travelling to Warsaw to visit friends (Aug 12-19)

I fell sick, Covid & Pneumonia, and flew home from Budapest on Aug 12.

- -

I was fully satisfied with the handling of a), which Trip Mate paid for us to fly home.

However, Trip Mate refuses to accept that b) was a trip cancellation, and do not address the extra insurance I paid.

I am claiming $636.40 (fares to Warsaw) and $200 (cost of booking travel not taken).

Attached is the correspondence.

Hi there & thank you for your email !

I am very sorry, this claim is not a Trip Cancellation. There is no other processing of the claim at this time.

Thank you,

Sheila

Customer Service 1-844-777-6859

To assist You while traveling, Generali Global Assistance multi-lingual professionals are available 24 hours a day/365 days a year. Assistance During Travel: US and Canada 1-833-786-0626, Collect Outside of the US 1-954-370-5725, or by Email ops@gga-usa.com .

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“Please note that all benefits are subject to our confirmation of the purchase of the plan, the written claim documentation we receive and the plan provisions.”

From: Alastair Stone

Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2024 12:52 PM

To: Trip Mate Claims Support ; Generali Claims

Subject: Re: 7303262 TRI GR625V

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the GGA North America organization. Do not click on links, open attachments, or reply unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Please be aware that email display name and sender address may be spoofed.

Dear Sheila (or whoever handles this)

I am sorry that it has been a while since I contacted you, but I have not been well.

You continue to ignore the fact that my claim for $836.40 is for "Trip cancellation" (not "trip interruption), which is what I paid the extra $200 for.

Curiously, nowhere do you even discuss with me the subject of this extra $200 that I paid to cover our travels to Poland.

You choose to ignore this, and I will have to post on Facebook for advice, and look at contacting the Ombudsman as well as legal advice from family lawyer.

You are giving me no choice.

I expect to hear from you very soon.

Alastair Stone

On Fri, Feb 9, 2024 at 9:25 AM Trip Mate Claims Support wrote:

Hi there & thank you for your email!

The claim is a Trip Interruption claim, you left on the trip. Trip Cancellation will not cover any part of your travel arrangments. The unused air is not covered under the Trip Interruption of the plan. The plan reads

:

Trip Interruption Covered Expenses

1. forfeited, prepaid, non-refundable, and non-refunded published Payments that you paid for your unused land or water arrangements;

2. additional transportation expenses incurred to reach the Return Destination. Benefits will not exceed the cost of airfare (the same class airfare on which you were originally booked) less any refunds paid or payable; You have been reimbursed for the additional air.

3. the monetary value of your travel voucher that you redeemed for your Trip;

4. additional transportation expenses incurred by you, for travel by the most direct route to:

a. your scheduled Destination if your departure is delayed and you leave after the Scheduled Departure Date and time;

b. rejoin your Trip in progress from the point where you interrupted your Trip;

c. the Return Destination of your Trip. Benefits payable for additional transportation expenses will not exceed the cost of airfare (the same class airfare on which you were originally booked) less any refunds paid or payable.

Thank you,

Sheila

Claims Support

Customer Service 1-888-670-0396

claimssupport@travelclaimsonline.com

During Your Trip

US and Canada 1-877-352-0463

Collect Outside the US 1-954-334-8119

ops@gga-usa.com

Please consider the environment before printing this email and any attachments.

This email and any attachments are intended only for the individual or company to which it is addressed and may contain information which is privileged, confidential and prohibited from disclosure or unauthorized use under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, or copying of this e-mail or the information contained in this e-mail is strictly prohibited by the sender. If you have received this transmission in error, please return the material received to the sender and delete all copies from your system.

“Please note that all benefits are subject to our confirmation of the purchase of the plan, the written claim documentation we receive and the plan provisions.”

From: Alastair Stone

Sent: Sunday, February 4, 2024 6:58 PM

To: Trip Mate Claims Support

Cc: Generali Claims

Subject: Claim ID: 7303262 / 3033697 & 3041542 - TRIP CANCELLATION

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the GGA North America organization. Do not click on links, open attachments, or reply unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Please be aware that email display name and sender address may be spoofed.

Dear Sir or Madam

If you read the correspondence below, I believe that the most important point concerning the LOT flight

is that it was cancelled before it was taken, and was 'covered' by the $200 insurance taken out.

The insurance is explained in detail in GEN TICE14.04US 07.2022 page 13, and it states therein:

"We will reimburse you,...for Trip Cancellation Expenses..."

I am waiting to be reimbursed, as my claim 'fits' with respect to every paragraph on the page.

Thank you for your immediate attention,

Alastair Stone

- - - - - - -

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please read carefully.

On January 15th I sent you the email below.

I received a response from you immediately that you had received, and that I would get a reply in 72 hours.

On January 22nd you posted the words "Miscellaneous response to claimant"

As of today, nothing received.

I am claiming $200 for air deviation fees, and $636.40 for unrefunded flight fees from Lot.

These amounts are covered by the extra insurance premiums I paid.

Please let me know when I can expect payment.

It would be good if I could speak to a claim supervisor!

Thank you,

Alastair Stone

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Alastair Stone

Date: Mon, Jan 15, 2024 at 8:10 AM

Subject: Claim ID: 7303262 / 3033697 & 3041542

To: claimssupport@tripmate.com

Dear Sir or Madam,

We received what you called final payments at the end of October 2023

However we submitted a letter to you disputing the amount on November 20, 2023.

(We believe this dispute is valid, because of extra insurance paid to cover an extra week of vacation!)

In your letter to me dated December 8, 2023, you stated:

11/29/2023 Claim Appeal Information - received

May we expect a response from you soon?

Thank you,

Sincerely,

Alastair Stone

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