 |
| Red Squirrel, Georgian Bay, September 2022 |
Readers may recall a highlight of our recent trip to Pittsburgh was Air Canada losing our luggage.
We received it the next day, but we were out of pocket about $85.00 CAD for toiletries and other items. Our travel insurance policy included coverage up to $200 in the case of delayed luggage.
Once home, I filed the claim online, including receipts and other documents. That was the third week of October.
This past week, I received notice in the mail that the claim would not be paid, because of "missing documents." The notice did not say what documents were missing. The only way I could find that out was to call their hilariously named "customer service" line.
After an hour on hold, a person I could barely understand explained that along with the documents I had sent, there were several others I needed to provide that were not mentioned on the online claim form. For example, along with the receipts for the items purchased, I had to provide my credit card statement showing they had been charged to my account. The insurance company also wanted me to provide proof from Air Canada that they had not compensated me for my expenses.
The last straw was the document from Air Canada. To get that, I would need to spend another hour or more on hold in the faint hope that Air Canada even knew what I was talking about.
By the time the "customer service" agent was done with me, I'd almost lost my will to live, let alone my resolve to waste more of my finite and fleeting lifetime chasing $85.
So that's where I am and I'm undecided about my next steps.
Do I
a) continue to pursue my claim because I paid them good money for the insurance, dammit, and they shouldn't be able to get away with not honouring it?
Or
b) do I just let it go? Life is short. I'm fortunate enough that I can absorb an $85 loss, and smart enough to figure out that they have consumed more than twice that value in the time I've spent on the claim so far.
If you've got an opinion, let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
Have a great week!
Karen
Oh, right. The company is Allianz Global Assistance. Just in case you're wondering which insurer to avoid.
Karen, I would make a call/ complaint to Allianz Global Protec Ombudsman Office. The ombudsman is a lawyer, so they speak your lingo. There will be a link on their website.
ReplyDeleteHold them to account so that going forward maybe those less able to absorb the expenses incurred might benefit from better service. Think of your time as retiree volunteer work.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen. Don’t let Air Canada or Allianz off the hook! Their modus operandi is to jerk you around until you lose interest. Don’t let ‘‘em wear you down. You paid them - now make them pay you.
ReplyDeleteHey Karen, I agree with the other comments, keep at it and go up the chain if needed, don't let them get out their obligations - Lubna
ReplyDeleteI am swayed by the reference to "retiree volunteer work." Maybe it is worth fighting, But do not waste any more money on insurance unless you are obliged to by the "rules,"
ReplyDeleteHmmm I say absorb the cost and move on knowing you did your best. Just thought I’d throw in a different opinion cause I could
ReplyDelete