A Plee For Help ! - Please read and share

[Chris24]

I am trying to raise awareness of a situation that is greatly effecting my family at the moment. As a life long motorsport fan, I spent most of my weekends at race tracks and rally stages and have always viewed the motorsport community as extended family so I am hoping that the motorsport family can help me out with one simple request.

My sister is terminally ill with cancer and all she has ever dreamed about doing since she had her two children was to take them to Florida so that they can enjoy the same trip that our parents gave me and my sister when we were chiildren.

Travel insurance was sought and purchased, with that in place, a trip was booked and paid for and the kids started to get really excited about going to Florida with their mum and family. Now 3 weeks after issuing the insurance, they have been notified that it has been cancelled as it was a computer error that allowed the policy to be issued online.

Without travel insurance she can not travel with her kids and family and will have to stay behind at home, this is crushing my sister and her kids at the moment and sadly the situation can not change unless we can find an underwriter that is willing to insure her for the trip.

We have set up a facebook page to try and raise awareness of my sisters case and situation with the hope of being able to find a solution to the problem and finding an underwriter for the insurance so that she can go on her dream trip with her kids.

All I ask is that you "Like" and "Share" the facebook page with as many people as possible via facebook so that we can get this in the view of the public as much as possible.

http://www.facebook.com/HelptoInsureTerminallyIllMum

I have never asked much of people, but I am asking now for one simple thing, please share the link via social media.

Thank You,

Regards
Chris Clark,

[wishy]

Chris,

I had similar problems to your sister trying to get travel insurance to America for this years visit to Sebring, due to extra ailments that have come up over the past year.

I found that trying to apply online does not work if you have serious health problems.
The only way is to contact the insurance companies direct, although I had many rejections, but in the end found someone to insure me at a sensible price.

Also if your sister is trying to insure as a single trip the cost will be considerably higher and likely to be rejected.

The best way to go is to insure annually. For some reason the policies are cheaper and easier to obtain.

You could try the company i am currently with  www.secure-travelinsurance.co.uk

Andy 

[Andy Zarse]

Sorry to hear about your sister Chris.

On what basis has the insurance contract been cancelled? If she fully disclosed the illness at the time of the proposal and they accepted it and issue the contract, then they are probably in breach to cancel. I would make a formal complaint and request compensation if the holiday is lost. The bad publicity will not be appreciated.

Really it's disgusting and IMO is likely to fail any test of "Treating Customers Fairly" which is what the Ombudsman will apply if they reject the complaint. You could telephone the FOS to talk it through.

You will hopefully obtain cover elsewhere but IMO these sharks should not be let off the hook without being made to squirm. I deal with FOS complaints as part of my job, let me know if I can help.

[John G]

I don't do FB, but the wife does

Also, as she is a Travel Agent, she may be able to offer some advice

[Chris24]

Thanks for taking an interest.

Basically my sister filled in her forms online and was as honest and open with all her answers about her illness and disclosed everything. The online sysytem came back with a premium figure which was about £650, this seemed reasonable so she called them to check in person and was told that if thats what the computer said, then it was OK. So she paid the premium and then started to book and arrange the holiday. Flights booked, Disney hotel booked, park tickets, swimming with the dolphins with her kids ( or in my sisters case wadding with the dolphins), car rental booked and mobility scooter booked.

At this point the kids were really excited so they then got their own first proper suitcase and have even packed them already.

Then 3 weeks later a call came out of the blue from the insurance company to say that there was a problem and the computer shouldn't have OKed the premium and they would have to cancel it because there underwriters would not cover her.

So she got straight onto the Ombudsman and they e mailed the insurance company.

To be fair the company is an insurance company set up by people who's family had problems getting cover when they were ill themselves. The company agreed to pass the cover over to another specialist cancer insurance company and would fund the difference in premium themselves. However after talking to the people at the new company their doctors decided that due to her having spent about 3 visits in hospital this year with infections / complications related to an infected chemo line that they couldn't come up with a viable quote to cover her. So they have basically said that as they can't place a figure on it, that she is uninsurable.

The infected chemo line has since been replaced so hopefully there won't be any further isses with it in the near future and the holiday is in 6 weeks time.

It appears that by being totally honest and providing full details of her situation has been her downfall and she maybe gave them too much information which has scared them and led to them not issuing a premium figure to cover her.

The company would have paid the premium if they had come up with a number. They have agreed to re emburse whatever costs have been incurred by my sister for her cancelation and not being able to travel but it was decided that the rest of the family are still travelling and taking the kids to florida otherwise they too would be totally crushed.

They have also suggested that it may be possible for them to fund a trip for her with the kids to Disney Paris in the summer but this is of little consolation to my sister as she had promised to take her kids to Disney in Florida having already been to paris with them before.

This is her final chance to take them to America like our parents took us at the same age and all that stands in here way now is someone willing to accept her insurance or someone who will underwrite the policy and take a risk.

She may be fine whilst in the US  and may not need any treatment whilst there, but she simply can not take the risk of going without cover and possibly jeopodise her kids home and any money that would be left to them from her pension if she was to incurr any large medical bills without insurance or an underwriter in place.

Looking forward to the trip gave her something to keep her focused and now that has been ripped away from her and she is crushed and feels that she has let her kids down on a promise that she made to them.

Sorry to bore you but I thought giving you the full big picture would be a help.

[Lawnmower Man]

Sorry to bore you but I thought giving you the full big picture would be a help.

Chris,
  It's not a bore.   Don't hesitate to post more if you feel the need.   I'm sure everyone on CA hopes your sister can find a positive outcome to this.

T.

[monkey]

Tis done. Good luck to you.

Monkey.

[Snoring Rhino]

Hi Chris,
Very sorry to hear of your sisters situation.
If you need to gather evidence against this insurance company you can serve a Statuary Access Request on them (you will need to pay them £10) for copies of all data and information that they hold on and from your sister and any third parties, this includes voice recordings for calls, computer data from when she set up the policy initially (this is very important with regards to the initial set up of the policy) and information on when they tried to reinsure the policy to the other company etc etc. The must provide this information in full but they do have 40 days to provide it (sometimes a SAR is a good notice that you are going to fight this to the end).
Given the strict conditions regulations and authorisations needed to set up an insurance company I am surprised to hear that the company was set up by a "family who had had and similar experience", there will be a much bigger company behind them (setting up a computer system to accept policies online alone is a very complex task).
Having said this insurance companies can and do decline policies either directly or by out pricing them, however normally any risk is insurable for a price. The company would seem to be showing a willingness to compensate which is an indication of liability, just don't let them off the hook and continue to hound the insurance ombudsman (they have the ultimate power over insurance companies) to keep the pressure on, get support from you MP (the insurance company I worked for had letters from Cameron in support of his constituents and they are taken seriously).
All the best.
Ian

[Andy]

Good Luck with this quest Chris, not much I can offer seeing so much knowledge offered by others
Keep chin up and stay strong

[Chris24]

Still no joy finding someone prepared to take a risk and insure my sister for her planned family holiday to Florida with her kids. Today she appeared on ITV's calendar program and was also interviewed by her local Hull radio stadion Viking FM, the full interview can be heard at the link below. The second link is to the ITV interview.

http://www.magic1161.co.uk/news/local/terminally-ill-mum-devastated-over-ruined-family-holiday/#.UW8S9Ypr7nc.twitter

http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/

We are not giving up hope of finding a solution just yet but time is running out as the holiday is booked for the end of May and my sister has to make a decision in about a weeks time on starting the next course of chemio based around whether or not she is going to Florida or staying at home.

[Andy Zarse]

Hi Chris, I am very sorry to hear the latest update.

Can you please confirm a few points.

Firstly did the insurer accept a payment in respect of the premium and was the payment for the same amount as the quote.

Secondly, did the insurer issue a policy document to your sister?

Finally, when the insurer cancelled the cover did they say upon what basis the cancellation was made? (i.e. were they relying on any particular clause in the policy wording?).


I have discussed this matter with a couple of senior people in the industry and we are all at a loss as to understand how they have been able to cancel, but until the full facts are know we can't know for sure. However they appear to be disregarding the fundamental basis of any contract in English law; offer> acceptance> consideration.

Look forward to hearing ASAP, PM me if you prefer.

PS I would also fully endorse what Ian has said above.

[John G]

Further to my previous post, I think this is above a 'normal travel agent'  level, ie: where my wife could offer any useful help

Certainly hope Andy Z etc can sort this, please let me know (PM or whatever) if we/she can be of any help, I checked that she did the FB thingy, as per your original request

[Chris24]

Andy, PM sent.

[Andy Zarse]

Thanks Chris, reply sent!

[mal]

PM Sent