Question: I was on holiday with my family and on our outbound journey, we had to take a connecting flight. On reaching our final destination, we were informed that as our connection was tight, our luggage did not make it on the connecting flight. You can imagine the inconvenience this has caused us. To add insult to injury, we were informed that the next flight was the following day (in around 9 hours). So we went for a shopping spree, and kept the receipts for claim purposes. To our chagrin, the insurance company did not even accept our claim, despite the fact that they acknowledged the inconvenience of being deprived of our belonging at the very start of our holiday. Is this fair?
An insurer is obliged to compensate you for any loss you incur in the event that your luggage is temporarily lost in transit on the outward journey and not restored to you within a specific time period.
Some insurers may apply a full 12 hours to make it eligible for you to claim compensation for emergency items. Indeed, the consumer should be aware of the conditions of the policy for such situations. Typically, a travel insurance policy would pay for the emergency purchase of essential replacement items up to a maximum limit. The claimant should present receipts for such emergency items and also obtain written confirmation from the airline of the number of hours delay. It may also be helpful to keep any receipts provided by the carrier indicating that when the luggage had been delivered. When the traveller signs the form (usually in duplicate), it may be useful to take note of the date and time the luggage had been handed to the traveller (if left at reception, the reception might be asked to confirm this). That, too, is also proof as to the time luggage has arrived.
Had the complainant’s luggage been permanently lost, the policy would have covered the overall baggage sum insured, depending on the type of policy.
It is always advisable to take a copy of the insurance policy with you and refer to it in similar situations. Policy conditions are often quite specific. The fact that your luggage returned after 10 hours may not be sufficient to give you eligibility to claim from your insurance. Moreover, there may be situations where the insurers would consider giving an ex-gratia payment where there is evidence of inconvenience resulting from the delay. However, going for a shopping spree would not usually convince an insurer of one’s good faith – after all, the policy covers you for emergency items.
Question: I was on holiday in Greece last summer and my handbag was stolen while swimming. In my handbag I had a mobile phone, a digital camera, around €500 cash and prescription sunglasses. I made a police report and on my return to Malta, I lodged a claim with my insurer. However, the insurance company refused to honour my claim, which I think is unfair.
As the adage goes, always act prudently – as if you are not insured! This means that one should always take care of his property irrespective of any insurance cover you might have. Many travel policies include a provision which excludes payment for loss of or damage to or theft of personal belongings if left unattended. For example, some insurance policies may also recommend that you should lock your valuables in a safe while you are not around.
It is evident that you did not exercise reasonable care when you left your handbag unattended while swimming. This circumstance was excluded under your travel policy and it is on this basis that your claim was not upheld.
