Do Not Use This Insurance Company

[shaq]

Do not insure your trip with Travelsafe [Travel Mate] which I purchased through InSureMyTrip. I had to cancel my trip 2 days before leaving. I filed my claim in a timely manner { their web page states that they process claims in 5 business days]. Since then I have been given the run around, each time you speak to them you get, “we didn’t receive you claim”, until you tell them you have a signed receipt. This is now a month later and I still haven’t received a call or payment. When you call them now they state they are backlogged with no idea when the claim will be paid.

I have tried to get InsureMyTrip to help but it seems that they are getting the same responses I have. I have filed a claim with the BBC and I’m in the process of notifying the Attorney General in my area.

 

So please do not use TravelSafe [TravelMate].

[fideauxdon]

While I don't have any reason do doubt what you're saying, I'm surprised, because I checked the company out with the BBB, and they had an 'A+' rating, and you can't do better than that. The only advice that I can give you is to hang in there, and document anything that you do when you contact them, whether it be by phone, email, snailmail, etc. I would also contact Insuremytrip.com, and tell them that you're having a problem with the company. Be aware that you have to make a case for your claim, and people do get turned down initially, because they haven't furnished sufficient documentation. If, for instance, you or a Family member became ill, you better be prepared to furnish papework from your Doctor backing up your claim.

Even good companies make mistakes sometime, so try to be patient. One month isn't really a lot of time.

[shaq]

First off TravelSafe [TravelMate] has no rating with the BBB. There are 80 active complaints filed against them right now. I addedmine to the list today, so now it must be 81,There are also numerous web sites that have their complaints on them. Yes I have involved InsureMyTrip in this. They have not made a request for additional information. I submitted all the Doctors form abd the ones fromthe hospital. You can only work with a insurance company only if the are will to have a conversation with you. TripMate just wants to get you off the phone. If they think I will be worn down so I ill settle for less I will take them to small claims court.

[imsulin]

Sorry about your situation! I'm confused, though, as you've mentioned three different companies (I think). Travel Safe, Travel Mate, Trip Mate. Also, I thought that insuremytrip was simply a place to find out about different trip insurance companies, and didn't necessarily advocate any of them. Am I missing something here? I've always bought Travelguard, and have had no problems. Good luck on your claim, and please keep us informed.

[Traveler353]

OP: Thank you for the heads up. Will keep your advicement in mind when next I am shopping for travel insurance.

[MamaTene]

Thank you so much for the heads up here...can never be too careful!

[greatam]

and they had an 'A+' rating, and you can't do better than that.

 

An AM Best A+ rating only means the company has the financial ABILITY to pay claims. Has absolutely NOTHING to do with whether they DO pay claims.

 

A company heavy in the truck insurance industry had a stellar rating for years and years. But try to collect on a claim. No wonder they had such a stellar rating-they RARELY paid out a claim. All the policy money went into investments, so their financials were stellar, which is how insurance ratings are derived. They were sued for fraud by a couple of large trucking companies and shortly after, closed their doors.

 

http://www.ambest.com/ratings/notice.asp

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for the heads up!!

[fideauxdon]

First off TravelSafe [TravelMate] has no rating with the BBB. There are 80 active complaints filed against them right now. I addedmine to the list today, so now it must be 81,There are also numerous web sites that have their complaints on them. Yes I have involved InsureMyTrip in this. They have not made a request for additional information. I submitted all the Doctors form abd the ones fromthe hospital. You can only work with a insurance company only if the are will to have a conversation with you. TripMate just wants to get you off the phone. If they think I will be worn down so I ill settle for less I will take them to small claims court.

 

I will repeat what I told you before: TravelSafe and/or TravelMate are accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and they both have a rating of 'A+'. Check out the following BBB link: http://www.dc.bbb.org/report.html?national=y&compid=50002532

 

While it's still possible that they're handling your case badly, you need to do a better investigation before you make a general condemnation of the company.

[shaq]

I might be wrong about their ratings, but you also should do a better investigation. there are many complaints about them online. Since you sound as if you are happy using them, good for you. Since you have such a high rating of them. Please tell us how wonderful they have treated your claim, be interested in hearing it. I would I am also intitled to voice my opinion, and tell my story.

 

So to keep everyone up on my progress, they have finally admitted to me after 6 weeks of checking that I did take out the policy. Most insurance companies I have delt with can just go on their computers and find that information in no more than 10 min. Since I supplied then with a copy of the insurance policy with the policy #.

[michellejed]

Good luck and thanks for the info.

[fideauxdon]

I might be wrong about their ratings, but you also should do a better investigation. there are many complaints about them online. Since you sound as if you are happy using them, good for you. Since you have such a high rating of them. Please tell us how wonderful they have treated your claim, be interested in hearing it. I would I am also intitled to voice my opinion, and tell my story.

#.

 

It sounds like you know all the answers, so I won't trouble you with the facts in the future, but be aware that the BBB ratings are determined by Customer complaints, so you should definitely file a complaint with the BBB, who will require the company that you feel is treating you badly to answer your complaint. You should also be aware that travel insurance companies have, in the past, sued customers who maligned their company without doing the proper research. Blowing your stack on the internet might feel good, but going through the proper channels might even help you to receive the settlement that you think you deserve.

[trish1c]

I'm not going to defend them b/c what you are going through is awful. But all insurance companies are in business to make money & they all drag their feet when it comes to paying claims.

 

If you are that PO'd get a lawyer. Seriously. in most states if you have to use a lawyer to sue your own insurance company, the insurance company has to pay your legal fees.

 

Insuremytrip isn't going to do a thing for you b/c the insurance company is their customer & they make money from the company not from you. Who do you think they care about making happy?

 

If you still want to pursue this on your own without a lawyer do yourself a favor & do two things:

 

1. In the next letter you write them -- actual letter sent both regular & certified mail -- tell the insurance company that they are "acting in bad faith" and if they don't stop you will take legal action against them for their bad faith. "Bad faith" is a term of art. Use it.

 

2. Insurance is a heavily regulated industry. Contact the department of insurance in the state where you live for help. You should be able to find them on the internet & in the blue pages of your phone book. Also contact the department of insurance in the state where the insurance company is located & get them involved. Believe me the last thing the insurance company wants is government investigation.

 

Good luck & I hope you feel better.

[travelntreats]

It sounds like you know all the answers, so I won't trouble you with the facts in the future, but be aware that the BBB ratings are determined by Customer complaints, so you should definitely file a complaint with the BBB, who will require the company that you feel is treating you badly to answer your complaint. You should also be aware that travel insurance companies have, in the past, sued customers who maligned their company without doing the proper research. Blowing your stack on the internet might feel good, but going through the proper channels might even help you to receive the settlement that you think you deserve.

BBB is a joke.... and not always a reliable source. You do realize that many businesses opt out on joining BBB as it is a membership organization and not a requirement ?

 

OP... Insuremytrip while being a good source of insurance options available out there, but it also pays to reserahc your options and compare and make certain the carrier you are considering using meets your needs, coverage and has good customer service . Sometimes the least expensive route is not always the best. You pay for what you get !

[fideauxdon]

BBB is a joke.... and not always a reliable source. You do realize that many businesses opt out on joining BBB as it is a membership organization and not a requirement ?

 

Yes; I do know that. I also know that TravelGuard, one of the largest travel insurance companies in the country, is not a member of the BBB, and the BBB gives them an 'A' rating. I've heard the statement that you need to belong to the BBB in order to get a good rating many times. At least in the case of TravelGuard, this doesn't seem to be true.

[Ethel5]

....................This is now a month later and I still haven’t received a call or payment. When you call them now they state they are backlogged with no idea when the claim will be paid.

 

In your first post you said it's been a month.

 

.......................................................................................

So to keep everyone up on my progress, they have finally admitted to me after 6 weeks of checking that I did take out the policy. Most insurance companies I have delt with can just go on their computers and find that information in no more than 10 min. Since I supplied then with a copy of the insurance policy with the policy #.

 

Now two days later, you say it's been 6 weeks. If you're going to go further with a claim, I suggest you state it more acurately.

[cherylandtk]

TravelSafe sells seven or eight different travel policies to individuals, the best two being Premier and VacationPlan. I do not see a plan called TravelMate. They are generally regarded as being a trustworthy and reliable insurer with a good record of paying claims. Two of the plans are sold by insuremytrip (Premier and Vacation).

 

TripMate is a partner company to TravelSafe, but it sells its customized policies through travel agents and other travel suppliers, and to determine your exact coverage you have to know your plan number because each policy is slightly different and customized by the travel supplier to provide (or exclude) specific coverages for their clientele. Insuremytrip does NOT list TripMate as one of their providers.

 

Processing of the claim should be handled in a professional and timely manner, and it appears that the OP is not receiving either, BUT you need to get your copy of the insurance coverage/certificate in front of you and identify the correct plan name, number and provider as well as your certificate of coverage number. Filing a claim using incorrect or incomplete information will only delay the processing of your claim.

[spacewoman]

We use a a company thru out TA called Berkley or Barclay, can't remember but can check for anyone interested. In 2008 member of our travelling party developed a life threating blood clot one week before the trip and could not go. We were reimbursed by the insurance company faster than Carnival reimbursed their percentage. Needed to fill out lots of documentation and have doctors fill out forms but did everything they requested.

 

Good luck and I hope you see your money soon

[shaq]

I purchased the policy through InsureMyTrip. TravelSafe is TravelMate. If you look them up I think they are listed as TravelSafe DBA as TraveMate. InsureMyTrip has been trying to help.

[Deckhandoug]

BBB is a joke.... and not always a reliable source. You do realize that many businesses opt out on joining BBB as it is a membership organization and not a requirement ?

 

OP... Insuremytrip while being a good source of insurance options available out there, but it also pays to reserahc your options and compare and make certain the carrier you are considering using meets your needs, coverage and has good customer service . Sometimes the least expensive route is not always the best. You pay for what you get !

 

 

Oh, Boy do I agree, you are wasting your time with the BBB, they are in "bed' with their member companies

[Alliea]

It sounds like you know all the answers, so I won't trouble you with the facts in the future, but be aware that the BBB ratings are determined by Customer complaints, so you should definitely file a complaint with the BBB, who will require the company that you feel is treating you badly to answer your complaint. You should also be aware that travel insurance companies have, in the past, sued customers who maligned their company without doing the proper research. Blowing your stack on the internet might feel good, but going through the proper channels might even help you to receive the settlement that you think you deserve.

Do you work for them or something? They are not far from where I live.. thanks for the heads up Shaq.. I will steer far away from them!

[cruiseco]

TravelSafe is an independent company which markets travel insurance plans underwritten by the United States Fire Insurance Company.

 

The A.M. Best ratings you see on line are not ratings of TravelSafe, they are ratings of the financial stability of US Fire Insurance (which also underwrites several other travel insurance plans) and it's ability to have the money available to pay any valid claims presented. The A.M. Best rating has nothing to do with TravelSafe, it's customer service standards, or it's claims paying record.

 

Trip Mate is a third company which specializes in administering claims for TravelSafe and numerous other insurance companies among other things. If you book a tour with many US-based tour companies and buy the insurance there's a good chance that it's a plan from Trip Mate -- kind of like how BerkleyCare administers most of the in-house plans marketed through the cruise lines. Why use an independent third party? For one, smaller insurers such as TravelSafe do not have to re-invent the wheel -- they do not have to set up thier own claims division, hire/train new people, and take on the costs of investigating claims.

 

When you sent the claim in you sent it to Trip Mate. Trip Mate will make the decision to pay or not to pay the claim and, if paid, the check will be written against a US Fire Insurance Comapny bank account since it's their money that is used to pay claims.

 

Here's a link to the TravelSafe BBB listing. TravelSafe is a DBA for the Chester Perfetto Agemcy in Pennsylvania.

 

http://www.dc.bbb.org/report.html?national=y&compid=50002532

 

As you can see, this agency does indeed have an A+ rating with their local BBB. They do show 4 complaints in the last two years, all resolved to the satisfaction of the BBB.

 

I have no idea what Travel Mate is. I suspect that it is a mix-up with Trip Mate.

 

One nice thing about dealing with a smaller insurer is that the management takes a personal interest in what's going on under their name. I'd call Scott Perfetto (President) at 1-888-885-7233 and let him know what's going on -- or not going on. He's a good guy and he'll get it straightened out for you.

[blindrid]

It sounds like you know all the answers, so I won't trouble you with the facts in the future, but be aware that the BBB ratings are determined by Customer complaints, so you should definitely file a complaint with the BBB, who will require the company that you feel is treating you badly to answer your complaint. You should also be aware that travel insurance companies have, in the past, sued customers who maligned their company without doing the proper research. Blowing your stack on the internet might feel good, but going through the proper channels might even help you to receive the settlement that you think you deserve.

 

And it should be noted that the BBB is a membership driven organization and does not necessarily get involved with disputes / followups that can skew the ratings.

 

To me, it is a rather worthless organization. To the other PP that mentioned AM Best ratings, obviously talking apples and oranges here.

 

Per Cruiseco... Steve to the rescue.

 

Thanks!

[geoherb]

The BBB helped me get my money back. I agree that the A ratings should be taken with a grain of salt. But I steer clear of any company that has numerous complaints outstanding.

[cruiseco]

The BBB helped me get my money back. I agree that the A ratings should be taken with a grain of salt. But I steer clear of any company that has numerous complaints outstanding.

 

I agree that the biggest value in checking BBB ratings comrs BEFORE you contract for whatever item or service you're considering. They're not the law -- they can't force anyone to do anything. But a quick check can keep you out os a mess to begin with.