Any experience with Travel Guard?

[SCATULO]

I am researching different travel insurance companies and am leaning toward Travel Guard based on their policy/cost/etc. Has anyone had any good/bad experiences dealing with them when needing to make a claim? I am hoping i will not need to but would like to know what their customer service/paying claims is like. Thanks! :)

[Marshal123]

I purchased two staterooms for family cruise last September through a travel agent. I purchased TravelGuard as insurance with TA, I think it cost $67 per person? Unexpected surgery and I couldn't go, we cancelled and I submitted paperwork for claim on the two rooms right away.

 

I got one of the checks last December. I called to inquire about the other stateroom, I was asked to return the check as it was 'paid in error'. The representative told me that they needed more medical information and would have to request it from a medical records company and sometimes that company charges a fee. TravelGuard would needed my check sent back so they could deduct the 'fee'. I declined as I had already cashed it.

I just got the second check last week--4 month delay. I'm also waiting for checks for the air travel claims I submitted in December. I've only have received one of three checks thus far.

 

I checked status of claim via webpage, it always showed as open and waiting for additional documents. When called a representative at the number provided, I was told the same thing.

 

This is the first time of having to submit insurance claims so I can't compare it to other companies. It may have been out of TG's ability to process the claims faster due to needing more medical records, but I thought four months was too long for reimbursment.

[Marshal123]

'...but I thought four months was too long for reimbursment.'

 

Correction--five months.

[6rugrats]

Sometimes it's not the fault of the insurance company that claims take so long to process. If the claims examiner does not receive the correct paperwork, the claim can't be completed. And, IME, doctors can be very bad at returning paperwork in a timely manner.

 

However, if all the necessary information has been received, claims must be processed in a certain number of days.

 

I have filed two claims with TG. One went quickly, the other was denied, as they processed under cancelling for illness, and they decided this was not a valid reason. I called and asked why they didn't process it under the "cancel for any reason" coverage. They resubmitted it then and it was paid.

 

As with everything, you need to keep on top of it, unfortunately.

[sirwired]

I've been happy with the three (or four, depending on how you count) claims I've filed with them over the years. One claim got "stuck" in processing for a week, but I bumped it loose with a couple phone calls.

 

No crazy doc requests, no bogus denials, etc. Overall, exactly what I'd expect from a pretty decent insurance company.