Trip Mate Insurance - HORRIBLE

[Sailman55]

My wife and I have taken two Viking European River cruises and Viking appears to be associated with Trip Mate insurance since it's an option when booking their cruises.  We trust Viking so we purchased Trip Mate Insurance for our March 2023 river cruise to Paris/Zurich.  Unfortunately, American Airlines diverted our flight from Seattle to Paris so we ended up in New York due to a non-functioning communication equipment required for Atlantic Ocean flights.  In May we submitted a claim for one night's lost hotel in Paris and after MANY back-and-forth requests for MORE information our claim is still not resolved.  Trip Mate is a HORRIBLE company and if you buy one of their policies then be prepared to say goodbye to your money and forget about submitting a loss claim - they are so full of red tape that you'll just get frustrated and give up, or they will deny your claim. If you don't believe me then read the various reviews of Trip Mate in the internet. It takes a long time to earn a good reputation and Viking has done that. However, it takes little time to lose that reputation and being associated with Trip Mate is a one-way ticket to one star reviews.

Have your eyes wide open if you choose to select a travel insurance company - you don't have to choose Trip Mate.

[GeezerCouple]

3 minutes ago, Sailman55 said:

My wife and I have taken two Viking European River cruises and Viking appears to be associated with Trip Mate insurance since it's an option when booking their cruises.  We trust Viking so we purchased Trip Mate Insurance for our March 2023 river cruise to Paris/Zurich.  Unfortunately, American Airlines diverted our flight from Seattle to Paris so we ended up in New York due to a non-functioning communication equipment required for Atlantic Ocean flights.  In May we submitted a claim for one night's lost hotel in Paris and after MANY back-and-forth requests for MORE information our claim is still not resolved.  Trip Mate is a HORRIBLE company and if you buy one of their policies then be prepared to say goodbye to your money and forget about submitting a loss claim - they are so full of red tape that you'll just get frustrated and give up, or they will deny your claim. If you don't believe me then read the various reviews of Trip Mate in the internet. It takes a long time to earn a good reputation and Viking has done that. However, it takes little time to lose that reputation and being associated with Trip Mate is a one-way ticket to one star reviews.

Have your eyes wide open if you choose to select a travel insurance company - you don't have to choose Trip Mate.

 

Sorry that has happened to you.

 

This appears to be your first post, but you've been a CC member for quite a few years.

I have no idea if you have been *reading* here on CC, but there have been many posts about not getting travel insurance through the travel vendor such as a cruise line.

 

And there are many recommendations to deal with a travel insurance broker.  They can help you find policies that best fit your own specific needs *and* they can help with claims should that be needed.

 

For future travel... we are among those who have used www.TripInsuranceStore.com (no extra charge for using them).

And we've had quite a few claims (with Travel Insured) and all have been paid promptly, without any drama.

 

Meanwhile, about your current claim, insurance is a regulated industry, so you could try contacting the Insurance Commissioner's Office in your state.  Sometimes that, uh, "helps" the insurer to pay, if the claim was for a covered situation.

There are others here from Washington, so they may chime in with other suggestions.

 

Good luck!

 

GC

[klfrodo]

As a fellow Washingtonian, I feel your frustration. I agree that sometimes insurance companies do try to wear you down and hope you go away.

I have had some luck by reaching out to the Washington State Insurance Commission for assistance.

Maybe give them an opportunity to help. Here's a link.

File a complaint or check your complaint status | Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner

Edited July 18, 2023 by klfrodo

[Sailman55]

GeezerCouple and klfrodo - thank you both for your feedback.  I appreciate it.

[Babr]

TripMate is just the plan administrator for Viking as it is with several other cruise lines. Viking insurance is divided into two parts with Viking providing the travel benefits  and Generali insuring the medical coverage. So your problem is with Viking and TripMate not an insurance company.

 

The worst part about Viking’s policy is that the cancellation provision often reimburses in vouchers because people choose to apply all funds including insurance to another booking. What they do not realize is that those vouchers have no cash value and are not recognized as a form of payment by the Viking policy. So, yes, they can move it all; but the subsequent cruise is not covered for cancellation or interruption.

[Babr]

Correction: Viking provides the Cancel For Any Reason coverage. Generali provides coverage for other travel related expenses with the disclaimer that it applies only to arrangements booked through the company from which you purchased coverage. 

 

[GeezerCouple]

5 minutes ago, Babr said:

Correction: Viking provides the Cancel For Any Reason coverage. Generali provides coverage for other travel related expenses with the disclaimer that it applies only to arrangements booked through the company from which you purchased coverage. 

[emphasis added]

 

Sailman55 :

 

Babr brings up an important point that you may not have considered when making decisions about "where/from whom" to purchase travel insurance.

 

Third-party insurance, from an insurer totally independent of any travel vendor, is likely to offer much better coverage in another way:  That policy is likely to cover you from the moment you walk out the door (even before you get in your ride to the airport) until you walk back in your door at the end of your trip.

 

If you are making other stops before or after your cruise, the "cruise-linked travel insurance" may not cover that if all of the arrangements are done separate from the cruise line.  It will cover air travel that you arranged on your own, by cash or awards.

And of course, any covered medical expenses themselves.

 

Speak with a travel insurance broker to determine whether some special issues may or may not apply to you, and then pick the policy that fits best.

Concerns might include:  illness among non-traveling family members; problems/expenses in other cities before/after the cruise; transportation to the airport... the list goes on.

 

And speaking with a broker can make a huge difference in how well you understand what IS or is NOT "covered".  Many "complaints" about travel insurance not paying are in fact because the "event" wasn't actually covered in the first place.  Sometimes that's obvious, but sometimes not.

Especially:  "pre-existing condition" has a very specific meaning for each policy, and it can be very different from our everyday usage.  That can make a huge difference (for better or for worse - but one should understand so the coverage "works" for you, etc. - or know that what it does *not* include).

So you want a broker you *speak* with, to discuss concerns and listen to any issues they may suggest.  Don't just rely upon online policy summaries.  If there is any place where "the fine print" matters... it's insurance!

(Online summaries may be fine as background information, so you get a sense of "what's available", but then speak with a broker or agent.)

 

And when in doubt, you can always call the broker, who will probably have a fast way to contact the insurer IF there is a problem or some uncertainty.

 

GC

[jclinard]

I always urge people to only take recommendations for insurance from people who have attempted to make a claim.  Lots of people seem to pooh-pooh that, insisting they have a good company because they deposited the premiums promptly.

 

My guess is that they know it's a valid claim, so they are going through this dance to try to wear you out and abandon it.  It's funny how valid claims go through that, where denials are issued without any delays at all.

[iamtrustworthy]

On 7/18/2023 at 8:40 AM, Sailman55 said:

My wife and I have taken two Viking European River cruises and Viking appears to be associated with Trip Mate insurance since it's an option when booking their cruises.  We trust Viking so we purchased Trip Mate Insurance for our March 2023 river cruise to Paris/Zurich.  Unfortunately, American Airlines diverted our flight from Seattle to Paris so we ended up in New York due to a non-functioning communication equipment required for Atlantic Ocean flights.  In May we submitted a claim for one night's lost hotel in Paris and after MANY back-and-forth requests for MORE information our claim is still not resolved.  Trip Mate is a HORRIBLE company and if you buy one of their policies then be prepared to say goodbye to your money and forget about submitting a loss claim - they are so full of red tape that you'll just get frustrated and give up, or they will deny your claim. If you don't believe me then read the various reviews of Trip Mate in the internet. It takes a long time to earn a good reputation and Viking has done that. However, it takes little time to lose that reputation and being associated with Trip Mate is a one-way ticket to one star reviews.

Have your eyes wide open if you choose to select a travel insurance company - you don't have to choose Trip Mate.

Hi sailman55,

 

I know you're frustrated with TripMate's coverage, but TripMate is the administrator of the plan and they handle the claims, too. However, TripMate didn't design Viking's plan.

 

Here's a very basic explanation of how this works:

Viking contracts with TripMate (or any other administrator) to provide a Trip Cancellation plan. The plan design has multiple choices for the coverage benefit levels. The plan itself also has filed and approved policy wording with the States they do business in. Viking works with TripMate on the plan design.

 

I hope this helps you.

 

Steve Dasseos