Has anyone had any experience with filing a claim with IMG?

[SimplyAlbert]

I purchased trip insurance from IMG through the Trip Insurance Store.  Unfortunately, we had to cancel our cruise as my husband needed a pacemaker about two weeks before we were to leave.  I filed the claim and provided the documents they requested.  Next communication is a request for more documents and their form to be filled out by his surgeon, which I sent, along with a letter and documentation showing that we finally got a reimbursement for two tours we booked so we were withdrawing a claim for those two things, Latest request is for documents that I already sent, plus for medical records that don't exist as there are no records for the time period in question (60 days prior to purchasing the policy).  I provided a print out showing all of his office visits, radiology, cardiology, tests, etc. to show there were no appointments, surgeries, etc., and resent the documentation I had already provided. I'm trying to find out if anyone else has gone through this and how long it finally took to resolve it.   

[klfrodo]

Unfortunately, I've heard this story too many times. Just like medical insurance companies making you jump thru hoops to get pre-authorization approval or even pharmaceutical managers denying a medication that your doctor has prescribed, deny, deny, play the waiting game, follow the money. Travel insurance can be just as frustrating.

Sometimes even a very simple claim for a hotel/trip interruption claims for $100 can take 90 to 180 days.

I feel your pain.

 

A couple of options

1. Reach out to Steve at TripInsuranceStore. He may have some advice for you, or he may have better contacts at IMG that he can pursue.

2. Every State in the Union has an Insurance Commissioner. File a complaint with them and get them involved. Your profile doesn't list your location, or I'd provide a link. Just google "[my state] insurance commission complaint form" and a good link should come up.

[GeezerCouple]

We also purchase through TripInsuranceStore.

Call them and have them help you with this.  They can run interference if necessary, or just get someone to take another look, or get your claim out of the bottom of the pile, or whatever.

 

We use Travel Insured, and have had very prompt claims payments.

The only time ther was any delay was a summer when there were several major hurricanes.  Travel was disrupted for a lot of people!

Our claim wasn't weather related, but we got stuck in that backlog.  We called TIS without realizing why there was a delay this time, and I guess they made a call or something, and then our check arrived.

Usually a check arrives within 2-3 weeks after we've sent in the documentation.

 

I also did ask them to check our first claim submission, as that was all new to us, before we sent it in, but never bothered them with that again.

 

We get coverage that does *not* have any restrictions about pre-existing conditions, and that does seem to make everything easier, and much faster!

The only medical records needed are those directly related to the claim (e.g., why the person cannot travel on this particular trip), and we don't need to send any previous records, etc.

 

GC

[tj_shopper]

I feel your pain.  I have had the same problem with IMG.  I too purchased IMG insurance through the Trip Insurance Store.  The first time I had to make a claim was for trip interruption for a flight home from Texas.  I had all my documents and uploaded to their site, but was asked again to submit.  Finally, the adjuster approved it but shorted me the cost of the one night hotel stay.  The way they did the math didn't make any sense at all and I did reach out to the Trip Insurance Store, which they agreed the amount was incorrect.  I had to send in a complaint before they revisited the claim again.

 

The second time I submitted was for trip interruption again for a flight home from Athens over the summer.  They denied my claim but my girlfriend who had the same exact claim was approved - there were 30 of us who traveled together and we all had our flight bumped.  It's so frustrating.  I have a couple of more trips that I purchased insurance for through IMG but am seriously thinking of going elsewhere next time.

 

Good luck!

[iamtrustworthy]

5 hours ago, SimplyAlbert said:

I purchased trip insurance from IMG through the Trip Insurance Store.  Unfortunately, we had to cancel our cruise as my husband needed a pacemaker about two weeks before we were to leave.  I filed the claim and provided the documents they requested.  Next communication is a request for more documents and their form to be filled out by his surgeon, which I sent, along with a letter and documentation showing that we finally got a reimbursement for two tours we booked so we were withdrawing a claim for those two things, Latest request is for documents that I already sent, plus for medical records that don't exist as there are no records for the time period in question (60 days prior to purchasing the policy).  I provided a print out showing all of his office visits, radiology, cardiology, tests, etc. to show there were no appointments, surgeries, etc., and resent the documentation I had already provided. I'm trying to find out if anyone else has gone through this and how long it finally took to resolve it.   

Hi SimplyAlbert,

 

We deal with this everyday from every company and it's frustrating. To Deanna, Kim & I, it feels like some of the claims people don't even look at what was submitted.

 

Unfortunately, IMG and all other insurance companies first laid trained people off during the pandemic and later hired new, not as experienced, people since. Plus, there continues to be turnover so, in my opinion, more of the not as experienced people get hired. And, sometimes when documents come in, they don't get entered into the system in a timely manner.

 

Let us know and we'll keep helping you with your claim.

 

Steve Dasseos

 

PS - I wrote this on July 14, 2022:

https://tripinsurancestore.com/blog/why-are-travel-insurance-claims-taking-so-long-to-process/

[iamtrustworthy]

1 hour ago, tj_shopper said:

I feel your pain.  I have had the same problem with IMG.  I too purchased IMG insurance through the Trip Insurance Store.  The first time I had to make a claim was for trip interruption for a flight home from Texas.  I had all my documents and uploaded to their site, but was asked again to submit.  Finally, the adjuster approved it but shorted me the cost of the one night hotel stay.  The way they did the math didn't make any sense at all and I did reach out to the Trip Insurance Store, which they agreed the amount was incorrect.  I had to send in a complaint before they revisited the claim again.

 

The second time I submitted was for trip interruption again for a flight home from Athens over the summer.  They denied my claim but my girlfriend who had the same exact claim was approved - there were 30 of us who traveled together and we all had our flight bumped.  It's so frustrating.  I have a couple of more trips that I purchased insurance for through IMG but am seriously thinking of going elsewhere next time.

 

Good luck!

Hi tj_shopper,

 

Will you call us about this at 816-282-6858 so we can help you? I don't know whjo you are by you ID. I looked at all our customers who live in Frankfort, IL and I don't see that any of them have had any claims.

 

Steve Dasseos

[tj_shopper]

1 hour ago, iamtrustworthy said:

Hi tj_shopper,

 

Will you call us about this at 816-282-6858 so we can help you? I don't know whjo you are by you ID. I looked at all our customers who live in Frankfort, IL and I don't see that any of them have had any claims.

 

Steve Dasseos

Hi Steve,

 

Sure, I'll give you a call.  I've recommended your company and IMG to all our friends and so disappointed that IMG has been giving me a hard time on my claim.  I'm still waiting on this most recent trip.  I sent them info about a few weeks ago again and hopefully they will approve my claim as my girlfriend has already received her claim months ago.  Our trip was in May 2023 - we were on a Mediterranean cruise from Rome to Athens.  Thanks.

 

[SimplyAlbert]

20 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Unfortunately, I've heard this story too many times. Just like medical insurance companies making you jump thru hoops to get pre-authorization approval or even pharmaceutical managers denying a medication that your doctor has prescribed, deny, deny, play the waiting game, follow the money. Travel insurance can be just as frustrating.

Sometimes even a very simple claim for a hotel/trip interruption claims for $100 can take 90 to 180 days.

I feel your pain.

 

A couple of options

1. Reach out to Steve at TripInsuranceStore. He may have some advice for you, or he may have better contacts at IMG that he can pursue.

2. Every State in the Union has an Insurance Commissioner. File a complaint with them and get them involved. Your profile doesn't list your location, or I'd provide a link. Just google "[my state] insurance commission complaint form" and a good link should come up.

Thank you.   I did reach out to The Trip Insurance Store and spoke with Kim who just told me to keep submitting the documents they asked for.  She did email their rep to see if he would get involved.

 

I work in the legal field and told Kim I was filing a claim with our state's insurance commission, and she included that on her email to the rep.  

 

It's just very frustrating that they were quick to take our money and now they're dragging their feet on paying out. I spent countless hours cancelling and getting refunds for everything we booked (we were going to Hawaii and had a pre-cruise stay, the cruise, and then a post-cruise stay) and the only things that weren't refunded were the cruise, paid airline seats, and a 15% refund fee for a tour.

 

The only other time I had a claim was with Nationwide for trip interruption and they paid out very quickly after submitting documents once.   I'd never purchase insurance through IMG again after this.

[iamtrustworthy]

On 12/6/2023 at 5:18 PM, tj_shopper said:

Hi Steve,

 

Sure, I'll give you a call.  I've recommended your company and IMG to all our friends and so disappointed that IMG has been giving me a hard time on my claim.  I'm still waiting on this most recent trip.  I sent them info about a few weeks ago again and hopefully they will approve my claim as my girlfriend has already received her claim months ago.  Our trip was in May 2023 - we were on a Mediterranean cruise from Rome to Athens.  Thanks.

 

I got your info and am following up on it for you.

[SimplyAlbert]

So, I'm starting to think that buying travel insurance for a claim for a cruise that was cancelled due to a severe medical issue is a waste of money.   Every time I send the requested documents I get an email asking for the same things over and over again, or they dream up something new that they need.  Starting to realize I can kiss the $5k goodbye, along with the money I paid for the policy.

 

[GeezerCouple]

6 hours ago, SimplyAlbert said:

So, I'm starting to think that buying travel insurance for a claim for a cruise that was cancelled due to a severe medical issue is a waste of money.   Every time I send the requested documents I get an email asking for the same things over and over again, or they dream up something new that they need.  Starting to realize I can kiss the $5k goodbye, along with the money I paid for the policy.

 

Did you read what Steve posted in response to your concern?

If so, why are you concluding at this point that the insurance was a waste of money?

 

I'm assuming he'll either help get it sorted out for you, and you'll get your reimbursement OR he'll find out what the actual problem is such that the claim was indeed declined.

(That could be something like you didn't meet the terms and conditions of the type of insurance policy/coverage you purchased.  Or perhaps you just need to still submit better documentation for the claims...?)

 

We've had several claims, and a few were relatively large.  The big ones were for complete cancellations, either because one of us got sick at the last minute or in one case, because very elderly MIL was suddenly hospitalized with heart trouble.

 

Note:  We ALWAYS get coverage that does *not* exclude pre-existing conditions.  ALWAYS!

 

We've also had some smaller claims, although not necessarily "small" (just "smallER"), for things like a flight cancellation leaving us stranded in Barbados (hey, better there than elsewhere!!), or when I landed in hospital overseas and many of our plans had to be changed at the *very* last minute, plus needing special transportation because I wasn't well enough to do our planned taxi/train/train/taxi/ferry/taxi...

We also purchase through Steve/TripInsuranceStore, but we've used Travel Insured, and they pay very promptly.  And because of their claims payment history, we'll stick with them, even if other insurers had "less expensive" coverage.  That "less expensive" might turn out to be "MORE expensive".... 😡

 

GC

[SimplyAlbert]

17 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

Did you read what Steve posted in response to your concern?

If so, why are you concluding at this point that the insurance was a waste of money?

 

I'm assuming he'll either help get it sorted out for you, and you'll get your reimbursement OR he'll find out what the actual problem is such that the claim was indeed declined.

(That could be something like you didn't meet the terms and conditions of the type of insurance policy/coverage you purchased.  Or perhaps you just need to still submit better documentation for the claims...?)

 

We've had several claims, and a few were relatively large.  The big ones were for complete cancellations, either because one of us got sick at the last minute or in one case, because very elderly MIL was suddenly hospitalized with heart trouble.

 

Note:  We ALWAYS get coverage that does *not* exclude pre-existing conditions.  ALWAYS!

 

We've also had some smaller claims, although not necessarily "small" (just "smallER"), for things like a flight cancellation leaving us stranded in Barbados (hey, better there than elsewhere!!), or when I landed in hospital overseas and many of our plans had to be changed at the *very* last minute, plus needing special transportation because I wasn't well enough to do our planned taxi/train/train/taxi/ferry/taxi...

We also purchase through Steve/TripInsuranceStore, but we've used Travel Insured, and they pay very promptly.  And because of their claims payment history, we'll stick with them, even if other insurers had "less expensive" coverage.  That "less expensive" might turn out to be "MORE expensive".... 😡

 

GC

I did read what Steve posted and I reached out to them.  Advice I got was to continue sending what I've sent.  We didn't buy "less expensive" insurance.   We bought what was recommended by Kim based on what we wanted to cover.

 

I've met the terms and conditions and there is no better documentation.  I've literally sent them everything they've asked for more than once.  It's become very obvious that they're not even reading or reviewing what I've sent to them as they keep asking for the exact same information that I've sent.  I put in a claim for two tours that we did not receive refunds for at the time I submitted the claim.  We subsequently received the refunds and I provided them with proof of the refund and advised that we were withdrawing our claim as to those two things.  Latest email this morning asked for the booking confirmation and proof of payment for the two tours again, even though we told them in both November and December that we were refunded and provided the proof of the refund.

 

We've provided doctor's letters, the form the insurance company sent us for the doctor to fill out, medical records, booking confirmations, payment confirmations, cancellation notices, proof of partial refunds, etc.  I work in the legal field and trust me, I'm good with documentation and sending everything that was asked for.

 

 

[lubedobedo]

I bought this insurance for a cruise next year, now reading this, I am starting to think I should get something else!

[SimplyAlbert]

On 12/14/2023 at 1:51 PM, lubedobedo said:

I bought this insurance for a cruise next year, now reading this, I am starting to think I should get something else!

 

I would never buy from them again.  3 days ago they sent me an email asking for more information, a letter from the electrophysiologt/cardiologist who performed the procedure to clarify something, and a letter from his PCP.  We started the ball rolling that day to get the letters and documents.  Yesterday I got an email that they've denied the claim due to a pre-existing condition.  The policy had a 60 day look back period.   He didn't see anyone during the 60 days in question!  Last visit before buying the policy in July 2023 was in August 2022 for a yearly exam.  Next visit after buying the policy was in September 2023 for a yearly exam.

 

I hope your trip goes smoothly and you don't need the insurance.

[GeezerCouple]

10 hours ago, SimplyAlbert said:

 

I would never buy from them again.  3 days ago they sent me an email asking for more information, a letter from the electrophysiologt/cardiologist who performed the procedure to clarify something, and a letter from his PCP.  We started the ball rolling that day to get the letters and documents.  Yesterday I got an email that they've denied the claim due to a pre-existing condition.  The policy had a 60 day look back period.   He didn't see anyone during the 60 days in question!  Last visit before buying the policy in July 2023 was in August 2022 for a yearly exam.  Next visit after buying the policy was in September 2023 for a yearly exam.

 

I hope your trip goes smoothly and you don't need the insurance.

 

Just in case this is helpful (and I am NOT trying to justify any insurer denials; we've never used IMG and probably never will):

Did you have *ANY* medication adjustment in the <however many days> window as specified in your policy?  OR a recommendation for that... or any procedure?

 

Sometimes the problem is the way the policy is worded, and someone doesn't realize that the terms are different from what is usually considered as "pre-existing".

 

BTW, my earlier comment was intended to suggest that you give Trip Insurance Store a *chance* to see if they can straighten this out for you.  You barely mentioned they would try to help and then your declared IMG still wasn't working for you.

 

The one time we had a delay (again, NOT with IMG!), we asked Steve/TIS about it.  That's how we found that we happened to submit a claim during a time when several hurricanes had caused massive travel disruptions... and hence, the insurers were swamped.  Steve's assistance did seem to help:  suddenly, our claim was paid.

In all other claims, we got paid within 2-3 weeks of submission of all docs.

 

It's unfortunate that the terminology (e.g., of "pre-existing condition") can vary so much, not only between regular usage and travel insurance usage, but also between/among different travel insurance policies.

 

The other suggestion is:  Contact your state's Insurance Commissioner's Office.  Insurance is regulalated by the states.    They may be able to help you (or explain what the problem really is...).

 

I hope this gets fixed soon for you!

Happy Holidays!

 

GC

[SimplyAlbert]

4 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Did you have *ANY* medication adjustment in the <however many days> window as specified in your policy?  OR a recommendation for that... or any procedure?

 

Sometimes the problem is the way the policy is worded, and someone doesn't realize that the terms are different from what is usually considered as "pre-existing".

 

BTW, my earlier comment was intended to suggest that you give Trip Insurance Store a *chance* to see if they can straighten this out for you.  You barely mentioned they would try to help and then your declared IMG still wasn't working for you.

 

The other suggestion is:  Contact your state's Insurance Commissioner's Office.  Insurance is regulalated by the states.    They may be able to help you (or explain what the problem really is...).

 

I hope this gets fixed soon for you!

Happy Holidays!

 

GC

 

There was nothing in the 60 days - no visits, no lab work, no medication changes.

 

Once I started running into difficulties, I called the Trip Insurance Store and Kim told me to just keep submitting everything they asked for, even if it was the third time.  I called after I got the denial on Friday and got Kim again.   She said she was going to have Steve call me, but I haven't heard anything back yet.

 

I have filed a claim with our Dept. of Insurance.

 

This whole experience has been very frustrating. 

[Vagabond Knight]

I am dealing with a claim right now from IMG/itravelinsured, also purchased from Trip Insurance Store and I'm getting extremely frustrated.  I got sick on the second cruise of a 47 day four cruise trip, and the ONLY expense I'm trying to recover is the part of the charges from the ship's infirmary that were not covered by my regular insurance... no excursions, no trip delay, no loss other than the rest of the cost of the medical charge.  I filled out the form and provided them with the medical documentation and receipt, the cruise itinerary/invoice and proof of payment (credit card statement). The auto-reply I got when I submitted the claim said I needed all receipts for the entire trip.  I called an talked to a customer service rep who said that just the information for that one cruise should do it.  Then another email after that said I need that info for the entire trip.  What??? I'm now scrambling to come up with invoices from the other three cruises and travel items, all of which were not affected, and I have to send ten credit card statements from three different credit cards for pieces of the trip that we purchased over a period of eight months, plus the final folios for each cruise.  This makes no sense whatsoever.  How would the two cruises after I got sick affect payment of the illness on the second cruise?  I feel like they're trying to make this a hardship and hope that I give up trying to collect from them.  

[iamtrustworthy]

On 12/17/2023 at 4:39 AM, SimplyAlbert said:

 

There was nothing in the 60 days - no visits, no lab work, no medication changes.

 

Once I started running into difficulties, I called the Trip Insurance Store and Kim told me to just keep submitting everything they asked for, even if it was the third time.  I called after I got the denial on Friday and got Kim again.   She said she was going to have Steve call me, but I haven't heard anything back yet.

 

I have filed a claim with our Dept. of Insurance.

 

This whole experience has been very frustrating. 

Hi SimplyAlbert,

 

 

I don't know who you are by your Cruise Critic ID, so would you email me at steve@tripinsurancestore.com ?

 

At any given time, each of us are helping more than a few people with their claims from all of our companies. You might be one of the people that I have been asking IMG to explain their denial based on the timeline of doctor's visits, diagnoses compared to the date of their Trip Cancellation, but I don't know for sure.

 

Steve Dasseos

 

[iamtrustworthy]

10 hours ago, Vagabond Knight said:

I am dealing with a claim right now from IMG/itravelinsured, also purchased from Trip Insurance Store and I'm getting extremely frustrated.  I got sick on the second cruise of a 47 day four cruise trip, and the ONLY expense I'm trying to recover is the part of the charges from the ship's infirmary that were not covered by my regular insurance... no excursions, no trip delay, no loss other than the rest of the cost of the medical charge.  I filled out the form and provided them with the medical documentation and receipt, the cruise itinerary/invoice and proof of payment (credit card statement). The auto-reply I got when I submitted the claim said I needed all receipts for the entire trip.  I called an talked to a customer service rep who said that just the information for that one cruise should do it.  Then another email after that said I need that info for the entire trip.  What??? I'm now scrambling to come up with invoices from the other three cruises and travel items, all of which were not affected, and I have to send ten credit card statements from three different credit cards for pieces of the trip that we purchased over a period of eight months, plus the final folios for each cruise.  This makes no sense whatsoever.  How would the two cruises after I got sick affect payment of the illness on the second cruise?  I feel like they're trying to make this a hardship and hope that I give up trying to collect from them.  

Hi Vagabond Knight,

 

Thanks for contacting me. I'll let you know after I hear back from IMG.

 

Steve Dasseos

[SimplyAlbert]

On 12/19/2023 at 3:24 PM, Vagabond Knight said:

I am dealing with a claim right now from IMG/itravelinsured, also purchased from Trip Insurance Store and I'm getting extremely frustrated.  I got sick on the second cruise of a 47 day four cruise trip, and the ONLY expense I'm trying to recover is the part of the charges from the ship's infirmary that were not covered by my regular insurance... no excursions, no trip delay, no loss other than the rest of the cost of the medical charge.  I filled out the form and provided them with the medical documentation and receipt, the cruise itinerary/invoice and proof of payment (credit card statement). The auto-reply I got when I submitted the claim said I needed all receipts for the entire trip.  I called an talked to a customer service rep who said that just the information for that one cruise should do it.  Then another email after that said I need that info for the entire trip.  What??? I'm now scrambling to come up with invoices from the other three cruises and travel items, all of which were not affected, and I have to send ten credit card statements from three different credit cards for pieces of the trip that we purchased over a period of eight months, plus the final folios for each cruise.  This makes no sense whatsoever.  How would the two cruises after I got sick affect payment of the illness on the second cruise?  I feel like they're trying to make this a hardship and hope that I give up trying to collect from them.  

 

That's exactly how I feel.  I won't give up though.  If necessary, I'll file suit.  Luckily, I happen to work for one of the largest law firms in our state and have lots of back up!

[Vagabond Knight]

6 hours ago, SimplyAlbert said:

 

That's exactly how I feel.  I won't give up though.  If necessary, I'll file suit.  Luckily, I happen to work for one of the largest law firms in our state and have lots of back up!

I did contact Steve at the Trip Insurance Store and he's checking into it for me.  His reaction was, "Why didn't you contact me when you needed to file a claim?  I would have helped."  Honestly, it never occurred to me to involve the insurance broker.  I figured once they helped you find the policy that suited you and sold it to you, they were done. Pretty impressive that he feels compelled to follow through and help his customers with claims.  I would imagine that's not what the majority do.  

 

Funny you mention filing a suit.  I've only ever sued anyone once, and that was a homeowners insurance company that "didn't act in good faith."  I had very detailed documentation and, though it took a while, I won and it cost them FAR more than it would have cost them to simply do what they were supposed to do at the beginning.

Edited December 21, 2023 by Vagabond Knight

[SimplyAlbert]

15 hours ago, Vagabond Knight said:

I did contact Steve at the Trip Insurance Store and he's checking into it for me.  His reaction was, "Why didn't you contact me when you needed to file a claim?  I would have helped."  Honestly, it never occurred to me to involve the insurance broker.  I figured once they helped you find the policy that suited you and sold it to you, they were done. Pretty impressive that he feels compelled to follow through and help his customers with claims.  I would imagine that's not what the majority do.  

 

Funny you mention filing a suit.  I've only ever sued anyone once, and that was a homeowners insurance company that "didn't act in good faith."  I had very detailed documentation and, though it took a while, I won and it cost them FAR more than it would have cost them to simply do what they were supposed to do at the beginning.

Steve is working on my claim too.  One of the reasons why I always recommend him/his company when people ask about buying trip insurance.

[SimplyAlbert]

Just wanted to provide an update.  With Steve's involvement and help I appealed the denial of the claim and just received an email confirmation that the appeals person/team has overturned the denial, there was no pre-exiting condition, and a check for the full amount claimed should be coming shortly.

 

 

[iamtrustworthy]

5 hours ago, SimplyAlbert said:

Just wanted to provide an update.  With Steve's involvement and help I appealed the denial of the claim and just received an email confirmation that the appeals person/team has overturned the denial, there was no pre-exiting condition, and a check for the full amount claimed should be coming shortly.

 

 

Hi SimplyAlbert,

 

Thanks for contacting me about your claim. I was happy to help you.

 

Steve Dasseos

[Vagabond Knight]

7 hours ago, SimplyAlbert said:

Just wanted to provide an update.  With Steve's involvement and help I appealed the denial of the claim and just received an email confirmation that the appeals person/team has overturned the denial, there was no pre-exiting condition, and a check for the full amount claimed should be coming shortly.

 

Excellent!  I haven't been so fortunate. Last week IMG asked me to send the proof of medical treatment, diagnosis, charges and payment, which I'd already sent them when I placed the claim a month ago.  I submitted those documents AGAIN and also wrote another note asking how they'd managed to lose the documents that I'd already sent.  Crickets chirping....