‘‘I FEEL LUCKY, BUT I’LL BE MORE CAUTIOUS IN FUTURE’
VICKY SHILLING, from Dublin, (right) had to cancel her postponed honeymoon to Europe, which she had booked in several different parts, when Covid struck.
‘We married two years ago, and I wanted to get my wellbeing business coaching business (vickyshilling.com) off the ground before we went,’ she says. ‘We’d planned a trip to taste wine in Spain and Portugal. When we saw something we liked, I clicked “book it” and didn’t think about cancellation policies or anything like that.’
Vicky says cancelling was very easy in most cases, although she lost £99 on one hotel booking, but that the whole process has made her more wary about rights.
‘I’m definitely more likely to be careful and check for loopholes.
We didn’t have any insurance to claim on if we hadn’t been given refunds. I’d make sure I was clear on all policies in the future.’
Q. What happens if I become sick with Covid-19 while on holiday?
One of the most important reasons for taking out travel insurance is that medical expenses can run into many hundreds of thousands if you do get sick abroad. Most insurance policies will cover you for health expenses if you catch COVID-19 abroad, says Brian at Defaqto. However, a worrying three per cent will not, leaving travellers very exposed.
Q. I’m only going on holiday in the UK. Do I need to have insurance?
Yes, says Antony Martin at InsureFor.com, and it needs to have specific Covid cover to protect against ‘cancellation and curtailment’. He warns: ‘The accommodation should offer a refund or the opportunity to visit at a later date but this depends on their booking policy.’
‘Our travel insurance product protects consumers against Covid-related issues both predeparture and during their stay to ensure they don’t lose out if their UK holiday is cancelled.
‘It is also important to take out travel insurance for a staycation under normal circumstances to cover various issues such as cancellation, curtailment in case the holidaymaker has to cut their staycation short, transport delays, lost or stolen luggage and personal liability to cover legal expenses if they’re held responsible for causing damages or injury to another person while on holiday.’
Q. What should I look out for in my travel insurance/holiday provider, when booking this summer?
Specific guarantees to refund holidays in cash, for Covid cancellation, are being offered by many firms, which can give some peace of mind. However, these guarantees are only as strong as the firms that underwrite them, and if a company goes bust you may not be covered.
To avoid this, read the small print carefully. Charles Offord, at the Co-op, points out that if you pay with a credit card you get extra protection for your holiday – since if the firm goes bust the card provider is ‘joint and severally liable’ for the debt and will repay you.
Similarly, when taking out a travel insurance policy, read through carefully for exclusions related to Covid-19, suggests Adam Edinburgh, head of commercial at insurance provider Holiday Extras.
He says: ‘If in doubt, people should contact their insurer and seek clarity on what is and what isn’t included in their cover.’
Q. I’m not happy with what my insurer or travel provider offered after my holiday was cancelled. What can I do?
In the case of a travel insurer you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman – see their website at financial-ombudsman.org.uk – once you have exhausted the insurer’s own complaints process.
Their decision is binding on the insurer and the process will cost you nothing.
The most recent figures available show that almost 40 per cent of travel insurance complaints were upheld in favour of customers, so you have a good chance of getting a decision overturned.
If your complaint is against a travel agency or provider that is a member of ABTA (the Association of British Travel Agents), there is help to file a dispute at abta.com.
If your dispute is with an airline, you may be able to use an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider to take your case forward. Different airlines use different providers, but there is a list of which airline uses which ADR on the Civil Aviation Authority website. There is also more information on the complaints processes available at caa.co.uk.
If your provider is not a member of any of these organisations, you can contact Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) for more help, and can also report them on coronavirusbusiness-complaint.service.gov.uk if you believe they are breaking the law by providing vouchers rather than cash refunds.
If you have no help anywhere else it is possible to take a provider to the small claims court – see citizensadvice.org.uk/law-andcourts/legal-system/small-claims/ deciding-whether-to-make-a-smallclaim. This can be an expensive business and can take a long time, however.
In short, in this unprecedented period, the way we book holidays needs to be different, too. Reading the small print, taking out more comprehensive insurance and understanding the different compensation rules surrounding different types of holiday could prevent a stressful process if things don’t go to plan this year.