Travel insurance communication mixup

We took our second Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) trip, “Real Affordable Costa Rica,” Oct. 12-24, 2006. Those interested in traveling to Costa Rica or Peru for the first time may find these trips both informative and well paced, even with the obligatory “gold factory” visit which allows travelers about two hours to purchase goods one can get at any shop in the country.

I had made the arrangements with OAT for four persons: my son, Aaron, and his wife, from Boise, Idaho, and my wife and me, from Columbus, Ohio. We purchased a travel insurance plan with Trip Mate through OAT and left on the trip feeling secure that we were covered for any major problems that might occur.

Aaron, on an air itinerary arranged by OAT (Boise-Denver-Houston-Belize-San Salvador-Costa Rica) that provided less than an hour for one of the connections (at the Houston airport, where the transfer included a tram ride), missed his flight to Belize due to inclement weather in Houston.

He contacted the emergency number on the flier from Trip Mate (800/555-9095), and the emergency service booked a flight for his wife and him to Costa Rica on a separate airline. He specifically asked the emergency-number operator if he would be reimbursed for the airfare and the operator said that she didn’t know, because she wasn’t a claims adjuster, but that he should file a claim when he returned home, which he did. The tickets cost $599.19 each, totaling $1,198.38. She also told him to get documentation from United about the delayed flight to help with his claim.

In San Juan, the program manager for OAT in Costa Rica informed us there would be no problems in either getting refunded for the unused ticket (via TACA) or for the added expense incurred by purchasing alternate tickets.

Boy, was he wrong! Aaron and I contacted OAT on several occasions and were finally told that OAT was not responsible for our getting a refund on the unused portion of the tickets, as Trip Mate was the insuring company (even though Trip Mate’s service was offered and encouraged by OAT).

A Trip Mate agent informed Aaron, during one of the many phone calls he had with the company, that he would be receiving a check for approximately $1,100. When two checks came on Dec. 10, 2006, they were for $150 each and were marked “final payment.”

After several more calls, Mr. Carpenter, a supervisor at Trip Mate, informed Aaron and me that they had no record of any call that specified a dollar amount that my son would receive.

Trip Mate also informed us that the emergency number is run by a contracted service (On Call Assistance Network) and that Trip Mate is not bound by (statements made by) the agency that handles the emergency calls.

Regarding the operator on the other end of the emergency number, we did not get his name. (Mr. Carpenter did not provide the name, even though he reviewed both emergency calls.)

Aaron discussed this issue with Brian from the Air Division of OAT, who told him that, prior to our trip, the Trip Mate emergency operator company (essentially a travel agency) had received numerous requests from OAT to not purchase or arrange for the purchase of airline tickets for trips to a vacation destination.

OAT, according to Brian, had told the company that they should tell callers to wait until the next available flight through the OAT air carrier and that Trip Mate would reimburse expenses up to $150 per day. The only time that that company is supposed to arrange for air travel tickets is during a medical emergency or on the return trip.

The operator would have known that this was not a return trip because Aaron repeatedly told her that he was trying to link up with the rest of our tour group. Based on what OAT alleges, the emergency operator gave him incorrect instructions. Not once did the agent say, “Wait until the next flight and you won’t be charged and you will connect with your group.” No, she told Aaron to hold the line while she booked his flights.

OAT’s Brian told Aaron that Trip Mate should honor his claim based on what the emergency operator told him to do. The problem is that OAT will not take responsibility for that company; they simply refer Aaron to Trip Mate.

In short, we were not reimbursed for the airline tickets that the emergency number operator arranged, nor will we receive any payment for the unused portion of the original airfare cost. A rather affordable vacation turned into a vacation that cost $1,200 more.

For future travels, we will think twice before purchasing trip insurance through the same company that books the trip; in our case, they were of little value in attempting to assist us. In the end, we felt it was not worth the convenience of paying for two services (trip and insurance) with one check.

GEORGE SCHEFF

Bellville, Ohio

ITN sent a copy of the above letter to Overseas Adventure Travel (347 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210), which sent no response for print, and to Trip Mate, which sent the following reply.

Thank you for your recent letter regarding trip interruption claims for Aaron and Sarah Scheff, Aaron being the son of George and Jeanne Scheff. Trip Mate Insurance Agency is the claims administrator for Overseas Adventure Travel, and we appreciate the opportunity to address the Scheffs’ concerns.

Aaron Scheff was concerned about being able to catch up with the others in his traveling group after landing in Houston and determining that he had missed his next flight. He contacted On Call International, the assistance company, to determine his options, which were provided to Mr. Scheff. On Call International did not advise that the cost of the tickets would be reimbursed, and the representative actually told Mr. Scheff that she could not answer claims-related questions.

This particular travel protection plan provides for reimbursement — up to $150 per day — for unused land travel arrangements plus additional transportation costs to join the trip if a trip is interrupted due to a flight delay. As a result, $300 was paid to Aaron and Sarah Scheff. Nothing in our claims system would prompt a representative to advise that an amount other than $150 per person was to be paid, and records indicate there were no telephone calls where Mr. Scheff was advised that $1,100 was to be paid.

In his correspondence to ITN’s office, George Scheff stated that a manager in San Juan advised that the unused portion of the ticket would be reimbursed. Please note that while the travel protection plan provides for reimbursement of additional transportation costs to join the trip, there is no coverage for unused air travel arrangements.

If an airline representative in San Juan advised Mr. Scheff that a refund could be made for the unused portion of his ticket, the reference would have been (to) the actions of the airline, not the provisions of the travel protection plan, which were unknown to the airline representative.

The On Call International representative found flights that enabled Aaron and Sarah Scheff to do what Mr. Scheff stated they wanted to do, (i.e., catch up with their group). The assistance company representative specifically informed Mr. Scheff what the tickets would cost and that she could not advise whether the cost of the new tickets would be reimbursed under the plan provisions. Our staff reviewed the claims and paid the maximum amount available under the plan provisions.

LINDA M. FINKLE, Executive Vice President, Trip Mate, 9225 Ward Parkway, Ste. 200, Kansas City, MO 64114

In a follow-up to ITN, Aaron Scheff wrote, “In OAT’s defense, after ITN sent them a copy of my letter, OAT was able to extract a $343 refund from TACA for the unused portion of our flight and sent us a check for the same. However, even with that and the $300 refunded by Trip Mate, we are still out $457 (not to mention the original cost of the Trip Mate policy).”