THERE is ONLY ONE ANGELA HERE...and She Isn't in Charge of YOUR Claim

Have you heard those radio commercials for some bank, where they play a simulated voice mail for The Disregard National Bank? After a list of options, each of which the customer will be charged a fee for selecting, the voice says, "Welcome for calling Disregard National Bank -- we appreciate your money".

The TravelGuard Insurance company should have a similar voicemail that says, "If you would like to purchase one of our excellent travel insurance products (their wording thusfar) please be advised we will do everything in our power to keep from reimbursing you in any way, including but not limited to asking for so much irrelevant information that you'll give up and/or delaying your claim so long we make some nice interest on the money".

My nightmare journey with TravelGuard began in August of 2002, when three friends and I booked a trip to San Diego, for October. I paid for the entire trip and my friends planned to reimburse me. The only wrinkle was, Sandra was hospitalized in August with severe cellulitis in her calf, and we were uncertain about her ability to travel in October. Her doctor assured us she would be fine, but as October 5th loomed closer it was clear this had been over-optimistic.

But that was ok, because when we first booked the trip my travel agent, Justin Hall, suggested travel insurance. I've never purchased it before; usually I buy trip waivers. But if something happened to Sandra while we were in San Diego, we wanted coverage. Enter TravelGuard. You pay them, they cover you for any problems that might keep you from completing your trip. In theory, at least.

By the first week of October, we knew Sandra wouldn't be able to go on the trip, so I sent for the claim papers. After my return on October 12th, they had arrived. In the name of Sandra's husband, Thomas Brandenburg. The only problem was that one of the requirements for reimbursement was that Tom submit proof of payment for himself and Sandra; he couldn't do that, since I paid for all of them.

I telephoned TravelGuard and they promised to send new papers. Then I followed up with a letter explaining the situation. Eventually I did receive new papers, filled them out along with all the information required, and sent them back. This was in the first week in November.

It should be noted here that much of the information required was completely irrelevant to the claim. They wanted Social Security numbers for myself and Sandra; Congress is currently considering making it illegal for anyone but employers to ask for Social Security numbers, due to the incredible rise in identity theft. In the meantime, companies like TravelGuard use this as an excuse to deny reimbursement to people who are afraid to give out their numbers.

They also wanted the name of Sandra's insurance company, Blue Shield, and the policy number. What on earth was this for? They already had a letter from her doctor outlining her condition. Then the machinations started; three times I was asked if Sandra was hospitalized for a 'pre-existing condition'. Justin Hall eventually had to inform the company that it wouldn't matter if Sandra's condition was pre-existing; according to the terms of the policy I bought, the company would be liable anyway. As it happens, Sandra's condition wasn't pre-existing, but the company kept trying to get me to say it was.

The second week in November I got another set of papers in Tom's name. They asked for exactly the same information I'd sent before, and once again insisted that he submit payment information. I'd paid for the packages, $1202. each, and was assured by Justin that the procedure to recover was 'painless'. Justin is an excellent travel agent who works hard and tries more than most for his customers; he has since realized there is nothing 'painless' about this process.

So, I telephoned TravelGuard again. Needless to say, at this point I was ready to chew someone's head off. I got an untrained person on the telephone who didn't have a clue what to do; because I refused to get off the line she finally located Angela. Well named, she was the only person willing to assist me, the only one I'd thusfar encountered at this chaotic company who had any professional skills.

She brought up my file and couldn't seem to understand why the claim had been held up. Possibly, she thought, because the policy for Tom and Sandra was in his name, so the company wanted to make the check out in his name. Fine! Let them send the check in his name; he could then make it over to me.

I spoke to her on November 15th; she promised to get back to me on the 18th. She didn't, so I called her. She apologized and said the company is redesigning their telephone system, and she hadn't been able to get the straight story on my claim. But she was going to speak to Carol Henke, the supervisor of claims, and Carol would telephone me on the 19th.

That evening I wrote yet another letter, this time to Ms. Henke, and explained the situation for the third time, and faxed the letter to her.

On the 20th Angela told me the claim had been approved, and I would receive the check within two weeks. On the 22nd I received another letter from someone named Yvonne, stating that she had contacted Sandra's doctor for further information, and would let me know the outcome. At that point I pretty much lost it. I had gone to the trouble of getting a letter from the doctor stating the problem and why Sandra couldn't go on the trip -- this was obviously another delaying tactic.

Consider this; for every claim TravelGuard manages to delay by a month, they earn interest on your money. Multiply that by the number of people who buy travel insurance every month, and the company is making a nice project simply on procrastination. They don't have a corner on that; all insurance companies do it. But why should they have your money, or mine, to do it with? Add to this the hours it takes to compile all the required information to complete a claim, and you've lost as much as you'll recoup.

I telephoned the company on Friday the 22nd after receiving the latest communication. Of course, by the time mail is delivered all the key personnel have left the office, because TravelGuard isn't in my time zone. I got the name of the CEO -- John Noel, and I am planning to send him this article.

A check arrived on the 25th, in the amount of $992.00. TravelGuard stiffed me out of $9.98; the policy was in the amount of $1001.98. We paid over $100. per person for the insurance coverage, so there's just no way to ever get back the money spent on the trip. I have no idea what the $9.98 was for; after everything I'd gone through with this company, I decided it wasn't worth asking.

Apparently this is the only travel insurance company UniGlobe uses, but Justin Hall recommended two other possibilities: Access America (www.accessamerica.com) and CSA Travel Protection (www.csatravelprotection.com). If you're looking for travel insurance, check them out; I will never buy travel insurance again. Waivers are the way to go -- no questions asked if the trip has to be cancelled. And if you charge your trip to a credit card, most of them will insure your trip themselves. Hey, it couldn't be any worse than TravelGuard...

On November 26th I got an email letter from Dan McGinnity, the Vice President of Communications for TravelGuard. He apparently believes the best defense is a violent offense; he didn't address any of the issues I rose, but did claim I was mistaken in everything I experienced. He insisted that most claims are settled within ten days, but my case had 'special circumstances'. He didn't explain what they were, however, so I am skeptical. I am also suspicious of a company who attempts to place the blame for inefficiency on customers. How about you?