getMY

I was looking for comprehensive travel insurance to cover me beyond the standard 30 days most policies offer. I wanted to make sure that the policy was thorough and would provide good protection so that I would have piece of mind.

I came across getMY Travel Insurance and they had a premium annual package which would cover me for trips upto 45 days. Whilst more expensive than other alternatives, I wanted to make sure I had a good policy and would receive fast, effective and efficient service should I need to claim. I've never claimed on my travel insurance before but like the reassurance that should anything happen then I would have top level cover so the extra cost wasn't an issue.

getMY Insurance appeared to be reputable even though I had not heard of them before. They had been established over 30 years, were regulated by the FSA and sold their insurance products through a variety of channels including high street banks.

ORDERING COVER
I went through their online ordering system and only spoke on the phone to the sales team to confirm that I would be covered in certain situations (i.e. Bangkok protests) if I was in the country or chose to fly there. This was all confirmed and was a key reason I chose to go with them. They assured me that their premium package that I had opted for that provided a very high level of service and I needn't worry about my cover.

CLAIMING
I had gone on my extended travels and experienced no issues. However, the volcanic eruptions in Iceland curtailed my travel to Rekyjavik (yes of all places!). As I had booked considerably in advance of the eruptions and having checked my policy it seemed that my premium cover was a good choice as it covered this under a section called Catastrophe.

When it was clear that I would not be going, I called up getMY expecting that they would say I was covered and if I needed to make a claim it wasn't a problem. Instead they said that I wasn't covered for anything and that I was best trying to speak to the airline, hotel to see if they might reduce what I had paid but not used. They said I should try speaking to my bank to see if they would refund any money.

I asked getMY again and they stated that I was not covered and passed me to someone else who stated the same. When I stated my policy and explained under the policy I was covered they tried argue I wasn't until they relented when I quote the specific clauses. I had to show them I was covered! Anyway, they passed me on to someone else who tried denying I was covered until I highlighted another area in my poolicy which meant I was covered for expenses such as hotel, misc costs as a result of Catastrophe or misc incidents. They agreed I was covered but said that I could not claim until the situation was understood in more depth. I was advised to call back in 2 weeks when the situation was better understood.

After the 2 weeks had passed, I contact getMY and they kept passing me from representative to representative all trying to get me to not claim and just accept it as an unfortunate scenario despite saying I was covered. In the end, when I got through to probably the 30th person they said I could claim and would send out forms although they said it would be faster and easier if I tried claiming from my bank. What is the point of (premium) travel insurance then?

The forms never arrived and I called to be told that the policy and their standpoint has changed and I could not claim. Fed up with this complete shambles, I spoke with my bank and after some discussion they decided to refund me the costs as goodwill. This is what my travel insurance company should've done!

OVERALL
getMY have seriously poor service levels with incompetence the key attribute. They will do all in their power to make you not claim even giving you false information about your policy. Unless, you go through your policy in depth and can state how you are covered then they'll acknowledge it before passing you from pillar to post in the hope that you give up.

Definitely one company to avoid!