Poster: A snowHead
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I have Dogtag annual travel insurance, with the maximum level of cover for the level of sport I wanted covered, and I had the misfortune to need to claim on it after a fall in mid March.
After a few emails back and forth for extra information, the claim was settled on May 15th. However, I had claimed for missed ski lessons and 2 days of unused lift pass, which came to £130 ish for the lessons, and £80 ish for the lift pass, and they only gave me £75 for the whole lot. Sent an email querying, and got no response. So I called, and the response was that lessons weren't covered, which I argued was unreasonable, so they read the small print and decided that 'school' was actually the same as lessons. Said they'd send it back to the assessors to get another £75 authorised. Heard nothing. Sent another email, no response. Wrote a letter setting out everything regarding the claim and my subsequent communications. Still heard nothing, but in late August looked at my bank statement and noticed they'd finally transferred me the extra £75 in mid August. No notification of it at all though.
So be aware that if you are in the habit of booking private/small group lessons, and are going to one of the big ski areas, £75 per day probably won't cover your losses.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@karin, just out of interest, was it Dogtag itself you were dealing with to process your claim, or a claim handling company?
I had a claim a couple of years ago on a Dogtag policy (although it was branded a BASI policy, sold to BASI members). It was a relatively expensive claim (over €6,000) and was settled in full, although the claim handling company, TCF Claims, were slow and needed chasing by me on four or five occasions, by phone and by email. Like you the claim was agreed very quickly once I had provided the info they needed, but the administration of the claim after that was a bit sluggish. Not a big problem, just a bit frustrating.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@karin, Bad luck concerning your fall and missing the final two days skiing on your holiday . Some lift companies will refund you for the unused days on your lift pass if you can provide proof (e.g from a local doctor) that you are unable to carry on skiing due to medical reasons. Did you try getting a refund from the lift pass company while you were in resort?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I do seem to remember from previous experience with claiming back costs of ski passes and equipment, that there was a daily limit for 'ski pack' on the policy, which in no way reflected the actual cost. Not with Dogtag though, think it was Direct Line. Something like £25 per day ? I see my current insurers MPI have a better limit, which isn't a daily one.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I used DogTag many years ago, and tried to claim under resort/piste closure due to avalanche risk (something we had done occasionally under previous policies with different companies). Despite a letter from the lift company, they managed to use weasel words to twist their T&C’s to state that the policy only paid out if there was closure due to no snow.
I haven’t used them again, but have checked occasionally when renewing, and their worldwide multi-trip policies have been 2 or 3 times higher for the same cover, than other companies.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@rob@rar, it was the claims handling company that was slow, but they seemed to deal with all of it, I don't think I had any contact with Dogtag themselves.
@Alastair Pink, I didn't think of that, so no, I didn't try.@Alastair Pink,
@Hells Bells, I've used MPI before, but I needed a year round policy to cover Himalayan trekking and possibly rock climbing, which MPI don't do. I agree MPI are great for ski cover.
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Moral of the tale, read your insurance cover. You are only insured for what you have paid to insure against. If you want more cover, then buy more expensive insurance.
Or, take it on the chin and save on insurance costs. Only insure for things you can't afford to lose, like helicopter rides; not ski hire.
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James the Last wrote: |
Moral of the tale, read your insurance cover. You are only insured for what you have paid to insure against. If you want more cover, then buy more expensive insurance.
Or, take it on the chin and save on insurance costs. Only insure for things you can't afford to lose, like helicopter rides; not ski hire. |
Sensible advice. If my skis get nicked it's not the end of the world if I can't claim or claim in full for replacements, but when faced with a €6000+ bill for a helicopter ride a couple of winters ago I was mighty glad that my Dogtag insurance covered it in full (and pleased that Dogtag's CEO, who is a Facebook friend, got in touch with me when he spotted I was in hospital to offer help if I needed it).
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Quote: |
Moral of the tale, read your insurance cover. You are only insured for what you have paid to insure against. If you want more cover, then buy more expensive insurance.
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But people tend not to read everything from cover to cover, which is why I thought I'd mention it here, especially as I wouldn't class Dogtag as cheap insurance.
I didn't lose out by very much, and in this instance I'm not particularly bothered.
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This is how I deal with insurance claims:
1. Send in the details of my claim in full, complete with timeline, receipts, photos, paperwork etc. Quote applicable policy sections. Send by email and recorded delivery
2. Insurance/claim handling company send me back a bogus questionnaire to delay my claim.
3. I reply with a 7 day warning of County Court action.
4. They pay my claim in full, pronto.
Simples.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Poogle, funny how effective a 7 day warning can be.
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