Comments on: “I have argued my point to deaf ears”

By: Arizona Road Warrior

Arizona Road Warrior — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:46:43 +0000

It makes sense to show up a day or two early for a cruise or land tour instead of arriving on the day of departure.

While OTC’s comments are direct and blunt…it is right on.

By: DCTA

DCTA — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:00:14 +0000

Kweed – you’re dreaming if you think an Insurance Agent (yeah, go to your local Nationwide broker) is going to know about or even inform of the Jones Act!

Travelex. Travel Guard and Access America all have good standings in claim closings – you can look it up, I think they are all over 95%.

Yes, i work with “preferred” insurers – Travel Guard and Access America – because I have developed relationships with them – I know who to call to help my client and over the years have managed to get every single claim paid even when the first response has been “no”. And that is why Travel Agents work with a “preferred” vendor – not because of the commission. Guess what? They ALL pay very, very high commissions to us – the determining factor is best coverage for the client and be service.

By: Tony Azpeitia

Tony Azpeitia — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:18:25 +0000

Wow! Best comments I’ve seen. I find that clients book their own air to save money. I just advise of those risks. In that conversation, I discuss going one day early or booking their air with the cruise line. This gives the cruise line the responsibility (and any related problems and costs) of getting you to that ship.

By: Kweed

Kweed — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:42:32 +0000

Deb, I’m sure it wasn’t a question of experience with the travel agent, rather, the travel agent would only sell whatever plan they would get the best commission for. Sorry, but travel agents aren’t insurance agents, and don’t have access to all the best plans out there, only the ones they have an agreement to sell. (PS. Travelex is not the ONLY plan that sells primary coverage. Another example of someone trying to push one exclusive plan)
So aside from flying out the same day, the first mistake was buying the insurance from a travel agent, the second mistake was not researching Access America first. They are notorious for not paying claims.
Ditch the travel agent, forget the comparison websites, and find a LICENSED INSURANCE AGENT who WILL inform you of such things as the Jones Act, since it IS germane to cruisers. And for some exciting reading, do a Google search for Access America Scam or Access America Grievances, and check out first hand accounts from real consumers who wasted their money on the plan that gives other travel insurance plans a bad name.

By: DCTA

DCTA — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:25:32 +0000

“They are the ONLY company that sells primary coverage so that they pay first before any other claims are submitted to private insurance, etc. It sounds like her travel agent obviously was not very experienced…..”

This ONLY pertains to medical.

As I said above, we don’t know whether the TA suggested/prodded/begged that she go into Vancouver a day early – we only know that she did not.

But the biggest lesson here – is rely on the people you have contracted to make the booking for you – did she try to call the Travel Agent? Did she try to call Access? Did she try to call the Cruise Line, agents of whom would/should presumably informed her of the Jones Act and explained the fine, etc…… but really, it seems like she tried to “fix” it all on her own and then made a decision to “cancel”.

By: Joel Wechsler

Joel Wechsler — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:14:34 +0000

I am in complete agreement with DCTA’s first post. I would never let one of my clients arrive at a cruise port on day of departure no matter where it is. The risks of weather, mechanical and other delays are just too great.
While OTC’s judgment is a bit harsh, in the last analysis he/she is correct.

By: Deb

Deb — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:31:39 +0000

I think there are two major lessons to be learned here.
The first is that no one should ever fly to their cruise ship departure city on the same day that cruise is due to depart. ALWAYS start your travel a day or two prior. This is common sense and her travel agent obviously was at fault not to have advised this.
The second is to always use the best travel insurance company out there which is definitly Travelex. They are the ONLY company that sells primary coverage so that they pay first before any other claims are submitted to private insurance, etc. It sounds like her travel agent obviously was not very experienced…..
It is a shame this happened and I believe that her travel agent should take some responsibility if this woman was not advised properly. However, since I do not know the whole entire story I cannot say for sure.

By: Nooch

Nooch — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:31:46 +0000

The majority of travel customers are not travel agents and do not work for airlines or cruise lines or travel insurance companies. They are NOT experts in all the details regarding all things that could go wrong.

How many non-travel industry people have ever heard of the Jones Act or
the Passenger Vehicle Services Act or the Merchant Marine Act of 1920?

They just want to pay their money and enjoy their trips. They depend on the so called “experts” to look after them when things don’t go according to plan. It’s easy to blame the customers for all the things they COULD have done but it still comes down to a business (airline, cruise line, travel agent or in the case especially Access America) to take care of the customer. That’s the whole point in paying the money, regardless of what the “fine print” says.

By: OTC

OTC — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:55:00 +0000

Another Chris Elliot story that can be condensed into one sentence

“Passengers were morons that made multiple mistakes, flying in the day of the cruise, not reading the insurance, and not contacting the insurance company first, now they’re moaning about being the victim of some evil company and want Chris to bash them publicly so they relent.”

By: “I have argued my point to deaf ears” | web insurance travel | Cheap | Health | Medical

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:48:08 +0000

[...] Read the rest here: “I have argued my point to deaf ears” [...]