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Access America Complaint - Bait and Switch - Trip Insurance

Trip Insurance - Complaint
Review by HBR1881 on 2009-02-05
I paid over $300 for trip insurance from Access America for my husband, myself, and our 4 year old for a trip in June 2004 to Aruba we had planned. I subsequently got pregnant in a high risk pregnancy and was advised by my doctor not to fly. This was provided to Access America in writing. They are still, after several weeks so far, "reviewing my personal claim only" with their Management team but out and out denied my husband and son and basically said there is no reason why my son and husband can't go on the trip alone to a foreign country with a wife 8-9 months pregnant at home on what will probably be bed rest at that point.

Access America and these types of unethical practices is exactly what has put our country in the difficult times we are in.
Comments:
Posted by KCRovert on 2009-02-05:
Why do people insist on throwing buzz words into their complaints without knowing the definition of the word?? HBR, you have a very valid complaint with Access America, hopefully they will do the right thing...but this is not a case of "Bait and Switch". Oh, and I assume June 2004 is a typo and should have been June 2009?
Posted by HBR1881 on 2009-02-05:
Yes it is June 2009. It is a bait and switch because the advertisement and certificate both claim to reimburse you if "you or your travel companion" were to have an unforseen (non-preexsisting) illness, or medical issue. Which being that I got pregnant several months after purchasing the insurance my condition is unforseen and not preexsisting. Yet they still will not reimburse me even with a doctor's note stating she was the one who advised me not to fly at almost 9 months pregnant.
Posted by msnanny on 2009-02-05:
They may not be keeping their end of the bargain but this situation does not fit the definition of bait and switch.
Posted by HBR1881 on 2009-02-06:
Since the Bait and Switch has over-shadowed the true meaning of my situation, I apologized. I never in a million years thought that someone could get so fixated on three words to the point that nothing else they read could have meaning. I apologize.
Posted by DigitalCommando on 2009-02-06:
The way I see it is that you were 'baited' in with the promise of cancelation, and were 'switched' to a non cancelation situation. Bait + switch = bad deal.
The same people who don't recognize your situation are the same one's who complain about the oncoming cars high beam headlights blinding them, right before the car mows them down.
Posted by BokiBean on 2009-02-06:
If she had a flyer advertising extremely low prices, and had then called and been told that the offer was not available anymore and had been talked into a high priced ticket, THAT would be bait and switch.

As it stands, according to her complaint what she has is a problem cancelling all 3 tickets based on a medical complication that one of the ticket holders has.

This is an interesting complaint. I'd like to know how it gets resolved. It is imporant, however, for the terminology of the complaint to be valid.
Posted by HBR1881 on 2009-02-07:
Actually, I was just told that a high risk pregnancy, which I am, is not a medical condition in their eyes and that at 32+ weeks is no reason not to fly. In addition to the comment about all three being Access America's policy states that if "you or a traveling companion" have a medical condition they will reimburse you. They said if I went on the trip and lost the baby or I died or became seriously ill, then they would pay me. But they won't pay to prevent the injury of myself or my baby.

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