Bag stolen on holiday can anyone help with claim please

[Nevertravellingagain]

Hi
My DP and I were on holiday last week and on the way to the airport my bag was stolen with our passports, my bank cards, phone and lots of other personal effects. We reported it to the police and then applied to the consulate for new passports (£100 each)
The emergency documents took 2 days to process and by the time we could collect them and book new flights (£125 each) we had to pay for 4 nights extra in a hotel (£380). We could not fly into our local airport and so a taxi was £110.
Our insurance company is being really vague even though we had paid for enhanced cover. They are saying we are covered to a point for the bag contents and the cost of new passports but they are not sure about the missed departure as this is usually if you miss your flight due to heavy traffic, car accident or breakdown etc. Can anyone please advise how to go about claiming for the losses?
Thanks

sorry to hear that. But no-one here can help you, only you have sight of your policy. Once you've read it fully, put your claim in writing and give them xxx days to respond. If they don't do so to your satisfaction, start their complaints procedure. If that doesn't work, it will be the ombudsman.

hassle you don't need, I realise!

Just be firm. Send copies of all receipts and reports by signed for post. Tell them what you expect and keep on at them.

Does your insurance state that it covers missed departures?

I’m sorry you’ve been through this OP, sounds like a nightmare!

The best thing you can do is just put everything in writing to the insurance company and keep at them until you get a response. You'll have to read through all their small print too.

Where were you? DH/DD had a bag stolen in Paris a few years ago and the embassy there took four hours to issue emergency documents for them to travel home. We were told by our insurance company that we couldn't claim for replacement passports though.

Look in the policy to see what is and isn't covered. It will be listed as 'what we will pay for' and exclusions as 'what we will not pay for'.

Unless it specifically says they will not pay for the consequential loss of missing a departure due to a stolen passport, I would be claiming for that and then they either pay or give a good reason why they won't pay for it. Plus don't forget the ombudsman if they don't seem to be acting fairly.

But they sound a bit dim - how can they 'not be sure' what their policy actually covers? You can't be the first person who has not been able to fly due to stolen passport. It must happen all the time, when people are already away - if you had your bag stolen the day before you were due to return, you'd not have a passport to come home with would you?

NoSauce
It does say it covers missed departures and then goes on to break it down into car accidents, heavy traffic, public transport problems etc

WhathaveIfound

It was Spain, you apply online then have to wait 2 days to collect

Barbara
They were useless! it is a central claims line that handles claims for lots of companies so basically they were just reading through the policy with me and saying that they were not sure which I find shocking. At no point have I been able to speak with my insurer direct

Ask and insist to speak to a supervisor

Does it cover missing a flight due to anything else eg having passport stolen etc?

Thanks for all your help, I have studied the terms and found this, we are covered up to £250 each for passport loss but nothing for missed departure by the looks of it :(

"Reasonable extra travel " could be the new flights. You can put the claim in.

Not even under 'we will pay reasonable extra travel and accommodation costs while you arrange a replacement'?

To me that means that if the theft of your passport leads to extra travel and accommodation costs, as you were unable to leave the country until you got replacement passports, so needed new flights and hotel, then they will pay for those costs?

Cross posted embrace

What I meant was £250 is all we can claim which will no where near cover everything we have paid and new passports, I was hoping we would be covered for missed departure as well as then we could claim closer to what we have lost

Are you sure that the £250 isn't just for the passport and travel documents and that the travel and accommodation costs aren't separate?

No Barbara it clearly all comes under loss of passport :(

It does say it covers missed departures and then goes on to break it down into car accidents, heavy traffic, public transport problems etc

Can you copy all that part of the policy, please? Is it an exclusive list, or simply giving examples?

I would also argue that the extra travel is a direct consequence as a result of losing your passport etc. It is a not unreasonable consequence of losing a passport that flights would have to be re-arranged.

Rosielily here it is thanks for your help

I have printed off the claim form and they are asking for proof of purchase or ownership for everything. I can't do this with my straighteners, make up, sunglasses or the leather holdall that was taken!
This is so difficult :(

This is why I never bother with travel insurance, frankly. They make it so painful to get any money back and I cannot be bothered with the faff. I have medical insurance but not belongings.

It's not clear whether the £250 covers just documents or additional expenses. I assume that's deliberate on their part. Submit a claim for everything and hope for the best.

I'd follow the advice of pp - submit a full claim and see what's offered. I still maintain that the new flight is a direct consequence of losing your passport etc.

Also - read para 15 - presumably you can obtain proof you didn't fly on the flight you'd previously booked?

Make your claim, go through their complaints process if it is not paid in full then go the ombudsman if necessary.

Missed Departure normally only applies to specific circumstances when leaving the UK. It wouldn't provide cover for missing the return flight home irrespective of circumstances. So it's probably correct that you can't claim under that part of the policy, you may be covered under another clause.

Looking at our policy, the terms are very similar. Cover up to the amount specified £200 per person to cover replacement documents, reasonable travel and accommodation expenses and pro rata value of passport. A lost passport on the way to the airport could incur costs that exceed the limit many times over.