My stupid mistake

[Nonethemiser]

Hi - my first post but I'm desperate for people's thoughts on my moral dilemma. My wife and her friend were due to go on holiday to Spain next week. I very reluctantly, at my wife's insistence, sorted out the travel insurance. For some stupid reason I entered our daughter's date of birth and as I arranged for the confirmation to be sent to my wife's email I didn't see it again. My wife has now caught covid and can't go and as a result her friend, who was originally going to travel alone, doesn't want to go either. Obviously because of my stupid mistake we can no longer claim on our insurance but apparently because my wife paid for both her and her friends holiday (flights, hotels etc) the friend is unable to claim through her own insurance. I do feel terribly guilty and have suggested that instead of my wife and I going on holiday in July as we'd planned (but not booked) I drop out and they use that money to go then but they don't like that idea. I feel I should obviously pay for some of their losses as it's mainly my fault but I am a bit reluctant to fully compensate the friend as she is still able to go and also none of us were aware that her own insurance would be invalidated if my wife paid for her holiday (in other words although far less stupid, the friend also appears to have made a mistake with her insurance.) What should I do? - I'm really struggling to see the wood for the trees on this one (we're talking about £830 - one of the main reasons I wasn't going anyway was because I couldn't really afford it.)

Shouldn't your wife's friend have her own insurance? Normally you take insurance out for people in your own household and can't insure random people. Surely friend's name is on flight/hotel booking etc? So why would her insurance be invalid?

You being unable to claim for your wife because you made a mistake with the DOB has nothing to do with the friend being unable to claim because of your wife having paid…. Each covers their own loss.

Of course your wife’s friend has no incentive to go on the trip if she can be compensated at your expense… but that’s really not your responsibility.

Hi - thanks for the response. That's a good point - her name must be on the air ticket (possibly not the hotel room as they were going to share). Her husband has now got involved but he believes that as the friend paid my wife (who then paid for both) as opposed to paying the vendor she is unable to claim on her own account.

You can't insure something you don't own. As your wife paid for the tickets her friend doesn't own the holiday. Standard insurance practice.

I think this would be the same even if you had got your wife's DOB right - the insurance would see no reason for your wife's friend not to travel - other than not wanting to - and wouldn't pay out. Otherwise people could just change their mind for a spurious reason and claim on the insurance.

Have you actually tried to claim? Wondering if you could sneak it under the radar, so to speak? Don't think that would help with the friend's costs though!

Or could you change your wife's name to the friend's husband's name and they can go together?

Hi brokengoalposts - I'm afraid I'm not that good with this stuff. The friend did pay my wife by bank transfer almost immediately, her name is certainly on the air ticket - you're presumably saying that she can't claim on her own insurance - as a matter of interest if I hadn't stuffed it up do you know if she would she have been able to claim on my wife's (it certainly never crossed my mind when I was doing it that I was doing it for anyone other than my wife)

Honestly I would appeal the decision and raise a complaint. It's a simple mistake. Assuming it was specific enough that they needed dates of birth, they must have also needed names so it would have been obvious that Mrs Janet Baker was not a child when you provide ID (and you could evidence that the date of birth provided matches a child in the household- a genuine error). Unless the cover was underwritten on the basis that the cover was provided for a child? However it shouldn't make that much difference.

I can see why they would deny cover - that's their job as insurers to take in more than they pay out, to be frank - but the Ombudsman takes a dim view of consumers being penalised and denied cover for simple mistakes, and has held that these kind of mistakes are often not sufficient to justify refusing to pay the claim.

First appeal the claim, then raise a complaint and then be prepared to go to the FOS. It's not a quick process but costs nothing and you have a shot at getting all or part of the claim paid out.

We started going down the road of claiming but when they discovered the date was wrong they wouldn't discuss it any further.

Hi Yerwan - thanks for the message - I did wonder about that as my daughter is 17 and unlikely to be a Mrs - I will try that line with them but it is a long shot - not least as they have cancelled the policy.

Hi - I'm glad I joined the group and thank you so much for everybody's helpful advice so far - one thing that I'm not clear about, and I appreciate nobody is insurance experts, but if I had done the insurance correctly would the friend have been able to claim on my wife's insurance? (I have to say I was surprised when it was suggested earlier in the day) My wife paid by credit card btw - would that make any difference?

That doesn't follow though surely, I have just booked a large chalet and a small chalet for skiing (discount for both). The couple using the small chalet (independent accommodation) have heart conditions and are insured separately through a specialist insurance for the elderly.

Does it not follow that I have paid £1000 to the owner then the couple who will use it have paid £1000 to me, so they are the "owner" of the small chalet rent for a week?

A travelling companion is not automatically covered even if the affected party is the lead name on the booking. Each would claim on own insurance but it may be that insurer wont pay out and neither might the supplier or cc refund so close to departure. You need to refer to t and cs and reclaim as much from the airline and accommodation, or tour operator if a package. Dm had to cancel due to an acute medical condition and eventually got a pay out on her missed holiday but her friend was not insured and received nothing.

I would also try a call to the insurance ombudsman just in case they support your claim re the genuine mistake of DOB

www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/complaints-can-help/insurance

Would pursue your wife’s insurance claim in writing / to the ombudsman after following the process etc.

Would suggest to your wife’s friend that they speak to her own insurer.

You don’t have any ethical obligation to pay for anything IMO! Friend had the same opportunities as you and your wife did to consider the risks / practicalities of organising the holiday and agreed to do it that way.

Just another thought, could the holiday be changed to the friends DH's name? If so, you could you go halves in the cost of changing the name or not offer that at all.