On The Case
Andy Collett and Sarah Williams chat to Rachel
Andy Collett and partner Sarah Williams from Abergavenny thought a holiday to Las Vegas would be the trip of a lifetime.
“It was a dream holiday for us,” Andy told X-Ray presenter Lucy Owen.
“We've never been to somewhere so far away; it's always been a couple of beach holidays here and there.”
The couple were due to fly in August last year but then, just a few weeks before, Sarah was given some devastating news.
“I'd had an ulcer that wasn't healing so I went to see my GP” she said.
“He diagnosed me with oral thrush and gave me some antibiotics but it didn't help so I went back a few weeks later where I had a biopsy taken and it was diagnosed as oral cancer.”
The biopsy revealed Sarah had cancer of the tongue. She faced lengthy treatment.
“It was 10 hours in surgery where they removed about a third of the part of the tongue,” she said.
“They replaced it with a graft from my arm and I had to have my lymph glands removed.”
The couple’s holiday company immediately refunded half of the £2,200 break, and advised they should claim the rest from their travel insurance.
Andy got in touch with Columbus Direct - but after months of waiting they rejected the claim.
Sarah told Lucy: “They tried to say that we knew that I had the cancer before we took out the insurance, because I’d visited my GP, about what we assumed was just an innocent ulcer.”
“All we want is the remainder of the money back,” said Andy. “And a conclusion to it all.”
Lucy got on the case for Sarah and Andy and found that the Financial Ombudsman Service can help if you have a problem with your travel insurance company.
They advise that you register a dispute with the company first, giving them eight weeks to look into the problem. If you're still not happy, the Ombudsman will take up your case. Interestingly, last year there was a 27% increase in complaints about travel insurance.
In Andy and Sarah’s case, Columbus Direct said they refused the claim because they thought the insurance policy had been bought after Sarah was diagnosed with cancer. They blamed a mix up with the dates on her medical notes.
However, they did admit the claim hadn't been handled satisfactorily and that Sarah had suffered unnecessarily as a result.
Columbus Direct vowed to review their procedures and settled the claim in full, sending a cheque for £1,180.
And Sarah and Andy have now booked another holiday to Las Vegas.
