Terry's complaint:
November 23, 2012

Insurance Company: Allianz Global Assistance
Coverage Type: Travel Insurance

• Claim Handling - Delays upon Delays
• Claim Handling - Denial of Claim
• Claim Handling - Unjustified Accusations

On Jan. 30,2012, I booked air tickets through Cheap Tickets and bought travel ins. through their insurance agency, Allianz. The flight was to Coppenhagen on Aug 26, 2012, to connect to a cruise. On Feb. 26th I went to University of Az. hospital in Tucson and was admitted with a very rare lung disease, Criptigenic Organizing Pnemonia (COP). None of the four pulmonoligists had ever seen a case. In July my pulmonolgist suggested I cancel my overseas trip as I was still using oxygen occassionally. I called Allianz and they sent a form for my pulmonoligist to complete and sign which he did. After a month of not hearing anything ( I had already received my check for the cruise portion of the trip from CSA Travel insurance.) I called Allianz and they said they would like more information. I asked if I should send them the first 10 pages of my hospital stay stating on Feb. 26, 2012, and they said that would be helpful to settle the claim. They also wanted me to send in a form from my primary care physician stating that I had no previous history of any lung disease which he sent.
They then sent me a letter rejecting my claim saying their was a clause in my insurance that said if I had any symptoms prior to buying the insurance they could reject the claim and not pay the $1760. They said because the emergency room doctor had asked me if I had noticed anything and I said that I had had 4 knee surgeries in 2011 and I was trying to get back in shape in January and started walking 2 mles a day and was somewhat breathing harder during the execising. Allianz said this showed I had sypmtoms prior to taking out thier insurance. These were not sypmptoms of COP. Those symptoms started six days before going to a hospital and had my oxygen levels drop dramatically so I was so out of breath I couldn't walk from the bedroom to Kitchen without almost fainting. This was completely different than breathing harder while exercising tying to get back in shape.
Finally, Allianz shoud not have had the emergency room records, and should not have based their decission on information they were not entitled to. I niavely sent it to help resolve the claim, not knowing that they had a clause in their fine print of trying to find symptoms prior to taking out the insurance.
Based on their definition of symptoms they could reject any claim especially of an older person. Have a heart attack, you must have at some time experienced chest pains. Need to cancel for knee or hip surgery, you must have had pain prior to taking out the ins. etc.
I feel that this is as close to insurance fraud as you can get. I booked the trip and bought the insurance in good faith. The first medical treatment I had for the illness COP was 27 days after I had booked and bought the insurance. In my opinion their would be no reason for anyone to ever buy their travel insurance as they will do all they can even deceptively getting mdical information they were not entitled to, to try to not pay a fair claim. I am out not only the $1760.60 airfare, but also the $95.00 for their insurance.

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