Beware of Expedia.ca Trip Cancellation Coverage

Beware of Expedia.ca Trip Cancellation Coverage. It's a joke. The only way you can ever get your money back with this bogus insurance coverage is if someone actually dies or is so seriously ill they end up in the hospital. I'm not kidding read the details.

In March I was purchasing a plane ticket using Expedia.ca to to go to a friend's stag in Charleston, NC. My wife was 7 months pregnant at the time. I was worried about the pregnancy being early so I bought trip cancellation coverage.

My doctor advised me two weeks before the trip to stay at home. I called Expedia to cancel my trip which they did providing a credit on air travel in the future. They directed me to speak with WORLD ACCESS (ALLIANZ INSURANCE) to file a claim to cover the cost of the air travel. (WORLD ACCESS is the arm of ALLIANZ INSURANCE).

On Expedia.ca after you confirm your travel itinerary the next step, #2 Travel Insurance Options it states,"We strongly recommend you buy insurance before travelling. " I selected what seemed like the obvious insurance--Trip Cancellation Coverage. I read the insurance details about Coverage Reasons/Pregnancy and adoption which says,

Pregnancy and Adoption

The pregnancy of you, your spouse, an immediate family member or your travelling companion if such a pregnancy:

•Has been diagnosed after your trip has been booked, and your departure is scheduled within nine (9) weeks before or after the expected date of delivery; or

But taking the advice of the Expedia.ca site which STRONGLY RECOMMENDS THAT I BUY INSURANCE what other option did I have? This still sounded like the right coverage to get based on reading the Details.

When I called Allianz insurance to report the trip cancellation they felt that I had a pretty good case for making a claim. They in turn opened a file and gave me a case number. A week later I got forms in the mail to get my doctor to fill out. I sent them to Alliaz. It took a few weeks for them to get the files, scan them, assign a case officer, and start the process. Next they sent me back the forms asking me to get them filled out in full. I did this and sent them back by courier. It took them another few weeks to get the process started again. I was asked to wait until the case officer reviewed the file, another couple of weeks. Their decision was made in one day. They would not provide coverage. I asked to speak with the case officer, the agent I was speaking with couldn't put me in touch with the case officer. Her excuse was their process would not permit her to disclose the case officer's name or contact information. I said that I was disatisfied with the decision and said that I wanted to appeal. She said that I would have to fill out a number of forms and send them to be reviewed. I was so fed up with the whole bureaucratic process and corporate doublespeak that I felt my case was better served by putting it on the web to alert others to watch out for the bogus trip cancellation coverage. I hope you don't make the same mistake as I did because you WON"T get your money back.

I don't see who can use this insurance in the first place.

The following details on who is eligible:

Any serious injury or any unforeseen serious illness occurring to:

•You, or your travelling companion, which is so disabling as to cause a reasonable person to delay, cancel, or interrupt their trip;

•A family member that is life threatening or requiring hospitalization as an inpatient; or

•A family member who is dependent upon your care.

What percentage of the population would know ahead of time to purchase insurance thinking ahead that they could be seriously injured, hospitalized or dead. One in a million? That's pretty good odds for Allianz Insurance. It sounds like a pretty good money making sceme if you ask me. Maybe I should get into the insurance rackett. With some fatastic legal text and some confusing site usability I could trick countless people in to getting insurace coverage that I know I would never have to pay out. No wonder Canadian insurance companies are makiing such record profits.

I loved using Expedia.ca before this experience. But this poor site usability and wording around Trip Cancellaiton Insurance has caused me to stop using Expedia.ca. I don't trust them. They have really wasted my time.

Beware of Expedia.ca Trip Cancellation Coverage!