Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has warned residents travelling abroad to carefully compare the scope of coverage and exclusions of different insurance plans, following complaints regarding disputes over travel insurance claims.
The Consumer Council said on Monday it had received several cases that reflected discrepancies between consumers and insurance companies’ understanding of coverage terms under different circumstances.
In one case, a traveller said she failed to receive compensation for bags that arrived 31 hours later on a return flight to Hong Kong from Vancouver.
Her submitted claim for HK$1500 (US$192.96) was rejected by the insurance company, which explained to the council that the coverage only applied to expenses for clothing, essentials or toiletries incurred due to delayed baggage arrival at the destination.
“Insurance Company A argued that the complainant should have had access to necessary items at home, and therefore refused compensation,” the council said.
Another case involved a traveller who bought a global travel insurance policy for a multi-country trip to Europe that lasted over two months.
During one leg of her journey, from Italy to the UK, her flight was cancelled due to industrial action and she had to purchase another ticket, arriving in the UK 32 hours later than scheduled.
