Tauck/AON Travel Insurance Problem
Tauck partners with Aon for travel insurance. We bought this insurance through Tauck specifically to cover us incase of a positive for test for Covid and could not go on the cruise. Three days before the trip, one of us tested positive with very mild symptoms. We contacted Tauck and they agreed to refund 1/2 of the tour cost and the insurance would pay for the other half. When we called the insurance they said they required a PCF test. The test was taken and came back positive. Two months later they denied the claim because we didn’t go to a doctor. That was not necessary or practical. We had proof of Covid. Tauck is not willing to help. This was the insurance they recommended and sold to customers. We have now read many reviews of terrible service from Aon. Why is Tauck a partner to this company and not willing to help their clients? BEWARE. Terrible customer service.
Comments
See if you can go to your doctor with the PCR test result on it and get the doctor to write something now. Worth a try. If AON refused your info, I assume any other insurance company would be the same.
I agree with British. Every insurance policy I’ve looked at, including Allianz, requires proof of Covid with a PCR test from a doctor or certified lab. Not sure how you got yours but I’d keep pushing anyway.
I'm a bit confused, what is a PCF test?
Are you sure AON didn't specify an FDA-approved, laboratory-based PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test with medical certification (e.g. doctor or lab cert. with a QR code) or an FDA approved internet monitored RT - PCR test? These tests should not be confused with the common over-the-counter, self-administered, at-home antigen tests that people often use to see if they have COVID. The last category of tests were not acceptable for travel during the main COVID months because they were not monitored nor verified by medical professionals.
Which cruise and the date. 'Mild symptoms'?
I have a claim in currently from our Ireland trip that ended on day one due to me getting Covid. The information given to me by the tour director indicated that only a positive test from an official testing site was needed. Mild cases or asymptomatic cases do not need a doctor. I have had worse colds in my life than the Covid infection I had. AON uses a company called Carefree Travel Assistance. I did not to use them as I had a fairly mild case. I did go to an official testing site in Dublin which was required for the claim. I made a snip of the information from Tauck for someone who gets Covid on a tour which I attached below.
I filed the claim 7 weeks ago and it is still showing as “assigned to an examiner.” From what I am hearing these claims are taking quite a while so I will wait another month before I do any follow up.
My understanding is that Tauck will refund a pro-rated cost of the unused part of the trip, and the rest will be from AON.
It have been waiting since the middle of July. I e emailed them and AON responded with the same form letter everyone’s been getting - how backlogged they are. I heard it can take up to 4 or 5 months.
Also having a great deal of trouble from AON re our claim from my husband's Covid on the Danube River Cruise in April. I keep getting emails from Aon saying they are closing out the claim, as they've asked for other documents, which they haven't. I've called emailed and ask Tauck to escalate the claim. I called today and was told that something had been approved, but still in review and it sound like a pittance of what we were claiming, but will wait for the full accounting. It's been 5+ months so extremely unhappy.
The PCR test I took was certified positive by the state I live in. I followed all the directions from Tauck and Aon. The policy states to see an M.D. if it is practical to do so. My symptoms were mild and M.D.s don't want you coming to their office. If you are really sick they say go to the E.R. Tauck does not want to help resolve this problem. They SELL the insurance but they don't care when there is a problem.
Could you have gone to a Patient First or similar facility, that is what we have to do if our family dr is not available, They do PCR tests
I'm still not seeing that you followed the written policy guidelines that JohnS posted.
You say the test was certified by your state- was that the test kit or the actual test and results? Who administered the test? I think that is your problem.
The guidelines clearly state the test must be "administered by a medical facility, pharmacy, or doctor." If administered by a medical facility or pharmacy, a computer printout of the results is needed. If done by a doctor, a signed note on the doctor's letterhead is required. Even in rural NC our county health dept and a few local pharmacies had, and still have, drive up testing sites, that provide digital results to the state which we can access online.
It seems like a signed letter from your doctor should fix everything. Have you asked him if he will do that for you?
Birthday, you have to see a dr whatever you think, if that’s what the insurances want and you want your money back, you have no choice.
I don’t have first hand experience of Covid but I know many people who have contracted Covid while on vacation. The best thing to do is see a doctor and get it certified, not to delay because they will count day one as the day they saw you, not when you got symptoms or even took your own test. It’s also worth getting a certificate of recovery. Most countries have dropped testing but just in case in the future you want to travel and somehow need proof of recovery, it gives you a grace period of 180 days if the virus remains in your body. I believe for example, Japan still requires a PCR test.
It’s still a good approach to be extra careful before you are due to go on a vacation so you don’t have ot cancel became of Covid infection.
I contracted COVID on our recent trip to Scotland. I completed the tour so I had no dealings with insurance. I had mild symptoms on my trip but travel with home tests & tested neg then & one day upon return. Three days later I tested positive. Tho my symptoms were/are mild, I called my doctor & he did a tele health visit with a subsequent prescription for paxlovid and an immune support preparation. I’m sure it’s easy to follow up a home test with a PCR test & any PCP would provide a note for documentation of a positive PCR test.