“I canceled my holiday due to cancer chemotherapy but the travel insurance company won’t pay”

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Dear Katie,

In October 2021 I booked a holiday to Biarritz, France for next October as I thought it would be something to look forward to.

At the time of booking I was perfectly healthy as far as I knew.

Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2022 after a routine mammogram.

At first the doctors thought the cancer was a mild, non-invasive type, but it turned out not to be and they found a small but aggressive tumor in my breast.

On September 15, less than a month before going on vacation, the doctors decided that I needed emergency chemotherapy.

So I canceled the trip that would have been on October 8th. I had travel insurance with Allianz through my Lloyds bank account so I made a claim for the £2,500 I spent on holiday.

Since then I have been treated in an ineffective and ridiculous manner.

It appears that Allianz has succeeded in delaying payment of my claim by ensuring long gaps in communication and forcing me to repeat requests for documents that I have already sent.

As well as complaining to Allianz, I have also recently complained to Lloyds asking them to consider whether Allianz travel insurance is right for their customers.

But it had no effect. I’ve been waiting for my payment for six months now, which seems way too long.

KL, by email

Dear Reader,

You’ve been through a lot these past few months and this battle with Allianz over the cost of your holiday was really the last thing you needed.

After grueling chemotherapy in October, you then underwent a double mastectomy in late January to increase your chances of beating cancer once and for all.

Although you told me about it in a rather optimistic way, it was a major operation it was not easy to endure and recover from.

You emailed me in the early hours when you were lying awake worrying about the reasons Allianz could give to reject your claim.

Obviously, your trust in the company was at a low level. But luckily, after my involvement, Allianz called you and apologized profusely and agreed to settle the £2500 in full. I am happy to say that it is now paid for.

A spokesman said: “We would like to thank The Telegraph for bringing Ms L’s case to our attention. We are truly sorry for her medical diagnosis and the subsequent delays she encountered in her claim.

Despite his condescending tone, Allianz did not go into detail as to what caused the unacceptable delays on his end, so I must pursue him to pay you some compensation for the inconvenience you have suffered due to his incompetence.

This is disappointing on both sides.

It’s special it is important that insurance companies settle claims quickly for clients suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer due to the indirect effects it can have on people’s overall finances and emotional state.

So Allianz has some room for improvement.

Now that claim is paid and your health seems to be improving. I hope you can spend the money on another vacation as soon as you are ready.

In addition to revealing how slow and painful dealing with insurance companies can be, your story also highlights to fellow students the importance of visiting routine cancer screenings. This one may have really saved your life.