Saga travel regularly receives five star reviews from people who are astonished at how easy it to arrange, that is, how easy it is to hand their money over to Saga. When it comes to making a claim, however, invariably, one finds that the cover, the basis on which one took out the insurance in the first place, is an illusion. I took out travel insurance based on a summary of coverage which included 'Replacement flights up to £1,500' I received a 12 page policy document AFTER I had paid the premium, a fact in itself which must eventually lead to a challenge in the courts, in which there was nothing that could have led me to doubt that I was covered for replacement flights up to £1,500. However, when my BA flights were cancelled, with replacement flights offered so far in the future, relative to the length my holiday, that accepting them would have entailed an unacceptable loss, I purchased replacement flights for an amount far exceeding the value of the BA flights. I believed at the time that at least some of this loss would be reimbursed by Saga. On making a claim, however, I was referred to page 20 of the fine print (my policy document was 12 pages) informing me that no such cover was in place and that I was entitled to a few pounds for every 12 hours of lost holiday, plus refreshments and phone calls. Inveigling people to sign a contract and pay the consideration on the basis of a summary of cover, only to later adduce details not evident before the contract was signed, details which contain all the criteria and caveats that negate that summary of cover is, in effect, obtaining money by deception. Saga insurance is so easy to arrange precisely because the risk to them of actually paying out is so small.
Reviewed on: 6th August 2022
