With the arrival of the summer tourist season, many citizens have made travel plans early and are looking forward to a summer vacation. Some citizens are worried that due to various reasons, they will be forced to extend or even cancel the itinerary, resulting in the loss of hotel fees paid in advance, so they choose to purchase hotel cancellation insurance. However, this is not a “one-size-fits-all solution”. The New Yellow River reporter found that many consumers purchased unreasonable hotel cancellation insurance on various platforms, but they still could not get compensation for various reasons when making claims. Legal professionals reminded that consumers should pay special attention to contract terms and purchase insurance products carefully to avoid unnecessary losses.
Buy cancellation insurance and suffer a “loss”
Some time ago, Mr. Zhang, a citizen, and a group of four booked a travel product on a certain platform, and the total cost of air tickets and hotels was more than 13,000 yuan. At the time of booking, Mr. Zhang also purchased four “travel cancellation insurance” bundled with the platform, totaling 390 yuan.
It is understood that before departure, due to the epidemic, the airline has issued a policy of free refund and change of air tickets, and the hotel booked by Mr. Zhang can also be refunded free of charge change. Mr. Zhang successfully returned the airfare and hotel payment, but the four hotel cancellation insurances he purchased were told that the insurance had become effective after payment and could not be refunded.
Mr. Zhang contacted the customer service of the insurance company and was told that the insurance was cancelled because the airline and the hotel refunded the full amount and the consumer did not suffer any loss. Compensation cannot be repeated.
“I didn’t expect that the biggest loss of this trip was the 390 yuan spent on cancellation insurance.” Mr. Zhang complained road.
The experience of some consumers on the Black Cat Complaint Platform about purchasing cancellation insurance
It is reported that Mr. Zhang’s experience is not an isolated case. New Yellow River reporters searched on the consumer service platform “Black Cat Complaint” and found that many citizens, like Mr. Zhang, bought unreasonable hotel cancellation insurance, but “difficulties” when making claims. In addition to the cases where the hotel agreed to cancel the order for free, but the insurance company did not support the surrender of the insurance, there were also problems such as “playing the ball” and taking a long time to settle the claim after the citizen canceled the hotel reservation.
Buying cancellation insurance is not a “one size fits all”
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It is understood that with the current situation of epidemic prevention and control stabilizing and the number of tourists increasing day by day, many insurance companies have introduced “hotel cancellation insurance”, and some of the more common temporary changes in citizens’ travel, such as changing travel routes, It is applicable to emergencies at home, temporary flight cancellations, sudden illnesses or accidents, natural disasters in the travel destination, cancellation of business travel arrangements by the company, etc. Some insurance companies also put out the slogan of “book with confidence, cancel without worry, settle claims online, and quickly arrive at the account”.
Introduction to “No Reason Cancellation Insurance” on a certain platform
On July 25th, a reporter from New Yellow River randomly logged into a travel platform software, and in the shopping bar at the bottom of a hotel reservation interface , there is a tick option for “Cancellation of insurance without reason”. After clicking on this option, it will display “Up to 90% compensation for no-show for itinerary changes”.
The insurance company’s product plan and claims process
New Yellow River reporter noticed that there are two insurance plans for hotel cancellation insurance bundled with the platform, corresponding to different compensation ratios: one is due to The clauses specify that if there are no objective reasons for not staying, the compensation ratio is 90%; the other is for non-occupancy due to other subjective reasons, and the compensation ratio is 70%.
In the insurance policy of the product, the words “insurance effective and non-refundable” are clearly written. In the insurance clauses below, 17 insurance responsibilities and 18 exemption clauses are clarified. The exemption clause makes it clear that in the event of flight cancellation and delay, the designated guest voluntarily abandons the airline arrangement, and arrives at the city where the hotel is located within 4 hours (exclusive) of the original arrival time; The relevant warnings of the travel destination; any loss that can be refunded or compensated from other insurance plans, the insurer is not responsible for compensation.
multiple liability exclusion clauses in the contract
Li Dong, an industry insider, told the New Yellow River reporter that buying cancellation insurance does not mean that you can enjoy compensation if you cancel the order. “It depends on the specific agreement in the contract terms, but consumers often ignore it when purchasing. There is a certain ambiguity in the name of ‘no reason’. It is inaccurate to understand that it can be compensated by canceling without reason. Yes.”
In addition, Li Dong said that due to the different terms of claims for “hotel cancellation insurance” bundled by various platforms, consumers When choosing insurance, it is necessary to compare multiple parties and clarify the scope of claims.
Consumers need to be careful when applying for insurance
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“There are many exemption clauses in insurance, which consumers are easy to ignore when purchasing. If there are so many restrictions on claim settlement, what is the point of buying this insurance?” Some consumers said.
On the 26th, a reporter from New Yellow River called the customer service of a platform to inquire about the actual application of hotel cancellation insurance. The customer service staff said that cancellation insurance is a product that the platform cooperates with insurance companies, and it is mainly aimed at users who may cancel their trips subjectively or passively. “But it doesn’t mean that you can make a claim if you cancel it after you buy it, you need to meet certain conditions.” The customer service staff said, “You can consult the insurance company for details.”
On the same day, a reporter from New Yellow River called the insurance company that sold cancellation insurance on the platform. The staff said that the purchaseAfter the hotel cancels the insurance, if you are unable to travel in case of an accident, you need to “take a seat” according to the insurance plan. “According to the plan, for example, if a guest book a hotel of 1,000 yuan and cannot stay because of some unexpected circumstances in the contract, he can submit relevant materials to apply for a claim.” The staff member said that the specific compensation should be paid proportionally according to the actual loss of the consumer. It is worth mentioning that if citizens do not arrive at the hotel before checking in, the hotel supports a full refund. Before the insurance takes effect, consumers can also apply for a “surrender” on the page of purchasing insurance.
Yang Bo, a lawyer from Shandong Qianshun Law Firm, told the New Yellow River reporter that when purchasing and using such insurance products, you should pay attention to the details of the relevant product contracts , Understand the conditions that trigger insurance, and purchase with caution. “Especially the disclaimer of insurance. In addition, pay attention to keep the proof of payment and insurance contract when purchasing insurance.”
No Few legal professionals hold the same view, saying that even though the seller should fulfill the obligation of notification when insurance is sold, consumers should read the terms carefully when purchasing. In addition, some hotel cancellation insurances are advertised as “no reason to cancel”, but a series of claims limitations and exclusions may be stipulated in the insurance contract, so it is necessary to carefully check the content when applying for insurance.
For some consumers who may be unable to travel due to objective circumstances such as typhoons, earthquakes, epidemics, etc., they will receive a full refund from the hotel at the same time. If you also want to get your insurance premium back, you need to see the refund conditions and procedures in the insurance contract before you apply for insurance, and contact the insurer in a timely manner when the agreed refund situation occurs.
New Yellow River reporter: Li Zhen
Editor: Liu Dan
[Source: Jinan Times-New Yellow River]
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