Travel agents 'mis-sell holiday insurance'
Published On 29 August 2007
Many travel agents are still mis-selling holiday insurance, a new study has claimed.Research from Sainsbury's Travel Insurance found that as many as 3.56 million people in the last 12 months have fallen victim to 'bullying tactics' when buying cover from a travel agent.
In addition, consumers revealed that some travel agents were still not selling their insurance products in a responsible manner, despite recent media and regulatory attention on the issue.
According to the survey, 17 per cent of people who bought holiday insurance from a travel agent were not asked about their pre-existing medical conditions. Another 13 per cent said that their travel agent had not explained what their insurance did and did not cover.
Worryingly, nine per cent of holidaymakers were told by their agent that they could only secure their vacation if they also purchased cover.
"It's possibly tempting to purchase cover from the travel agent when the pressure is on and you're told it's a popular destination and there's no guarantee they'll be any room left," commented Steve Johnson, head of travel insurance at Sainsbury's.
"If you know roughly where you plan to go and for how long, there's nothing to stop you obtaining your insurance before you step foot in the travel agent especially when considering an annual policy."
