travel insurance terms and conditions
In addition to the general terms, the following conditions apply to your travel insurance booking, which gosimply arrange on behalf of Essential Travel and Columbus Direct.
Essential Travel Terms and policy wording
Your Statutory rights are not affected.
Data Protection Act
To set up and administer your policy insurers will hold and use information about you supplied by you. It may be sent in confidence for processing to other companies (or companies acting on instructions) including those located outside the European Economic Area. By purchasing a policy you consent to such use of your personal data.
Essential Travel Policy Wording |
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Call Monitoring and Recording
As part of a continuing effort to ensure you receive the highest service standards, Essential Travel may monitor and record your call for training purposes.
1. Bookings
- 1.1 Bookings through this website are deemed to be made when validated on the website.
- 1.2 Bookings made by telephone are deemed to be made when confirmed by an Essential Travel Limited operator.
- 1.3 Bookings made by post are deemed to be made when written confirmation is sent from Essential Travel Limited.
- 1.4 All services are subject to availability.
2. Payment
- 2.1 Payment for a booking made by telephone or the website can only be made using a valid credit card or debit card.
- 2.2 If payment by card is declined Essential Travel Limited and the service provider reserve the right not to fulfill your booking.
- 2.3 All prices are quoted in pounds Sterling including IPT (Insurance Premium Tax).
- 2.4 When a booking is made using an overseas credit card the card issuer will debit your account in your local currency at the exchange rate applicable on the date of processing. A conversion charge may be applicable. In this instance the card holder must have been a resident in the UK at one fixed address for more than six months.
3. Cancellation
- 3.1 If you decide your policy does not meet your needs you may cancel within 14 days and receive a full refund providing you have not travelled and no claim has been made.
- 3.2 No refund of part used bookings is possible.
4. Essential Travel Liability
Essential Travel Limited have various websites that trade under Essential Travel Limited and acts as booking agent only for the service provider and is only liable to the customer for losses directly arising from it's negligence in processing a booking.
Auto-Renewal of Annual Multi-Trip Policies
To ensure customers receive continuous cover, Essential Travel operates an auto-renewal process for Annual Multi-trip policies. Auto-renewal means that your travel insurance policy will be automatically renewed at the end of your policy so that you don't have to worry about remembering to do it yourself. If you wish to cancel the auto-renewal of your policy please contact Essential Travel by email, by phone, or by post.
Columbus Direct Terms and Policy Wording
Columbus Travel Insurance Services Limited trading as Columbus Direct is a specialist travel insurance intermediary, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to transact general insurance business. Our FSA Registration number is 311897. You can check this information on the FSA’s Register by visiting the FSA’s website at www.fsa.gov.uk or by contacting the FSA on 0845 606 1234.
The following documents can be downloaded in pdf format. If your computer cannot open documents in pdf format, please download adobe reader.
Policy Wording |
Policy Summary |
Terms |
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Address
Columbus Direct, Advertiser House, 19 Bartlett Street, Croydon. CR2 6TB. Registered address is: Columbus Direct, 17 Devonshire Square, London EC2M 4SQ.
Ownership
Columbus Direct are indirectly owned by Professional Travel Insurance Company Limited (PTI). Both PTI and Columbus Direct are owned by The Collinson Group Limited.
Products And Services
Columbus Direct offer a range of travel insurance covers, all of which are underwritten by PTI. Columbus Direct are also authorised by PTI to issue policy documentation and/or certificates on its behalf.
Methods Of Communication
Columbus Direct will normally communicate with you by post, telephone or email. Please let Columbus Direct know if you would prefer not to receive communications by email.
Disclosure
Before you enter into a policy with Columbus Direct, you have a duty to disclose to us every material fact that you know, or a reasonable person in the circumstances could be expected to know, which is relevant to our decision whether to accept the risk of insurance and if so, on what terms. A material fact is any fact, medical or otherwise, which poses an increase in risk to us and likely to influence us in the assessment, acceptance or continuance of your insurance. Please note if you fail to disclose any material facts to Columbus Direct, this could invalidate your insurance cover. It is very important that information given in proposal forms, claim forms and declarations to the insurer is correct. If a form or declaration is completed on your behalf, it is your responsibility to check that the answers given to all questions are true and complete. You are advised to keep copies of any correspondence you send to Columbus Direct or direct to your insurers.
Fees And Charges
Unless Columbus Direct tell you otherwise when you take out or renew a policy with Columbus Direct, Columbus Direct make no charges in addition to the insurer’s premium.
Methods Of Payment
Columbus Direct accept payments by cheque, debit or credit card.
Handling Client And Insurer Money
Columbus Direct collect and hold money as agent of the insurer.
Quotations
Unless stated otherwise, all quotations provided for new insurances are valid for 31 days from date of issue.
Confidentiality
All information provided by you is treated as confidential and only disclosed in the normal course of negotiating, arranging and administering your insurance. This may include disclosing information to agents and service providers such as loss adjustors and approved contractors. With a few exceptions, for example information requested by a court, a regulatory body, or information that is already in the public domain, Columbus Direct will not release information to any other party without your consent. Columbus Direct are registered under the Data Protection Act 1998 and undertake to comply with the Act in all dealings with personal data.
Changes To Your Cover
Columbus Direct will normally deal with requests to increase or amend cover on the day your instructions are received, or the next working day if a weekend or public holiday. Sometimes changes cannot be processed without obtaining additional information. If additional information is required Columbus Direct will contact you as quickly as possible. Columbus Direct will confirm charges to your policy, once agreed, in writing. Columbus Direct will also advise you of any extra premiums you must pay or premiums we must return to you.
Receipt Of Instructions
Columbus Direct do not consider instructions to arrange or change cover sent to Columbus Direct by post, electronic mail or facsimile, or left on answering equipment, to have been received until they reach the relevant personnel in Columbus Direct offices. Columbus Direct do not accept responsibility for instructions that do not reach Columbus Direct due to failures in the postal, electronic or telecommunicationssystems.
Documentation
Columbus Direct's aim is to produce documentation and correspondence in a clear and understandable format. In the event of any uncertainty Columbus Direct would ask you to let Columbus Direct know immediately. Columbus Direct staff are always happy to clarify the cover provided. You should check all policy documentation to ensure that the details are correct and the cover provided meets with your requirements. Any errors should be notified to Columbus Direct immediately. Columbus Direct recommend that you keep policy documents for as long as a claim is possible under the policy.
Making A Claim
In the event you need to make a claim you should firstly check the relevant section of you policy to see if you are covered, and check what documentation is required to make a claim. When returning home, contact the Claims Service to request a claim form, you will need to quote your insurance schedule number. In certain cases you may wish to claim whilst still travelling, this is possible, but you must still adhere to the usual claim requirements.
Making A Claim - Medical
The Assistance Service will confirm whether your treatment or expenses are covered under the terms of your policy and can liaise directly with hospitals regarding your medical requirements and payment of bills. Should you require specialist travel arrangements, the Assistance Service can make appropriate arrangements, based on medical necessity.In some cases it may be easier to pay minor expenses yourself. If you are in any doubts as to whether these costs will be covered, contact the Assistance Service for prior authorisation. Keep all receipts and medical reports and submit a claim when you return home. The contact details for your Claims Service are provided on the reverse side of your insurance schedule. Keep copies of your completed claim form and all supporting documentation, as originals must be submitted to the Claims Service.
Complaints Procedure
Columbus Direct recognise the importance of service and set high standards. Should there be an occasion when Columbus Direct do not meet your expectations Columbus Direct are equally committed to dealing with any complaint in a thorough and professional manner. If you wish to register a complaint, please contact Columbus Direct in the following ways:
In Writing
The Complaints Officer
Columbus Direct
17 Devonshire Square,
London,
EC2M 4SQ
By Telephone
0870 8902988
By Email
complaints@columbusdirect.com
If you cannot settle your complaint with Columbus Direct you may be entitled to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Compensation
Columbus Direct are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). You may be entitled to compensation from the FSCS if Columbus Direct cannot meet their obligations. This depends on the type of business and the circumstances of the claim. Insurance advising and arranging is covered for 100% of the first £2,000 and 90% of the remainder of the claim, without any upper limit. For compulsory classes of insurance, insurance advising and arranging is covered for 100% of the claim without any upper limit. Further details about the compensation scheme arrangements are available from the FSCS.
Cancellation Right
You may have a right to cancel up to 14 days from the date you receive:
- The policy document at the start of your insurance or;
- The renewal documentation for subsequent periods of insurance
If you have such a cancellation right Columbus Direct will confirm this to you in the policy schedule. Should you decide to exercise this cancellation right you will be entitled to a refund of premium less an appropriate pro rata charge for the period of cover given before the cancellation right was invoked. Should any claim occur prior to the exercise of the cancellation right where the claim terminates the insurance cover, the insurers may not allow a refund of any of the premium paid. If this cancellation right is not exercised within the 14 day period as stated above, no amount of the premium paid will be refunded. To exercise the cancellation right, you must return your insurance documentation to Columbus Direct and follow their further instructions.
Law And Jurisdiction
These Terms of Business shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English Law. In relation to any legal action or proceedings arising out of or in connection with these Terms of Business Columbus Direct and you both irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
Disclaimer
gosimply.com will use its best endeavours to ensure that its own information and the information provided by third parties is accurate at all times but shall not be held responsible or liable to pay compensation to any person or organisation for any loss arising, either directly or indirectly, out of the use, misuse, misinterpretation of that information by anyone using this web site or for any inaccuracies contained therein. Correct as at 30/06/11