TRAVEL INSURANCE UPDATE: My wife recently traveled from London to Rome and accidentally left her purse on the plane. We promptly filed a police report and reported the lost item to the airline. After two weeks, the airline declared it lost, which leads me to believe it may have been taken by someone—perhaps another passenger or cleaning staff.
We submitted a claim through our travel insurance, and they have requested additional information via multiple emails, including receipts, the police report, and the airline’s report. I’m set to have a phone conversation with them soon regarding the claim. However, as I review their guidelines, I’m starting to worry they might argue that the purse was left unattended.
Is it typical for insurance companies to request this extra information instead of outright denying a claim initially? What are my chances of getting this claim approved under these circumstances?
It’s common for insurance companies to request additional documentation when processing a claim. They want to verify the details and ensure that the claim meets their policy requirements. Asking for receipts, police reports, and airline reports is part of their standard procedure to assess the situation accurately.
In your case, since you took the necessary steps by filing a police report and reporting the lost item to the airline, you have a good foundation for your claim. Whether or not they consider the purse as “unattended” can depend on the specific terms of your policy and how they define that term. In many cases, items left on a plane may not be considered unattended in the traditional sense, since you were likely still on the plane when you realized the purse was missing.
During your phone call, be clear and concise about what happened, and present the evidence you’ve gathered. The fact that you’ve reported the incident to both the police and the airline will strengthen your case. While it’s difficult to predict the outcome, being prepared with the necessary information and showing that you acted responsibly can improve your chances of a favorable resolution. Good luck!