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 Terminally Ill Flyer with Travel Insurance – Needing Refund
Posted Fri May 13, 2011 8:39 am, by Sonya R. written to Priceline.com
Write a Letter to this Company
I have been diagnosed as terminally ill with cancer in my 30's and had booked my flight for experimental treatment out East. I purchased the Delta tickets via priceline.com and purchased the Travel Insurance for $16 a ticket to be able to adjust my tickets if needed. I was accepted into the program but had to postpone do to some further testing here at home.
I contacted priceline.com on to cancel and they told me that travel for medical reasons wasn't covered and they were anything but compassionate about my situation which was further hurtful. I did request a Refund Form from your website on the March 19th and read it could take a couple days to receive these forms but I was scheduled to fly on the 20th.
Saturday the 19th I called Delta because I didn't want to 'miss' my flight (waiting for the refund form) and have anyone say I forfeited this money by missing the flight, so I canceled with them and they gave me a credit.
When I called to rebook a flight using the credit they want to charge me $200 to do that per ticket. $150 from Delta and $50 from priceline to change these flight dates, even though I had purchased your travel insurance. That would make my actual per ticket price over $600.
I had two tickets on the original order and a one way ticket on the 28th $1114.60 worth of credit to be used. The clerk made it sound like I could only use one ticket at a time and not the credit as a whole meaning $200 to make the changes on each ticket an extra $600 in fees. Not only that I have one year to use this credit and it is not transferable credit. As I mentioned before I am terminally ill and likely hood of me purchasing three separate tickets in the next year to get my credit used is unlikely.
I did receive the Refund Claim form but in order for me to receive this refund because I canceled for medical reasons I was to include a signed Authorization for Release of Medical Information. I am not sure but that may be a HIPA violation.
I would like a refund of the full ticket prices in a most timely fashion so that I have a chance to utilize that for my needed treatment.
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by Sonya R. Posted Mon June 27, 2011 @ 4:11 PM
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I am happy to report that I received a full refund from Priceline for
my unused tickets.
Thank you to my supports and to the negative nay sayers....I pray that
you will be a little more understanding and compassionate to others.
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by Amanda M. Posted Mon May 16, 2011 @ 6:25 PM
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I am appalled and stunned at the level of disregard Priceline, and
those who commented here, are showing to Sonya. It appears to me that
she purchased insurance for her tickets. I would have done the same
thing. She is fighting for her life and now she has to fight for her
money back? Appalling. I will never use Priceline, that is for sure.
What has happened to this country and the citizens of it that we don't
honor our customers, or each other!!! This is wrong on so many levels.
By a simple customer service standpoint, the passionate-less response
she received is ridiculous. And by a human standpoint, it is sheer
ridiculousness. Appalling.
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Perhaps you should have bought a refundable ticket.
This would have been the best bet in your situation.
Maybe look at taking the greyhound or something.
good day
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rude
by Amanda M. Mon May 16, 2011 @ 6:21 PM
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by Advocate Posted Mon May 16, 2011 @ 11:40 AM
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I'd like to offer this to those negative responders...
Sonya could have done a lot of things differently in retrospect. She
could have gotten a second opinion on her symptoms and she might not
have needed experimental treatment. Shame on her? What she was
planning to go was to get treatment that might extend her life. She
was not planning to have bad counts. She was responsible and purchased
travel insurance. She is doing the best she can and is still working
and not absorbing off of the system. Hopefully she gets a break here
because she purchased the travel insurance and sure doesn't deserve
this financial burden & red tape to be yet another stresser in the
time she has left. Thanks for any compassion and understanding.
To Fairy with Fangs - This is the portion that actually applies and
does indeed cover Sonya's situation:
PART A. TRAVEL ARRANGEMENT PROTECTION
(Flight, Hotel Reservation and/or Rental Car Reservation Plan(s), as
applicable)
Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Benefits
Pre-Departure Trip Cancellation
The Insurer will pay a Pre-Departure Trip Cancellation Benefit, up to
the amount in the Schedule, if you are prevented from taking your
Flight, Hotel Reservation and/or Rental Car Reservation, as
applicable, due to your, an Immediate Family Member's, Traveling
Companion's, or Business Partner's Sickness, Injury or death or Other
Covered Events as defined, that occur(s) on or before the Scheduled
Travel Date of your Covered Trip. The Sickness or Injury must: a)
commence while your coverage is in effect under the plan; b) require
the examination and treatment by a Physician at the time the Covered
Trip is canceled; and c) in the written opinion of the treating
Physician, be so disabling as to prevent you from taking your Covered
Trip.
Pre-Departure Trip Cancellation Benefits
The Insurer will reimburse you, up to the amount in the Schedule for
the amount of prepaid, non-refundable, and unused Payments or Deposits
that you paid for your Flight, Hotel Reservation and/or Rental Car
Reservation, as applicable.
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First - I am very sorry for your illness.
Second - It took me less then 3 minutes to find the part that says the
travel insurance doesn't cover this.
http://www.priceline.com/vacations/Lang/en-us/InfoCtr/Travel_TI_BC_Cov
erage.asp?session_key=5D0011AC3F0011AC2011051501182592eda0249096&plf=p
cln
THE INSURER WILL NOT PAY FOR ANY LOSS CAUSED BY OR INCURRED RESULTING
FROM:
medical treatment during or arising from a Covered Trip undertaken for
the purpose or intent of securing medical treatment;
Number 11 on the list under general plan exclusions in the description
of coverage. I found that in the FAQ's on pricelines site.
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I think in this situation I would have read the refund guidelines
before buying the tickets.
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Couldnt you have just gone through Delta and paid more for refundable
tickets?
Would have seemed that would be the better way to go under your
circumstances.
Dont think I would use a third party vendor in a medical situation.
good day
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Homework
by Advocate Mon May 16, 2011 @ 12:17 PM
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SHARED LETTERS 
del.icio.us
Digg this
