uk axa travel insurance

[gus 1]

I just had an interesting conversation with someone at Axa Travel Insurance. On their website it lists BASE jumping as one of the activities which can be covered if you purchase their Hazardous Sports and Activities Cover, this is backed up by the text version of their policy document (follow the "Policy Details" link, it's in "General Exclusions"). However, the pdf version explicitly excludes BASE jumping from the Hazardous Sports and Activities Cover.
So I called them and according to the woman I spoke to (who checked with her team leader) BASE jumping is definately not included and there is no way it can be included. The only suggestion she had was to try a high street broker who may be willing to 'take on the higher risk'.

Gus

OutpatientsOnline.com

[meekerboy 0]

Thats interesting. I also have AXA Travel Insurance and I took the precaution of phoning them also and they said I was covered. This was back in March.

I will phone again and ask them to clariffy and to explain why there is a difference.

Meeker

[julesUK 0]

I took their cover out in July. Having seen the top post I called them last week and was told that the website was wrong and they didn't cover BASE. I suggested that it was a bit late telling me now!!!

One of their technical people called me today and said as its their mistake I am covered until the end of the policy's term - ie next July - but after that, look elsewhere.

I pointed out that there might be a few of us who took out cover through the website without ever phoning - they are thinking of writing to all hazardous sports cover policy holders.

Anyway, anyone else who has already taken their cover out and is now worrying, contact "'tasha" (I think - I'm crap at names) at their call centre and see if you can get the same deal.

As this may be the last year any of us get cover I think we should aim to make the most of it!

Jules

[meekerboy 0]

I just phoned AXA and they have said that their underwriters will cover me also for the duration of this policy and then it will expire. Tasha who works there is the person to speak to. She asked how many others there are with policies!. I think she is worried. Also, she said she would send out a letter confirming that I was covered. I would suggest everyone else with a policy phones her up.

Meeker

[meekerboy 0]

I just got phoned back again by Tasha stating that discussions have been held with higher management and all people except myself and Gus are no longer insured for Base jumping. I think the policies are not void, but they have changed the terms and conditions.

Further, they are changing the websites quickly to reflect this. To my knowledge this is illegal because if they have advertised this on any online documents / websites and then not included this in the policy document, then this is Misrepresentation and inducing a person to enter into a contract falsely.

Anyway, Tasha asks not to be requested specifcally for this issue but to speak to any of her team at AXA on 08703662100.

Lastly, to protect those of you not covered, try getting a copy of the terms and conditions stating you were covered.

[gus 1]

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all people except myself and Gus are no longer insured for Base jumping

Just for absolute clarity: I don't have a current policy with Axa, the reason I phoned them is that I'm trying to take a BASE friendly one out.

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To my knowledge this is illegal

I'd be really interested to hear from any legal bods on this. My suspicion is that your policy is defined by the policy document that they physically send to you and that you have a grace period in which you can cancel the policy if you're not happy. When I took out a single trip policy in August BASE was included on the website but excluded in the policy document they sent me - because I bought the policy for a skydiving holiday I didn't really pay much attention to the discrepancy.

Gus

OutpatientsOnline.com

[cpoxon 0]

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My suspicion is that your policy is defined by the policy document that they physically send to you and that you have a grace period in which you can cancel the policy if you're not happy.

I'd be inclined to agree with you Gus. Although it's lax (at best) and sneaky (at worst) of them to change their official T's & C's but not reflect them on their website, I guess the onus is on the customer to check the small print on the paper work they receive. Inaccurate websites can not be relied upon; just look at all the stories of ridiculously mispriced electronic items "sold" on websites that weren't honoured

What we need is the previous Travel Insurance Policy Booklet. The current one has a code in the front page: APLD017/P (06/03) (2320). I don't know if I'm reading too much into that but it makes me think that this version was issued in June 2003. Does anyone have a copy of the previous version in which it said,

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9. Your engagement in or practice for the following unless You have paid the appropriate additional premium to include cover under the Hazardous Activities Extension as shown in the Schedule: abseiling, base jumping

rather than generally excluding it in item 8.

I'm not a policy holder with AXA (still stuck with HB), so I can't really fight this, but I am VERY interested. Please, whoever has a policy with them but has been excluded, please don't let them get away with it!

[meekerboy 0]

I had a chat with my brother who is a lawyer and he says that even though it was not in the website, it is good grounds for Misrepresentation. Further, he is a lawyer for the Office of Fair Trading and deals with organisations trying using unfair competitive practices such as this.

[unclecharlie109 0]

I got my policy in August, have phoned AXA and hey have fobbed me off and told me to complain in writing :(

Jules and Meeker can you email me your full names so I can use the "treating me differently" arguement as well please. [email protected]

I need to work on my phone shouting skills!!

jb

[QuickDraw 0]

I recognize that e-mail i think, GL ?

-- Hope you don't die. --

I'm fucking winning

[Luke 0]

I've just checked my policy booklet and BASE is excluded, unless I've "paid the appropriate additional premium to include cover under the Hazardous Activities Extension as shown in the schedule".

So I checked my schedule and it says "Hazardous Sports and Activities Extension: Included"

Now even cynical me is thinking: I'm covered. I took my policy out on 13th March 2003 and the code on the back is D549 03/02.

Anyway, if James or Craig or anyone else would like to borrow my policy book I'd be more than happy. Only thing is I'd want it back- sounds like it could be quite valuable.

[TomAiello 25]

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Anyway, if James or Craig or anyone else would like to borrow my policy book I'd be more than happy. Only thing is I'd want it back- sounds like it could be quite valuable.

I'd recommend making a photocopy of the full booklet, then lending out the copy. Heck, I'd recommend scanning it and posting it (at least the relevant sections) here, or somewhere else on-line.

I wonder if anyone will need to use the coverage--and either get screwed or start into a nasty lawsuit.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[julesUK 0]

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I'd recommend making a photocopy of the full booklet, then lending out the copy. Heck, I'd recommend scanning it and posting it (at least the relevant sections) here, or somewhere else on-line.

for what its worth, I downloaded the relevant page of their website before they changed it - anyone want a copy?

I am still waiting for the letter I was promised confirming my cover for the rest of this year......

Jules

[cpoxon 0]

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for what its worth, I downloaded the relevant page of their website before they changed it - anyone want a copy?

Is it the PDF or the HTML? Only the PDF is valuable since the HTML is a lot easier to change. I'll have the PDF if you have it.

[julesUK 0]

only the HTML - would you expect anything useful from me? If only you replied to my questions as quickly.........

Jules

[gus 1]

I thought I'd found one today. Leading Edge Travel Insurance lists BASE jumping (along with bob sleighing, demolition derby, ice hockey, ski acrobatics, ski jumping, ski racing, toboganning) as a 'category 4' activity, which attracts a pretty heft premium but at least (I thought) I could get some insurance. Suprise, suprise, when I emailed them for confirmation and a quote I got:

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Thank you for your enquiry we are unable to cover Base Jumping on our policies as the risk is considered to high

The search continues.

Gus

OutpatientsOnline.com

[base311 0]

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Thank you for your enquiry we are unable to cover Base Jumping on our policies as the risk is considered to high

So the insurance companies confirm what we've known all along: BASE jumping is the original 'Extreme Sport'



311

edit to add: I see that bowling and croquet are covered... and hang gliding is listed as category 2 activity. Shaking head... insurance companies... gotta love 'em

[Faber 0]

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Thank you for your enquiry we are unable to cover Base Jumping on our policies as the risk is considered to high

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So the insurance companies confirm what we've known all along: BASE jumping is the original 'Extreme Sport'

psst dont tell my incurance compagny,they only think its too dangerus in US,and wont cover there.will only pay if i get disabled,not if i die(sad to my kids if so should happen).
How ever it only cost me 140£a year and will cover up to 50000£
sorry to say you´ll need to live in DK to get this agreement

Stay safe
Stefan Faber

[riggersam 0]

I've purchased insurance through Speciality Risk International (www.specialtyrisk.com) before. Their Liaison International plan has a Hazardous Sports Coverage option that includes parachuting.

Concerned about whether BASE was excluded in some fine print, I shot them an email a while back and asked. I specifically asked if BASE jumping was included and the reply was a fairly simple "All parachuting activities are included if the Hazardous Sport Coverage option is purchased".

Anyway, it is supposed to be available for U.S. residents traveling abroad, as well as non-U.S. citizens visiting the U.S. So, it might be worth looking into if you're headed this direction...

If anyone inquires with them and gets and answer that BASE jumping is not covered, please let me know!

C-ya!

Mark

[Luke 0]

Found a promising link on a Brit BASE web site:

http://www.annual-insurance.com/cgi-bin/affiliate.pl?affiliate=mbadvent&page=index.html

Had a quick look through the policy and didn't find any reason to doubt they'll cover BASE.

Thought that since you're already searching you wouldn't mind checking them out.

[gus 1]

This looks really good, I will email them as well and explicitly ask about BASE. Thanks Mark.

Gus

OutpatientsOnline.com

[gus 1]

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Thought that since you're already searching you wouldn't mind checking them out.

I'm getting serious policy document fatigue!

There's no explicit mention of BASE, just "parachute jumping" as part of their "category 4 hazardous sports and leisure activities".
The bit which would worry me is this exclusion:

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The underwriter is not responsible for any claims arising:
.....
5. from you engaging in any illegal or criminal act

Gus

OutpatientsOnline.com

[julesUK 0]

contacted Annual Insurance and got

"This is only for international sky diving and parachuting and not base jumping."

my question had "intentional" rather than "international" - aren't spell checkers great!

I used to have American Express travel insurance with their hazardous activites cover. This also mentioned 'parachuting' rather than skydiving but I didn't ask for clarification as I had yet to start BASE....might be worth checking them out again.

Still no letter from AXA.....


Jules

[Skinflicka 0]

It seems to me that if you want insuring when BASE jumping then to some extent you're missing the point.

A general travel insurance document will cover you when ze Germans steal your camera but hoping that you can decrease the risk involved in your life when you huck yourself off a cliff is holding too much hope IMHO.

Be careful. It's dangerous out there and the bean counters know it.

Best wishes,

Skin.

$kin.

Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

[julesUK 0]

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hoping that you can decrease the risk involved in your life when you huck yourself off a cliff is holding too much hope

If I had legal insurance I would use it to pay the lawyers when I get busted - I wouldn't expect it to repel policemen when I waved it at them.

I want travel insurance because I'm hoping that when I have an accident I won't have to spend the rest of my life paying the medical bills for being sewn back together. I will of course shove the policy document down my trousers as a bit of extra padding

Jules