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KANSAS CITY, Mo. \u2013 A family is learning the hard way that travel insurance isn\u2019t always what it appears to be.<\/p>\n
Jill and Scott Heil\u2019s son is a high school junior, who has been studying Chinese for three years.<\/p>\n
He was scheduled to visit China with his class next month, but the trip was canceled after the U.S. Department of State\u00a0raised the travel advisory for China to a level four due to the Wuhan coronavirus.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was so excited,\u201d Jill said about her son. \u201cIt\u2019s been over a year since he paid for the trip, but planning started earlier than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The trip was booked through EF Educational Tours, Inc. and cost $3,665, most of which their son covered by saving up his money. The Heil family also purchased global travel protection through the company, which cost $165.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve bought travel insurance for cruises and other trips, and generally if flights are canceled, there\u2019s a hurricane or massive issues in countries or weather-related, that should cover the cost of the trip,\u201d Scott said. \u201cI expected this to be no different. I mean it\u2019s named travel insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the Heils learned their son\u2019s trip had been canceled, the reached out to EF Tours in hopes of getting their money back.<\/p>\n
However, the couple was told that since the cancellation happened within 45 days of departure, a full refund wasn\u2019t possible.<\/p>\n
Instead, they said they were given three options.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could get a voucher equal to the price of this trip to use at a future date. That we could go at the same time of this trip to Europe or the third option was the voucher, but our teacher would redo China next year,\u201d Jill explained.<\/p>\n
At one point, the company offered the Heils a partial refund. The couple was willing to concede a portion of the refund, but they believed they were entitled to more than what the company was offering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo keep $2,000 when really you haven\u2019t rendered really any service to us at all, I think is excessive,\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n
In an email to our Kansas City sister station FOX4, a spokesperson for the company said their cancellation policy is designed to \u201creflect the most likely personal causes for cancellation or disruption to a traveler\u2019s experience \u2013 things like delayed flights, family illness, job loss, lost luggage, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n
Virus outbreaks are not covered.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is very rare for the U.S. Department of State to restrict travel to a certain region, which is why this very unlikely situation is not covered by the policy,\u201d the spokesperson explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a really tough situation, and I sympathize with this family,\u201d said Stan Sandberg, the co-founder of\u00a0www.TravelInsurance.com\u00a0<\/p>\n
The online site allows consumers to compare travel insurance prices and coverage.<\/p>\n
Sandberg said virus outbreaks aren\u2019t covered by most plans.<\/p>\n
\u201cTravel insurance hasn\u2019t really figured out how to contend with the virus outbreaks in the world. It does not really provide a whole lot of protection in that regard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
There is one exception. Consumers could purchase Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage.<\/p>\n
\u201cCancel For Any Reason coverage tends to be only available in the more premium plans, tends to cost another 40-50% on top of the base cost of a travel insurance plan, but it gives you the most flexibilities,\u201d Sandberg said.<\/p>\n
However, even with CFAR, the buyer isn\u2019t guaranteed a 100% refund. Reimbursement under CFAR is usually between 50-70%.<\/p>\n
Sandberg suggests consumers consider shopping around for travel insurance instead of automatically going with the insurance offered by the agency booking the trip.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have options,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not enough for the Heils, who offered a warning to consumers.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t take travel insurance for what it is,\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the full statement from EF Educational Tours:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe health and safety of our students, staff and travelers is always our top priority, and we are closely monitoring the outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus. We continue to be in touch with our teams in the United States and China, as well as with the relevant authorities in both locations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the main reasons why our customers choose EF Educational Tours is our 50-year legacy of putting student safety first and the fact that we have offices in nearly every destination to which we travel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are currently working with our customers who had trips planned to mainland China to determine the best solutions, so they feel safe and supported.\u00a0 In these specific types of situations, we always give extra flexibility to our groups.\u00a0 We always offer the choice to change destinations entirely, delay travel to a later date or take a refund in the form of a transferrable travel voucher. As the situation evolves, we continue to make changes for groups as needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always comply with international and federal guidance and restrictions, and we will continue to provide all relevant updates to our customers in an efficient and timely manner as the situation evolves.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n