Generali Global Assistance (CSA Travel Protection) Refused To Honor Insurance Claim San Diego CA

On February 7, 2020, I booked a roundtrip ticket to Nigeria on Delta Airlines (March 24-30, 2020) for myself and my 16-year old daughter in the amount of $3,087.60. My Booking Number through justfly.com is 179-211-811.

I also decided to purchase CSA Travel Protection insurance (also known as GENERALI GLOBAL ASSISTANCE) in the amount of $229.03, which guaranteed a refund of up to $3,053.70 if I had to cancel my flight. My Policy Number is: 20038W5532.

Following a travel advisory issued by Michigan State University (MSU) (where I teach) on February 26, I decided to cancel this trip for my safety and that of my daughter. As is well known, the coronavirus has led to several travel restrictions and cancellations within the USA and abroad. Part of the advisory issued by MSU reads: "If you choose to travel to a destination that is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, upon return you could be subjected to quarantine restrictions …or possible restriction of entry to the United States." Note also that Nigeria is now listed as a country with coronavirus cases (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/locations-confirmed-cases.html).

On March 4, I explained all of the above to CSA Travel Protection, expressed my intent to cancel my trip and filed a claim for a refund of my ticket money. My Claim Number is: 20011475-01. CSA responded on March 6 and 9, denying my claim.

CSA claims that the cancellation of my trip due to "fear of coronavirus" is unfounded and insists that "there is no coverage under your policy for fear of a potential event which has not taken place prior to the cancellation of your trip." How can CSA claim that the coronavirus is "a potential event which has not taken place" when leading experts and organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization continue to speak to the contrary?

I have since forwarded more media and expert health reports about the coronavirus to CSA, further highlighting the risks involved in international travel. But the company has ceased to communicate with me.

Here are some other important facts:

Even after Delta Airlines cancelled my trip to Nigeria, CSA still continued to find clauses in its system to deny my claim.

CSA has completely refused to respond to my last email of March 19, in which I further argued my case.

Whereas I should have researched this company before buying insurance from them, I eventually found out that there are over 200 Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaints against CSA by customers. Most of these complaints remain unresolved.

There are also about 116 Customer Reviews of CSA on the BBB website, which rate the company an average of one star out of five.

CSA's policy promises to pay "100% of Trip Cost" where travel has to be cancelled. In my case, even as I planned to cancel my trip due to the ongoing corona epidemic, the trip was eventually cancelled by the airline that I was scheduled to travel on.

I also later discovered that CSA has a "GENERAL EXCLUSIONS" rule that runs from "A-T," in which it declares what would not be covered or paid for, and which essentially reads like a manifesto expressing every possible excuse to deny customer claims.

So, when CSA could no longer argue that my fears of the corona virus were unfounded, they continued to identify every possible clause and reinterpretation of clauses to refuse my claim.

Thus far, and clearly aware that they don't have a good case, CSA (Generali) has refused to respond to my BBB complaint against them.

Institutions, businesses and governments have recently taken exceptional steps to protect customers and citizens against the current epidemic. It is therefore totally deplorable that a company like CSA (Generali), which claims that its prime goal is to ensure the safety and security of its customers, would take no serious steps to be supportive of such customers under present circumstances.

I may not be able to recover any money from CSA, and there may be limits to which the Better Business Bureau, other customer protection agencies and attorney general offices can halt the fraudulence of this company. But the rest of us can be proactive by, first, exposing them and, second, refusing to patronize or do business with them.