Martin Lewis has issued a warning for anyone planning to go on holiday this summer. The finance guru made the comments during an episode of This Morning on Tuesday, April 25.
It comes as a viewer, Rita, emailed in to seek his advice over an issue she experienced with her travel insurance provider who had not paid her money that she is owed. Rita's son had died after she had booked a holiday to Tenerife which she then had to cancel. But she claimed that despite following "all proper procedures" she has not received the money back.
The Liverpool Echo reports that after offering his condolences, Mr Lewis said: "If you're not getting that refund, you need to understand why." He added that when it comes to travel insurance, many people "don't realise" that it is fully regulated by the FCA, which "means you have a right to take the travel firm to the financial ombudsman."
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He advised that this was free and only required people to fill in a form online. He said: "You don't need to write fancy language, you don't need a lawyer."
The Money Saving Expert added: "It's a horrible situation to be in. You've done absolutely everything right and one would hope the travel insurance company would treat you with a bit more care."
He then issued an urgent warning for holiday-goers booking their upcoming breaks - advising that they need to book their travel insurance sooner rather than later. He said: "So many people have booked their summer holidays but haven't got travel insurance. My rule on travel insurance is to get it ASAB, as soon as you book, in case heaven forbid, something happens to stop you going away beforehand."
Addressing Rita once more, he advised her to make a formal complaint before warning others: "Everyone else, if you have a holiday booked, get your travel insurance." After the show, many shared support for Rita online. On Twitter, one person said: "That Insurance company is a disgrace. They need better policies for dealing with bereaved people! Please name them!" Another added: "As if the poor woman hasn't enough to deal with."
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