A grieving family who recently lost their one-year-old son has spent months trying to secure a refund for a holiday he was meant to join them on.
Hannah, a nurse, and her husband, a farmer, had planned the trip from New South Wales to Western Australia in April as a way to create lasting memories with their son, Alby, after he was diagnosed with a fatal neurological condition.
Hannah said the family had done everything they could to prepare for the unpredictable nature of Alby’s illness – including purchasing travel insurance through Cover-More.
‘The situation changed from day to day,’ Hannah told 2GB.
‘We we are understanding of our situation so we thought we were doing the right thing and took out travel insurance with Cover More.’
They spent more than $7,000 on tickets through Webjet on top of extra funds for the travel insurance.
But on the very day they were due to fly out, Alby’s condition deteriorated rapidly. He was rushed to Sydney Children’s Hospital, and the family had no choice but to cancel the trip.
Webjet offered flight credits which had to be used within 12 months but refused their request for a refund.
Hannah and her husband (pictured with their son and daughter) have spent months trying to get a refund for their family holiday following the death of their one-year-old son, Alby
Webjet has offered the family a flight credit, which expires in 12 months, while their insurer has been difficult to contact
Tragically, little Alby died a short time later in May.
The family again requested a refund from Webjet, explaining the trip had been planned to spend time with their son, and provided a copy of his death certificate.
They were offered flight credits for a second time.
Hoping to recover the lost funds, Hannah and her husband turned to Cover-More to file a claim through their travel insurance.
However, the companies have been difficult to contact.
‘It’s just been such a nightmare,’ Hannah said.
‘They are being really sporadic in their contact. It doesn’t sound like they’re saying no to the refund but they’re asking for lots of documentation.
‘One of which is a grant of probate, which is not even applicable because he passed away at the age of one. He didn’t have any assets or a will.
‘They wanted documentation letters from Alby’s doctors as well.’
She claimed one of the companies has taken weeks between each response, often asking for one document at a time.
While she and her partner have been happy to provide any necessary documents, they can’t help but feel they’ve been given ‘the runaround’.
‘If they could just provide me with a list of the documents they need upfront – it seems like I give them a document and they reply two weeks later and I have to provide another document,’ Hannah said.
‘Just tell me what you need and I can get it.
‘It’s not an insignificant amount of money and getting the feeling they’re hoping it will just be too much of a hassle and we’ll let it go.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Webjet and Cover More for comment.
New South WalesWestern Australia
