UPDATE -Sit Cancellation claim successful
paid out in 14 days from submitting claim.
Premium member 29 Oct - Sit Curtailed by owner 30 Oct - Claim for cost of alternative accommodation submitted to THS 5 Nov Claim approved 13 Nov Funds received in our bank today -
Day 5 of a 22 day sit the owner messaged us to say that they would be returning early as they had a serious accident on holiday . They returned the next day - Day 6.
Process we followed for making a claim
29 Oct we informed THS Member Services (MS) immediately ( it has to be within within 24 hours ) that sit was being curtailed -
contacted them via live chat and asked to speak to a human .
29 Oct MS sent us an e-mail which clearly stated the process for eligible claim and the evidence that needed to be submitted to THS. Not as onerous as expected .
29 Oct & 30 Oct am - Searched THS ( and other sites ) for a replacement sit - none available for the immediate dates
30 Oct am -Booked alternative accommodation* for 10 nights
(* within 20 miles of the sit / under the max limit which is $150 per night for 10 nights )
paid on our credit card
obtained an e-Mail receipt which showed the address of the alternative accommodation, amount paid and dates of the booking .
30 Oct -Screenshots of WhatsApp messages from homeowner curtailing the sit (these had to show date of message) and receipts for the alternative accommodation submitted by e-mail to support@trustedhousesitters.com
30 Oct - Phoned the Urgent Support Line and asked them to check and confirm that they had received all of the required information for my claim. This was confirmed verbally ( calls are recorded )
31 Oct confirmation received from THS by e-Mail that claim had been submitted to THS partners.
5 Nov e-Mail received from THS - Notification that our claim had been approved ( minus $150 as per T&Cs ) and a form was also sent requesting our bank details .
5 Nov bank details submitted to THS
13 Nov - Money received in our bank a/c today
In the meantime we have confirmed a sit that covers day 16-22 of the sit that was curtailed .
The criteria for an eligible claim is tight (as per T&Cs ) . However the process for claiming was not as onerous (as I had expected it might be ).
The support from THS member services via live chat and the Urgent Support Phone line was first class . The advisors were fully aware of the process for claiming and clearly explained it and followed up with a concise e-mail.
You have the right to refuse. I too would not take just any available sit. I have used the insurance once and THS was extremely helpful. I told them my cancelled sit was in a resort community and all hotels would cost more than I could afford and definitely more than $150/night. They were very understanding that I needed to go further out and paid my claim easily after I sent the receipt.
Thatâs good to hear. When I filed a claim I had a hard time finding an available hotel within 20 miles, but I was told that it must be within 20 miles, no exceptions. I ended up having to split the dates between 2 hotels and pay more than $150/night. Maybe they are more flexible now.
This is good to know. I can understand why they would have the 20 mile limit â as it would discourage an unscrupulous sitter who wants to be in a more convenient location from being tempted to do something to get the host to cancel. EG: 10 days at a hostel in NYC versus 10 days in Mineola Long Island and a 3 mile walk to the Long Island Rail Road. (I know. I have devious mind.) I can also understand the need for real world exceptions to the policy in cases like yours where the hotels in the area are well over $150 a night!
Very good point @Marion. The rumour is that if you put the money you paid on any insurance away every month, and then used it if and when you had a claim youâd be better off! Thereâs always a deductible on nearly every insurance policy @Lilywize. Rule of thumb in the industry (from two insurance brokers) is that insurance companies refuse claims three times on average as they know a percentage will give up and this is part of their risk/premium calculation. #insideinfo
The rumour is my calculation about pet health insurance. Despite what I said, I think the premium even with its limitation is worth it as cancellations happen for both sitters and hosts and we would impacted by both.
AbsoluteyâI am sure, given the choice, 100% of members would choose to be able to be refunded their hotel costs up to $150/day INCLUDING the first day instead of airport lounge passes.
