Bob Stamper says thanks to On Your Side, he received a check for more than $4,400.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - Bob Stamper says thanks to On Your Side, he received a check for more than $4,400 from a travel insurance company that would not reimburse him for his travel expenses after he was stranded in Israel, isolating with COVID-19.
In a previous On Your Side report, Stamper said he took a trip to Israel and before he left, he purchased travel insurance through a company called Allianz just in case something went wrong. He says he always buys travel insurance when he goes on vacation. Stamper told Harper that travel insurance gives him peace of mind. But unfortunately, something happened, and Stamper would have to use his travel insurance. The night before he was supposed to fly back to the States, Stamper tested positive for COVID and was forced to quarantine for five more days at his luxury hotel.
As a result, he had to pay more than $4,400 out of pocket for the hotel and another airline ticket to get home. Since Stamper had travel insurance, he immediately filed a claim with Allianz to get reimbursed. But after mailing in his documents, he never heard from the company. Stamper said he couldn’t get any answers every time he called them. “Well, one of my biggest complaints with the company Allianz is you can’t talk to a human being who can give you any answers.”
On Your Side got involved, and after asking Allianz to review Bob’s claim, the company mailed him a check reimbursing him $4,400. Stamper says it only happened with the help of On Your Side. “Gary Harper called them, and then he called me, like I said, within 48 hours. They agreed to pay the claim just like that. It wouldn’t have come out the way it did without your help,” Stamper said. “I am overwhelmed that Gary Harper and Channel 3 make a commitment to help viewers with this kind of program.”
He said getting COVID while overseas is the very reason why consumers should always buy travel insurance when they purchase a big vacation. As for Allianz, they never explained why it took so long for a refund. But as soon as I brought it to their attention, they sent out that check.