Company Description
If you are going away no matter what you are doing it seems like you will be covered with Columbus Direct. With one of the largest selections of policies they will cover you for single trip, annual multi trip, ski, backpacker, business, holiday, family, or even pre-existing medical travel insurance.
| Policies and Sample Prices
Visit Columbus Direct to get a quote. Prices are to be used only as a guide and are not always the cheapest offered by the insurer. Quotes are based on one adult of 35 with the following minimum cover:
|
 |
Single Trip – One Week
|
Annual
|
||||||||||||||||
Ski – One Week
|
Backpacker - One Year
|
Visit our new site to compare cheap backpacker travel insurance. Also for Luxury Holiday Packages or that perfect Antigua 5 Star Hotels please visit our friends.
Company Information
| Website | http://www.columbusdirect.com/ |
| Address | Columbus Direct Advertiser House 19 Bartlett Street Croydon CR2 6TB |
| Phone/Fax | Tel: 0870 033 9988 |
| admin@columbusdirect.com |
My problem started when I booked a train ticket through http://www.trainline.com. I took out insurance with Columbus Direct through
trainline, money took out of my account but no policy.
Over ten days and six emails still no policy.
I shall never ever deal with the incompetent Columbus Direct again.
Purchased annual insurance with Columbus in March 2011 but unfortunately had to cancel our holiday in August, we were travelling in September. They have been totally unhelpfull do not wish to discuss anything on the phone and just reply with the same statements, saying as per Clause ….. you should have informed us of your problem. Anyone insured with this company PLEASE PLEASE let them know if you have anything minor, even a cold as potentially you could get a chest infection or pheumonia and have to cancel, and if you have not told them they will NOT PAY OUT. We have not had our holiday and have now lost our money – DO NOT USE COLUMBUS INSURANCE!
my wife became ill while in Tenerife so I contacted Columbus, they told me to get an ambulance to a hospital they told me to use.
When i presented my insurance details to the hospital reception, they would not except it, they said Columbus does not pay its bills, so by luck I had a credit card with me and had to pay that way, fortunately I got everything sorted but with no help from Columbus
When I got home I sent in all the receipts and claim forms. I never heard back for 3 months so I wrote to them, again 3 weeks went by and they still did got back to me, so I phoned them and they just kept stalling me. Eventually 4 mouths later I got some money out of them but it was nowhere near the claim. DO NOT USE COLUBUS INSURANCE
I had an email quote for a Gold Adventure Insurance policy with a 10% discount for £119 which I thought was pretty good value. The email stated that the quote was valid for 30 days. Within the 30 day period I tried to purchase the policy, but the price had miraculously increased to £177!
I rang Columbus Direct to try and buy the policy at the original quoted price and the charming lady at the call centre refused point blank and merely stated that there had been a price increase and my quote no longer stood for anything. I emailed back quoting my telephone conversation and promptly received a reply stating they would honour any quote within the 30 days period and provided me with a telephone number to call. I called it, was met with the same resistance and a rather blank sounding woman at the other end of the phone who said she would have to get her manager to call me back. Four days later no call and I ended up buying my insurance from the Post Office, it acutally turned out to be cheaper for my trip and Columbus also lost the business of my travel partner following their terrible customer service.
If they can’t even be bothered to provide good customer service to try and get my custom, I hate to think how they would treat me should I have needed to claim. Utterly terrible customer service!
I had my glasses knocked off, one lens got a huge chip in it (marvellous – spent the week with the image of a huge white thing floating in front of one eye). Columbus made it so difficult to claim – repeated phone calls and letters – I even offered to send them the glasses, that I gave up in the end – have never used them again.
Columbus Direct is terrible. Claimed for lost luggage (Christmas 2009) – basically Columbus just stalled and stalled until I just gave up and obviously DID NOT renew the policy. They claim they’ll stump up £75, but it just won’t happen. As much use as a chocolate teapot – in fact less so – at least you can eat a chocolate teapot. Do not waste your money – you will be better off with no insurance – at least if something bad happens, you won’t waste hours on the phone/typing emails/typing & posting letters.
AVOID. HOPELESS. TERRIBLE. CON-ARTISTS.
PS. Why do people write reviews of insurance companies if they haven’t claimed? I have read so many saying such and such a company “…is great! They gave me the BEST quote! Excellent”…and no claim. You can’t judge insurance until you’ve actually USED IT! Like buying a cup of coffee and saying it’s fantastic…without actually drinking it!
Someone on this website said “I haven’t had to use the insurance for it’s purpose so i cant comment on that”……SO WHY ARE YOU POSTING A REVIEW??
I needed to be covered quickly for a on the spur trip to South Africa – The Columbus Direct Travel Insurance team there were very helpful with my pre existing medical conditions and everything was done in about 10 minutes. I haven’t had to use the insurance for it’s purpose so i cant comment on that but overall it was a pleasant and reasonably priced experience and i will use them again and again.
Great cover, would recomommend to all.