Insurers Reject 'Too Perfect' Claims

Some travel insurance firms are turning down claims which contain "too much information" and are "too perfect", a BBC investigation has uncovered.

This means that customers who provide many precise details about the dates items lost on holiday were bought on, how much they cost and how they were paid for might be put under extra scrutiny from firms. Cover provider Insure and Go also confirmed to the broadcaster that such customer diligence could indicate "possible fraud" for insurers.

Laurence from south west London told the BBC that he had trouble in claiming from Insure and Go after he lost £1,000 of items when his backpack was stolen in Peru last month. Despite providing details of the lost goods' prices, brand names and payment methods for purchase, he received a letter asking for further "reasonable proof" that the items were his.

The claimant's mother, Andrea, commented: "We just felt it would be clearer for them to see what the claim was, not make us look suspicious!"

Perry Wilson, owner of Insure and Go, said: "Sometimes people give too much information, that obviously then sparks - why would you remember all 39 items? Give us some meat on the bone to look at this claim [such as purchase receipts], to make sure we have some kind of substantiating evidence for it."