A British couple have been left stranded in France after their campervan broke down, with their insurer claiming it is not able to help them, despite the current coronavirus outbreak leaving them vulnerable.
Jacqueline Jackson, 62, and her husband, James, 72, travelled to France, from Spain, the weekend before last – but unfortunately after arriving at a camping site, James slipped in a shower cubicle and injured his knee.
To make matters worse, their campervan broke down shortly after they left the site, leaving them stuck on the side of a road.
Upon contacting their insurer, MyFerry, which is underwritten by Allianz, to try and get a hire car and medical assistance for James, they claim they were told it would not help them unless he went to hospital – despite the coronavirus outbreak making it difficult thanks to strain on French hospitals.
A British couple have been left stranded abroad in their campervan due to the coronavirus – picture posed by models
Jacqueline was even less happy to let her husband go to the hospital due to the fact he has COPD, a respiratory condition that is likely to leave him more vulnerable to coronavirus.
The couple were due to travel around Spain from 13 December 2019 to 31 March 2020 and although they set off as planned, due to the pandemic, their trip has since been hampered.
They left Spain early to head to France after hearing that it was likely going to close its borders and went to Calais for a ferry back to England.
They made it to France they had to stop driving earlier than planned due to bad weather, stopping off at a campervan site.
Whilst there, James slipped in a shower cubicle, twisting his knee badly, meaning he was unable to bend his leg.
They had to leave in a bid to catch the ferry – but not long after setting off, the fuel gauge of their campervan stopped working and the car broke down a couple of miles down the road, leaving them stranded.
The couple claimed that MyFerry said they would only be covered for a breakdown after the couple had missed their booking from Calais, which was not yet the case.
MyFerry, underwritten by Allianz, said it could not help the couple get repatriated to England
This is despite their policy stating: ‘We will pay you up to £800 in total for the cost of extra accommodation and transport which you have to pay to get to your journey destination or back home because you do not get to the departure point by the time shown in your travel itinerary due to the vehicle you are travelling in breaks down.’
They claim the insurer also said that they could not claim on the policy for James to get medical assistance unless he went to the local hospital.
However, most people are being advised not to go to hospitals unless it is life threatening, due to the coronavirus outbreak, and a bad knee does not fall under that category.
They say that MyFerry also refused to help them hire a car even though the car hire services where they are stuck are only dealing with insurance companies in order to minimise contact with the public.
Therefore, they were left sat in their campervan with no water, food or advice.
A number of British people are currently stranded abroad, waiting for flights to get back home
What does the insurer say?
A spokesperson for Allianz said: ‘Firstly, our sympathies are with Mr and Mrs Jackson at this difficult and unprecedented time.
‘We are investigating the case of Mr and Mrs Jackson as a matter of priority and talking with the customer to offer advice and support.
‘Unfortunately, the MyFerry travel insurance policy purchased by Mrs Jackson does not include breakdown cover for their vehicle whilst abroad.
‘On being contacted by the customer, we correctly advised them to contact their motor insurance provider and/or their breakdown assistance provider for assistance.
‘In the case of the request for medical assistance, Mrs Jackson initially contacted the Allianz Assistance Travel Claims team advising that her husband had had a fall but they were refusing to go to a medical facility on the basis they have pre-existing medical conditions that make them more vulnerable during the COVID-19 crisis.
‘The Travel Claims team advised Mrs Jackson to seek advice from the Allianz Assistance Medical Assistance team.
‘Whilst the Medical Assistance team confirmed Mrs Jackson’s policy does cover medical assistance and repatriation, it also confirmed that, in normal circumstances, these must be verified by a treating doctor.
‘We recognise that the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19 is putting additional pressure on everyone and we apologise that Mr and Mrs Jackson have to date not received the usual level of service provided by Allianz Assistance.
‘We are currently in communication with the customers in order to discuss assistance options.’
Since contacting This is Money, Jacqueline and James’ son had to drive from Alicante, Spain, to collect them. They are hoping that MyFerry will subsequently pay for his time and expense.
However, so far, they have been told that they can only claim for his fuel usage.
Anyone who is currently having trouble abroad should contact their insurer directly before taking further action.
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.