My mum's just spent a lovely week long holiday visiting us and cooing over her granddaughter.

But on her way home on the train some thieving little scrote has lifted her suitcase – complete with her glasses, camera and all her photos.

"Never mind eh? At least I can claim it back on my annual travel insurance"

Nope.

T&Cs small print require her to have booked accomodation away from home for at least two nights!

She was staying with us, not in a hotel. So that doesn't count.

Grrr…!

Scum, sub-human scum.

Might be covered under home insurance?

Can you not provide a receipt from local B&B that may or may not exist ?

Caveat: This may be highly illegal

Thats a pisser. Real pisser.
Dont suppose the train co have CCTV on their train did they ?

Check your household insurance policy. It may be covered.

This rule is to stop scamming so pretty fair IMO. I always take annual insurance and have always known about that clause (although my policy only requires one night away).

No CCTV on the train. She watched the station CCTV but didn't see anything. It was a direct train, no stops, so someone must have lifted it just as she got on.

Her home insurance doesn't cover it. 🙁

By the time she's totted up the camera, glasses, makeup and clothes she's probably about a grand down.

Just pisses me off that she's paid for travel insurance, but they can wangle out of it so easily. Why should it matter whether she stayed in a hotel or not? Her stuff wasn't nicked from there.

If she's on a long distance train, on a return leg a week after she left then surely she is travelling?

Seems fair to me. Otherwise your stuff would be covered at virtually any time anywhere away from home.

Actually, I go back on that. In my opinion a return travel ticket should be enough to prove that you were actually travelling – so this situation is a bit harsh.

Whilst I agree with that point to an extent, it is a pretty standard clause on annual insurance that makes it clear to the policy holder when they are and are not covered.

Yeah to me it should just require evidence, like any other insurance claim. She has a police report and a crime number. It was a suitcase that was nicked and she was on a long distance train – so clearly not just popping out to the shops.

m_f: yeah I know it is fairly standard, but it is a shit clause. People, like my old mum, think they are automatically covered for any travel but it seems they are only covered if they pay to stay somewhere AND book it in advance.

So presumably camping and spur of the moment breaks aren't covered either.

Rubbush.

Much sympathy, but:

You get what you pay for. Want to be covered for ad-hoc breaks, camping and staying at relatives? Get a policy which covers that – if it's such a shit clause then surely somebody must offer a policy without it – I'm sure it will cost a bit more though. Why are they scum for not covering something which annual policies don't cover as standard? Why is it their fault if somebody doesn't read the (fairly standard) policy details?