Columbus Direct Reviews

Columbus stated that they had a 19 day no questions asked refund. I had to cancel my policy within this 19 day period and Columbus stayed true to their word and refunded me the entire amount paid, no questions asked and they were friendly and professional about it.

Excellent service overall. There was an opportunity for good discussion of our family needs, and I felt as though I was being listened to and receiving a great value deal as well.

We used Columbus for travel insurance many times over a 10 year period. They are exceptional at taking money but my god do not make a claim for $1000 dollars as they put every wall in front of you. It seems to be a waste of money taking out travel insurance , or is dealing with Columbus.

Seemingly good value for money and easy to buy online - but don't be fooled!!!. The moment you actually need them i.e. have a claim, they become painfully difficult to deal with. I had submitted documentation including letters from Doctors and travel receipts, that should make it evident what had happened. However, they kept invoking paragraphs that made no sense and inisisting on me going back to doctors to put the same information on their forms. In the end, I dropped my claim, purely because it wasn't worth the time and effort anymore, and I had no confidence that they would come through since new issues kept "coming up". Thankfully, this was only a $500 issue - would hate to think what people do with real emergencies to deal with.

First of all - several review sites rate these guys highly. Don't be fooled! These are reviews based on the buying experience. It is very easy to buy, and the price is seemingly good value.

However, when it comes to insurance does that really matter if they are not there for you when you need them - i.e. a claim situation? These guys have the worst gotcha paragraphs I have ever seen. If you want to make a claim, you need to throw common sense out the window and arm yourself with the detailed policy paragraphs.

I had to cut a trip short due to my wife's illness back home. Something which the policy is meant to cover. However, I was focused on just getting home to my wife, and hence Columbus refused to reimburse anything whatsoever because I didn't call them first to ask permission to travel home? What difference does that make? Doesn't it say more about the severity of the situation that my only priority was to travel home? Furthermore, their claims people are impossible to speak to and refuse to listen to reason - their job is clearly to avoid making any kinds of payment. Avoid at all cost!!!!!!!

The point of insurance is that it's a "if the worst happens" safety net. Now, this could be the best insurance in the world but if the company simply do not respond to any e-mails (despite them saying in their correspondence that they will) then... it's really a moot point.

They are incredibly hard (seeing as I still haven't had a response then I am being kind) to contact in writing when you need to query or clarify something (so you HAVE it in writing). Good luck cancelling so you make sure that the direct debit doesn't come out.

Very disappointing because good customer service isn't rocket science. It's just common sense.

My wife and I have used columbus 2 years in a row now. I recently had my camera stolen in Bali and Columbus paid up within 10 days. Great service again Columbus!

Their prices are competitive and provide good cover benefits. I did a comparison for about 5-6 insurers and went with them. The process to get a policy arranged is simple and straight forward. However, I did not have to make a claim. Will go with them again on my next trip.

I took out a policy with Columbus Direct for my trip to South America. The staff were helpful and explained the terms and conditions of my cover. I didn't have to make a claim this trip but I am happy with what was written in the product disclosure and certificate of insurance. I selected them after doing some research on the internet and found them to be cheaper and provide good cover.

I have used Columbus Direct a couple of times. I was really impressed by their level of customer service and fast response whenever I had to deal with them. There was an occasion where I had to contact the team when the airline lost our luggage, they were ready on standby to help me through the situation.

What I like about Columbus is that they provide cover for travellers who are 70 and over. Unlike other insurers, it is easy to arrange and no long list of medical forms to fill in. I would recommend them to my friends and family.

Received a reminder to renew our multi trip holiday insurance from them which was good but when I tried to ring them up to have it arranged, there was no answer. My emails were left unanswered as well. My concerns were, if trying to renew a policy was this difficult, I can't imagine the pain I have to go through if I were to make a claim. Sorry but I will be going elsewhere to get my insurance.