The Government has been pushing for reforms around transparency in the insurance industry, but just how necessary are they?

Fitness Instructor Donna Dunne got in touch with Lunchtime Live about a harrowing holiday experience, and how travel insurance may not make up for it.

Ms Dunne’s family camper van was broken into and robbed while on a holiday with her father and two teenage daughters in the south of France.

The culprits took the family’s passports, wallets and bank cards, leaving them to make their way across the country to the Irish embassy with only about €13 between them.

“The robbery was one thing; getting home was one thing; but since I’m home, it’s a different ball game,” she said.

“And actually, one hundred million times worse than being broken into.

“The insurance company were expecting me to submit documentation and evidence of what was the expiry date left on my passport [in order to cover the renewal fee].

“Without sounding funny, I’d have to go to your man in France who robbed me and say, ‘Sorry, would you mind if I just saw the document? I don’t know the expiry date’.”

Bored person on hold on their phone. Image: Antonio Guillem Fernández / Alamy Stock Photo

According to Ms Dunne, these requirements were not visible to her on her policy documents.

Consumer Journalist Siobhan Maguire said “the lack of consistency across travel insurance policies makes it so difficult for consumers to keep pace with what they’re supposed to do”.

“I’ve actually watched Donna’s videos on Instagram and when she talked about the passport issue, I thought, well I’m on the same travel policy, I’ll go check mine,” she said.

“I went though everything with a fine tooth comb and could find absolutely nothing relating to a travel cover in relation to your passport and how much is left in terms of its usage and how much you’ll be compensated as a result.”

Ms Maguire said “that, to me, was baffling”.

Ms Dunne also cited a range of other issues she had run into with her insurance, including being asked to provide photo evidence of each bag that had been stolen.

Main image: Stressed woman at desk. Image: Kateryna Onyshchuk / Alamy Stock Photo