“I was flown in from the ski resort and my insurance company refused to pay for the helicopter.”

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Dear Katie

I suffered too much at the hands of a completely incompetent person travel insurance companies, Allianz purchased the policy through Trailfinders.

Last February, I had a serious accident while skiing. on a holiday In Wengen, Switzerland, with her husband and two children. I was first evaluated at the scene by paramedics and then airlifted to a hospital in Interlaken.

My husband immediately contacted the travel insurance company. We chose the “Gold Standard” policy so we expected everything to be taken care of.

At the hospital I was evaluated and then x-rayed. I severely fractured and dislocated my femur. I had a 3 hour surgery that day. A plate was inserted into the leg from the hip joint to the knee and secured with pins. I was hospitalized for about a week.

Three days after the accident, the hospital sent me an email with my details and a proposed date of March 2nd for repatriation.

The hospital tried to discharge me, but Allianz had not arranged for my repatriation. Because of this, I came home incredibly traumatized. Sent overnight to a non-disabled hotel, she suffered excruciating pain as she had to drag her up and down the stairs of her B&B above a Chinese restaurant.

I finally got home and was in a wheelchair and had to learn to walk again. I emailed all the bills to my insurance company and they appeared to have been sorted, with the exception of an outstanding bill of £1,176. This was to be airlifted from the ski slopes to the hospital by Rega, the Swiss air rescue service. Despite being repeatedly assured that this would be paid for, I have waited nearly a year and nothing has come.

I have now given up and borrowed money to settle the bills myself. This is the last shot for

VO, via email

Dear Reader,

I’m sorry to hear that you felt unnecessarily offended and that it was an incredibly scary and painful episode.

We chose the ‘Gold’ insurance package which we considered to be the best and most comprehensive on the market, so we thought it would give us peace of mind should the worst happen. However, it turned out that the safety net had holes in it.

I agree that being asked to stay in a hotel with steep stairs is totally inappropriate considering you sustained a severe fracture in your leg just a few days ago. It was fair enough for you to expect the .

And the issue of non-payment for helicopters was also inexcusable. What kind of ‘gold level’ ski insurance can applicants seriously expect to pay for their own helicopter? I contacted Allianz and got an answer.

Allianz said he first complained about the hotel the hotel arranged for him before he was deported in December. After reviewing your case, it offered some compensation and you accepted it. It all sounded good, but what about the helicopter’s outstanding bill?

Allianz said it was “very disappointing” to hear that she had to settle this bill herself. In the end you were fully refunded.