CEGA Group Reviews 159

My wife and I were on holiday in Fuerteventura arriving on the 30th November 2024, on December 1st I had fall of around 4m through a gap in a privet at the resort we were staying at. I had split my head open and found out later on that I had fractured my back and damaged my shoulder

My wife contacted CEGA on the 2nd of December to let them know what had happened and that we had already been to a clinic the day before to have my head stapled, we at this stage did not know my back had been fractured but told them there was a problem. The doctor at the hotel said give it a few days and see if the pain settles down, the pain got worse the doctor said I needed an X-ray on my back but the nearest hospital was 80 miles away we asked CEGA if they could arrange an ambulance to take me there and they refused, fortunately the doctor at the hotel made a call and an ambulance came to take me to hospital.

My wife was in constant touch with CEGA speaking to a different case manger each time having to explain my circumstances, and telling them what we had been told by the hospital that my back was fractured, CEGA still refused to help I asked the doctor at the hospital for a certificate to fly which he refused due to the nature of my injury. We informed CEGA of this as we were due to fly home 2 days later.

CEGA then asked if we could stay at the hotel for a couple of days which we had to pay as we could not fly home on the Saturday without a fit to fly, the doctor at the hotel also refused to issue a fit to fly.

CEGA contacted us to say they would move us on the Monday to another hotel nearer to the airport as we were 80 miles away, which they would pay for for a couple of days also they had found a private hospital which would give me a full body scan. We finally got to the private hospital they took my passport and a doctor saw me and said no need for a body scan we will put you in a brace and he would issue a fit to fly. They forced us to stay overnight which we tried to leave but they kept my passport so we had to stay. The following day they cleaned the wound on my head and we waited hours for the man to come to fit the brace. Then thanks to CEGA the man said that’s 330 euros we had to pay for this ourselves totally outrageous once the doctor came he issued my fit to fly got my passport and we were so glad to get out of this private flea pit they sent me too. We left the hospital abandoned no transport nothing we had to ask a local if he could get a taxi for us which he did

CEGA did not ask how we were getting to the airport if we needed help when we arrived home nothing.

We did put a complaint into CEGA explaining everything and a lot more besides which I have not mentioned. They did not answer any of the questions we put to them but did offer £300 as a gesture of good will which we refused. so we complained to Admiral who we took the policy out with and they said it’s nothing to do with them and referred us back to CEGA. We have now passed this on to the ombudsman.

To be clear AVOID. AVOID AVOID AVOID they are a complete joke and should be banned from trading asap

Worse customer service, never kept updated what’s going on. Kept me waiting with me in a cast from toe to hip. Was told that I was getting picked up and appointment at 4pm, never turned up, was told another 45 minutes then told later that transport isn’t turning up. This company got mixed up with the transport and now all this for noting, I had to go up many steps and wait. I wouldn’t use this insurance at all, stay away from this, they don’t care.

Prompt assistance, easy to reclaim medical cost within couple of days in bank

I spoke with James Foster. I was on holiday and broke my arm. He was exceptional. He has empathy and he was professional but took time to listen. He also called me later in the day to make sure I was ok and to tell me who was dealing with my claim as he was off the next day!

I’m shocked and deeply disappointed by the way CEGA Group (on behalf of Aviva) has handled my travel insurance claim. They’ve had me running back and forth to the hospital twice, each time telling me the claim was approved — only to then fail to follow through on their end. Despite repeated assurances, they did not take the necessary action, leaving me completely stranded while abroad.

This kind of negligence completely defeats the purpose of having travel insurance. I purchased it for peace of mind in case of an emergency, yet when I needed support the most, CEGA was nowhere to be found. Their communication is disjointed, their process is chaotic, and their handling of my situation was not only unprofessional but genuinely harmful.

Travelling is stressful enough when medical issues arise — but CEGA added an extra layer of stress and confusion that no traveller should ever have to endure. I would never use them again and strongly urge others to steer clear.

Amazing travel insurance. So helpful . Ended up in a private hospital in majorica with my daughter. Had to pay €500 deposit upfront and at the end of discharge, they wanted €3000, which is didn't have. So CEGA took over and paid the inpatient cost of €3000. They spoke on my behalf. Updated me regularly via phone and email. The private hospital will refund me my €500 back into my account. Would highly recommend going with CEGA when travelling abroad.

I am in the process of taking this to the Ombudsman so cannot go into too much details. My wife had a serious ski accident and they were useless. In the end I had to use my 35 years experience in insurance to get them organised and get us home. Stuck overseas for close to a month.

They have a virtual monopoly with insurers hence service is just poor. So check who handles the claim.

Borderline theft from Cega.

I had to claim on lost valuables from a recent holiday. Whilst they agreed to settle my claim, they are depreciating my valuable by an astonishing 10% per year!!! The valuable in question is a pair of sunglasses, however, the amount they are calculating wear and tear is as if it was a car!

My policy does mention a wear and tear deduction however, there is NO mention of how much. Cega have seen fit to pluck a figure out of thin air, without discussing or negotiating it.

I have complained and requested them to reduce the % to 0.25%, just like their calculation, I can also suggest a ridiculous amount.

I have also copied in their CEO and Barclays Executive colleagues as my policy is through them.

My next step will be to go to the Ombudsman unless they come forward and open dialogue to agree an acceptable amount.

Absolutely the Worst Insurance Experience I’ve Ever Had

Avoid this company at all costs. I have been chasing a simple travel insurance claim since 1st April, and nearly two months later, it is still unresolved. The level of incompetence, dishonesty, and complete lack of accountability is shocking.

Every time I’ve called which has been almost daily I’ve been lied to, misinformed, or given a new excuse. One agent told me my claim was approved and payment was being processed. Days later, I was told it was actually rejected and they needed more documents. I submitted everything they asked for still nothing. I was then told I’d be paid by a certain date that never happened either.

To make matters worse, because I filed a formal complaint, I was told I now have to wait even longer for the complaints team to sort it out. Apparently, complaining delays your claim even more how ridiculous is that?

Today, I was once again told by an agent that my payment had been processed and that I would receive a confirmation email. Over 3 hours later, no email, no payment nothing. It’s just one lie after another. I’ve never missed a payment, and this is how loyal customers are treated? With silence, lies, and delays?

This whole experience has been stressful, infuriating, and completely unacceptable. I’ll be cancelling my policy and I strongly advise others to stay far away from this company. The 1-star reviews are well deserved I only wish I could give zero stars.

I was taken unwell on holiday in Abu Dhabi with abdominal pains. Contacted CEGA who told me to see a medical professional and get a report before authorising any treatment. Went to local hospital had bloods uridine and CT scan. Diagnosis was food poisoning. Provide with report meds and a bill. Submitted report on line by pdf. Received a short form to complete re personal health and release permission. Submitted the following day. Following day received e-mail confirming full payment minus excess. Total time was less than three days.

Arrived on holiday to Marbella on the 06/04/25, suddenly became very ill ( dehydrated). Ended up in a private hospital. Had to pay a €500 deposit , lucky my husband was with me to do this. Contacted my insurance the next day, I spoke with Melissa who was very helpful. I asked Melissa to speak to the hospital for me which she did. Send over my medical paperwork and all was sorted and refunded within 2 weeks of this happening. I read the bad reviews but my experience was fantastic.

My recent experience with CEGA during a medical emergency in America has been overwhelmingly negative and distressing. On [date], I endured 18 hours of seizures and was on the verge of being placed in an induced coma before regaining consciousness. Despite the urgency and severity of my condition, CEGA required me to contact them within 48 hours of the incident to avoid voiding my claim. With the help of my sister, I managed to make the call the following day.
However, the case handler I spoke to was incredibly rude and unsympathetic. As I struggled to explain my situation, she showed no patience, forcing my sister to step in and take over the call. The entire process was confusing, and CEGA refused to confirm whether my insurance would cover the high costs involved. Additionally, they provided no support while we were stranded abroad.
We adhered to their 7-day guidelines and booked our own flights on a credit card, yet received no assistance with hotel accommodations. Had I been traveling alone, I would have been unable to make these arrangements due to my condition, adding significant stress to an already traumatizing experience.
Upon returning home, I had to consult a contract lawyer to confirm my coverage, as CEGA remained unresponsive. Waiting for the insurance company's confirmation would have delayed my return by three weeks. It has now been four weeks, and I am still unable to file a claim for expenses outside of medical costs due to the lack of a clear process. Emails to CEGA take 5-10 working days for a response, which is unacceptable.
I filed a complaint about the original call handler, but the complaint handler, upon reviewing the call, claimed there were no issues. My requests for the call recording and all case notes have been ignored. Given these circumstances and after reviewing previous reviews, I intend to lodge a complaint with the financial ombudsman.
Overall, the service I received from CEGA was wholly inadequate, causing considerable stress and financial burden. I would strongly advise against using CEGA for any insurance needs.

Arm broken during the ski accident, unfortunately CEGA was assigned to provide assistance by our insurer. As others reported: zero communication, zero help, had to do everything ourselves and make decisions on the ground. They claimed it takes 24 hours to translate documents from French and they couldn't talk to hospital as no one there speaks English! It would be funny in a comedy sketch, but not funny at all in real life. Someone has to stop this madness, these guys are utterly unfit to run international assistance. Will report my experience to the insurer and move insurance anywhere where they don't use CEGA.

I recently found that Nationwide bank are using these as their so called Aviva travel insurance company , if you make a claim it is an absolute nightmare,

They ask for the same information over and over , I do not believe they should be in business at all ,
if you have the choice dont waste your time or money find a better company

AVOID AVOID AVOID.

They will take your money, but you will receive no service if you attempt to make a claim.

Your phone calls will get cut off and emails will be ignored.

You will be out of pocket and have zero chance of claim settlement.

Zero communications when I most needed it. Then when I got home, the claim process was completed by handwriting my claim and sending iot to them - This is what we did 30 years ago.

Nationwide - You should really review who you deal with.

Terrible communication. Have to keep chasing. Family member had an acute heart attack whilst skiing. All very nice on the phone but absolutely no communication either via email or phone call at all after first call to them despite repeatedly asking for email confirmation either to questions or next step.
1. had to organise own accommodation in the meantime with no guidance
2. multiple delays in repatriation -we went ALL information to them as requested once we had them. Asked to start process of repatriation but it had to be stepwise.
3. Delay departure for 6 days due to lack of staff to do X Y and Z
4. 7 case managers and counting.. hence no accountability to our case (they do shift work but do not work as a team so each phone call had to be re-explained)
5. If we didnt call, we didnt get an answer to questions
6. no followup with email after answers were answered verbally
7. very little communication as to what next steps were - we had to chase with multiple stressful phone calls and then re-explain the situation
8. inaccurate information given as each case manager had to look up the case

The company is very badly structured. Understaffed and overworked people with no continuity because they couldn't provide it due to lack of time.

Absolutely horrendous.

My next insurance, I will be asking who is administering the claims.. If it is CEGA - I would pay 3 times the amount to avoid them

In Tenerife currently suffering from what seems the usual CEGA application of under-resourced administrative delays, hoping like countless others that we will give up and take matters into own hand. Truly despicable care of customers. One reason after another give, all delaying required care. It's infuriating and putting lives at risk.

We had the simplest circumstances. A broken arm in the Alps (like many Brits, at this time of year), albeit complicated by the fact that the patient has limited mobility at the best of times. All CEGA really had to do was to arrange top get us home promptly (not least as finding 'emergency’ accommodation in the Alps at peak peak season is almost impossible.) It was obvious from the beginning that a road transfer back to the UK was going to be necessary. On the second day of fatuous 'reviewing' of the situation – there was nothing to review! – we gave up and made our own arrangements to come home. CEGA finally tried to get in touch to make arrangements just after we had set off. It was telling that, when we had told the hospital staff of CEGA's involvement, they rolled their eyes. "If you want anything doing, you will have to push push push for it“, one said. (All a shame. On a trip last year, requiring the underwriting of medical bills, CEGA proved really quite efficient. But a service like this needs to be reliable, not just one which only really works 'on a good day'!)

I cannot fault at all the service that CEGA provided for me, after I broke my ankle in Australia. I managed to do so at the bottom of a valley, so had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital, followed by a surgery to put pins and plates in a couple of days later.

I had insurance with Admiral, and CEGA reached out to me after my initial call with Admiral (who were not very helpful, advising that I try and get it all covered with Medicare rather than themselves). After receiving my discharge paperwork, they assured me that all costs would be completely covered, and that they would also be upgrading my flights home to business class for easier travel, which was very unexpected.

All of my emails were replied to promptly, generally within a couple of hours, and they've had no problem covering bills that have arrived since I've been home, like the air ambulance, which would have been thousands alone.

I'm surprised to see so many bad reviews, as my experience with CEGA has been nothing short of perfect, highly recommend.