I have had the very unfortunate experience of an Allianz policy which I now find is Tower. I had a medical emergency last Thursday and am alone in a Canadian hospital. Despite my pain I have decided while I lay in bed to warn others off Tower insurance and its brands.

Here is what they don't tell you when they take your money -

1. what is the average time it takes to approve a claim? This is impt as until they approve it it is still in what they call "review" and up till then you are entitled to NOTHING. This is the period you have to pay for yourself. You need credit card cover and cash resources for this time. Doctor fees are separate to hospital fees and they do not accept credit card.

I have been gaslighted on this question and still don't know the answer. In my case its been six days to get this "review" done. There is only question they have to check - did you have pre existing conditions?. Despite the seemingly easiness of this to prove it has taken 6 days to get this approval and it does not include approval to have surgery which is scheduled for me for tomorrow. I have had to borrow money in the interim to pay doctors fees thus far.

2. What is the cover in NZ over weekends and holidays? I can tell you there is none. It gives Allianz which is operated from a call centre in Australia the perfect excuse to do nothing. Every day I got told that technical approval had to come from New Zealand. However the NZ ers were never there. What is technical approval? I never found out.

3. Will I have a case manager? Well my claim letter last Friday said Jason - whom incidentally was never there and I don't believe I have ever spoken to. I have however spoken to a range of others who have no responsibility to help as its not their case.

4. Will my case manager be proactive? I asked and asked for them to call me but never got a call. Nothing ever appeared to be done unless I phoned to follow up - all I got was I am escalating this to my manager.

5. Will the people I deal with have empathy? Well in my experience these people have no idea what it is like to be seriously ill, alone in an overseas country and stressed over paying bills because they couldn't be bothered to process the claim within reasonable time. I have already had to borrow money and I cannot be released until the bills are paid. Do they realise the stress and distress this causes? No is the answer and they dont care.

Isn't the reason you pay for travel insurance is - to avoid all this - the stress and cost of getting sick? To feel you are in good hands and cared for? These people just dont get it.

A couple of times I have asked them if they know what it is like but they continued on their hardnosed not my fault explanations.

My policy provides for an accompanying person for me but they refuse to provide any approval for that or even answer the questions asked days ago. Anything to increase corporate profit hey Tower and not fulfill the contract you sold me.

What is written on paper is not what you get. I now cannot progress with urgent surgery as the insurance company hasn't given approval. This situation STINKS. So I lie here distressed and in pain waiting for the insurance in their own good time get to my file. I wait alone and upset because they haven't approved anyone to help me despite it being covered in my policy. They require all covalescing expenses to be approved in advance but haven't given for that approval either. So here I am, not knowing whether I am having surgery, where I go after this, or have anyone to help me ALL because of an insurance company that lied to me as to what service it really provides. It's not the words on the paper that count. They mean NOTHING. It's the actions that count. And this company's lack of action is just making me sicker. Avoid TOWER travel insurance at all costs. If anyone can help me with this. Please comment below.