Caravan Club's Red Pennant

[EvansofSprot]

I've just had fantastic service from the above.

I fell down at a nuddy site I had just arrived at near La Rochelle and severely bruised my ribs on a low wall, so I called the RP for advice.

They said 'Come home'.

The next day I was taken by Ambulance to hospital in La Rochelle where I spent one night. The hospital was dreadful!

It was just as well too that I speak French as no-one else did!

I left thoroughly dehydrated as they would not give me a drink or anything to eat! I suppose there might have been medical reasons for that.

I had the next night in a super hotel on the edge of the port in the city, and had my own personal nurse who had flown in from England. She was fantastic and I'd like to thank her very much should she see this. And as well I would the proprietor, Jean Marie, of Camping du Port Naturiste site

I flew from the nearby airport to Manchester and then to a hospital near my home. En route I had to have oxygen as I was hyperventilating. I had not flown for many years so it was quite an experience for me.

An ambulance transferred me across the Pennines to another grotty hospital and I eventually discharged myself five days later. My outfit was already home and waiting for me!

You will I am sure be pleased to know that I am much better now and mostly without pain.

Thank you Red Pennant team as you are a class act along with my nurse and chauffeur too!

 

[DianneT]

Glad to hear of the good service and hope you are A1 and caravanning soon.

 

[marlot]

Wow - I didn't realise they supplied nurses on RP! Impressive

 

[EvansofSprot]

She was called Liz and impressive too!

Charles the Chauffeur seems to have an interesting life to although he is a volunteer.

 

[Dusty1]

Another great testimonial for Red Pennant. This is the reason that I would never consider insuring with anyone else.

I hope that you are well on the way to a full recovery.

 

[EvansofSprot]

I seem to get better and better each day - thanks Dusty.

 

[John_miller]

Quite frankly, I find this tale hard to believe. Flown home and an imported private nurse for bruised ribs! Contrast this with my wife's treatment in July of this year. She fell and broke her left arm in France and was taken to a French hospital (Epinal). That too was dreadful - she was left on a trolley in a baking hot corridor for hours and was eventually discharged, after being X-rayed, without any treatment and just very strong pain-killers & told to get to a British hospital ASAP. They couldn't speak English either. All this was reported to Red Pennant who offered no assistance at the hospital and then demanded to see a faxed copy of the French Hospital discharge letter we had been given. On receipt of this, they phoned us back and said that as our ferry home was booked for the following Monday (5 days away) we should just enjoy the rest of our holiday (!) and catch the ferry as booked. I pointed out rather forcibly that she couldn't dress herself, couldn't eat without assistance and was in severe pain, despite the pain-killers. I also said that we would pay for the return ferry ourselves and take it up with them when we got home. At this, they eventually relented and agreed very reluctantly to pay for the change of ferry - costing the magnificent sum of around 270 UKP. As we had also produced our European Health Card at the hospital, the cost to Red Pennant was probably only little more than the premium we had paid. My wife is only now finding it possible to sleep comfortably 8 weeks after the accident. We are still getting bills from the hospital which I have sent to Red Pennant who have yet to tell me whether these bils have been settled. Red Pennant, in my experience, are simply a commercial Travel Insurance Company who will do anything they can to avoid having to pay out. Sorry for the length of this, but the original post painted such a rosy picture, that I felt obliged to report our experience.

John M

 

[Steve_374341117]

John, I'm sorry to hear about your wife's misfortune and subsequent problems with Red Pennant. This is probably the first adverse comment on this forum that I can recall re Red Pennant. All the others, and there have been several over time, have been very positive.

 

[DavidKlyne]

John

Perhaps the main difference that I understand is that Gordon is a lone traveller and that would have added an extra dimension to any decisions made by Red Pennant. At least you wife had your support. I don't doubt that it spoilt your holiday. Some years ago my brother died whilst we were on holiday in France and because he was ill before we left I would have had no claim on Red Pennant but they were perfectly happy to swap the crossing home for me at no cost to me.

David

 

[EvansofSprot]

Quite frankly, I find this tale hard to believe. Flown home and an imported private nurse for bruised ribs! Contrast this with my wife's treatment in July of this year. She fell and broke her left arm in France and was taken to a French hospital (Epinal). That too was dreadful - she was left on a trolley in a baking hot corridor for hours and was eventually discharged, after being X-rayed, without any treatment and just very strong pain-killers & told to get to a British hospital ASAP. They couldn't speak English either. All this was reported to Red Pennant who offered no assistance at the hospital and then demanded to see a faxed copy of the French Hospital discharge letter we had been given. On receipt of this, they phoned us back and said that as our ferry home was booked for the following Monday (5 days away) we should just enjoy the rest of our holiday (!) and catch the ferry as booked. I pointed out rather forcibly that she couldn't dress herself, couldn't eat without assistance and was in severe pain, despite the pain-killers. I also said that we would pay for the return ferry ourselves and take it up with them when we got home. At this, they eventually relented and agreed very reluctantly to pay for the change of ferry - costing the magnificent sum of around 270 UKP. As we had also produced our European Health Card at the hospital, the cost to Red Pennant was probably only little more than the premium we had paid. My wife is only now finding it possible to sleep comfortably 8 weeks after the accident. We are still getting bills from the hospital which I have sent to Red Pennant who have yet to tell me whether these bils have been settled. Red Pennant, in my experience, are simply a commercial Travel Insurance Company who will do anything they can to avoid having to pay out. Sorry for the length of this, but the original post painted such a rosy picture, that I felt obliged to report our experience.

John M

Why do you find it hard to believe?

It is the complete truth and I'm sorry that your experience may have been have been different.

However it is very rude of you to suggest I am lying which I do not do!

PISTOLS AT DAWN?

That young man was a joke!

 

[EvansofSprot]

John

Perhaps the main difference that I understand is that Gordon is a lone traveller and that would have added an extra dimension to any decisions made by Red Pennant. At least you wife had your support. I don't doubt that it spoilt your holiday. Some years ago my brother died whilst we were on holiday in France and because he was ill before we left I would have had no claim on Red Pennant but they were perfectly happy to swap the crossing home for me at no cost to me.

David

Thanks David,

 

[EvansofSprot]

John

Perhaps the main difference that I understand is that Gordon is a lone traveller and that would have added an extra dimension to any decisions made by Red Pennant. At least you wife had your support. I don't doubt that it spoilt your holiday. Some years ago my brother died whilst we were on holiday in France and because he was ill before we left I would have had no claim on Red Pennant but they were perfectly happy to swap the crossing home for me at no cost to me.

David

Thanks David.

 

[EvansofSprot]

Thanks David.

Hiccups again!

 

[JohnM20]

Hi All

Not to be confused with the other John M (I'm JohnM) I can only say that we had fantastic service from Red Pennant. Admittedly it was a major car breakdown, nothing medical, but nevertheless our holiday could have quite easily been ruined.

RP always phoned back when they said they would, they arranged for the car to be repaired, provided us with a hire car and a taxi to get us to the car hire depot. They even provided a translation service over the phone whilst I was at the garage. (My French is OK to get by with but it's a different matter when it is something technical to be explained).

Having read many posts over the years praising RP I think your experience John M must be a rarity. Not nice at all for you and your family but perhaps the exception that proves the rule (whatever that means !).

JohnM

 

[John_miller]

For what it's worth, I've had Red Pennant multi-trip insurance for years, mainly on the basis of glowing reports on newsgroups and forums like this one. Until now, we've never needed to rely on it and my experience has made me at least look for other providers in future. The fly in the ointment seemed to be the underwriters as RP referred our discharge letter to them and it was their medical "experts" who decreed that they wouldn't pay up for the ferry on the strength of a one line note from the French doctor who said (so far as I can translate it) that my wife's injury was clinically stable but required further investigation. When I protested, I believe that the Caravan Club staff took the decision to pay regardless of the underwriters views, so in that respect it ended up OK, but purely, I believe, because only a relatively small sum was involved. They also said that they wouldn't entertain a claim for loss of enjoyment, etc - something that was the furthest from my mind at the time. Although my wife had support, RP did not enquire at any time whether I was capable of looking after her. Fortunately, I can cook and was strong enough to be able to help her physically get about, get dressed, etc. But RP didn't know this and didn't appear to care. The woman at RP kept telling me in a jolly voice that lots of people break limbs on holiday and are happy to continue. She didn't seem to appreciate the seriousness of the injury, nor the pain it caused. Proximal Humerus Fractures can't be plastered, so the only treatment is a support and pain killers. Perhaps you'll understand why I find the original post so hard to swallow.

John M

 

[EvansofSprot]

For what it's worth, I've had Red Pennant multi-trip insurance for years, mainly on the basis of glowing reports on newsgroups and forums like this one. Until now, we've never needed to rely on it and my experience has made me at least look for other providers in future. The fly in the ointment seemed to be the underwriters as RP referred our discharge letter to them and it was their medical "experts" who decreed that they wouldn't pay up for the ferry on the strength of a one line note from the French doctor who said (so far as I can translate it) that my wife's injury was clinically stable but required further investigation. When I protested, I believe that the Caravan Club staff took the decision to pay regardless of the underwriters views, so in that respect it ended up OK, but purely, I believe, because only a relatively small sum was involved. They also said that they wouldn't entertain a claim for loss of enjoyment, etc - something that was the furthest from my mind at the time. Although my wife had support, RP did not enquire at any time whether I was capable of looking after her. Fortunately, I can cook and was strong enough to be able to help her physically get about, get dressed, etc. But RP didn't know this and didn't appear to care. The woman at RP kept telling me in a jolly voice that lots of people break limbs on holiday and are happy to continue. She didn't seem to appreciate the seriousness of the injury, nor the pain it caused. Proximal Humerus Fractures can't be plastered, so the only treatment is a support and pain killers. Perhaps you'll understand why I find the original post so hard to swallow.

John M

Very sorry about your wife as I have said before.

However whatever your poor experience you were more than a bit presumptuous to doubt the veracity of what I said.

Sorry is a good word to use.

 

[EvansofSprot]

Very sorry about your wife as I have said before.

However whatever your poor experience you were more than a bit presumptuous to doubt the veracity of what I said.

Sorry is a good word to use.

Sorry that I had not said sorry as I said above!

 

[bev2]

I broke my leg 10 minutes after arriving at a site in the Loire valley - just stepped out of the caravan and somehow broke my left leg and sprained my right ankle. The camp site phoned the local doctor who said he was happy to come out to see me but as it seemed that I had broken my leg (the cracking sound was the big clue!) he suggested I went straight to hospital. The camp site gave us the address of the nearest hospital which was nearly an hour's very painful drive away. On arrival we received immediate treatment in immaculate surroundings and on being told I was to be admitted, I was asked if I wanted a single or double room! It was at that point we discover it was a private hospital. I don't speak French and no one at the hospital spoke English so I opted for a double room so that my daughter could translate. We gave them my EHIC number and they seemed quite happy. That was 4 weeks ago and we have yet to receive any bill. I was discharged the next day with

 

[John_miller]

Why do you find it hard to believe?

It is the complete truth and I'm sorry that your experience may have been have been different.

However it is very rude of you to suggest I am lying which I do not do!

PISTOLS AT DAWN?

That young man was a joke!

Sorry for the delay in replying - we have been away for the weekend. I didn't accuse you of lying and I can think of no reason offhand why you would do so. I simply find your experience hard to believe in this day & age unless you are understating the severity of your injury or there are other underlying medical problems that you have not mentioned in your post. Commercial Insurance companies - and Red Pennant is one - do not pay out without very good reason. Bruised ribs, even with severe bruising, are not usually life threating and generally warrant no treatment other than rest, gentle breathing exercises and lots of pain killers. Once upon a time, they would have been bandaged up, but not any more. So why would RP feel it necessary to send a specialist nurse? Here, I admit to having no medical knowledge, but as a cyclist, amongst other things, I have had some experience of rib injuries and, generally speaking, these injuries do not seem to be regarded as particularly serious by the medical profession (broken ribs are more of a problem because of the danger of damage to surrounding organs). All of this, plus my wife's experience, leads me to find your story, as presented, hard to believe. I didn't say that it isn't true. I simply wished to point out, that Red Pennant, however good it may be, is not always so generous. I am sorry to have caused any offence. (And thanks for the "young man" comment - I get my pension next month!)

John M

 

[bev2]

Whoops! Too many 0's. It was