SALLY SORTS IT: A dog bit me on holiday but Staysure won’t pay up

A dog bit my hand while I was traveling through France to visit my son.

The medical bill for my treatment was £3,845 and I have made a claim for this amount on my Staysure travel insurance. Three months later, the claim has still not been paid.

I have always traveled with the security of having my insurance policy as a backup to cover any unforeseen expenses. But I have completely lost faith in it. I hope you can help me end this saga.

SLB, St Helier, Jersey.

Sally Hamilton replies: You were enjoying a snack in a café when suddenly a French bulldog plunged across the terrace towards your table.

You instinctively put your hand to it – which you now regret – as it sank its teeth into your fingers.

You went to Rennes University Hospital in Brittany, where your wound was treated and antibiotics prescribed.

But as you continued your journey by car, the wound got worse. By the time you arrived at your son’s home in the south of France a few days later, your hand had swollen to twice its normal size.

You went to the local GP who immediately referred you to a hand surgeon at a nearby clinic.

The surgeon had to give you emergency surgery within the hour. But before they started, the clinic asked for an advance of £3,845, which you paid. The next day, after you recovered from general anesthesia, you contacted Staysure to submit your claim.

You had to stay with your son for a few weeks while you recovered, but you didn’t claim accommodation expenses, which you may have been entitled to.

You sent Staysure 40 pages of original receipts with a letter of explanation. But despite chasing the insurer for weeks, your medical bills have not been met.

Policyholders buy travel insurance to ensure that a legitimate claim will be met quickly, so I decided it was time to get the insurer in line.

After my intervention, Staysure went to investigate and came back a few days later full of apologies and agreed to settle immediately for £3,845.

A spokesperson said: ‘We are very sorry that this customer has been delayed with his claim. Now that we have reviewed the case, the processing took longer than usual and did not meet the high level of service our customers expect.

“However, our team has been in direct contact with the customer to complete the paperwork and we are pleased to report that the claim has now been resolved.”

For the delays, Staysure has also offered you £100 as a gesture of goodwill.

Earlier this year I searched Google for advice on a minor health issue related to a medicated cream.

I landed on the Ask-a-Doctor website and paid £5 for advice with my credit card. I am happy to pay this amount. Shortly after, however, it deducted an additional £38 and a further £38 a month later.

Neither amount was agreed upon and I have not been able to get in touch as I cannot find a phone number.

I have now changed my credit card, hoping this will resolve the issue. But I want my 76 pounds back.

GM, Glasgow.

I had a houseguest over the weekend who joked that he always refers to “Dr Google” before consulting a human doctor about a health condition.

He’s not the only one. Millions of us turn to the internet in search of generic information, including what causes our ailments and how we might treat them. With GP appointments becoming increasingly difficult to get through, it can be exactly what the doctor ordered, especially for minor complaints and if handled with care.

The Ask-a-Doctor site you’ve landed on, which is run by US company JustAnswer, does provide access to qualified – and verified – UK-based doctors for an opinion. But at a price. It also has a huge pool of other experts, from plumbers and lawyers to vets and financial advisors.

Anyone visiting the site should be wary as it typically offers a low trial price of a few quid to hook them up. This only lasts for a week, after which they will be charged a much higher monthly subscription fee. This continues until they cancel the subscription. It’s not the first time I’ve had a complaint about this trap.

Last year a reader came to me after paying £5 to ask a question about state benefits and, like you, canceled his card because he feared the later payments were fraudulent. He wasn’t scammed, but using low introductory rates followed by a monthly subscription is a common tactic to watch out for.

I’ve put my own question to JustAnswer – if it could refund your £76?

The company admits that people sometimes overlook or overlook the terms of the agreement with the service, but insisted it was not intended to mislead. Because it wants customers to be happy, it prescribed you a full refund.

According to the Patient Association, a charity that champions the rights and interests of patients and their families, the Internet is a valuable resource for researching health issues and gaining support. But it warns that individuals should show any information they find to their own doctor for qualified judgment.

The charity’s website offers helpful tips on how to find reliable health advice online at patientassociation.org.uk.

• Write to Sally Hamilton of Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@dailymail.co.uk — include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organization giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send any original documents, we cannot take any responsibility for that. The Daily Mail assumes no legal liability for answers provided.