As an ARTA member who frequently travels to Europe, I would like to share with ARTA members my experience with Beneva, ARTA’s current travel insurance partner.
For many years, my wife and I have travelled in Italy by car, renting an apartment to explore an area for a week before moving on to our next destination. Last June, with a month of exploring already behind us, we ended up at the geometrical centre of Italy where we rented an apartment in Poggio Bustone near Rieti. While travelling leisurely along Via Salaria road, we were hit by a small truck going in the opposite direction. I managed to avoid the head-on collision, but the left rear wheel of my car was hit. My car swerved to the left, jumped about a metre in the air, landed on its three remaining wheels, and hit the concrete wall on the left side of the road, finally stopping in the left lane perpendicular to the original direction of motion.
We both ended up in hospital; my wife for nine days, myself for two. From Canada, my daughter contacted Beneva on our behalf. The treatment we received exceeded all our expectations. It was Beneva’s subsidiary, AXA, with whom we were in contact for the next month. My wife and I each received a case number and two phone numbers in Canada that we could contact 24/7. When calling, we were always immediately connected with a live agent, who seemed to know everything about us and our case. They frequently called us in Italy to ask about our health, and our phone conversations with the Beneva and AXA agents were always a pleasure.
Beneva arranged for a medical doctor to come twice by car from a town some 200 kilometres away, as well as a physiotherapist for my wife. More importantly, they insisted that we stay in Italy for as long as necessary for my wife to recover, as all but two of her ribs had cracked and they were concerned about fluid around her lungs. Beneva was also prepared to arrange and pay for a hotel for us in Rieti; however, we preferred to stay in our rented apartment.
After a month of keeping in touch with our doctors and following up on my wife’s test results, Beneva/AXA allowed us to travel back home. When the day came, a large Mercedes van arrived at our apartment to take us more than 160 kilometres to the Rome airport. Our return flights were paid for, and for the first time, we travelled in business class.
Our outstanding experience with Beneva and AXA has restored our confidence that there are decent and caring people in the corporate world.
Sincerely yours,
Zbigniew W. Gortel
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