Travel agents have come under attack from consumer magazine Which? for selling unsuitable and uncompetitive travel insurance.
Undercover researchers visited 29 agents, 17 of whom “failed to provide even the most basic details about the insurance policies they sold”.
The agents surveyed included 14 independents and 15 multiples, including The Co-operative Travel, First Choice, Thomson, Going Places and Thomas Cook.
Independents performed significantly better, with nine of the 14 hitting the magazine’s benchmark, compared with just three of the 15 multiples.
Head of research Rochelle Turner said: “You expect travel agents to be experts in all aspects of booking a holiday but our research shows that’s not always the case.
“The recent disruption to flights has demonstrated how important it is to have adequate cover.
“If travel agents want to sell insurance they must train their staff properly so customers can feel confident they’ve bought the right policy.
“Otherwise they should stop selling it altogether and leave it to the experts.”
Few of the agents checked the cover was sufficient for customers. Six didn’t enquire about pre-existing medical conditions and none explained the need to declare pre-existing conditions.
Less than half gave the researcher a copy of the policy and six mentioned the 14-day free cancellation period.