What to Do When Your Insurer Doesn't Respond

"FIZ UM SEGURO VIAGEM NAO TIVE SUPORTE DA REAL E MUITO MENOS DA CORIS SEGURADORA TENHO O COMPROVANTE DE CANCELAMENTO DO VOO E ELES FICAM DIFICULANDO TODA A OPERAÇÃO."

— Public complaint board, January 2026. Status: unanswered. ("I bought travel insurance, got no support from the insurer or its assistance company. I have proof of the flight cancellation and they keep obstructing everything.") That complaint is not unusual. It is the documented pattern of a model in which the insurer sold the policy, an outsourced TPA delivers (or fails to deliver) the assistance, and the insured is stuck in the middle trying to figure out who is responsible.

If you are in that situation, this guide is for you.

Step 1: Document Everything Now

In an emergency, the line between insurer and TPA can be an abyss. When there is no clear link, the bill lands on you.

Before anything else: build a chronological record of every contact attempt.

• Date and time of every call
• The agent's name (if you can get it)
• Channel used (phone, WhatsApp, email, chat)
• What was said or promised
• Reference number (if provided)

That documentation is the foundation of any formal complaint later.

Step 2: Escalate Inside the Insurer Itself

Most insurers have a formal ombudsman channel — separate from regular customer service. The ombudsman has a legally mandated response window (typically 5 business days) and everything is formally logged.

• Customer service: Hotline or chat — first-level support
• Ombudsman: formal channel, internal escalation, legally mandated response deadline
• Executive escalation: in serious cases, email leadership directly with a formal copy

Always put it in writing (email or form) to create a paper trail.

Step 3: Public Complaint Boards

Public complaint boards are one of the most effective tools for forcing an insurer to respond — in Brazil that is Reclame Aqui; elsewhere, platforms like Trustpilot or the BBB play the same role. Companies monitor them because unanswered complaints hurt their public score.

How to file effectively:

1. Be specific: dates, amounts, policy number, what was promised and not delivered
2. Attach documents: policy, receipts, screenshots of conversations
3. Set a reasonable resolution deadline
4. Rate the response publicly — it matters to the company's score

An insurer's public score depends as much on how it resolves complaints as on how many it receives. One documented bad review is more effective than another phone call.

Step 4: Your Insurance Regulator

Every regulated insurer answers to a national supervisor — in Brazil it is SUSEP; in the US, your state insurance commissioner; in the UK, the Financial Ombudsman Service. How to file: your regulator's website → consumer complaints section

Regulators have the power to audit and penalize insurers that systematically fail their obligations. Regulatory complaints are more formal and slower than complaint boards, but carry far more weight. For international policies (bought from a foreign insurer with no local subsidiary): the consumer-protection authority in the insurer's home country is the one responsible.

Step 5: Small Claims Court

Most jurisdictions have a small-claims route that is cheap or free, faster than regular courts, and does not require a lawyer — in Brazil, for example, the Juizado Especial Cível covers claims up to roughly US$10,000, typically resolving in 6-18 months.

What you need:

• Complete documentation of your attempts to resolve it out of court (the previous steps)
• Your policy
• Expense receipts
• The record of unanswered contact attempts

Small claims is especially effective for reimbursements denied without justification, emergencies left unattended, or coverage not honored.

How Asteroid Avoids This Situation Entirely

The problem described above is structural: when the insurer and the TPA are different companies, accountability fragments. The insured calls the insurer, who points to the TPA, who points to the hospital, who points back to the insurer.

Asteroid was built to eliminate that loop. MDabroad IS the TPA — not an outsourced partner. When you call Asteroid, the same company that sold the policy answers the emergency. One chain, one responsibility.

When something goes wrong, there is no "not my department."

FAQ

How long does an insurer have to respond? Deadlines vary by country; in Brazil, for example, customer service and ombudsman channels must respond within 5 business days by regulation, and complaint boards typically expect 5-7 days. Violations can be escalated to the regulator. Can I sue the insurer without a lawyer? In most small-claims systems, yes — up to a value threshold. Above it, you will need a lawyer. Do complaint boards actually work? Yes — companies that guard their public score respond to boards faster than to their own hotlines. A published bad review affects a score every future buyer can see.

Quote Asteroid — without this problem · How to use insurance in an emergency · Coris vs Asteroid