Travel insurance scam -IMG

Please elaborate on the company name, I’m not familiar with IMG.

I can't think of any insurance company that would pay out if you decided to self isolate on your own volition and therefore miss out on your trip.

It's not a scam, it's the way insurance companies work.

That doesn't qualify as a scam. A scam would be if someone set up a fake travel insurance website masquerading as a legitimate business, took your money and you discovered you'd been scammed when you tried to make a claim.

When was this travel? Has any government even had mandatory quarantine requirements in effect in the last six to nine months?

If there wasn't one in effect where you traveled, then unfortunately, you don't meet the terms of the policy. This was probably buried in the fine print somewhere, and maybe disingenuous of them to sell a policy with that requirement now that most if not all destinations have dropped that requirement, but checking to see if your destination did have a mandatory quarantine requirement would have told you whether or not the policy was worth buying.

I have been using IMG Global for insurance probably since 2012 and have had to file 2 claims in that period of time.
The first was when Brussells Air was chasing us all over Sicily to get spouses luggage to us and gave us authority to purchase replacement clothing, and the second in 2022 for trip interruption when our connecting flight to Air Canada landed after our flight to Dublin had already departed.
At that time(because of Covid claims) they had a notice to "please be patient" because of the surge in claims they were receiving.
Once they told me the documentation they needed and I supplied it they paid the majority of the claim; the only piece they declined was the Dublin hotel for one night (100Euros) because it we got tangled up between it and Hotels.com.

I'm not an expert, but just curious-
what is "necessary isolation "? Were you too sick to continue onto your next destination? Were you part of a tour that required you to isolate ? You returned home early?
So sorry this happened. One never knows how good any insurance is until one has to use it- sad, but true. Have you contacted a consumer agency or state consumer office? Sometimes alerting the insurance company that you are contacting their regulatory agency gets attention. What about newspapers or a Facebook post on their site?
Do you have credit card travel protections?
Good luck!

In the end my claim and appeal were denied because I could not provide documentation that I received a "mandatory quarantine order from the local government". Yes, you read correctly - IMG requires the local government to issue a mandatory quarantine order or benefits will be denied.

Is that wording in the policy?

If not, contacting your state's Insurance Commissioner ( or whatever name your state may have for that function) looks to be in order.
If the wording is in the policy, and you did not have a mandatory order to quarantine, then sadly you are out of luck.

Which of the multiple plans they offer did you have?

I can tell that this was a disappointing and frustrating experience for you. If you were in a country where isolation is not required, it does make sense that they would not pay. If you were on a organized tour and the tour policy was that you had to leave, I would hope that the travel insurance would recognize that you had no choice.

Either way, this is not a "scam." Travel insurance is always a bit of a challenge because reading the policy and understanding its terms prior to purchase is so important.

We had an unpleasant experience with IMG. After 3 months of going back and forth with them via phone, document uploads, emails etc.. I documented all my contacts. They are not very helpful telling you the actual document needed or what you are missing. I contacted the Better Business Bureau and finally action happened. The company actually emailed me with what they thought they were missing even though I received a note saying docs were received. Our claim was due to a flight delay at JFK that required a 24 hour stay in NYC and a non refundable night in Dublin. It was a very frustrating experience but it finally paid off and we were reimbursed within the parameters of insurance. However I won't buy insurance from them again. Terrible customer service. I think they hope policy holders will give up and I'm sure many do so.

I would guess that there currently is a big gap between what people think they should do if coming down with covid, and what countries are requiring. No government, except maybe China still, issues mandatory quarantine orders for covid.

Not sure if your policy was specific to Covid, but if you were so sick you could not travel, you would be under a Doctors care, they could attest to the fact you could not travel.

Yeah, if you tested positive, you felt miserable, did not go to a Doctor, but felt you needed to isolate for whatever period of time, then no insurance company would cover you with no documentation.

Thanks to all who posted comments. To those who pointed out that IMG's claim decision is not technically a scam, I agree. Although not a scam, the denial is certainly unreasonable and unethical. To those considering purchase of a policy from IMG - beware.
To answer some of the questions posed by commenters, I was seen by a physician in an emergency room, treated, and advised to isolate in accord with internationally accepted public health guidelines. Although quarantine was no longer mandated by law, failure to comply would have been irresponsible and would have exposed fellow travelers to a highly contagious and potentially very serious illness. I don't think it is unreasonable for me to expect coverage of a claim for trip interruption in these circumstances.
My policy states that valid claims "(b) require(s) the in-person Medical Treatment by a Physician at the time of interruption; and (c) as certified by a Physician prior to interruption, results in medical restrictions so disabling as to prevent Your continued participation on the Trip".
My treating physician certified that 5 days of home (i.e. hotel) isolation was recommended. I believe that this restriction was so disabling as to prevent continued participation in the trip.

My policy states that valid claims "(b) require(s) the in-person Medical Treatment by a Physician at the time of interruption; and (c) as certified by a Physician prior to interruption, results in medical restrictions so disabling as to prevent Your continued participation on the Trip".
My treating physician certified that 5 days of home (i.e. hotel) isolation was recommended. I believe that this restriction was so disabling as to prevent continued participation in the trip.

So then the term " "mandatory quarantine order from the local government" " is not in the policy but in the text of a message you received from a claim handler? ( i.e., his interpretation of the policy)

Presumably the doctor provided his 5 day isolation recommendation in writing?

If that is the case then, as I mentioned before, a complaint to your state's "Insurance Commissioner" is in order. A complaint to BBB may help get IMG's attention.

If you loss significant you may want to consult with an attorney that handles insurance fraud and consumer protection law violations as, depending on state law, you could make a claim for damages beyond what the policy is obliged to pay, for their unfair practices and tortious conduct.

Good luck.