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Planning an overseas trip? Going to insure with World Nomads – recommended by Lonely Planet – and underwritten by Cerberus? Make sure you tell everyone in your immediate family not to die while you are away. Because if they are so inconsiderate as to check out while you are travelling abroad, returning to attend their funeral may turn into a major problem. Coping with the paper-pushers at Cerberus is enough to drive you to distraction. Or at least it did me. When I rang World Nomads on 10 November 2015, I was told I could claim $2,500NZD for my trip to Canada to attend my brother's funeral. When the claim was processed, however, the amount was reduced to $2,00NZD because my 48 year old brother – who had dropped dead from a heart attack – was deemed to have a "pre-existing medical condition." Really, and how did Cerberus get access to his medical records? One reason we – the family and the over 600 people who attended his funeral – went into shock was that he was about as healthy as could be. The following is the letter I wrote to Hannah at Cerberus. Her reply was another offer to settle for $2,000. Does Cerberus teach employees how to pick off the scab of grief on a consistent basis? Their obvious approach is to keep battering away until they wear down your resistance so that you will sign off just to get them out of your life. Happy travels. And don't forget to tell everyone is your family to stay healthy as you want to avoid the hassle of dealing with Cerberus. Open Letter to Cerberus 29 January 2016 Hannah, Why does Cerberus keep changing the requirements for a bereavement claim? First you wanted a death certificate for my brother who died on 6 November 2015. Sent. Next it was an autopsy report which I promised to forward when it was available. When I sent the attending physician's report that the cause of death was not a suicide, an accident or a homicide you replied by requesting his medical records to prove that it was not from a preexisting condition. Right, so now you want me to ask my grieving sister-in-law to get a note from the local doctor that my strong, healthy brother who dropped dead from a heart attack didn't have any earlier coronary problems? Let me guess. The next demand will be to get his ashes tested to prove he didn't die from polonium 210 poisoning. And you come back to me with an offer of $2000NZD if I will sign off on the claim without having to go through the grief of this exercise. And all to save $500? No. Enough is enough. Dead is dead and the how, where, why, when doesn't factor into the grieving process. Therefore, I expect you to deposit $2,500NZD – as I was told on 10 November 2015 when I called World Nomads – into my account without any further paperwork. Please let me know when this has been done. Best regards, Jody Hanson