Allianz Insurance Customer Service

I'm going to be embarking on a cruise soon that will land in many ports throughout Europe, but since I'm from America I'm a bit concerned about what happens while I'm traveling aboard. I don't anticipate health issues, but you never know and I've booked a few cruises back-to-back so I'm going to be overseas for awhile. This is going to be my big adventure, but since I need to be safe while doing it, I decided to call Allianz Insurance to talk about their travel insurance. That seemed like the smartest way to approach the issue. 

Given that they sell travel insurance globally, it seems like Allianz would receive a lot of phone traffic. Plus, when emergencies arise then people have to place claims so I think they probably have phone lines open around the clock. That doesn't mean that they necessarily have great phone service so I didn't really know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised however to find out that they actually have an easy-to-use phone system. All I had to do was listen to a few recorded messages and then I was transferred to a live person in under two minutes. That was pretty impressive for a customer service call line. 

When I first called, an automated message told me, "Thank you for calling Allianz Global Assistance. Thank you for calling, we appreciate your service. For immediate service to modify an existing policy, file a claim, or check the status of a claim, please use our website, www.allianztravelinsurance.com."

This concerned me at first because I thought it meant they weren't going to offer me live services, but after a pause, the automated voice continued, "If you are a travel agent, press 1 now. Otherwise, please listen to the following options. If you are experiencing an emergency while traveling, press 1. To purchase a policy, press 2. For customer service, press 3. To file a claim, press 4. If you have already filed a claim, press 5."

I chose option 2, and then a recorded message stated, "Please not that your call may be monitored or recorded for insurance purposes." I expected a hold line to start soon after, but I was instantly connected to a live person named Derrick who greeted me in a very friendly tone. Derrick spoke very broken English which was the one downside of the phone conversation, but I was patient and he was willing to repeat himself so we made it work. Given I was able to talk to someone so quickly, I didn't mind showing a little extra patience to get the information I needed.