It later transpired she had two brain tumours which were cancerous. She died 18 months later.
Following the trip to South Africa, Edmonds and his partner decided to cancel both their wedding and their honeymoon. Speaking to insurers, Edmonds said he was not in a good state of mind to make decisions.
“We lost £20,000, which isn’t the point, of course. But I began to understand firsthand a provider’s obligations to a customer,” he explained.
Conversely, when his sister first fell ill in South Africa, Edmonds said her insurance firm almost immediately paid out a quarter of a million pounds to cover her surgery to have the tumours removed.
“She got married and had nearly two more years of life,” he said. “It just shows you how important it is to have a duty of care to your customers.”
ruby.hinchliffe@ft.com
