During his trip to Europe, en route to Milan, Raj* stopped at the train station in Zurich, Switzerland. He left his designer bag (containing about $13,000 worth of clothes, accessories and electronics) on the pavement outside the station and walked 6-7 meters to throw his rubbish into a bin.
Raj said he'd only had his back turned for a few seconds, but during that time someone stole his designer bag.
Raj's claim for the bag and its contents was declined, because leaving bags “unattended in a public place” was excluded under the policy. The exclusion applies, even it if was only for a matter of minutes.
As Raj had lost sight of his bag, even just for a short time, he didn’t have control over it and therefore couldn’t make a claim.
When travelling, especially in public places, it always pays to keep your bags and personal belongings with you.