Help with Petplan insurance after my mum died

Diamond_Orchid · 12 October 2016 at 2:17PM

My mum had insurance for her cat with Petplan. I wrote to them to notify them that she died on 5th July.

They wrote back saying that until I had probate they could not cancel the policy. They required proof I was dealing with her estate and a copy of the will.
Meanwhile her cat has been rehomed.

So they carried on taking the DD payments until I closed her accounts last month. They have now written to her!! and said as she hasn't paid they have cancelled the policy and will send no further communication.

Surely they owe me the payments they took by DD after she died? How do I word this, is there a template to reclaim monies taken after someone's death?

Seems bizarre Petplan needed probate to cancel a pet insurance policy, but I didn't need probate before I got the cash from my mum's bank accounts!

I have probate now so can write to PP, but thought I'd ask here first. Thanks

Keep_pedalling · 12 October 2016 at 5:41PM

You really should have informed her bank immediately, who would have frozen her accounts so nothing could be taken out.

You should be able to claim those payments back, so send that letter and see what response you get.

securityguy · 12 October 2016 at 8:40PM

"Surely they owe me the payments they took by DD after she died?"

That depends on whether, in their eyes, the cat was on risk (ie, had the cat fallen ill, would they have paid?) If they would have paid the executors had the executors taken the cat to the vets, then the answer is "yes".

Diamond_Orchid · 13 October 2016 at 9:28AM

Keep_pedalling wrote: »

You really should have informed her bank immediately, who would have frozen her accounts so nothing could be taken out.

You should be able to claim those payments back, so send that letter and see what response you get.

It was a sudden and unexpected death, so it took me a couple of weeks to do this. Surely, in these cases, a human understanding should come into play.

Also, I wasn't aware to start with that I could get her accounts frozen without either a will or probate, neither of which I had straight away.

securityguy wrote: »

"Surely they owe me the payments they took by DD after she died?"

That depends on whether, in their eyes, the cat was on risk (ie, had the cat fallen ill, would they have paid?) If they would have paid the executors had the executors taken the cat to the vets, then the answer is "yes".

They were told that the policy needed to be cancelled as the cat had been rehomed. Surely it is up to me, as sole executor, whether I keep that cat on cover?

I will write to them again now I have probate.

securityguy · 13 October 2016 at 11:29AM

"They were told that the policy needed to be cancelled as the cat had been rehomed. Surely it is up to me, as sole executor, whether I keep that cat on cover?"

Yes, but it would be a bit bad if I could phone up an insurance company claiming to be the executor of some named individual and cancel their insurance, without some supporting documentation that I actually was an executor. . As to whether probate is the best proof of being an executor, that's a separate question, but one would hope for something rather more than the assurances of someone on the phone.

Yorkshireman99 · 13 October 2016 at 12:41PM

Diamond_Orchid wrote: »

It was a sudden and unexpected death, so it took me a couple of weeks to do this. Surely, in these cases, a human understanding should come into play.

Also, I wasn't aware to start with that I could get her accounts frozen without either a will or probate, neither of which I had straight away.

They were told that the policy needed to be cancelled as the cat had been rehomed. Surely it is up to me, as sole executor, whether I keep that cat on cover?

I will write to them again now I have probate.

Depending on the terms of the policy it may have legally lapsed when the policyholder died.

brewerdave · 14 October 2016 at 12:47PM

securityguy wrote: »

"They were told that the policy needed to be cancelled as the cat had been rehomed. Surely it is up to me, as sole executor, whether I keep that cat on cover?"

Yes, but it would be a bit bad if I could phone up an insurance company claiming to be the executor of some named individual and cancel their insurance, without some supporting documentation that I actually was an executor. . As to whether probate is the best proof of being an executor, that's a separate question, but one would hope for something rather more than the assurances of someone on the phone.

I cancelled a couple of insurance policies by phone when my mother passed away. They just asked for me to scan in the death cert. and send to them electronically.

Help with Petplan insurance after my mum died

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