Transfer Of Animal Friends Insurance Policies

jmj_3

There is a useful fact sheet on the Tesco website about facts to consider when taking out pet insurance. I suggest you use this, in combination with some of the web-based insurance comparison sites, to investigate best deals. ( i think Tesco may give a discount for multiple pets - but check.) The cover you get & the cost varies so much it really depends on your personal circumstances. Moneysavings expert insurance section does recommend some companies that give good cover but they're not the cheapest (e.g. Marks & Spencer).

jmj_3

As a loyal AFI customer I think I'd just like to be reassured that I am not taking a significant risk by remaining with AFI/Red Sands (e.g. if large numbers of customers move to other companies or E&L). I just want to know that if I continue with AFI that you/Red Sands are both financially secure companies and, that in the event of needing to claim, I'm not going to encounter:
- poor customer service;
- one or both companies going into liquidation;
- terms of my policy being revised to provide less cover;
- large increases in premiums.

cfairfax

Hi jmj

Great to hear from a loyal customer - in fact what's given us such encouragement is that the vast majority of our customers have
remained loyal which I guess really deals with your concerns!

We are perfectly well secure and as to Red Sands please see my earlier post regarding the size of the corporate family they are members of. Red Sands are authroised to underwrite business across Europe and for example underwrite the UK's 3rd largest motor warranty scheme. They are also memembers of the ABI, UK Financial Ombusdman Scheme and Policyholders Protection Scheme so you are as secure as you would be underwritten by any other insurer.

As Red Sands have authorised Animal Friends to deal with all aspects of our pet insurance scheme here in Wiltshire we are ready to carry out substaial promotions in coming months as we can now be sure that our first class customer service can be extended to direct debit management and more importantly to claims. Our claims service will allow payments to be made direct into a customer's bank account or direct to the vet at your choice. In coming months we shall also be launching Horse Insurance and commercial
insurance for those engaged in working with pets (pet sitters, groomers, walkers etc).

On policy terms we have said your terms will remain the same but we shall soon have new options on offer which will include greater cover, for example European Travel at no extra cost and an older pet option giving just a 15% top up excess. With premiums I'm sure you will appeciate that we are all in the hands of the vets! But we have worked out a premium structure that we believe is fair and representative of the risks so we would not anticipate rises out of the ordinary as has been the case so far.

I hope this has reassured you.

Best wishes

Chris Fairfax
Director
Animal Friends Insurance

madkitty

chris does this mean that when the new policies come out we will be able to transfer across and keep the same benefits even with pre-existing conditions being covered or would they then be excluded?

cfairfax

Hi Madkitty

Glad you raised that as I can give more good news!

If a customer has lifetime cover and wishes to upgrade cover on one of our new policies then pre-existing conditons would still be covered and not excluded but they would be covered as per the original policy limits. So for example if you had Gold Standard with £2000 per year per conditon and upgraded to our new style Gold Super which currently has £4000 per year per conditon any ongoing conditons would still be honoured but at the Gold Standard rate. Any future conditions would then be paid as per the higher Gold Super limits

Hope that's reasonably clear!

Best wishes

Chris

madkitty

Thanks again Chris - any idea when you will be aiming to release the new policies?

GhostHunter_3

GhostHunter wrote: »

Hi

I am also a customer who has got caught up in this. I haven't been very happy with E&L / AFI for the past year. We have had one of our two dogs insured with them for some time and it seemed fairly reasonable at £12 or thereabouts a month. Last year we took in another dog and naturally wanted to have him insured as well.

I called up the insurance company to try and add the second dog onto the existing policy as it happend to co-inside with its anual renewal. They took the deatails and I was expecting a second pet discount. The amount I was then quoted for 2 pets was £15. I was shocked to find out that I was wrong, the total policy amount is £16. per dog :eek: (£31)!! Both dogs are from rescue shelters, at the time I renewed the policy one dog was 3 the other 4.

Therefore with the recent squabbling with us as customers stuck in the midst of it I am looking around at other policies as I still beleive this amount to be mis-calculated, however even though I have questioned it with them on several occasions they tell me its correct. Yet they are taking 2 separate Direct Debits from my account and I have 2 separate insurance policies, doesnt make sense. From what I see I simply have 2 separate policies and no discount! I havent had to make a claim for either dog as yet thankfully and may it remain this way.

Can anyone reccomend a like for like policy with an alltogether different company that will offer me a discount for a 2nd pet, and a low excess?

On the other paw I may just stay where I am andsee if I can get a 20% discount and 2 dogs on 1 policy and shop around next year. It doesnt help that this has all come litteraly just after my renewal! :mad:

Thanks.

:eek:

After much research I have recently discovered the reason why I have 2 different policies - Because they only give discounts on 3 or more pets - something I have never been made aware of!!:mad:

Time to shop around me thinks

cfairfax

Hi Madkitty

Taking into account the IT and website work we're probably looking at the end of August, though possibly sooner - best thing is to check back on our website over the next few weeks.

Ghosthunter - we've been offering a 3 pet discount for some years. The market has moved recently and we can see others are now offering discount for 2 pets - so you can be sure this is now on our agenda for consideration! Watch this space.

Thanks all for your commnets.

Chris

pboae

Chris,

I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to answer people's queries here. In the past I have been very vocal here in discouraging people from insuring with AFI because of E&L's dreadful reputation.

I am following the current developments with great interest as Red Sands are a very different prospect. I'm hoping that I will be able to do a u-turn and start recommending AFI once the current fuss dies down. The market could definitely do with some more reliable and affordable insurers.

cfairfax

That's great news pboae, many thanks! I think you will find our new set up will provide some exciting prospects and certinly the very best in customer service right across the board. We have a fantastic team who are very committed to doing the best for our customers.

Best wishes

Chris