Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

hethmar

Several give a discount but you would have to weigh that up against the cost and the service NFU give you. Have you asked them for a discount for more than one animal?

Lyceum

hethmar wrote: »

Several give a discount but you would have to weigh that up against the cost and the service NFU give you. Have you asked them for a discount for more than one animal?

Yes, I did ask and they've said they don't do that.

I've only had the insurance a few months so I have yet to experience the service (thankfully, the dogs healthy) and the cost I'd say was average £17 ish per month.

INSPIRED

I posted last week about our good experience with AXA. Well, now I need to rant about M & S.

We could not move our other dog from M & S because she had an ongoing condition. This summer she had to have an op on each of her hind legs and although I realise that the bill was rather large, M & S has doubled our premium. £65 per month! I have no idea how we are going to pay this each month.

I have been thinking.... the leg problem is not ongoing so perhaps I should look for quotes elswhere. The policy renews at the end of next month and we pay monthly by DD. I have read through the poicy booklet but cannot find anything stating that I cannot cancel.

I realise the other companies may not be able to quote but it is worth investigating. Does anyone have any advice?

I wish Martin would expose the Pet Insurers.

hethmar

My goodness, thats a lot of money. Of course you can cancel. And Im sure the other insurers will quote but its how much and what they exclude.

Werent we all sucked in by M and S. Im stuck with them for one of mine and the premium is doubled and now we have a £70 excess instead of zilcho, which is why so many of us signed up with them. Its very wrong. I mean anyone could start up a policy then change the t and c radically with no come back except on the poor punters.

MrsMW

I too was almost caught out by M&S when they increased their prices. I changed to Axa a couple of years ago and I am so glad I did. Two weeks ago our 11 year old Lucher fell over while playing in the garden and he damaged his spine. As it was a Saturday, he had to go to the emergency vet and was then taken to a vet hospital 150 miles away. He spent 10 days there.
Cost so far is £700 emergency vet. and £3500 for the MRI scan and hospital treatment. £700 for ambulance.
Axa were really helpful when I phoned them, and very understanding because I was upset. Today they informed me that they have settled the bill for the hospital and a cheque is on it's way to me for the emergency treatment.
We will have to pay for some of the hydro-therapy he is having because Axa only pay up to £250, but taken all round we are very happy with them.
BTW my dog is making very slow progress but is his usual happy self.

INSPIRED

hethmar wrote: »

Im sure the other insurers will quote but its how much and what they exclude.

I will call Axa - one can only but try!

anyone could start up a policy then change the t and c radically with no come back except on the poor punters.

Yes, there does not seem to be any control over them. There must be a way, though all I can think of at present is the financial ombudsman and that would have to be a specific complaint. This must have been discussed on this thread at some time in the long and distant past....just do not have the time to scroll through!

INSPIRED

MrsMW I do hope you poor dog makes a swift recovery. What an awful experience that must have been for both of you.

hethmar

Hope he gets well soon. If its any comfort about this time last year a friend of mine's staffie ran head first into a concrete line post in the dark - it was feared he would never walk again, a few months later he was playing around with his brother albeit still a bit stiff. Wonderful animals arent they? xxx

peachespeaches

I havent read all of this huge thread, but just found out that Sainsbury's do an AXA policy, my quote came out at £15.57 a month (£75 excess) for our Yorkie on the up to £7,500 per condition policy, but if you take this out with Sainsbury's they double your nectar points for 2 years if you remain claim free at renewal. This for us has to be worthwhile as we shop at Sainsbury's every week. Im just not sure how the up to 7,500 per condition part of the policy compares to the other policies. I will be reading up on this. If anyone else has this cover let me know.

lowis

With the policy that AXA provide for Sainsbury's you only get £7500 per condition for the life of your pet. The AXA policy gives you £7000 (?) per year for the life of your pet to 'spend. So in theory you could claim for 3 conditions with the Sainsburys policy and get £7500 x 3 if needed. But after you have exhausted the £7500 per condition, you are on your own. The AXA policy gives you a £7000 pot each year, so if your pet got a condition that needed £2000 a year in treatments/medicines then you would be covered for life, with the Sainsbury's policy your money would run out after 3.5 years.

Also, Sainsbury could change their underwriter at any given time and replace AXA with a firm with poor policy cover and therefore change the conditions and terms of your policy for the worst - which is exactly what happened to the policies than M&S offered a while back.