Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

linni

I'm annoyed at HSBC conveniently not sending me the letter about the change, until after taking payment, because I don't really want a policy where I have to fork out an additional 10% on top of the £50 when the reason I took out the policy with HSBC was because I was well covered after the first £75. I think I'm going to have to look around, but unfortunately, my dog having ear problems will probably be an obstacle.

thesim

Yeah when they first started they lured people in with low premiums and no excess...then changed underwriters and excesses went on the policies and premiums shot up.

graham17_2

Hey,

Thanks for the info.

Just about to take out the AXA policy, but had a quick question.

Just about the pre-existing element. If I take out the policy now, she's obviously not covered for treatment for 14 days. If she were to develop something within those 2 weeks, which we paid for, would that then count as a pre-existing condition? Or would it not be pre-existing since it didn't exist before the policy was taken out, even although it's within the first 14 days of not being covered?

If that makes sense :-)

Thanks,

Graham.

ShoesAreDamnExpensive

Just a note on E&L - I picked them through a price comparison site as they were reasonable for the level of cover etc that I wanted. I moved from Healthy Pets as they changed their underwriters and my premiums doubled. Anyway - with E&L my premiums on my two oldest cats have shot up and the cover has got worst so I won't be renewing with them.

Also just be careful of a 'scam' they are now doing which I feel angry about. They now add extra onto your premium renewal for a 'policy plus' benefit which gives you discounts on holidays etc (ie does not help with the insurance at all). When I first got the renewal letter I assumed they were offering me the service and therefore did not reply as I did not want it. Not so - they automatically include you in the scheme unless you phone them up and tell them not to. It cost me £20 last month and when I phoned to complain they refused to refund the amount deducted so I am stuck with 'benefits' I did not want or will use.

I'm moving from them because I find them unhelpful, slow in paying and sly about changing the underlying policy at renewal without telling you. However, if you do wish to stay with them watch out for the policy plus thing on renewal.

cathodetube

ShoesAreDamnExpensive wrote: »

Just a note on E&L - I picked them through a price comparison site as they were reasonable for the level of cover etc that I wanted. I moved from Healthy Pets as they changed their underwriters and my premiums doubled. Anyway - with E&L my premiums on my two oldest cats have shot up and the cover has got worst so I won't be renewing with them.

Also just be careful of a 'scam' they are now doing which I feel angry about. They now add extra onto your premium renewal for a 'policy plus' benefit which gives you discounts on holidays etc (ie does not help with the insurance at all). When I first got the renewal letter I assumed they were offering me the service and therefore did not reply as I did not want it. Not so - they automatically include you in the scheme unless you phone them up and tell them not to. It cost me £20 last month and when I phoned to complain they refused to refund the amount deducted so I am stuck with 'benefits' I did not want or will use.

I'm moving from them because I find them unhelpful, slow in paying and sly about changing the underlying policy at renewal without telling you. However, if you do wish to stay with them watch out for the policy plus thing on renewal.

If you had a direct debit with them then I would claim against them on that basis. Tell your bank to get the money back. That is what the direct debit guarantee is for.

cinderellacomplex

It looks as though if something comes up within 14 days of cover starting then it won't be covered. Again though that is pretty reasonable as people may notice symptoms and just not take their pet to the vet until after starting the policy. They are just making sure that people aren't cheating the system.

twinklie

Right I've bitten the bullet and gone with Pinnacle. It's being referred to the underwriters though because we had to take her to the vets to get antibiotics. I really hope they don't exclude her for loads of stuff now. This policy offers more than petplan and is cheaper. It is a covered for life policy as well.

If anyone has any useful info about this company then please feel free to share. Thanks.

petep

Hiya. Has there been anything posted on here about Animal Friends International pet insurance? They claime to be a not-for-profit organisation underwritten by a South African company. Their cover seems reasonable and they are competitive premiums.

Of course, what seems to be the norm is to start out reasonable and quickly go to ridiculous.

Somebody else asked if there was any reason NOT to go with Petplan, other than their exorbitant premiums. I was wondering if there was an answer to that.

We're getting our Cocker Spaniel puppy in two weeks time and this insurance malarky has been the most complicated part of the whole process. I swear it would be easier to become a qualified vet and treat her myself than to find an honest and competitive insurance company.

thesim

petep wrote: »

Hiya. Has there been anything posted on here about Animal Friends International pet insurance? They claime to be a not-for-profit organisation underwritten by a South African company. Their cover seems reasonable and they are competitive premiums.

Of course, what seems to be the norm is to start out reasonable and quickly go to ridiculous.

Somebody else asked if there was any reason NOT to go with Petplan, other than their exorbitant premiums. I was wondering if there was an answer to that.

We're getting our Cocker Spaniel puppy in two weeks time and this insurance malarky has been the most complicated part of the whole process. I swear it would be easier to become a qualified vet and treat her myself than to find an honest and competitive insurance company.

You might want to try http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews57550.html

plus they have reviews of alot of other companies on there too.

Hope that helps

cathodetube

Anyone try Greenbee? I just looked at their site and they have two sorts of excesses. One is a standard one ranging from £25 - £100 and the other excess is £100 for vet's fees. So when I put my details in it quoted me £125 excess initially. I haven't ever heard of this or is it just another way of discouraging you to claim? Or as a substitute for having to pay a percentage of any claim like some policies do now?