Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

salthepal

Yes marzi, I have the same wording on my renewal notice. I got a fresh quote online today for cover with nil excess so I also shall be giving them a ring tomorrow.
Very strange indeed.

salthepal

Yes marzi, I have the same wording on my renewal notice. I got a fresh quote online today for cover with nil excess so I also shall be giving them a ring tomorrow.
Very strange indeed.

Torby

Well bad to worse....my wife being an ex employee felt that she should stick with Sainsburys pet insurance BIG MISTAKE! after "sorting " it out and getting back to them and authorising the payment....the original eeejit who handled the calls (we'll call her Melissa) wasn't there when she phoned back....so some other employee (we'll call him James) decided to take the details from their computer screen and put the payment/policy through...simple enough we thought....NOT!

The employee (we called Melissa) phones back and says....you never returned my call, you did not insure your pet....my wife says..."Oh yes we did...I've got the policy in front of me"...oh no you didn't I haven't received payment!....My wife phones Sainsburys Bank "Yes we did pay Sainsburys Pet Plan as requested"....wife phones Pet dept back and tells them...."we have no note of payment " says Melissa...my wife says the bank says you have ....Melissa says I'll check and phone you back (Friday past)...wife waits....no call until this morning....unfortunately wife's not there so I get the call....Melissa says " We have to cancel the policy you got....its been set up as a new policy....not a continuation....we have to refund you then put it through as a continuation of the original policy"... now correct me if I'm wrong....but didn't they cancel that policy as they didn't get payment for last year...but forgot to tell us?....so how can a "lapsed policy" over a year old be reinstated as a continuation and NOT treated as a new policy?...such a shambles and display of incompetance I haven't seen in years...well at least not since the original fiasco when we tried to insure our pet at first in 2004.

So we're still not sorted...we have an uninsured pedigree GSD....what a fiasco..

Does anyone have any comments on Direct Line pet insurance?

salthepal

salthepal wrote:

Yes marzi, I have the same wording on my renewal notice. I got a fresh quote online today for cover with nil excess so I also shall be giving them a ring tomorrow.
Very strange indeed.

Re M&S excess
I've just contacted them and was told that the wording on the letter is incorrect. As the policy was originally taken out online, the renewal notice will say that the policy carries an excess which is an error.
However, I was assured that the nil excess still applies.

Beautiful_smile!

Hi, I am very new in this, so I hope I don't mess up!. I have my dog insured with Pet Plan for nearly 12 years now. My first excess was £50, then £80, and from this year: £120 pluss 20% of every claim, plus is not insured for arthritis on back legs, plus not included, 'death by illness'??? (all in this year policy). Can they change the policy as they please?
Two months after this policy, my dog developed 'cussons syndrom', which is costing me a fortune, as he needs regular blood tests and tablets as well as the actual £24 monthly insurance.
Any of you can help with any good info, please? I have another alsation, 4 years old now and is currently uninsured, due to loosing my faith in insurance companies.
regards,

Beautiful_smile!

MSE_Archna wrote:

This thread relates to the article Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System.

Click reply to discuss.

Hi! thank you for your thread on pet insurances. I just would like to say that we should all ensure to check the policy and request written reassurance that it will not change later on, as I have a dog insured for nearly 12 years now and Pet Plan, keeps changing as the excess amount and adding exclusions when they reach certain age. As it happens, now it is costing me a fortune every month with the new £120 excess plus 20% of every claim, plus not insured for arthritis on both back legs, plus not insured 'death by illness' (all in this year policy). Two months after this change, my dog has developed 'cussons syndrome' and very costly regular blood tests and monthly tablets for life, plus £24 monthly insurance!
Are they allowed to do this?
regards and thanks:A

katherinef1974

Thoroughly recommend Petplan. Yes not the cheapest but have always paid out on claims and best of all pay the vet direct. The vet then just bills me for what they haven't paid e.g. excess. Also cover is for life.

flexi_2

Has anyone used or heard of Healthy Pets??? - http://www.healthy-pets.co.uk/, they are underwritten by AXA, same as M&S.

The policy payout is per condition and you are covered for ongoing illness as long as you continue with them.

Anyone insured with them?

Thanks
Flexi:j

katherinef1974

Word of warning about anyone considering using E & L .....don't!

pinkpiglet

Hopefully most pet owners are aware of this, unfortunately having owned a number of cats I blithely went for the cheapest pet insurance which in this case was Tesco. I have now learned from bitter experience to read the small print before signing up. Previous pets have suffered injuries which have cost the odd £70 - £100, however one of my present cats was diagnosed with cancer and treated with chemotherapy. My vet have been invoicing Tesco direct and although I was now aware that after £2,500 or 12 months the limit would be reached I did not realise that Tesco were so slow in making payments to my vet. The upshot was I now owe £1,000 in vet fees as Tesco have taken 3 months to process the last payment and in the meantime my cat has been receiving treatment. In addition I will now have to pay on average £150 per month as I am no longer covered. I was told by the vet when we first started treatment the prognosis was a few months at most. It has now been 12 months and my cat is still healthy. Of course I will pay this and go without as I love my cat and he is one of the family. I have now changed the pet insurance for my other cat to an insurer that will pay out for the lifetime of the cat. BE VERY CAREFUL when choosing your pet insurance.