Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

RobertinHerts

We put a claim in for a significant size vets bill but the insurance company don't wish to pay up. The medical problem is ongoing.

Their first agument is that it was more than 12 months between visits to the vet, i.e. Nov 09 - Oct 10, hmmm. The second was that we don't have proof that the earlier vet checked the cats gums.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Robert

Princess_Jane

cathodetube wrote: »

Princess Jane

Why do you feel the need to insure your cat? I wouldn't insure any other cat I get in the future. It did not make any sense whatsoever.Just put some money aside every month to cover any eventual vet bills. I cancelled the only insurance I ever had for any of my cats, after finding it climbed to a ridiculously high level and when I did make two claims, for an abcess, I still had to pay a £75 excess. Keep him in at night as that is the time they are most likely to get into accidents.

His original owner has offered to pay for the insurance now Walter is getting on in years, so I'm checking it out.
We have a cat flap and two other cats who are pretty much nocturnal, so keeping him in at night would be tricky, though to be fair he spends most of the day and night asleep.

cathodetube

Princess Jane, It's good of his previous owners to do that. I think it will be very difficult to find someone to insure him from scratch at that age and you would probably pay in the region of £50 per month, which is what happened to me with my cat at age 16 via Marks and Spencer. Why not just get the previous owners to agree to cover any future vet bills instead.

Princess_Jane

cathodetube wrote: »

Princess Jane, It's good of his previous owners to do that. I think it will be very difficult to find someone to insure him from scratch at that age and you would probably pay in the region of £50 per month, which is what happened to me with my cat at age 16 via Marks and Spencer. Why not just get the previous owners to agree to cover any future vet bills instead.

I think they feel bad because they left him behind when they moved abroad, but tbh it would have been too much for him.
I'm going to have a shop about and see what's what.
There's certainly nothing wrong with his claws - I've just tried to clean his teeth and he was not happy.

FloFlo

Petplan are quoting me £23 month for my new king charles pup, this is their middle level wit life cover with £4000 a year - is £4000 a year adequate cover? Next policy is another £10 month but is £12000 per year.

Thanks xx

cathodetube

Floflo, Is it £4000 per year per condition or a total of that amount no matter what happens? Cavs are known to have two particular health problems. Did you buy your puppy from a breeder who used health tested parents?

FloFlo

cathodetube wrote: »

Floflo, Is it £4000 per year per condition or a total of that amount no matter what happens? Cavs are known to have two particular health problems. Did you buy your puppy from a breeder who used health tested parents?

Hi, both parents health tested and clear. I am pretty sure it is £4000 a year in total not per condition.

RobertinHerts

RobertinHerts wrote: »

We put a claim in for a significant size vets bill but the insurance company don't wish to pay up. The medical problem is ongoing.

Their first agument is that it was more than 12 months between visits to the vet, i.e. Nov 09 - Oct 10, hmmm. The second was that we don't have proof that the earlier vet checked the cats gums.

Robert

Update: Our vet seemed amazed that Sainsburys thought they could get away with rejecting a legimate claim and volunteered to contact the previous vet on our behalf. This has now occured. It looks like either they pay up or we'll see them in court.

cathodetube

Insurance companies quite often have exclusions in the small print about dental problems. Have you looked at that? Usually, unless it is an accident they don't pay up.

RobertinHerts

cathodetube wrote: »

Insurance companies quite often have exclusions in the small print about dental problems. Have you looked at that? Usually, unless it is an accident they don't pay up.

Thanks. In the summary list it says that 'Dental treatment due to injury or illness is covered'.

Their letter says they cannot help because there has been more than 12 months between dental checks.