Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

Runningbackwards_2

which insurance company is this if you don't mind me asking...many pet owners I have spoken to have maoned about the fact that their insurance won't pay oout on on going conditions occurring after they took out insurance (my sister's cat, age 14 now has arthritus and has to have medication but despite the fact they have paid out since he was a kitten teh insurance company won't cover teh cost of the medication)[/QUOTE]

NFU - they have been absolutely wonderful, very good to deal with, and compared to many companies the premiums are reasonable - though we have just had an unexplainable leap in premiums for one dog - could not persuade them to reduce it, so as money is incredibly tight I am reluctantly moving her insurance - if I could afford to I would leave her with NFU without a second thought (but dreading renewal time for others who due to age cannot realistically be moved - need to save where possible to afford to cover theirs). We wondered if they were loading her premium based on how much we have claimed on one of the others, though they did not hike his premium on renewal - only went up by a few pounds, so really hard to understand 50% rise for a young, healthy dog????? On the other hand we have one dog we have never made a claim for. All been with NFU for years, two since they were 3 month old pups and came from the breeders.

Runningbackwards_2

cathodetube wrote: »

AXA also seems to have a history of bumping up their premiums after the first year. You can see this by looking back on this thread.

Sadly it seems that many if not most of them do - if they bump it it would still be competitive with most other companies, and as many other insurers are underwritten by AXA eg John Lewis, then presumably those would rise also?

ALso has the advantage of a £7,000 pot for vets fees which renews annually and conditions are covered for life. Little dog being moved to them has no pre-existing illnesses so we can move her easily.

gaspode38

We have insurance for three cats. Total for the last couple of years (with Healthy Pets who are underwritten by AXA) has been around the £17-£18 pm mark. However, renewal has just come through and it is shooting up to £24. Not happy.

Sadly looking around that looks about the price from most places now. Have premiums shot up everywhere? What doesn't help is our eldest cat is 8 yrs old this year so moving policies isn't really the best plan as everyone seems to add a premium because of her age.

Does anyone know if ringing our current insurers and threatening to leave might get them to reduce it at all? And, failing that, anyone know somewhere with good prices? I've tried Sainsburys, MoreThan and a couple of others but all coming out at roughly £24.

Thanks,
Gaspode

phebe3

I phoned NFU, for me the premium was really high for a healthy mongrel 4 1/2 year old dog, neutured and chipped. I don't mind paying fto have medical expenses but don't think I'd need the thousands of pounds they quoted me if my pet was lost in order to find my dog...who is microchipped anyway.

ankitadas

Hi all,
Usually standard pet insurance do include all the medical cover which includes treatments, regular health check-ups and even dental treatment. Even they also give you third party liability cover and loss or theft cover. In case your pet run away or theft then you will be covered.
After sticking with a pet insurance company they give cover whether your pet lost or dead. With a pet insurance, you can get the facility of claiming in case you are not getting the facilities that are included in your policy.

hethmar

phebe, how high was very high? Where do you live in the country?

Bowlady

Just had my renewal for my 6 year old GSD from AXA and the premium has gone from £22 p.m. to £41p.m. No claims for him in the last 12 months either. I went online and filled in his details for a new policy and was quoted £31. when I asked them why they said he has a pre existing condition?? What is that - he punctured his artery in his foot two years ago and had to have emergency treatment. I was told this would be excluded on a new policy...when I said it was an accident he told me that any cut paw in future would be excluded!!!!! Had to send them a claim form 3 times for my cat that was put down in February and I was told it will take a couple of weeks to process the claim. Not impressed.
Has anybody heard of Animal Friends Insurance, they seem very cheap compared to other companies??

hethmar

Thats ridiculous. Ring up again and ask for a supervisor and tell them about this any cut paw nonsense.

cathodetube

Bowlady wrote: »

Just had my renewal for my 6 year old GSD from AXA and the premium has gone from £22 p.m. to £41p.m. No claims for him in the last 12 months either. I went online and filled in his details for a new policy and was quoted £31. when I asked them why they said he has a pre existing condition?? What is that - he punctured his artery in his foot two years ago and had to have emergency treatment. I was told this would be excluded on a new policy...when I said it was an accident he told me that any cut paw in future would be excluded!!!!! Had to send them a claim form 3 times for my cat that was put down in February and I was told it will take a couple of weeks to process the claim. Not impressed.
Has anybody heard of Animal Friends Insurance, they seem very cheap compared to other companies??

By new policy do you mean one done on line with AXA? It would also be usual for any new company you might go to to put the same exclusion on it. They could try and argue that as he had a punctured artery then any further problem with his foot could be excluded. Doesn't mean that they are right to do so. It seems to be quite common for AXA and M&S to raise their premiums for existing customers by a huge amount especially when the animal reaches age 6. I can't see that AXA could exclude any future problems with your dog's foot or feet if you remained with them and pay the increased monthly premium. You are not getting a new policy that way.

tosh1960

hi folks.I had a border collie cross called Bouncer,14 years i had him and when he was 11 had a bad accident and couldnt walk for 6 days.i was on a low income so took him to the pdsa,they got him up n walking brill org n vets,but needed a op in nottingham to his spine.£2,800,i just couldnt find such amount.i still had him for 4-5 yrs but he wasnt the same but i lovd him.so folks try to insure your loving pets!!:D