Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

Emorp

I insured my cat years ago with Sainsbury Pet insurance and had auto renewed unchallenged ( I know!) each year.
The premiums did go up quite sharply, but as she was getting older, I thought that was the cause.
This year, sadly, I needed to claim. As I went through the details, I noted that I had 'option 2' cover which contained cover for things I could not claim for as she was over 8 years old. They knew this as they printed her age as 11 on the schedule. Option 1 would have been the appropriate level and presumably would have been cheaper.

This strikes me as similar to the PPI misselling - I did not request Option 2 and suspect that they upgraded me without explicitly saying so.
As PPI victims can now claim, even though no doubt the banks would try and cite 'policy details must be read in detail' etc etc I wonder if I have claim for the difference in Premiums.

Anyone have any experience, advise or opinion?

Thanks and RIP Cheryl

phebe3

I hunted about but have ended up gonig with Marks and Spencer..best for my 5 yr old dog..and v reasonable. have heard service v good..which is half the battle..and in the end took out the premium insurance..have to say it's a weight off my mind!

UKTigerlily

Anyone have experience of [EMAIL="P@H's"]P@H's[/EMAIL] insurance?? Seems reasonable & has two for life choices & 2 yearly choices. Never heard of the underwriters, do they pay out quickly??

Jasper21

Can anyone here answer a few questions?

I you decide not to put in a claim (and pay yourself) for treatment

1. will it still be regarded as a pre-existing condition?
2. would you have to declare the condition or treatment when renewing the policy?
3. even if you don't claim, will it still cause the premium to go up when you renew?

Is there such a thing as a no-claims discount for pets insurance?

In way of explanation, we were thinking about getting insurance for our dog mainly for the public liability cover and pay for most things ourselves.
Thanks

UKTigerlily

Jasper21 wrote: »

Can anyone here answer a few questions?


I you decide not to put in a claim (and pay yourself) for treatment

1. will it still be regarded as a pre-existing condition?
2. would you have to declare the condition or treatment when renewing the policy?
3. even if you don't claim, will it still cause the premium to go up when you renew?

Is there such a thing as a no-claims discount for pets insurance?

In way of explanation, we were thinking about getting insurance for our dog mainly for the public liability cover and pay for most things ourselves.
Thanks

If you just want Public Liability you can become a member of Dogs Trust for £25 a year, that has PL Insurance for £1 million per claim with a £200 excess for UK http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/giving/membership/default.aspx

Just remember if your dog were to get ill & cost say £6000, if you'd put some away monthly it may not be enough to cover it, or if it is as soon as it's spent the dog may get injured again.

There isn't a no claims disciunt for pet insurance sadly. If you paid for treatment & didn't claim it wouldn't be a pre existing condition so long as the dog didn't have it before the policy was taken out, you get a year to submit claims I think. I think most premiums go up yearly just like other insurance.

Zingy

I have a quick question about M&S insurance. The one i'm looking is premier and it says you are covered for up to 7k vet fees. I'm guessing that means per year rather than per condition per year?
I'm with argos now paying £17 a month and that gives me 7k per condition per year so i'm wondering whether to stick with something like that.
Its for a 2 year old jack.

UKTigerlily

Zingy wrote: »

I have a quick question about M&S insurance. The one i'm looking is premier and it says you are covered for up to 7k vet fees. I'm guessing that means per year rather than per condition per year?
I'm with argos now paying £17 a month and that gives me 7k per condition per year so i'm wondering whether to stick with something like that.
Its for a 2 year old jack.

Which policy is it? I can only find 12 month cover or £7k per year, not per condition per year

aurongrande_2

I'm interested in getting insurance for my Cocker Spaniel due to a recent incident. He had a field day munching on a marrow bone that you buy from pet shops and it didn't agree with him. I ended up taking him to the vets. after 2 appointments, so far it's cost around £200 in all, and a final checkup on Saturday which will cost again.

I use to live with my parents, and I had the premium cover with PetPlan. The monthly payments were less than £20. Then I moved out to live on my own. I only live 2 streets away form my parents (not 2 minute walk away) and PetPlan decided to up the fee to almost £40 a month. So I immediately canceled the cover.

I started looking for insurance companies and got a few quotes. PetPlan wants £35.57pm, yet Aviva wants £18.35pm.

The thing is, all the quotes provide covers for certain things which are completely irrelevant to me. For example, Overseas Travel. I have no need for it. I've never been abroad in my life. Heck, I don't have a Passport, and I'd never afford a holiday in England let alone abroad.

Which provider should I go for? Can a quote be reduced by removing certain covers like the overseas part?

alien4398

hi i have 2 cocker spaniels jake is 8 and ellie 4. i recieved ellies renewal at £21 and jakes £40 !! per month. i have had them insured since being puppies and claimed around £200 when ellie caught herself on barbed wire and around £300 for a benign growth in Jakes mouth.I decided to try find a better deal this year and have just had a quote for lifetimecover up to £4000 per year for less than £10 each part of e & l insurance and is called pet-insurance. Its less than the cover offered by more than (my current provider is £7000 but its per condition in total) but substantially less per month especially for Jake my 8 yr old. Has anyone used them ? What are they like with paying out etc ? Is it too good to be true !?

TomsMom

alien4398 wrote: »

hi i have 2 cocker spaniels jake is 8 and ellie 4. i recieved ellies renewal at £21 and jakes £40 !! per month. i have had them insured since being puppies and claimed around £200 when ellie caught herself on barbed wire and around £300 for a benign growth in Jakes mouth.I decided to try find a better deal this year and have just had a quote for lifetimecover up to £4000 per year for less than £10 each part of e & l insurance and is called pet-insurance. Its less than the cover offered by more than (my current provider is £7000 but its per condition in total) but substantially less per month especially for Jake my 8 yr old. Has anyone used them ? What are they like with paying out etc ? Is it too good to be true !?

I have no personal dealings with E & L so cannot speak from personal experience, but I belong to a pet forum and have seen comments on their about E & L along the lines of "I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole" and a veterinary hospital who "will not deal with E & L".

I googled "E & L insurance complaints", I haven't read any of the links but if I was considering using them I would check them out before deciding.