Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

cathodetube

Bromley86 wrote: »

Okay, so which parts of Lucy's post do you disagree with? And what are the odds of one of her clients reading this thread and booking a PetPlan policy with her for this (alleged) commission? Or does she work ceaselessly on behalf of vets everywhere?

The last sentence no doubt. My brother in law is a vet.

NG20

Hi, my experience of Animal Friends Insurance is very different to Nathe.

Our dog had an infected flea bite near his neck and needed a general anaesthetic to clean wound etc. Upon claiming, Animal Friends decided that because the dog had seen the vet about sore feet, (5 years previously!), it constituted a "skin condition" and refused to pay out, adding in an exclusion to the policy. They also noticed that the vet had noted a "no cause for concern" fatty lump whilst administering routine vacinations so all tumours, growths and cysts were also excluded. I clarified my position with our vet as Animal Friends accused me of trying to commit fraud for not declaring these "conditions" before taking the policy out. He checked the dogs history and confirmed they should / could not be classed as conditions and Animal Friends are guilty of being grossly unfair.

Wished I'd googled "animal friends insurance reviews" and read those before taking out the policy!

sparklysaver

Hi all, wondering if you can offer me some advice? I recently got my first cat. She's from a rescue centre and had previously been living ferally, although she's obviously been around people at some point because she's affectionate and quite happy to use a litter tray, etc. I registered her with a vet, have had her checked out and vaccinated, and have been told she's probably around a year old, maybe a little less.

Anyway, I've had her a few weeks now and she seems perfectly healthy but, not having loads of cash to spare if anything did go wrong with her, I've got insurance - finally went with Sainsbury's. Have just received the pack through the door and read the enclosed Vet fees claim form. I didn't see anything about this on the policy documents, which I did read before buying it, but on the form it states in bold; "We require at least a 12-month clinical history for all new claims (unless your pet is a puppy or kitten, when we require a full history)".

Now, obviously I don't have that and have no way of getting it. Is this common to all insurance providers? And, if so, is there any point in my insuring her until I've had her a year? I can still cancel the policy within 14 days so any advice would be much appreciated, thanks in advance!

Edited to add; just phoned Sainsbury's and am told that as long as I enclose all the history I do have plus a covering letter including the name & address of the rescue centre, it should be fine if I need to claim. Hmmmm..... still, has anyone else got any direct experience of this with any insurer?

Rev

I'm currently with NFU, have paid £14 per month for the last two years. Never claimed, latest renewal is £17, dog is only two, dread to think what it'll be when he's 8.

So thinking of changing to John Lewis, anyone have experience with these? Says 10k per year, going to call and see if it's lifelong because it doesn't say. But it's £11 per month.

kaz2721

Hi Can anyone recommend a decent pet insurance company for dogs? It doesn't have to be the cheapest ... this is the first time I have owned my own dog and don't know where to start as far as insurance is concerned!

Not sure if you need to know this, but my dog is 20 months old and is chipped and neutered and was from a rescue centre.

Many thanks in advance

cathodetube

kaz2721 wrote: »

Hi Can anyone recommend a decent pet insurance company for dogs? It doesn't have to be the cheapest ... this is the first time I have owned my own dog and don't know where to start as far as insurance is concerned!

Not sure if you need to know this, but my dog is 20 months old and is chipped and neutered and was from a rescue centre.

Many thanks in advance

Have you read this thread yet? It sounds like you haven't. The best thing is to go back and read it over the last few months at least. It will give you some idea of which firms to avoid. Then you need to go online and put in your pet's info. and get some quotes.

Pedigree dogs cost more to insure. The area you live in can influence greatly the cost of the premiums.

abbiedabbie

kaz2721 wrote: »

Hi Can anyone recommend a decent pet insurance company for dogs? It doesn't have to be the cheapest ... this is the first time I have owned my own dog and don't know where to start as far as insurance is concerned!

Not sure if you need to know this, but my dog is 20 months old and is chipped and neutered and was from a rescue centre.

Many thanks in advance

I have had my 2 year old Maltese insured through tesco, who have been great, I got 1000 extra points but on another board today they offer a camcorder a bit naff but free, they were the best quote I had and they have paid out on 3 occasions very promptly, even one was allery testing, she has just had pups so need to insure them

chillieswitheverything

daithevet wrote: »

I just wanted to warn you that cheaper is not always better! I'm a vet, and can honestly say that if you're going to get insurance, it definately pays to get a policy that covers FOR LIFE.

Straight from the horse's mouth (sorry).
I'm glad I came across your post before taking out a policy.
Thanks

vampire-girl

Can someone recommend a good rabbit insurance, mine is only 2years but have spent about £80 intwo months for treatment and an injection plus other money for nails being clipped and check-ups, or is it easier to just get a box and put in some money in there every month like an account for her. Just was thinking about petplan but is expensive. thanks

GH

I've been thoroughly impressed with John Lewis. Last September I insured my 11 year old (then) Bull Terrier girl for a £237 annual premium. Previously we had used Pet Plan and Axa but premiums were getting increasingly expensive. Sadly she had tests done at an animal hospital in June which revealed primary and secondary cancer (colon and lung). The tests alone (no surgery) cost £2400 and she had had eye surgery a little earlier which cost about £400. Today I received a renewal notice for £334 which was amazing given how much they've paid out. Also I'm very happy to report that she's doing great and in typical Bull Terrier fashion isn't giving up just yet.