Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

golly99

Would recommend Pet Plan, you do get what you pay for and unfortunately we've had to use it several times and so thankful we have the insurance, payment has been very quick. Please check the small print before you go for the cheaper quote!

bixieupnorth

hi
was hoping for some comments on my post (#185 above) about the rejection of my claim on the 12 month rule.

i would urge everyone to be very very careful when signing up for policies with this unfair term, you may think you're getting a bargain, but if your animal gets anything long term then you're stuffed completely, we've been left with £800 bill.

pay the extra and get a lifetime cover policy.

found this on ombudsmans website, we're thinking of starting a dispute for a badly worded policy document, and no mention of the 12 month rule in any following paperwork, point 65/05 seems similar to our situation

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/65/65-pet_insurance.html
some feedback appreciated please

bixie

pboae

Hi bixieupnorth, I haven't seen your policy, so I can't comment on whether it is badly worded or not. Hopefully the Ombudsman will take that up for you.

Unfortunately, that is how 12 months cover policies work. That is why they are cheap. As with any insurance policy or other financial purchase it is essential that you read through all the small print and be absolutely sure as to what you are actually buying. Although of course, if the document is poorly worded that won't always help.

Good luck with it.

bixieupnorth

i'll type it out for you and see what you think.
cheers for response

pboae

If the policy document is online, you can just link to it.

bixieupnorth

thats interesting, just been online to look for their terms and they're completely different to whats in the policy book that we have been sent on each of the 3 years that we've had our cat insured with them.

this is the link first of all

'Up to £3000 per condition for up to 12 months following the first date of treatment' taken from their website, that appears very clear and is totally different to what is quoted below this link

http://www.insurance.lloydstsb.com/personal/pet/policy_details.asp

and this is the quote from their 'pet healthcare policy' which appears to be undated but has been exactly the same brochure since 2004.

'we will pay your vet fees for each condition for 12 months up to a maximum of £3,000 for the cost of treatment your pet receives during the period of insurance as a result of injury or illness'

to me that means that you can claim up to £3,000 per 12 months, not that you can only claim for up to 12 months then never again??
within the same document there is a long list of what is NOT covered, and there is no mention of the 12 month disclaimer.


their summary document also included with each policy that we were sent says the following

'necessary treatment for each illness, injury or disease up to a maximum of £3,000 for the 12 months'

which again doesn't imply any cut off from future claims

additionally in the letter which accompanied each renewal says

'your continuing benefits

vet fees - covering accident, illness and on-going conditions up to £3,000 each year'


so you can see where my shock at their rejection of the claim stems from.

incidentally we pay this policy, and have done since its inception, by direct debit, and have had no feedback from them since the first claim from jan 06 about future claims not being covered for similar conditions, which in itself is a moot point.

cheers for your time

bixieupnorth

just tracked down some pdf files that appear to be the same as the policy document sent to us

[SIZE=-1]www.lloydstsbpetinsurance.co.uk/Wording/UKIP-0510_LTSBPPB%235.pdf

and the summary document too

[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]www.lloydstsbpetinsurance.co.uk/Wording/UKIP-0510_LTSBPPS%234.pdf


not sure if these links will work, i had to save them and open in acrobat


[/SIZE]

gemmaj

I realise this is a bit of a long shot but I thought I'd see if anyone had an opinion on dog insurance - Argos or Sainsburys.

I have 2 dogs, my youngest (and healthiest!) is with M&S, but my eldest Max is up for renewal. He has been with Argos for several years (its a basic policy - £2,500 cover with 12 month limit) and the last couple of years they have put the policy up about £5 per month - it would now be £250 for the year.

For £310 I could get much better insurance with Sainsburies (£7,000 cover for life instead of 12 months). The exclusions would be identical with both policies. They are the next cheapest I can find given Max's age (10).

My concern is that if I move to Sainsburys then the renewal figure next year could be huge (there are reviews online mentioning some big price hikes) and this would probably be a one way move - as Max is 10 not many places will insure him, and I did an online quote for Argos for Max and to join them the policy that would cost me £250 to renew would cost me £700 to take out!!!

I have considered "self-insurance" but since Max is so big (he is a greyhound, and is big even for a greyhound!), I have had some pretty big vets bills in the past (he takes a lot of anaesthetic!!), and I also like having the 3rd party insurance - just in case!

Any views?

pboae

Sorry, but I would read that as meaning it was for 12 months only. Although the 'new' wording is much much clearer.

On the other hand, I am very familiar with pet insurance and the various policy options, so just because I would interpret that clause that way, doesn't mean everyone would.

bixieupnorth

we've got old vet who performed first operation to write to them too, explaining the emergency nature of first procedure, hopefully that'll do the trick.

the original terms, in the way they're written, coupled with the fact that the policy is for 12 months, still make me think that the once in a lifetime thing is very very unclear.

if not we're gonna go down the ombudsman line, as everyone i've shown the wording to have said that its confusing, apart from you that is!!

cheers