M&S Pet insurance doubled for renewal !! Please help

ali-t

Angiepange, i have given up with M&S and moved to AXA. It would be worth getting a quote on their site. My rotties has gone from £35pcm to £20pcm with AXA and it is much better cover and lower excesses.

If you are planning to buy metacam, could you buy it in bulk on one presecription which would lower the cost for you? I am going to risk sounding like a broken record here but I am now totally sold on the bioflow magnetic collars which helped my dogs arthritis and she no longer needs metacam daily (doesn't take it at all). For around £35 with a 90 day money back guarantee it is a no brainer.

Angiepange

Beckyy wrote: »

I would really, really, try not to cancel pet insurance when you have an pre-existing medical condition. Even a lower type of cover that would be better than none.

The other option would be to phone them and barter with them a little. I don't know how easy it will be with a pre-existing problem, but I've heard of people getting a hell of a lot taken off their cover just because they've been extremely consistent with bugging the company for it. The rule is, never be rude and never raise your voice to them on the phone - they cannot hang up on you when you're being polite. Ask to speak to the manager, and politely but firmly ask for a discount, say that you're a loyal customer and the raise in price is extortionate etc. etc. and do not put the phone down until you get an offer of a better deal - even if it's the lower type of cover.

Also check with your vet how much they're currently charging for a prescription, just to make sure you don't get stung being charged for the prescription if you're going to buy meds online.

Thanks for your reply I did follow your advice today and spoke to M & S over the phone. I asked about downgrading the cover and also mentioned I am looking for a discount as I simply can't fford to renew. They are ringing me back in the next 3 days to give me a price (not sure why they couldn't do it there and then?). I also enquired with my vets on prescription charges and its currently £7.80.

ali-t wrote: »

Angiepange, i have given up with M&S and moved to AXA. It would be worth getting a quote on their site. My rotties has gone from £35pcm to £20pcm with AXA and it is much better cover and lower excesses.

If you are planning to buy metacam, could you buy it in bulk on one presecription which would lower the cost for you? I am going to risk sounding like a broken record here but I am now totally sold on the bioflow magnetic collars which helped my dogs arthritis and she no longer needs metacam daily (doesn't take it at all). For around £35 with a 90 day money back guarantee it is a no brainer.

Thanks for your reply too . I had never heard of bioflow magnetic collars and have had a quick look on their website. It sounds perfect! I am really considering giving it a try. How great you could get your dog off the metacam . Our dog has been on it for the past 2 years, his two elbow joints are very arthritic, although doesn't stop him racing around when he's outdoors! Mind you he does pay for it after a walk, he can get very stiff.

Thanks for the recommendation. I will have a look at AXA too.

paddypaws101

I can also recommend the Bioflow collar...I use it for my cat. I have also found Vitamin C (as sodium ascorbate) to be really useful...it has proven to help with even hip dysplasia in dogs, so worth a go.

Angiepange

Well I cancelled my pet insurance today :cool:

I just can't afford £63 renewal a month. I spoke to M&S to see if I could get the price lowered but all I could do was downgrade cover to £44 pm. Still too much, especially as I am currently out of work.

Our dog is on metacam long term and we have looked into buying that online with a vet prescription which works out way cheaper. I have also found out we are eligible for PDSA treatment at the moment, so at least I know his medication will be covered. Im also saving up for a bio flow collar as recommended, hoping that will help.

Once Im back in employment, obviously we would lose PDSA entitlement, so my plan then is to take out new pet insurance to cover him for anything else that may happen. And just hope that we can manage his arthritis/hip dysplasia ourselves.

O god, what a worry.:(

zaksmum

When my old dog was insured with M&S I hadn't realised they gave the year's insurance as a loan. It was renewable in the March and he passed away in the April.

M&S deducted 11 months premium at £30 a month from what they paid out in vet bills (after the excesses of course).

At the time I was too distraught to care but when I think about it, it's just another way M&S have of squeezing even more money out of us.

zaksmum

Just looked into pet insurance...has anyone used pet-insurance.co.uk? They've just given me a quote for Lucy who's nearly 8, currently paying £32 a month with Direct Line. Their quote was £7.90 per month standard or £9 a month lifetime policy.

That seems incredibly cheap to me and I'm wondering if anyone has any knowledge of this company?