Any Problems you have had with Pet Insurance contact Watchdog

catlou

There was a section on Pet Insurance on watchdog last night they went over some cases of the problems people have had premiums increasing dramatically, cover not enough, changes to policies, people having to still pay premiums after Pets have died etc. They also gave recommendations on what policies to look out for when buying.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vkwdh/Watchdog_28_10_2010/ From about 16 mins

It was ok........but as many people know from this board it's a minefield and I don't think they explained it anywhere near well enough for most people. I reckon there are a few posters on here far more informed than the guy (from the British Veterinary Association) who was making the recommendations!

Anyway at the end of the show they asked people to get in touch with any problems they have had with Pet Insurance.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/gotastory/

Hopefully the more people that get in touch they might look into it in more detail as the Pet Insurance companies seem to be getting away with doubling premiums and generally doing whatever they feel like. The whole thing is shocking as anyone who has read the Pet Insurance Thread on here will know. It is leaving many people sensible enough to want decent for life pet insurance unable to afford it due to the increases in cost.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/108056

I'm gonna send my story in now! Come on Name and Shame them!

snowman2_2

The biggest problems we see with insurance claims are:-

* People not understanding excesses or feeling that they shouldn't have to pay them
* 12 month policies running out of time
* Taking out policies after a problem has been noted by the vet and being excluded
* Taking out polices and then going to a vet with a problem 3 days later and being excluded
* Blaming the vets when the insurance company wont pay out
* Taking out cheap policies then complaining they dont have enough cover

Basically, most people don't understand insurance and the companies don't explain it properly. As for paying for insurance for a dead pet, if you make a claim on any insurance policy, you have to pay the full year's premiums. If you pay by DD, you may have many months to pay up - again insurance companies explain this badly but a couple expect the vet's to collect the premiums outstanding by taking it out of any direct payment to us. It is a complicated subject as every company does things slightly differently but you need to read the small print and ask plenty of questions