Halifax pet insurance ending

HELEN75_2

hi my policy ended back in october when they wouldn't renew and i have had no luck with them at all whenever i phone they just say sorry nothing they can do, i have written numerous letters and have now put it in the hands of the insurance ombudsman, my dog has skin problems and ear infections and needs ongoing treatment so i know exactly how you feel

HELEN75_2

Hope everybody will read this don't know how to post a new subject on here so relying on you all reading it, i contacted bbc watchdog back in october when they ceased my policy and today i have had a phonecall wanting to know more details on my story as they are looking into running a story when they start there new series, they are legally having a meeting next week to see if legally the halifax can just terminate the contracts and not have to compensate or whether the pet owners do have a case and if legally they favour the pet owners they are then running the story, i am urging other people that have been dumped and in the same position as me to email watchdog like i did and try and get your story on television as the more stories they get the bigger case it gives us to make the halifax turn around and compensate or reinstate our insurance, please please help here as i feel the more support we get the more chance we have

Helen

HELEN75_2

Well robbie and i filmed our story today for daybreak that is being shown tomorrow morning between 7-8am please everybody contact as many people as you can to try and get as much publicity about this as we can and then the halifax might actually see how badly they have treated our animals over this and finally realise that many animals will be put to sleep because there owners now cannot afford there care because the insurance company have ceased there policies and in turn killed there animals , how awful is that when they could afford to keep the policies running and just not take on any new customers, that would have been a more loyal way of supporting the customers they sold lifetime policies to in the first place.

pastyhammer

Got home today to find a letter telling me that as of next week my dog no longer has pet insurance. Been away for the last month so thanks for the notice Halifax. My dog is 8 years old and has had insurance since he was 2, the last 4 years with Halifax because of the lifetime cover. They weren't the cheapest but their extra policy had the best cover. I've never had to claim off the insurance but my dog has developed a couple of conditions which could need treatment further down the line. I had a look and no other insurer will cover these conditions. I was a little surprised to find when looking at Avivas policy that they are underwritten by Agria, the company according to Halifax who have pulled out of the pet market.

selbylass

Pastyhammer,
Agria are the underwriters - arranged and managed by BDML Connect - the company who arranged and administers Halifax Pet Insurance. Agria have not pulled out but they cannot renew policies, because Halifax have withdrawn from the market, and therefore Agria no longer have a 'scheme' to underwrite. Agria have had no direct contact with the Halifax and the Halifax have not approached Agria to continue renewing Halifax customer policies. I know this because I've received a letter from Agria explaining their position clearly. The Halifax is trying to deflect responsibility. It's their decision to pull out and it's down to them we are all in the unacceptable position we now face ourselves in. Like you I took out my dog's 'life-time' insurance 6 years ago and only 4 weeks ago found out I couldn't renew. My dog is now uninsured - but I'm fighting it! Write to the Halifax and BDML Connect and let them know you are not going to accept this as they are treating you unfairly and breaching the original policy T&Cs. Then go to theconsumeractiongroup web site and search for 'Withdrawal of Halifax pet insurarance'. Bankfodder is helping people take court action and publicise this disgusting breach of trust. Best wishes.

wishihadmoremoney

It would seem that some people are happy that they are having compensation from their insurers however, have you weighed up the cost of medication and need for treatment for the remainder of your pets life? If they offered me compensation in the region of £1000 I would laugh at them as the minimum my dog will cost me £600 a year if all is well so £1000 aint gonna last long.

I implore you all to work out the costs and don't accept their 'goodwill gestures' as it won't cover your pet for long!

alipacino

Hi I have halifax Pet Insurance Extra for my two cats. One cat has been diagnosed with asthma and is covered by the insurance. I rang them to confirm my insurance was being stopped by them as I had yet to receive a letter and was told they only inform you a few weeks prior to renewal (August in my case). My problem is I'm now worried about my other cat but am wary about taking him to vet with this policy still running in case he needs long term treatment and I'm unable to get cover when the time comes. Should I cancel his policy, take out a new one then take him to vet? I DO plan to start my battle with Halifax ASAP anyway but wanted to sort this out before writing to them etc. Any advice as to how to go about complaining about this travesty would be much appreciated too.

BonsaiTheCat

I feel so sorry for anyone struggling through this. I was another halifax pet insurance customer. I had two dogs who were insured the day I brought them home (2004). I had to use the insurance numerous times over the years.

I received a letter last year from Halifax to say that my dogs were no longer going to be covered by them. They did however send me an alternative quote from another company. I was one of the lucky ones as neither of my pets had ongoing illnesses, so, even though they were getting on a bit in dog years, they were still able to get cover.

I don't know what I would have done if this hadn't been the case, and Im still fuming about it now.

maxtweenie

I only received a letter from them yesterday about this. The "quote" wasn't a quote, it was a "do nothing and we will automatically transfer your policy over to our other insurer who is 50% dearer with half the cover." I spoke to them, and they said they were aware that their letter didn't make it clear that you had to ring and cancel or they would start charging £23.97 a month instead of £16, but reading this thread (thanks to Rising From The Ashes) it seems they've had 9 months to change the wording on the letter and done nothing about it.

simmys66

Has anyone received a call from Halifax? I received a call from a lady claiming to be from Halifax Insurance offering to re-insure my Yorkshire Terrier. This was due to a recent ruling and Halifax were not re entering the pet insurance market but were offering to cover all past customers who were affected by the closure of the pet insurance arm. the insurance would be underwritten by Lloyds. The catch is, I would have to pay back the good will sum that I received, less any vet bills I had encountered since the insurance was pulled from me. I agreed to look into this and she agreed to send out the relevant paperwork and call me 1 week later to ensure I had received the papers, I have however not received the paperwork or a phone call!