Halifax pet insurance ending

QuackQuackOops

orlao wrote: »

Is there an Insurance ombudsman?

If there is, I'd go through their complaints procedure, surely the Halifax Insurance docs say that ongoing conditions will be covered if you renew, pay your premiums, yada, yada so they are breaking the terms of the original policy by not allowing you to renew (for whatever reason)?.

They are only breaking the terms of the agreement if they break it whilst it's still effective. They haven't. They are willing to keep the pet insured until the policy runs out.
Even if someone were to stay with Halifax they are entitled to change the Terms of the agreements whenever they like, (provided the previous term has completed) and they are not obliged to keep the same terms year in, year out.

Someone else has been found to offer a similar deal at a similar price by the Halifax and they have passed on the name to its customers. Those customers are not obliged to take on the new company as the insurers and the insurers do not have to offer the same terms as Halifax.

melbury

Welcome to the club of worried petowners who have pets with pre-existing conditions and are now uninsured. This all kicked off earlier in the year with Petguard, but now it is Lloyds and Halifax. Undoubtedly there will be many people in this worrying situation.

I searched but wasn't able to find any company that would cover a pre-existing condition. Although my dog is insured, his main problem is not:eek:

We have all written to the Financial Ombudsman, the insurer, the underwriter who pulled out, but ultimately got nowhere. It was even featured in the the Telegraph!


http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?300467-petguard-insurance-problem&p=3357029

zebidee1

I didn't realise this had happened before. I've read through the posts on your link, I dread to think just how many pet owners are in this predicament now.

melbury

zebidee1 wrote: »

I didn't realise this had happened before. I've read through the posts on your link, I dread to think just how many pet owners are in this predicament now.

I do think that part of the problem has been caused by vets, in that they basically had a free hand in what they did and what they charged and because it was covered by insurance it was never questioned.

I suppose that in reality no insurance underwriter is going to keep financing something that is making massive losses.

Trouble is that doesn't help people like us who now live in fear of facing high vet bills and of course when your beloved pet is ill, you just want them made well again. When it next arises, I will be stressing the point that I don't have any insurance for that particular condition.

zebidee1

I'm still struggling to find replacement cover. I'm surprised at how many companies are now insisting your pet undergoes a dental exam each year in order to comply with policy requirements. The don't make that clear upfront, I've only found that little gem after searching through their policy documents.

In our case, it would mean putting our dog under general anesthetic each time, to do that and I'm almost certain our vet would not want to anethetise for a simple exam purely for an insurer's benefit. A GA is not without risks itself.

The longer this goes on, the angrier I'm becoming.

Nod_Off

zebidee1 wrote: »

I'm still struggling to find replacement cover. I'm surprised at how many companies are now insisting your pet undergoes a dental exam each year in order to comply with policy requirements. The don't make that clear upfront, I've only found that little gem after searching through their policy documents.

In our case, it would mean putting our dog under general anesthetic each time, to do that and I'm almost certain our vet would not want to anethetise for a simple exam purely for an insurer's benefit. A GA is not without risks itself.

The longer this goes on, the angrier I'm becoming.

I noticed that when I was searching for a policy - it could be that they just wouldn't cover any dental problems if the examination hadn't taken place rather than making the policy void but you would need to check the small print. Some policies have a similar clause about vaccinations.

I'm not affected by this move by Halifax but I think it's disgusting that they can do that. People who have pets with pre-existing conditions should be having their policies honoured - it never even entered my head that this kind of thing could happen. :mad: My boy is insured with Axa but, while it's great cover at an affordable price, I think I'm going with Pet Plan with any future dogs...a few more pounds a month has got to be worth the peace of mind that this kind of thing won't happen.

orlao

zebidee1 wrote: »

I'm still struggling to find replacement cover. I'm surprised at how many companies are now insisting your pet undergoes a dental exam each year in order to comply with policy requirements. The don't make that clear upfront, I've only found that little gem after searching through their policy documents.

In our case, it would mean putting our dog under general anesthetic each time, to do that and I'm almost certain our vet would not want to anethetise for a simple exam purely for an insurer's benefit. A GA is not without risks itself.

The longer this goes on, the angrier I'm becoming.

I've had the dental thing with Pet Plan but for horses so it might be a bit different but AFAIK it is just a visual check, no need for a GA. Worth a call to the company to clarify maybe?

If we could do that without even sedation for the Silliest Welsh Cob In The World (TM) surely a vet will will be able to do that for a dog as part of a routine (jabs?) check up?

zebidee1

orlao wrote: »

....AFAIK it is just a visual check, no need for a GA. Worth a call to the company to clarify maybe?

If we could do that without even sedation for the Silliest Welsh Cob In The World (TM) surely a vet will will be able to do that for a dog as part of a routine (jabs?) check up?

Our dog is so nervous he wont let anyone near him. He only gets his jabs by us holding him down.

The Vet won't even try to examine him as he is concerned about how panicky the dog gets.

We've had the same Vet since the dog was 8 weeks old so well known.

Nod_Off

orlao wrote: »

If we could do that without even sedation for the Silliest Welsh Cob In The World (TM) surely a vet will will be able to do that for a dog as part of a routine (jabs?) check up?

Depends on the dog - most dogs would be fine but my old dog had to be muzzled for every vet visit and even I couldn't do anything with his mouth. He had to be knocked out when the vet needed to check his teeth after he stopped eating his dry food/biscuits etc.

Nod_Off

zebidee1 wrote: »

Our dog is so nervous he wont let anyone near him. He only gets his jabs by us holding him down.

The Vet won't even try to examine him as he is concerned about how panicky the dog gets.

We've had the same Vet since the dog was 8 weeks old so well known.

Poor boy I have one similar who is crippled with anxiety and hyperventilates. He had to go to the vet with a swollen infected foot a couple of months ago (suspected grass seed) and the vet only picked up his paw before he started panicking and going blue. Vet visits are NOT fun with him!