Tesco Pet Insurance

uberalles

An update - payout received

Hello all.
Not sure what I am expecting to get out of this except to make others aware of the problems I am having in getting Tesco to pay a legitimate claim. However if any body has any helpful comments I'd be grateful.
I've also posted this in the Insurance Forum.

Here goes with the details:-

• Melvin our SBT had Pet Insurance with Tesco from 13 August 2010 until 12 August 2011.
• On the 25 July 2011 I advised Tesco I would not be renewing as they had added 60% to the premium for the next year. I advised I'd go elsewhere from 13th August 2011, which I did.
• On the 12th August2011 Melvin was out with me until 1900 hrs and he pulled up whilst running, carrying his rear leg. He has done this before, I think of it as when a human may twist an ankle, tread on a stone, etc etc
• At home one hour later and he is still carrying the leg. I look at it and tell my wife I think he has broken a toe.
• I decide to call the Tesco Claim Line at 2035pm to report his injury. The offices are shut and the answerphone advises they'll be back in the morning.
• Having been a victim of Tesco in the past I decide that I must speak to somebody and get through to various parts of Tesco Ins. and ask them to take details. Two employess were sympathetic and took details and I got their names. One person discussed with me if I felt it required an emergency vet for Melvin to which I replied he is not crying and that I felt he was in discomfort rather than pain. We concurred that it could wait until Saturday, my big mistake.
• At 0830 hrs Saturday 13th August I took him to the vets where he was diagnosed and treated for a broken toe.
• I put in a claim to which Tesco have quoted an item from the policy that says this "You will only be able to receive refunds for treatment whilst you continue to pay the monthly premiums and the policy is in force"

Okay, I cannot refute the above term in the policy wording, although I was not aware of it, but it really does not sound fair to me.
My thoughts as follows:-

• In that instance the length of insurance is only as long as the timeframes allow you to get a vet. Using my example, if I had called the emergency vet at 2100 hrs on the 12th (when still covered), but he got out to me at 0001hrs on 13th August I still would not be covered for payout.
• The policy does not really allow for switching to another insurance provider unless you overlap with dates. Therefore you could argue you are not getting one full year of insurance each time.
• Do all Pet Insurance policies have this term?
• Could I therefore claim under my new insurance provider? I doubt it.
• I advised Tesco that whilst I cannot refute the policy terms that it makes a mockery of the whole thing. Why would I bother to get insurance. I'd just wait until something unfortunate may happen to poor Melvin, get insurance coverage, then have him treated.
• Tesco (or the RSA Underwriters) asked me why I bothered trying to speak to Tesco on the evening of the 12th but then in their refusal note state they have never heard of the individuals I named.

Not sure what else to add except to say I'm not best pleased.
Sorry for a long post. It may help some and some may be able to help me.

crazyguy

As there slogan says every little helps, perhaps ask them to change to very little help !

No advice from me as I to had Tesco's pet insurance and changed once the year was up after I got a renewal notice with nearer side of 50% increase on and then changed to More Than.

rising_from_the_ashes

Awwww, sorry to hear about Melvin's broken toe:( - ouch...


I'm afraid it is a difficult one as you didn't actually receive the treatment whilst covered on that policy so I'm afraid I don't see how you can get them to pay out:(

Your new insurers will not pay as the injury happened during the time the old policy was running, and even if it had been the 13th - you'd still have the exclusion period (tho' not sure how this works with accidents so it may be worth checking).

It's one of the reasons I've never changed insurer as I know something like that would happen to me.

I am going to change this year however, and on the advice of others on here, will be starting my policy well in advance of the old one expiring to ensure no issues with the exclusion period etc.

gettingready

Sorry to hear about your dog, hope he recovers ok and fast

But I can not see where Tesco is wrong here?

It is terrible timing as you did say you won't be reneving but...you were not covered on the 13th.

uberalles

Thank you all for comments and wishes.

I guess I should have taken time to understand how Pet Insurance operates, I wasn't aware of the advice to start new policies well in advance of the expiry of the old policy.

I guess I was thinking along the lines of say, car insurance, where I am pretty sure that Tesco would have had to pay out a claim for an accident on the 12th, even if by te time I had the repairs my policy with them had expired.

Live and learn I guess.

Thanks again.

Nod_Off

From what you say, I can't see that either insurance companies will pay out.

Tesco won't pay as you were no longer insured by them when the dog got treatment on the 13th. The new insurance company won't pay as the injury happened on the 12th, before the new policy kicked in.

When changing policies, it is always wise to start the new policy about 2-3 weeks prior to the old one ending so that you have a continuous period of cover.

uberalles

Nod_Off wrote: »

From what you say, I can't see that either insurance companies will pay out.

Tesco won't pay as you were no longer insured by them when the dog got treatment on the 13th. The new insurance company won't pay as the injury happened on the 12th, before the new policy kicked in.

When changing policies, it is always wise to start the new policy about 2-3 weeks prior to the old one ending so that you have a continuous period of cover.

Thank you, I appreciate that now but was unaware that Pet Insurance had 'coverage' terms different to, say, car insurance.

However, on further thought:-

1. had there been somebody to take my call in the Pet Insurance Claims then I could have been made aware of this and insisted on an emergency vet appointment.
2. The fact that the Claims Agent wanted to listen to my phonecalls of the 12th infers they might have been sympathetic that I had not been advised to see the vet the same night
3. In the case of 2 policies running at the same time, who would you claim with? I'd guess the new insurer? Would they see this as being unfair if they knew you were already insured with another insurer?

I know I got it wrong but still see faults in all this.
Thanks again to you all for reading and responding .

gettingready

I have a feeling in any case they would only cover emergency vet visit if it was a life threatening condition, sorry....

Nod_Off

With regards to the two policies running together, I wouldn't share that with either of the insurance companies

Generally, the reason you overlap them is because any new policy has a 14 day exclusion period for illness (some will cover straight away for injury) so, if within those 14 days, your pet becomes ill and needs treatment, you still have the old policy in place to make a claim. If it's likely to be an on-going condition, then it means you are probably going to have to stick with the old policy and cancel the new one but better than not having any cover at all. If it's an injury and the policy allows immediate cover, then you should claim on the new one otherwise it will be classed as pre-existing and you won't be able to claim anything in relation to that problem in the future.

gettingready

Ahhh that is a good point - the injury is normally covered straight away OP...

BUT again the timing, were you already insured with new provider on the 12th?

Check the new policy if you have it ?

rising_from_the_ashes

Nod_Off wrote: »

Generally, the reason you overlap them is because any new policy has a 14 day exclusion period for illness (some will cover straight away for injury) so, if within those 14 days, your pet becomes ill and needs treatment, you still have the old policy in place to make a claim. If it's likely to be an on-going condition, then it means you are probably going to have to stick with the old policy and cancel the new one but better than not having any cover at all. If it's an injury and the policy allows immediate cover, then you should claim on the new one otherwise it will be classed as pre-existing and you won't be able to claim anything in relation to that problem in the future.

Yup, agree here totally.

If the worst happens when I've got my "joint" cover (for the exclusion period), I would simply claim on the old insurance and probably have to keep it and cancel the new one (depending on what the claim was for).

I do agree with you in that it should be the same as other insurances (house, car etc) - if your pet falls ill from the day of insurance, you should be covered. I think they do it just in case people have taken the insurance out when their pet's fallen ill.....:(