AXA pulling out of pet insurance

OnAndUp

Hello everyone!

So I finally have my NCI renwal for my 6 year old crossbreed dog. With not really enough time to get my head around it all grrr.... My dog does have an existing condition, it's not something I regularly claim for - but it does really make me more inclined to go with them in case a new insurer tries to exclude other things in the future because of it. But I still want to be sure.

I was pleasantly surprised to see it was for £306.70, my last AXA one was £271.74. Being an MSE'r I asked could they knock it down at all, and she came back and said £291.45 - ok not loads off but wasn't expecting them to knock a penny of to be honest!

I am trying to read back through the last 5 pages or so of this thread as well as look at the policy wording, which I had to ask for and they emailed it as they don't automatically send it - ridiculous! I have terrible "brainfog!" at the moment so it's a huge struggle unfortunately.

I have rang them to ask a couple of Q's and their customer service seemed ok. The most obvious difference I see is the 15% after the age of 10 which AXA didn't have.

Are there any other obvious differences you have noticed please?

Also has anyone changed to them and then had any dealings and claims with their normal customer service and how did you find them?

Huge Thank You for reading and any responses gratefully received!! :T

sheramber

I haven't had my renewal yet- not due until July but have looked at the policy documents etc. I think I remember there was a requirement to notify them if treatment is going to cost more then £850. Not a great problem but something you need to be aware of.

I did change my older dog before renewal as he had no exclusions with AXA- some from before using AXA so excluded already.

My other dog had a cruciate repair last year so I'm waiting to see what the renewal is before deciding.

I do wonder of they increase premiums for older dogs as some people with older dogs have reported large increases.

OnAndUp

Thanks for your reply sheramber!

sallyj17

An article in today's Telegraph.. mainly about AXA/NCI renewal premiums! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/insurance/pet/11613575/Insurance-for-my-dog-costs-3400-a-year.html

glossyhair

So my More Than policy last year for 2 cats (who are Moggies) was £434.04. The renewal has come in at £696.12. An increase of £262.08 from one year to the next.

Bearing in mind, that after the excess, I still have to pay 20% of the balance of any vet fees as well . . . I feel this is a rip off. :mad:

Although the hike is not as high as some other companies, I am completely disgusted! One cat has a pre-existing condition and so I can't move her to another policy as it won't be covered, but I'm shopping around for the other one who has only had a couple of very minor conditions that I've never even bothered to claim for.

I live by a busy road so they are house cats and are therefore never exposed to potential (and high cost) traffic accidents, fights, bites or FelV. They are well cared for and generally fit and healthy. Yet none of this is taken into consideration when fixing the prices.

This (computer algorithm driven) increase seems unfair, and as they will not entertain any reduction at all, I'm making a formal complaint and will then be taking it to the Ombudsman, per Martin's post, although my experience with a different Ombudsman was less than satisfactory.

My home insurance has been with More Than for more than 15 years; that cost has always been competitive & the service good - so it's a shame that I'm going to have to find a new provider for that as well. Sorry More Than, you've lost my loyalty and all of the business that I can possible move away from you.

mtbbuxton

glossyhair wrote: »

So my More Than policy last year for 2 cats (who are Moggies) was £434.04. The renewal has come in at £696.12. An increase of £262.08 from one year to the next.

Bearing in mind, that after the excess, I still have to pay 20% of the balance of any vet fees as well . . . I feel this is a rip off. :mad:

Although the hike is not as high as some other companies, I am completely disgusted! One cat has a pre-existing condition and so I can't move her to another policy as it won't be covered, but I'm shopping around for the other one who has only had a couple of very minor conditions that I've never even bothered to claim for.

I live by a busy road so they are house cats and are therefore never exposed to potential (and high cost) traffic accidents, fights, bites or FelV. They are well cared for and generally fit and healthy. Yet none of this is taken into consideration when fixing the prices.

This (computer algorithm driven) increase seems unfair, and as they will not entertain any reduction at all, I'm making a formal complaint and will then be taking it to the Ombudsman, per Martin's post, although my experience with a different Ombudsman was less than satisfactory.

My home insurance has been with More Than for more than 15 years; that cost has always been competitive & the service good - so it's a shame that I'm going to have to find a new provider for that as well. Sorry More Than, you've lost my loyalty and all of the business that I can possible move away from you.

Be careful if they're on a joint policy - if you move one and not the other, they may still class it as a new policy and exclude your cats pre-existing condition. I have a friend who is fighting them over a very large bill at the moment due to making a change similar to this.

M x

krlyr

glossyhair wrote: »

Although the hike is not as high as some other companies, I am completely disgusted! One cat has a pre-existing condition and so I can't move her to another policy as it won't be covered, but I'm shopping around for the other one who has only had a couple of very minor conditions that I've never even bothered to claim for.

Out of interest, how much have you claimed for the on-going condition, and how much are you likely to claim over the next year?

Also bear in mind that although you haven't claimed for any conditions with your other cat, if there are records on your vet's system, these (and any other potentially related claims) could be excluded by any new insurance company. E.g. your vet has a record of treating the cat for a stomach bug within the last year, if you were to claim for a stomach issue with the new insurer they may deem it related and exclude it as a pre-existing condition.

rising_from_the_ashes

glossyhair wrote: »

So my More Than policy last year for 2 cats (who are Moggies) was £434.04. The renewal has come in at £696.12. An increase of £262.08 from one year to the next.

Sorry but I wasn't aware More Than had transferred policies to NCI like Axa have done?

If not, and this is just an annual premium rise, how old are the cats now?

TBH I'm not surprised at all - it's underwritten by RSA which is pretty renowned for big policy rises either after a claim(s) or when pets get older

How would insurers be able to cover 'indoor' pets for lower premiums (sorry if I've not picked that up correctly) - what would happen if they escaped and had an accident, I'm sure you'd want them to be covered - would you not?

Florence27

Has anyone heard anything further about whether it is worth fighting?


I was paying £320.12 annually, renewal is £1812.94!


My cat was diagnosed with cancer 8 months ago when I was told she had 6 months to live & she's since developed kidney & thyroid problems too so she doesn't have long left. The insurance claims for the past year were £1600 approx, the bulk of that relates to an op when she crashed, had to be resuscitated & then stayed in for a few days.


She's on 3 lots of meds which I can get online for £40ish a month & she might need a few more blood tests along the way. She nearly had to be admitted a few weeks ago for 24 hours of fluids to flush out the toxins but she improved on her own in the end but it's possible that she might need that. I can't predict what sudden emergencies might happen but feel it wouldn't be fair on her to put her through anything else so it seems best to cancel the insurance.


The excess is now £70 instead of £50 (so as she has 3 ailments I'll have to pay £210 before I can start claiming anyhow) & now have to pay 15% too, also euthanasia & cremation are no longer covered anymore.


It seems a bit of a no brainer really but equally it feels wrong not to protest! I chose life time cover so I didn't have to worry about vet costs & could do whatever was best for my cat, rather than my purse. I knew it would go up but £151 a month compared to £26 is silly.


I just wondered if anyone has heard any success stories about complaining?


Thanks

sheramber

How much to charge for a policy is a business decision for the company to make.

It is based on your animal, your post code and the likelyhood of future claims.

After all they are in business to make a profit. Those with no existing conditions will have moved to other providers so the people left under the AXA banner will all be those with existing conditions so liable to make further claims.

The ombudsman has stated that as long as the company can show that you are being charged the same as other clients in the same circumstances there is no complaint to answer.

AXA offered lifelong cover but did not guarante what the cost would be. You are still being offered lifelong cover despite the fact that the cost has escalated.

We have to accept that AXA's policies were very undercharged hence the decision to get out of the market. Rather than having the hassle of complaints when increasing premiums by large amounts they opted out and passed that to another company.

There are some people who are happy with their renewal prices.

I am currently awaiting mine with trepidation.

I moved my dog with no previous claims but the other has had cruciate surgey on one leg which would exclude a claim for the other leg , if it went. with a new comapany.