changing insurance

hmc

i wondered if anyone had any recommendations for insurance that isnt life cover
we have been with axa forever but they have put it up too much for me this time
the reason ive been told is hes nearly 11 and they have had a lot of collies of that age claiming in my area! dosnt seem fair
i will keep the pup with them but the other will have to go to a cheaper policy

teddysmum

I've never had insurance and after 40 years of dog owner ship reckon that what I've saved far outweighs what it would have cost me (sometimes having 4 dogs at once).

However, people on dog forums I visit, comment that as the dog gets older, there is a huge jump in premium, resulting in their discontinuing and putting aside some savings for that dog's care.

rising_from_the_ashes

It's fine not having it if you've loads of money & can afford to pay out when needed BUT imagine how bad you'd feel if you didn't have it and really needed it!


However, I do believe that there's a "what's fair" argument in it and, especially when they get old and are past the "what's fair" bit, then I've cancelled and put the money aside to cover things like upset tums, arthritis meds etc

If you want something basic to cover an accident / injury, something like this might be worth a shot

http://www.tescobank.com/insurance/petins/accident-and-injury.html

hmc

thanks
tesco quotes arnt bad even the upto £7k per condition
i wouldnt put him through loads of treatment at his age but a broken leg would end up more than i could afford with out insurance or meds for arthritis, he could be on them for yrs my last collie was
i dont know what to do, i have no savings for vets bills
i am on certain benefits so i know its not to rely on, but i could go to the blue cross
but ive always had my animals insured but this jump was too much

krlyr

Don't know if you're aware, but AXA have decided to withdraw from the pet insurance market. It was announced some months ago, they are honouring existing policies but several customers have reported high jumps at renewals. Obviously if they're not taking on new customers, most of their customers will be ones with ongoing claims so they may well be raising premiums to try to make their profit margin on these policies, or to get customers to move elsewhere.

hmc

I didn't know that ! I must have just squeezed in with the pup then

rising_from_the_ashes

krlyr wrote: »

Don't know if you're aware, but AXA have decided to withdraw from the pet insurance market. It was announced some months ago, they are honouring existing policies but several customers have reported high jumps at renewals. Obviously if they're not taking on new customers, most of their customers will be ones with ongoing claims so they may well be raising premiums to try to make their profit margin on these policies, or to get customers to move elsewhere.

Don't seem to be any worse than other insurers tbh - I've heard of other increases well over 100% this year:(

All mine have renewed in past 2 months (all axa) - maisie's was up 45% & cats around the same (but they were only £5.29 & £7.49 to start with:

hmc

Will they cancel existing customers next yr I wonder

Smokey_Joe

hmc wrote: »

thanks
tesco quotes arnt bad even the upto £7k per condition
i wouldnt put him through loads of treatment at his age but a broken leg would end up more than i could afford with out insurance or meds for arthritis, he could be on them for yrs my last collie was
i dont know what to do, i have no savings for vets bills
i am on certain benefits so i know its not to rely on, but i could go to the blue cross
but ive always had my animals insured but this jump was too much

Earlier this year my elderly collie had to have two ops in the space of 3 days due to coughing up blood. Even though she was insured there was the excess to pay on both ops, plus various med's. I was fortunate in that a month or two before this I had been to see my practise manager to discuss setting up a standing order in case of future unexpected bills (due to a deterioration in our finances paying on credit cards was no longer an option). We had agreed at the time that should the need arise we would be able to adjust the standing order as required in order to settle any outstanding bills when they came up but in the meantime we would pay a certain amount each month to cover anticipated costs + a percentage to cover any unexpected costs.
This turned out to be a godsend and enabled us to pay the bills off over a period of months (we lost her quite quickly after the ops) as we were on a fixed income (benefits).
If you've used the same vet for some time you could perhaps approach them in the same way and suggest setting up a similar arrangement where you are effectively self insuring on the basis you're building up a credit in advance for any future bills, perhaps paying a similar amount to that which your insurance premium has been in the past?
I can't guarantee your vet will go for it but if it's a decent size practice you may well find that they do operate a similar arrangement already with others and that not all bills have to be strictly settled at the time of treatment.
If they do go for it you'll still be paying a similar amount to what you were with insurance and you're vet is likely to be much more understanding (should the worst happen) given that you've shown you're reliable and want to ensure the best treatment is available for your dog (or other pet) no matter what.
Hope this idea helps, would be good to know how you get on if you decide to down this road. Whatever you decide to do I hope it works out well for you.

Kinski

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Don't seem to be any worse than other insurers tbh - I've heard of other increases well over 100% this year:(

All mine have renewed in past 2 months (all axa) - maisie's was up 45% & cats around the same (but they were only £5.29 & £7.49 to start with:

My renewal for my Bichon went up from £130 last year to £301 this year, some renewals have gone up by as much as 600%. There have been complaints sent to AXA which got nowhere and the complaints have now gone to the financial ombudsman who are now looking at them.

Bromley86

Reasonable increase on our 3 year lab girl. £224/yr to £251 (12%). Previous year's increases were 10% & 10%.

Mind you, the real test will be when our 6-year-double-hip-replacement's renewal arrives . And, of course, whether AXA later decide to withdraw entirely or not.