Pet insurance- can they change the terms of my policy without asking

73Jonathan123

I have a 16 year old cat with many ailments, heart condition, kidneys, pancreatis, asthma, hyperthyroidism and so on. Thankfully I have always had lifetime pet insurance cover. However recently they have changed the terms of my policy and now I have to pay not only the £70 excess per year per condition but also 35% of the treatment costs. Which believe me is hefty and a big worry.

Can they actually just change the terms? I don't know when they did it possibly because I don't bother with the non cheque mail but I definately haven't agreed to any change like this. It seems very sneaky changing the terms because I make a lot of claims.

krlyr

Who is it you're insured with?

You most likely agreed to any T&Cs changed by allowing the policy renew - it is your responsibility to read the paperwork sent to you.

Read the policy documents you hold, they may even have previously mentioned that an additional excess if due if the cat is over a certain age, for example.

73Jonathan123

Scotpet who are underwritten by allianz. So by not questioning it before renewal there is nothing I can do? Its not as if I can change the policy with all his ailments

suse*

it all depends on the small print really, petplan do a version where they shouldn't be able to do that to you as it is any illness even recurring ones. The problem is it would be too late for you to switch really now as you have claimed against conditions so if they are something longterm a different insurance company might not cover them or also charge you lots in different ways.

krlyr

From the Policy Wording

The Veterinary Fees and Complementary Treatment excesses are the amounts you have to pay towards the cost of your pet’s treatment. The excesses that apply for your pet will either be
a) a fixed amount only
b) a percentage amount only or
c) a fixed amount and a percentage amount.

The excesses for your pet are shown on your Certificate of Insurance Pet Details.
a)
A fixed amount only - this is the amount that you have to pay for each
unrelated injury or illness in each policy year. This means that if your pet
receives treatment for the same injury/illness in separate policy years, we
will deduct a fixed excess from the first claim(s) paid for each injury/illness in each policy year.
b) A percentage amount only - you must pay a percentage of all treatment
costs and this will be deducted from all claims submitted.
c) A fixed amount and a percentage amount - the fixed amount will be
deducted as explained in a). In addition, you must also pay a
percentage of all treatment costs, this will be deducted from all
claims submitted and will be calculated on the amount left after the
fixed amount has been deducted

Also, from the General Conditions in the Policy Wording

Changes at renewal:
a) When we offer further periods of insurance we may change the premium, excesses and policy Terms and Conditions.

Your renewal documents contain important details re. terms and conditions - by continuing to pay the premiums, you're effectively agreeing to a contract you haven't reviewed. My advice would be to make sure you check your mail a bit more closely!