Insurance... Can they do this?

MrsHedgehog

Hi

Bit of a long one, so please bear with me.

I've been with the same insurance company since both CKCS dogs were pups.... I have a policy with lifetime cover, and £2k per condition policy limit (it seemed like a lot of money back then, I know different now!!) also £70 xs and we pay 33% on all bills due to dog age. We had been paying around £40 per month each.

My 9YO is into his 3 year of cancer ... Anal sac tumours both sides, few ops, and chemo. The renewal has come through at £150 per month :eek: this works out to £1800ish per year, plus xs. I contacted them to complain as they are effectively constructively excluding any cancer cover, and they've reviewed it and come up with new figure of £95 per month, so approx £1210 per year with xs, and we pay 1/3 again so realistically we will be able to claim £720 if he has the full £2k of treatment which he is currently going waaaay over each year.

My question is ... Can they do this? My business head says they can as we are a bad risk and they will be pretty guaranteed to pay us more than we give them, but my own head says we are paying more in than we will see back, but we are over a barrel as we can't go elsewhere. If I renewed as a "new customer" with them I would pay £20 per month but they will exclude everything he's ever had (so heart too).

What do I do?! I don't know if I've any right to be cross and whether to complain to some authority, or if this is just the nature of insurance?!

Please help?!

Thanks and sorry it was long!:o

krlyr

A complaint could be made to the Insurance Ombudsman - but I'm not sure their renewal would be classed as unfair given your dog's age and medical history
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/pet-insurance.htm

If you're exceeding the £2000 cover each year, you could perhaps look at it as a payment plan for his treatment, with a saving of £100 or so once you take the excess into consideration. You can't really compare the new customer quotes because all his conditions would be excluded - and it's very likely that they are what's bumping up his premium so much (which a mix of his age)

Paradigm

In a word...Yes!

Your contract lasts for 12 months (usually), at the end of this period they can offer you another 12 months cover but the premium quoted can change... as with any insurance.

As they are not excluding the current treatment for cancer but are for any other instances & everything else remains the same... your excess & the 33% contribution to vet bills, they are fulfilling their lifetime cover commitment.

The words "over a barrel" are so true.... welcome to the world of insurance, no matter which type!

MrsHedgehog

Thanks both....it's what my "business" head thought but I'm still miffed... Would've been wrong at £150pm though I reckon!

Miffed at myself more too... £2k seemed a decent limit 10 years ago, but woefully short now!

Thanks again

Paradigm

MrsHedgehog wrote: »

Miffed at myself more too... £2k seemed a decent limit 10 years ago, but woefully short now!

Thanks again

Yep, we've all done it...hindsight & all that

I wonder how many reading this are now frantically digging out their policies because they haven't taken the rise in treatment costs into account when they renewed their "reasonable" quote?

gettingready

Zara';s is 7k per year cover, renewable every year (not per condition). I claimed 14k in 2 years but am unlikely to claim anything like that again, still my premiums are £130 per month at the moment....

rising_from_the_ashes

Unfortunately, even with lifetime policies, they can change the T&Cs at renewal time

Many now set a payout limit over the lifetime of the pet (I was reading PP T&Cs the other night & it states that if the total claimed exceeds £36k over the lifetime of the pet, the retain the right to seek advice on whether cover should continue) - although that seems a purely business reason - I would also like to think that in part, it's to determine if it is actually in the animals best interests for treatment to continue