Pet insurance question

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Since I got my rescue dog just over 2 years ago, I've had him insured with Petplan. I have had to make a few claims and they have paid out instantly with out any problem.

However, the premium has gone up again and the excess I have to pay has also gone up by about £10 each illness. He isn't a young dog however, so do expect to pay a bit more. However, I don't want to feel ripped off at the same time. I've had his renewal notice a few days ago, so would need to get my skates on.

Is there any other pet insurance companies who pay out with no hassle?

Also has anyone had success haggling down the price? I know we haggle when it comes to car insurance ect. Does it work the same for pet insurance?

cavework

Since I got my rescue dog just over 2 years ago, I've had him insured with Petplan. I have had to make a few claims and they have paid out instantly with out any problem.


There could be a problem if you change insurers as now any pre-existing conditions , ie anything resulting from illnesses treated under this insurance would not be covered by any new insurer.
We have a rescue insured by Pet Plan but ours is lifetime cover for up to 7k per year. The premium remains the same for the life of the dog and on the few occasions we have had to make a claim, they have always paid directly to our vet with no hassle
Check you were not sold this policy when you adopted your rescue dog

sallyj17

[QUOTE=cavework;66404018._The_premium_remains_the_same_for_the_life_of_the_dog..[/QUOTE]



Interesting... how long have you had the policy? Have spoken to quite a few people with Petplan ... most of whom say that their premium increases have been reasonable... but not come across anyone else who has got a fixed premium for life.

krlyr

The problem with pet insurance is that your dog becomes more likely to get ill or injured as it gets older, rather than less. The longer you've been driving the better you get, newer cars get safer, etc., therefore you earn lower premiums. Your pet ages and the likelihood of a claim goes up - that makes it hard to have grounds to haggle. I've only heard of one or two individual cases where people have managed to get their premiums adjusted - I've always asked before moving pets away from an insurance company and never been able to get them to even consider it.

http://www.pet-insurance-surveys.co.uk/ is a good website that compares insurances by features, the Top Scoring Policies are worth a look.

As cavework says, you do risk exclusions by changing. Not just conditions you've claimed for, but things you've seen the vet about too. Say he saw the vet about a limp last year, and nothing came of it - if you switched and he developed an issue with that same leg, the new insurers may say the limp was the first symptom of it and therefore exclude any claims relating to it.
The only insurer I've seen to cover pre-exisiting conditions are VetMediCover, if the dog has been treatment or symptom free for 24 months, though I've not heard if anyone's had any success or issues using them with pre-existing conditions.

There's no harm in getting quotes - if nothing else, it may make you realise that with his age, everyone's charging a bit more with premiums and excesses. Petplan tend to be pretty reasonable with their premium increases from what I've heard, so I would wonder whether he's just reached a bit of a milestone age in terms of becoming a senior dog and therefore costing a bit more and switching to the 'senior dog excess' that many companies implement. If that's the case, I would think carefully about moving - Petplan do have an age limit, from which they stop offering lifetime cover, so if you move away from them you may be unable to move back next year if you're unhappy with the new company.

fannyadams

we're with Argos and our girl dog has had 2 strokes and they've paid out pretty well. trouble is were now bound to stay with them as a stroke (even though she is 'fully recovered' and not on any medication) can be listed as a pre exisiting condition.

gettingready

cavework wrote: »

We have a rescue insured by Pet Plan but ours is lifetime cover for up to 7k per year. The premium remains the same for the life of the dog

I think you meant the cover stays the same, not the premium (payments).

I have few pets with PetPlan on 7k lifetime Policy and the cost of policy does go up every year,

sulphate

I have my rabbits insured with Petplan too and although the premiums go up every year, my understanding is that the premium amount is based on the pet's age, breed and address - and as the age increases each year, so does the premium. http://www.petplan.co.uk/therightcover/anyquestions.asp#existing-customer

Presumably you also have a "covered for life" policy and the excess may have increased as a result of you either claiming or the pet reaching a certain age.

It's very, very annoying (my excess for one of the rabbits has also increased this year) however I would never try and negotiate the price because I'm sure they'd be delighted if I cancelled my policy.

It's also worth bearing in mind any pre-existing conditions - if you move insurers and your dog has had any health problem at all in the past, the insurer won't cover it, and may also exclude any related conditions. You may end up being worse off changing!

KxMx

fannyadams wrote: »

we're with Argos and our girl dog has had 2 strokes and they've paid out pretty well. trouble is were now bound to stay with them as a stroke (even though she is 'fully recovered' and not on any medication) can be listed as a pre exisiting condition.

You can't expect to be able to chop and change pet insurance for the pet's whole life.

When I took out a lifetime policy I did it full in the knowledge that were I to claim I would then be stuck with that insurer, I certainly won't moan if that happens it's what I signed up for.

I would rather have expensive cover than no cover for sure :cool:

suse*

I have a 7 year old rescue dog with the petplan lifetime cover. She had some lumps removed in the first year and the excess stayed the same but the premiums went up a little bit. I think the excess is per illness as well so I think I might get away with not paying that again if she has more lumps.

I pay 31.18 a month for it but it is worth the peace of mind, maybe just check you are on the lifetime cover else you might hit a cap sooner where they won't treat any more.

gettingready

Yes, excess is per ilness per policy year

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Many thanks for all the replies. I have took on board what everyone has said and I think you are all right. It will be in mine and my dog's best interest to stay with Petplan. I have covered for life, I think I chose the £4000 option.

Also as you say, he may not get insured with another company due to his age. Also, there is the pre-existing medical conditions aswell to take into consideration.