Dog insurance renewal help please

squibbs25

Hi we currently have 2 Jack Russell's and the insurance renewal arrived a few days ago.
The premium is now up to £38.03 pm x12 (we currently paid £30.21)
Online with the same company, with identical cover I can get it for £28.67 pm so I rang them up and the best they can come up with is £34.22 pm (this was not cancellations dept)

My dilemma is if I stop original policy then we have the 2 week gap for non insurance as with all new insurance policies
OR
Do I phone and go through to cancellations and see if they can do any better.
Both dogs are only 3 and we've had them from puppies (no health worries etc).

I don't want to be with no insurance at all.

Thanks for reading

Johnny_Dangerously

I'd recommend getting quotes elsewhere. Although they are healthy, have they had previous conditions? If so, check what the new policy with another company would cover. If you can find it elsewhere with a reputable insurer, then I'd definitely speak to cancellations. Just make sure you are ready to go through with it if they don't budge.

Obviously, make sure you thoroughly read the full Ts & Cs of the new insurer to ensure it is truly comparable before you move.

InsideInsurance

Price difference = £6
Annual saving = £72
Cost for 2 weeks cover = ~£14

You need to time it correctly but buy the new policy 2 weeks before the old one ends, your saving goes down to ~£58 for the year but its still a saving and you end up with no break in cover

As above, assume they've never had any injury or sickness otherwise you've a pre-existing condition issue if you dont renew

squibbs25

Sorry, yes both healthy with no previous conditions etc.

I have looked online with other companies but like you say it all in the small print /t&c's. It's a minefield.

The company we are with pay out very quickly when then us a problem (mother in law's GSD has existing condition with regular medication, pay up every time with no fuss)
Mother in laws advice was to stick with them as £72 is nothing in the grand scheme of things - she's thinking that if problem occurred during 2 weeks overlap (policy expires in 10 days - so will have few days of no cover if I change that I really don't want) as it could potentially cost a lot more than £72.

If I was to ring and be put through to cancellation will my policy automatically be cancelled ? Can they do anything better with the price does anyone know?

Again many thanks

jackomdj

It won't automatically get cancelled. Get through to them and say you are "thinking about cancelling, but like the company and was hoping they could bring the price down"

InsideInsurance

Be careful of your language - "cancelling" means you are terminating the policy. "Lapsing" means you are simply not wanting it to renew.

The former can attract fees, though not as commonly as in Motor or Home.

Having an overlap shouldnt cause any problems and indeed isnt uncommon in Protection policies when people are switching providers. If you are concerned by doing it though explicitly ask them first.

Also check you are comparing like for like. Insurers tend to try and keep everyone on the same insurance terms as it make administering the policies/ claims easier but sometimes due to marketing messages etc renewing customers and new business customers will be on different terms

krlyr

A few other considerations to bear in mind..

You say you haven't claimed, but have the dogs had any vet treatment during the last year? For example, a tummy bug, a mild sprain that cleared up on its own, etc.? If you start a brand new policy then even minor things like this could be deemed part of a pre-existing condition and not covered on the new policy (but would be if you renewed the existing one). When I've made claims, my insurance asked for a full vet history for the first claim, and then on another claim asked for a 1 year history.

Also bear in mind that as this has happened this year, the same thing is likely to happen next year. As soon as any minor treatment crops up, you then have the above dilemma. I'd weigh up whether it's worth the gamble of being able to cancel & take out a new policy each year, or whether you may be best finding a company less likely to hike prices before there are any pre-exisiting conditions. You've only got young dogs, if you consider this a steep jump already, bear in mind the jump at milestone ages, e.g. into 'senior' age, or if you've made any claims.

The overlap period is something to consider - I've even read people saying that their insurers have actually recommended it. However, read T&Cs - many state that they will not cover you if you have another policy elsewhere. If you're with two different companies then you can probably get away with not telling the existing company that you have taken out a new policy - so you just claim from them if anything happens within that window, and renew the policy/cancel the new one if it's an on-going issue. However, if you hold two policies with the same company, they're going to know about it - I'd be asking them which policy would trump the other, it may be that they refuse to cover under the old policy as they deem the new policy to override it (yet won't pay out under the new policy due to the introductory period)

What's the company you're with, out of interest?

krlyr

And with the wording, yes, be careful - with all my insurances, if I'm switching then I always phone and say that I don't want to renew, rather than that I want to cancel the policy (paranoid I'll end up driving with no insurance for a month or that the house will burn down and I'll find out they cancelled the policy 2 weeks early!)

Beckyy

I have a feeling this is DL.

I have found the most they will reduce the policy by with no claims is 10% and wouldn't budge from my experience. Could you look to remove any 'bells and whistles' optional extras from the policy (purchase price back on death etc)? This took a few pounds off for us, and you can then take out a new policy 14 days beforehand next year if applicable.

squibbs25

Both policies were identical and the price difference was silly.
After speaking with my husband we decided to stop all the extras on the policy (accidental death benefit, hospitalisation cover etc) so just have vets cover and third party liability (although was told that I should have third party liability on the house insurance that covers the dogs??)
Managed to get the premium down to just under £27.00 pm which I find a lot better especially compared to the original £38 pm they wanted to charge.

Yes it is with DL.
I understand they want to attract new customers but I didn't think that as an existing I would pay an extra £120 more a year more than a new customer.

I didn't take a new policy as I don't want any problems if I had to make a claim, nor did we want to have a period where the dogs were not insured as would have been the case.

Thank you all for the advice given.

Squibbs

krlyr

An alternative for the third party cover is to join the Dogs Trust. It's around £25 a year and you get cover for all dogs in your household.