Pet insurance query

Pupinski

Hello! 

I'm hoping somebody here can set me on the right track...  Insurance company marketed themselves heavily as shaking up the pet insurance company by spreading the cost of claims across all policy holders rather than individuals so that previous claims would not be considered in the premium when policies were due for renewal and nobody would pay more at renewal than somebody taking out the policy for the first time. It was their key selling point and the basis upon which I took out two policies for my dogs. 

This worked well for several years but they've now changed their policy so that they now consider individual claims rather than spreading the cost.  My dogs now have ongoing chronic conditions so I cannot switch companies as they won't be covered and I have no choice but to accept this fundamental change to the policies. The reason I took out these lifetime policies though they were not the cheapest, is because I wanted the security of knowing that I could claim for whatever healthcare my dogs needed, based on their heavy sales pitch but now I have to think carefully about what treatment I can give my dogs for their chronic conditions, and their welfare will suffer as a result.  Had I known they would change this pillar of their policy I would have shopped around and likely not have bought these expensive policies in the first place. I feel like I'm tied onto policies that were sold deceptively. 

A friend and I have both submitted the same claim to the Financial Ombudsman.  Her claim was initially upheld but the Ombudsmen changed their mind and reversed the decision two weeks later. My claim has just been declined on the basis that they don't get involved in pricing structures (and a number of other factors which have nothing whatsoever to do with my claim!). We both want to contest the decisions and would welcome any advice on where we stand with this. 

Thanks for getting this far! 

DullGreyGuy

Which insurer is it? PetPlan are the famous ones for saying claims wont impact premiums but they are still marketing it as such. ManyPets is the only company I recall stating they are a disruptor in Pet insurance and their FAQ last updated in Nov 2021 state claims increase premiums so it cannot be them.

Its a hard place unfortunately and you will have to be very lucky with the ombudsman. Ultimately you buy an annual policy and an insurer has no obligation to even offer you a renewal at the end of the year and so it'll be hard to hold them to a prior promise from previous policy years.