Pet plan premium increase

Kate0286

Thanks everyone for your advice. Some really useful info. Appreciate it. 

baser999

elsien said:

To be fair, we are shielded from the true cost of medication because of the NHS. We have no idea how much medications cost in the real world. Which is why animal meds prices can come as a bit of a surprise.
Plus online chemists who sell at a discount don’t have the associated overheads of a vets practice. I’m sure there are some rip off merchants out there but I’ve always been happy with my Vet and I have always felt that they have been quite transparent about costs.

I fully accept a Vet has overheads which a dispensing on-line chemist probably doesn’t have to factor in so high. However, the Vet reflects his overheads in the examination and treatment of the pet. Where are his overheads in the subsequent prescribing of medication (even more so a repeat prescription) that he’ll charge me £75 for and I can buy for £30.

sheramber

But you vet can’t buy at the price an online chemist buying in bulk can. Vets are restricted to how much they can stock at a time as medicines go out of date and they do not have the turnover that the online chemist has. Just like the corner shop cannot buy as cheaply as the supermarket can, because the supermarket can get a discount for buying in bulk. My husband had a retail shop but could not afford to buy in the same quantity as a larger competitor. That competitor could buy so cheaply he could sell at a lower price than my husband could buy from the same whole seller.

Lavendyr

i would echo others who say Petplan is expensive but worth it. They don't increase premiums when you claim. I can confirm this from personal experience. Last policy year I blew through my £7k cover on one of my cats. They paid out no problem and while my policy went up a tiny bit (a couple of £ a month) that was just normal increase in my view. This year I've claimed around £5k further on the continuing illness. Again, zero quibbles, everything paid out quickly. I would always go for "covered for life" - it's more expensive but if you do end up with a chronic condition which requires management, tests and hospitalisation (as my cat does) then it is well worth it. 

My cat however does have exclusions on his policy due to conditions he had when I adopted him from a rescue. For those, as he has ongoing medication needs, I also get my vet to write a prescription for me. It costs around £17.50 which typically covers four repeats (four months) until the next examination, and the medication is almost half the price when I buy from an online vet pharmacy (I use PetDrugsOnline, consistently well priced and reliable). 

johnbhoy70

I personally find it a bit ironic that a lot of people on here are saying Petplan don't raise prices through the roof when you claim as it seems to me the main problem the OP has here is that their prices have gone up by circa 45% from the outset of the policy in 2 years with no claims.

Listen, i was with them for 12/13 years and never used them once so can't comment on the claims procedure and the potential effects of prices on claiming. I may still go with them yet. We'll see.

I have deliberated for a few weeks who to go with now and only have a couple of days to decide but i've found on the comparisons big names like Sainsburys, Tesco  and Asda amongst others who are offering a few thousand pounds more cover for a cheaper premium with a flat excess fee similar to PP. I'm not interested in anything that doesn't offer a flat excess fee as any saving with a cheap premium would be pretty much wiped out with ,for example, a 20% balance to pay on a bill of a couple of thousand. 

I get that they tend to pay the vet quicker and with less hassle but if you're covered elsewhere you're covered surely!! That's certainly good for the vet but as per the punter seems to be picking up the tab for it. The 3 companies i mentioned were listed in a Telegraph article I read about the  best pet insurance policies to consider written by a vet and like i said i really don't get the extent of the PP love in on here. 


PS- Petplan were also listed in that article.

sheramber

Some people buy a brand new car, othes preferan old banger and don't see why you should want a brand new car corting several times more.  

It is free choice.

Everybody has their own requirements and priorities.

the OP has been given opinions of the posters based on thier exoeriences.

Buy, where are the recommendations  from those who use other companies? 

Lavendyr

johnbhoy70 said:

I personally find it a bit ironic that a lot of people on here are saying Petplan don't raise prices through the roof when you claim as it seems to me the main problem the OP has here is that their prices have gone up by circa 45% from the outset of the policy in 2 years with no claims.

Listen, i was with them for 12/13 years and never used them once so can't comment on the claims procedure and the potential effects of prices on claiming. I may still go with them yet. We'll see.

I have deliberated for a few weeks who to go with now and only have a couple of days to decide but i've found on the comparisons big names like Sainsburys, Tesco  and Asda amongst others who are offering a few thousand pounds more cover for a cheaper premium with a flat excess fee similar to PP. I'm not interested in anything that doesn't offer a flat excess fee as any saving with a cheap premium would be pretty much wiped out with ,for example, a 20% balance to pay on a bill of a couple of thousand. 

I get that they tend to pay the vet quicker and with less hassle but if you're covered elsewhere you're covered surely!! That's certainly good for the vet but as per the punter seems to be picking up the tab for it. The 3 companies i mentioned were listed in a Telegraph article I read about the  best pet insurance policies to consider written by a vet and like i said i really don't get the extent of the PP love in on here. 


PS- Petplan were also listed in that article.

I can only speak from my own experience. As I said, I've claimed substantial amounts from them so far and the premium hasn't increased ridiculously. 

sheramber

Premiums are based on breed ,reflecting the risk assessment for potential problems from previous experience, age, post code which reflects vet fees. A change in any of these items can cause an increase in premiums.