# Can someone clarify insurance please?



## Amh59 (Dec 22, 2011)

Hi

I've been trying to do comparisons for insurance for Bo for when the free 4 week one runs out and am dazed and confused so if anyone can explain what each of the below mean I'd be grateful.

John Lewis - annual cover (lifetime cover). £10,000 vet fee cover. £13.32 a month.

Sainsbury's option 2 - per condition., £7,500 vet fee cover. £14.34 a month.

Hastings direct - per condition per year (lifetime cover). £6,000 vet fee cover.

They all have a similar excess of £75-100. 

As Bo is (touchwood) healthy, which would be the best option do you think? We have pet plan insurance for 4 weeks free but their monthly payment of
£24.89 seems a lot higher than some of the others for £7,000 vet cover.

Thanks.
Andrea x


----------



## JR1 (Nov 12, 2011)

Sounds like the John Lewis one is a winner! Insurance will drive you mad. It did me! if you Find one in your budget and it's a good one covering all your needs go with it!


----------



## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

I went with John Lewis as there cover is £10000 per year regardless of the condition and I thought this was good. They were also very competitive.


----------



## Turi (Jun 28, 2011)

I'm a bit confused too if I'm honest. I tried to get a quote today from John Lewis over the internet and it was £25. I wonder why it was so much more than your quote?!


----------



## ali-s.j. (Jun 6, 2011)

Turi - It depends on where you live!
Andrea - John Lewis looks good - best opt for lifetime, rather than ceiling per condition or per year.


----------



## ali-s.j. (Jun 6, 2011)

Turi - It depends on where you live!
Andrea - John Lewis looks good - best opt for lifetime, rather than ceiling per condition or per year.


----------



## Amh59 (Dec 22, 2011)

Hi Turi
I don't know why the difference, could it be that your puppy isn't 8 weeks old yet? I got a quote from Argos too and their platinum cover (up to £7,000 vet fees) was £17.28 a month, their gold cover (up to £4,000 vet fees) was £11.69 a month. I found the Vets Medicover one a bit confusing and the Pdsa one didn't give me a quote and said to phone them instead.

I'd still like to know what all the different terms mean if anyone can help. Thanks.

Andrea x


----------



## Turi (Jun 28, 2011)

Ali, why on earth would it depend on where I live - that's bananas! Those crazy insurance people 

Andrea, I pretended that our puppy was eight weeks old for the purpose of getting an estimate. I found Vets Medicover a bit confusing too...


----------



## rubenthedog (Jan 3, 2012)

Vets cost vary tremedously throughout the country. In London for example you can expect to pay about 40-50% more than in Central Scotland, so premiums will be higher in London to compensate for this

Insurance companies also weigh their premiums on the claim rates of other people in your area to average things out.

I've also checked out John Lewis for Baxter, who is 10 weeks old. They are coming back at £160.17 of us. healthy pets seem to be the cheapest for us, but I've never heard of them before.

Has anyone had any experience with them?


----------



## rubenthedog (Jan 3, 2012)

Vets cost vary tremedously throughout the country. In London for example you can expect to pay about 40-50% more than in Central Scotland, so premiums will be higher in London to compensate for this

Insurance companies also weigh their premiums on the claim rates of other people in your area to average things out.

I've also checked out John Lewis for Baxter, who is 10 weeks old. They are coming back at £160.17 of us. healthy pets seem to be the cheapest for us, but I've never heard of them before.

Has anyone had any experience with them?


----------



## Ollie's "mom" (Dec 19, 2011)

*Insurance "over the pond"*



rubenthedog said:


> Vets cost vary tremedously throughout the country. In London for example you can expect to pay about 40-50% more than in Central Scotland, so premiums will be higher in London to compensate for this
> 
> Insurance companies also weigh their premiums on the claim rates of other people in your area to average things out.
> 
> ...


All this insurance information is amazing to me! Very few people i'm acquainted with have pet insurance. This was validated by my cat's orthopedic surgeon. Frankly he is extremely sensitive to his patients lack of insurance, and deeply discounts cases like Charlie"s--severe trauma to r leg, sepsis and subluxed ankle and knee joints, as well as other soft tissue damage. Had surgery with external fixation x 2 months, then back in hospital after a month, then 2 more months. We expected that we could have sent Charlie to college--but that was not the case. Charlie received better care, and we received better care, consideration and communication than I've seen, and received from many very good hospitals.
As an indication that animals, little children (and some add durnks) are especially looked after--Charlie's hospitalizations made it easy to transition him from a feral cat to an inside cat! The first night he was hospitalized was the first night he ever slept inside. 
Sorry for the digression, i know this is a puppy forum, and I have two extraordinary cockapoos without insurance. (However they are both enrolled in an HMO--well puppy care, neutering etc, other care discounted)
I truly appreciate the information, those of you in the British Isles may have heard bits about the ongoing healthcare drama over here. And insurance for pets is a new concept for me. Thanks monica


----------



## greenflower (Sep 7, 2011)

i also felt totally overwhelmed by pet insurance too when i was looking round. i ended up going for John Lewis. i would adivse to get on with it though because i got caught out with the 14 days of reduced cover before it kicked in. im guessing its the same for all insurance (it was for the ones i looked at). John Lewis still offered accidental cover during the 14 days. others dont cover for anything.


----------



## Jon Buoy (Sep 3, 2011)

Turi said:


> Those crazy insurance people


I'm really offended now  

If it makes you feel any better, I work in the insurance industry (although not pet insurance) and I'm confused about the options too. It's on my list of things to do, but as we won't get our puppy until the end of April, it's been pushed down the list.

In essence, I'll start by looking for the widest cover possible and then see if I can improve on the price with other insurers without compromising on the cover offered. I've heard too many shocking stories of high vets bills to risk getting basic cover and I figure that it might cost a bit more, but I'll have the piece of mind that the costs should be covered if something bad happens - and if it doesn't I'll be even happier 

Jon


----------



## Turi (Jun 28, 2011)

Oooops, sorry Jon. Forgot you work in insurance - you're obviously an exception 

Thank you for clarifying everyone. 

Jon, another question for you - is it worth trying to negotiate with insurance companies?


----------



## Jon Buoy (Sep 3, 2011)

Turi said:


> Jon, another question for you - is it worth trying to negotiate with insurance companies?


It's always worth asking, but don't be surprised if the answer is no! Usually these prices are automatically generated, so being able to talk to the underwriter who assesses risk and therefore premium, is near impossible. If you have an insurance broker in your area, you could also put them to work for you and they might be willing to discount their commission if you take out a policy via them.
It is worth shopping around as some insurers will have a different attitude to prices for your area, the type of dog etc. If one insurer is cheaper in Scotland, it doesn't always follow that they will be cheapest for you in London.


----------



## Turi (Jun 28, 2011)

Thanks Jon - I'll let you know how we get on!


----------



## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Another thing to remember with pet insurance is it works slightly different to other insurance in that once you have started to take your dog to the vets for almost anything it may well not be a good idea to change insurance company as anything occuring before the start of a policy will be classed as a pre-existing condition. So if you take your dog in for a problem with a leg your vets will be asked when is the first time on their records this may have occured and this could have been several years before when you queried it but no action was taken. The same can occur with almost any condition so it is very important to get the right policy from the very start.

Although comparing premiums is good what you are looking at is the first years premium - once the company have hooked you they can charge what they want in future years and you have the choice of either just paying or moving companies with the risk if pre-existing conditions being excluded. Some companies in the past have had a reputation for hiking premiums year after year - Marks and Spencer is one big name company who did this and I heard of a fair few people being charged ridiculous premiums after several years. Recently there have also been several companies deciding they no longer wish to deal with pet insurance and will not be renewing policies - this time leaving people with no cover at all.


----------



## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Good advice. Thank you.


----------



## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

Turi said:


> I'm a bit confused too if I'm honest. I tried to get a quote today from John Lewis over the internet and it was £25. I wonder why it was so much more than your quote?!


Hi Turi, I'm in London as well, and all the quotes that I get are ridiculously high . I was with E & L which is really cheap but not lifetime cover, so I started looking around again. I found Pets at Home and when I used their slider and opted for a larger excess, I got the premium down to £13 a month for their highest level of cover which is really good. The other quotes I was getting were all around £25 plus. I am prepared to accept a higher excess because I really want the insurance in case of major problems rather than little things. Anyway, suggest you take a look at them.


----------



## Turi (Jun 28, 2011)

That's a really good top, thank you!


----------



## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Dylansmum said:


> I was with E & L which is really cheap but not lifetime cover, so I started looking around again.


Just to say E&L have a reputation for being cheap - but also a reputation to be extremely difficult to get any payment out of them so personally they are one company I would not touch!


----------



## Amh59 (Dec 22, 2011)

Dylansmum said:


> Hi Turi, I'm in London as well, and all the quotes that I get are ridiculously high . I was with E & L which is really cheap but not lifetime cover, so I started looking around again. I found Pets at Home and when I used their slider and opted for a larger excess, I got the premium down to £13 a month for their highest level of cover which is really good. The other quotes I was getting were all around £25 plus. I am prepared to accept a higher excess because I really want the insurance in case of major problems rather than little things. Anyway, suggest you take a look at them.


I just looked at the pets at home one and as you said if you put your voluntary excess at £50, it comes down to £16.36 a month. It also states compulsory excess of £75 so is this on top of what voluntary excess you enter?

Also it doesn't seem to be any cheaper to pay it all in one go unlike other insurances.

Andrea x


----------



## Jon Buoy (Sep 3, 2011)

If the compulsory excess is £75 and you have a £50 voluntary excess, the two will be added together and you'll pay the first £125 of any claim.


----------



## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

Yes, as Jon says, the two excesses are added together. I'm prepared to accept that because I really want insurance in case of a major claim, like an operation. I can manage to pay a vet's bill of £100-200 but wouldn't be able to pay the thousands that it might come to for a major accident or illness, with diagnostics and surgery etc.


----------



## RubyCockapoo (Feb 5, 2011)

I think it's a very personal choice as it depends how much you want to spend, what cover you want etc.

We use Animal Friends http://www.animalfriends.org.uk/pet-insurance/dog-insurance/

The best recommendations must come from those that have claimed on their insurance and then had a good experience - all these companies are good at taking our money each month, it's when you need them that it counts.

Ian


----------



## Jedicrazy (Apr 26, 2011)

Highly recommend you read the review sites before choosing. It's all very well having low monthly premiums or smaller excess charges but if the company aren't good at paying out then it can become a nightmare. 

I've been unlucky enough to have to use my insurance to pay approx £4000 worth of bills between my vet and the RCV Hospital. My policy is Argos Platinum and they paid direct to both parties so I didn't have to pay anything upfront first except my excess which was £65.


----------



## RubyCockapoo (Feb 5, 2011)

Coincidentally - saw on the news today that Lloyds are withdrawing from Pet insurance: 

"Lloyds TSB Pet Insurance - what's happening?

Lloyds TSB is withdrawing from the pet insurance market and therefore Lloyds TSB Pet Insurance is no longer available to new business customers. With effect from 1st February 2012 the underwriter of Lloyds TSB Pet Insurance, UK Insurance Limited, will no longer offer to renew existing policies. If you have already obtained a quote for Lloyds TSB Pet Insurance and would like to discuss this, please call 0800 032 7145."

They mentioned that this could have implications if you were insured with them, had claimed and now need a new insurer - as the now 'pre-existing' condition wouldn't be covered.

Many of the companies (John Lewis, Argos, Sainsbury's, etc) mentioned on here provide their insurance via other companies (RSA aka MoreThan, AXA, etc) - couldn't see if Lloyds did the same for other brands that sell pet insurance...OR, if they were just using UK Insurance Ltd to provide their cover - confusing!

Ian


----------



## Pollypiglet (Oct 22, 2011)

2ndhandgal said:


> Just to say E&L have a reputation for being cheap - but also a reputation to be extremely difficult to get any payment out of them so personally they are one company I would not touch!


Would not touch E&L with a barge pole, had horse insured with them they required letter sent by recorded delivery on day of vets visit to inform them of illness, guess that was last thing on mind when stressed over illness. If it is cheap then question cover and get out clauses!


----------



## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

This is just so difficult, i'll keep eye on this thread as hope to get pup in April, this is one thing I actually hadn't thought about until recently, well always knew i'd have ins but hadn't realised what a minefield it was (or how expensive it can be). Thank you to all who are giving advice, good luck Turi - let us know what you decide.


----------

