Axa renewal gone up from £27 to £190 per month for 1 dog!!! UPDATE: No mistake!

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

So, bad news  It is no mistake!

"That's the best rate we can offer you for renewal" said the woman. So, policy cancelled, and from now on I will have to pay for any treatment relating to Henry's cataract myself. I am so annoyed about it. The woman gave me the complaints details for Axa, but I will definitely do more. Watchdog is a good idea, and the financial ombudsman. Perhaps a letter to the Sunday Times. Any other ideas?

I will also recommend all of my friends on FB to stay well away from Axa forever!!! Since they underwrite lots of other insurance policies I will also make sure I find out if they are the underwriters for any new policies and avoid.

Hopefully the others on here who are have renewals coming up won't have such appalling news as I have had.

Oh well, on the plus side I'm now working again so at least I can actually afford the treatment!!
Now have to shop around for a new policy - will need to overlap as they never cover the first 2 weeks either. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[ali2010]

Thats terrible, we should get our renewal letter soon and given that Albert has just had major surgery am thinking the worst

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

Thats terrible, we should get our renewal letter soon and given that Albert has just had major surgery am thinking the worst

Hope not for your sake.

[*Jay*]

Jeez, don't let them get away with that. The Ombudsman really frown upon insurance companies trying to price you out of your policy which is exactly what Axa are doing here. There is no way that kind of price hike is proportionate to anything!

[JennyBee]

I would also get in touch with Dogs Today magazine - they/their editor Beverly Cuddy did a lot of work during the Lloyds/Halifax fiasco.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dogs-Today-Magazine/22448504641?ref=ts&fref=ts

And email:

enquiries@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

I'm getting angrier and angrier about this.

Just looked at the Direct Line website, which I'm sure has similar conditions to other policies. They state:

"The policy does not cover any conditions or symptoms that your pet suffered from prior to taking out the policy and before cover is in place. Or for any claim that is anyway connected with a pre-existing condition." There was also something about any remotely related symptoms too.

So does this mean that if Henry ever gets a stomach bug and I need to get poo tested I'm not covered (as this happened before)? I guess that's what it means.
So so angry and upset.
 

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

I would also get in touch with Dogs Today magazine - they/their editor Beverly Cuddy did a lot of work during the Lloyds/Halifax fiasco.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dogs-Today-Magazine/22448504641?ref=ts&fref=ts

And email:

enquiries@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk

Thanks JennyBee - will do! Just been googling and didn't find anything recent about this kind of thing, so this is really helpful.

[JennyBee]

I would also get in touch with Dogs Today magazine - they/their editor Beverly Cuddy did a lot of work during the Lloyds/Halifax fiasco.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dogs-Today-Magazine/22448504641?ref=ts&fref=ts

And email:

enquiries@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk

Thanks JennyBee - will do! Just been googling and didn't find anything recent about this kind of thing, so this is really helpful.

This is the Facebook page for the Hound Out Halifax and Lloyds campaign, you never know there might be something helpful on it:

https://www.facebook.com/HoundOutHalifaxandLloyds?ref=ts&fref=ts

Really hope something is done about this, it is deeply worrying for all dog owners who insure.

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

The Hound Out page has something about Axa withdrawing from the market, so I've added my info to that. Will be interesting to see if others have the same experience.

[LinziS]

Absolutely disgraceful that this is the price being quoted....would definitely report this to the ombudsman and anyone else who may be interested. It seems to me that this is the way they are getting rid of policy holders and preventing them from renewing....price people out the market and they will go elsewhere...seems very underhand to me.
I better start looking at quotes for my two girls as no doubt when their renewal comes in at the end of the year I am going to get a nasty surprise

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

Might be worth any Axa insurance policy holder looking at the cancellation clauses - if your dog has no underlying conditions and you can cancel with no penalty then I'd get moving now, in case anything happens in the meantime.

[Emilyoliver]

I'm getting angrier and angrier about this.

Just looked at the Direct Line website, which I'm sure has similar conditions to other policies. They state:

"The policy does not cover any conditions or symptoms that your pet suffered from prior to taking out the policy and before cover is in place. Or for any claim that is anyway connected with a pre-existing condition." There was also something about any remotely related symptoms too.

So does this mean that if Henry ever gets a stomach bug and I need to get poo tested I'm not covered (as this happened before)? I guess that's what it means.
So so angry and upset.
 

It's so infuriating. Have just upgraded my puppy 's Petplan insurance from essentials to lifetime cover. Had to mention any illnesses, conditions, vet visits. So I mentioned that he'd had his anal glands emptied - no infection or treatment. And he's had one ear infection. Not claimed for either. But he is now not covered for any ear conditions, skin conditions, allergies or anal gland issues or pruritis (sp?). Although, they will reassess the exclusions in a year's time so not as bad as some. But I do think vet fees and insurance are total ripoffs (tantamount to extortion).

[JennyBee]

I'm getting angrier and angrier about this.

Just looked at the Direct Line website, which I'm sure has similar conditions to other policies. They state:

"The policy does not cover any conditions or symptoms that your pet suffered from prior to taking out the policy and before cover is in place. Or for any claim that is anyway connected with a pre-existing condition." There was also something about any remotely related symptoms too.

So does this mean that if Henry ever gets a stomach bug and I need to get poo tested I'm not covered (as this happened before)? I guess that's what it means.
So so angry and upset.
 

It's so infuriating. Have just upgraded my puppy 's Petplan insurance from essentials to lifetime cover. Had to mention any illnesses, conditions, vet visits. So I mentioned that he'd had his anal glands emptied - no infection or treatment. And he's had one ear infection. Not claimed for either. But he is now not covered for any ear conditions, skin conditions, allergies or anal gland issues or pruritis (sp?). Although, they will reassess the exclusions in a year's time so not as bad as some. But I do think vet fees and insurance are total ripoffs (tantamount to extortion).

Absolutely, I'd be stuffed if I was in the same position and had to move Brodie has been to the vets over many things, most minor such as warts, sore legs, urine infections etc, and other more serious such as severe, chronic ear/skin conditions and pancreatitis. I am with PetPlan and hoping that that means I will be safe from this since they are a company targeted purely at pet insurance, but if they decide to copy others and raise their (already high) prices I have nowhere to go

[Mel]

Slightly different but my brother was screwed over by Axa medical insurance. He got very ill on a trip and his recovery cost him thousands. He was fully covered and they have never paid up. He has tried fighting them but their solicitors somehow keep it out of court.

Axa are not a very nice company.

I have lifetime cover with PetPlan and this year it went up to £67 per month. I am very tempted to lower the cover from Supreme next year and put the extra in savings account.

[chrisp]

I cannot believe that.  I really thought you were going to post and say it was a mistake after all!!! 

Gobsmacked is an understatement!  Really needs to be taken further as others have suggested.  They cannot get away with this - other companies will just follow suit and then so many people will have problems funding monthly insurance payments.

Good luck.