CockersOnline Forum
Cocker Specific Discussion => Health => Insurance => Topic started by: MPG on July 20, 2004, 06:49:43 PM
-
Hi there, we are the proud new owners of a beautiful golden boy called Edward (Teddy for short). I just wanted some advice about Pet Insurance, if anyone can help??? I know that we need to look at policys that offer life cover (rather than just 12 months). So far I have only found Pet Plan offers life cover but it's sooooo expensive. Any advice greatly appreciated.
Thank you !!
MPG :)
-
hi ya we`ve insured Alfie with pet plan and it is not cheap but we went on past experience with pet plan as our cat is insured with them and now he`s diabetic and we have certainly had a fab service from them and our vets kindly deal with them direct so each time he needs treatment i don`t have to pay ,just for a few extra`s that are`nt covered and the excess.my hubby is in insurance and he says the premium you pay is a reflection on the service and cover you will get .i think it`s just a gamble as to what cover you choose and wether you`ll need to claim to it`s full benefits level(maxium payout)
hubby just said check out" More Than" they are suppose to be the next best ,not sure if they cover for life,and as with our cat we`ve sure needed it :lol:
-
If you put "Pet Insurance" into a search engine, you should get a whole list of companies. It does mean wading through quite a bit but it does allow you to compare premiums and exactly what cover you get for that. Some packages include cover for things like alternative treatments and if you are not into things like that, you can save money by choosing the next package down. Some policies will also lower the premium if you agree to pay a higher excess.
While some policies do say "cover for life", do check that there is not a limit on this. My boys are insured with More Than and yes, it is a cover for life policy, but I can only claim a maximum of 6000 pounds per illness and condition. Pet Plan for example, have a package where vet fees are unlimited.
One thing though - I wouldn't recommend E&L insurance. You may come across it in your search but they are notoriously difficult for setlling claims and more often than not, claims do not get honoured leaving you to foot the bill. They are nice and cheap but that is the reason!!!
-
Hi MPG,
I have both my dog's insured with Marks and Spencers, they offered all the benefits that PetPlan did but was much cheaper and I dont even have to pay an excess! 8) :D
-
Hi there
We're with Halifax pet insurance. Seems like a good policy, but then again, we've never had to claim (touch wood!) I will review it when we come to getting another pup tho' so if you find a great policy let us know :D .
Cheers
Tracey & Molly
-
You may want to think about a "puppy fund". Pay maybe £10 a month into a seperate account just for vet bills. We done this with out last dog after the insurance trebled in price. Most years we just paid in without having to dip into it and when he did get ill and needed a lot of vet care, there was plenty there to cover the bills. You do need to be strict with yourselves and maybe set up a standing order from one account to the other to make sure you dont "forget" to pay in.
Suki
-
I have both my dog's insured with Marks and Spencers, they offered all the benefits that PetPlan did but was much cheaper and I dont even have to pay an excess!
I've just had a look on their website and must admit that the cover is a lot better than More Than.....so much so, that I've just switched them over :wink: :lol: The no excess swung it for me - and all for 10.66 a month :D
-
I did a lot of searching around, and decided on Sainsburys Pet insurance.. They were very good value, and I had a lovely lady help me with questions and taking out my policey..but that didn't suprise me.. she was also a Cocker Owner...
Cathy
-
I took insurance out with Pet Plan for Lottie, because I have it for Goldie.
I have claimed for a lot during Goldies life because of her hip dysplasia, and they have always paid without any problem and very quickly.
It is quite expensive, but I have definitely got my moneys worth with Goldie.
Insurance is something that you never hope to need to use, but when you do it is worth every penny.
I have to be honest though and say I havent looked at other companies, because Pet Plan was recommended by my vet.
-
I'm insured with petplan (and have been for the past 8 years) and have had no problems.
With pet insurance everyone seems to be getting on the bandwagon these days so it pays to read every bit of small print.
So far they've paid out 3000 for Wilf with out a quibble and he's only just over a year old so a savings plan wouldn't work for him (but then I didn't know that and that is basically it with insurance as we don't know and yet how many of us claim on our household one).
If you just go for a savings plan idea bear in mind what would happen if your dog had an accident that involved other people or your dog was in an incident where he bit someone or destroyed someing very valuable. Most insurance policies insure you for 3rd party for about 1 million pounds just in case you are sued.
-
I was looking at insurance yesterday (ready for when Finley joins us in 5 weeks time!!!!). I telephone the insurer we had for Benji and Sam and was quoted £185.88 per year (15.49 per month). The Marks & Spencer insurance sound good so I wil look into that one, has anyone used Tesco? and does anyone know how much the Sainsbury one is?
-
Dear All,
Thank you so much for all your replies. I had a look at the Marks & Spencer plan which is excellent - matches and, indeed in some cases, betters Pet Plan with NO EXCESS!!! Incredible. So I will be taking out a policy with M&S when our kennel one runs out.
Thanks again for all your help - very much appreciated!
Kind regards,
MPG
-
Hi Wendy,
I have Piper insured with Marks and Spencers - Whilst I was looking I found that Petplan and Marks and Spencer policies were almost the same but went with Marks as it was cheaper and additional things were covered - ie. hydrotherapy. In the last few months they have made the policy even better - ie. lower prices and no excess.
Piper has hip dysplasia and so during the last few months we have submitted some pretty heft claims - all of which have been settled promptly with no problems at all :D
I had to call M&S insurance a few weeks ago and just by chance the lady on the phone actually said that they were Petplan..........So, there you go!
When Piper first came to live with us we debated about insuring her - with hubby saying "Let's not bother..she won't need it" I obviously ignored his advice and thank goodness I did :wink:
Good luck and make sure you get lifetime cover (hope you never need it) :wink:
-
Wow - just checkd out the M & S one - it's not worth having an excess on it - I might just have to switch - although that would infer I had cover - but since Asda stoppd(although they're doing pet insurance again now) I didn't renew :oops: But M & S is a deffo one! Excellent cover and price.
-
Hi MPG,
I have both my dog's insured with Marks and Spencers, they offered all the benefits that PetPlan did but was much cheaper and I dont even have to pay an excess! 8) :D
We need to get you commition!! :lol: Looked at the site last night for when Baileys free 6wks insurance runs out - excellent!! Brogan is with Animalcare at the moment - which I thought was good until I saw this one - will change Broggie over in October. (Animal care have been fantastic for us so far though - paid out very promptly last month when Brogan had his op).
-
[I had to call M&S insurance a few weeks ago and just by chance the lady on the phone actually said that they were Petplan..........So, there you go!)
re the quote above if m&s is pet plan then does that mean all those with pet plan are subsidizing the m&s cover and, if so soon people will catch on swop to m&s and then the premium will go up to cover costs as the money to pay out claims comes from the premiums ? :?
-
re the quote above if m&s is pet plan then does that mean all those with pet plan are subsidizing the m&s cover and, if so soon people will catch on swop to m&s and then the premium will go up to cover costs as the money to pay out claims comes from the premiums ? :?
Well, this could be the case Baxter who knows? But at the moment M&S are offering a competetive package at a competetive price.
-
Oscar is on Pet Plan, we have just made a claim with them. we got a letter one day saying they where looking at our claim and the next day we got a cheque from them. Now that is good 8)
-
Just adding my fourpenneth!
I found PetPlan to be unprofessional, lacking in communication, confused - shall I go on?! This was after I rang them to say stop sending me junk mail and pestering me with phone calls! I had already told them we didn't want our insurance with them - and when I called them, it took AGES to get through the automated system and when I did get through they refused to speak to me and said they would call me back!!! Useless ...
We have insured Woody through the Kennel Club - £19.95 a month but hey - what price happiness?! A minor point and rather a snobby one so forgive me speaking my mind so freely but I was reassured that they only insured pedigrees and would therefore probably be more aware of particular breeds and health concerns. I found them to be incredibly polite and helpful.
At the end of the day insurance is a personal choice and whoever we choose to insure our babies with - the fact that we have taken that step is a reassurance in itself. Let's hope we never need to test their efficiency eh?!
-
well said JO ,and shame you`ve had such a bad experience with them,i would have liked to say you must have spoken to a very unprofessional member of staff but by what you`ve said you never spoke to anyone half knowing how to relate to the customer.bad show on PP as what people say about a company to friends etc is what really counts .
-
I had Neo insured with Petplan but at over 20 pounds a month and having added Jovi to the family I looked at the insurance again.
I have insured with www.vet2pet.co.uk, as it is lifetime cover, for more money than petplan and I got it at just over 15 pounds each dog. They were very helpful on the phone and even would ensure my cat up to his 10th birthday! The website is also full of useful information.
I haven't looked at the M&S one but as you're all raving about it, I might just take a peak :lol:
-
We put Joey onto the Marks and Spencers Pet Insurance after flicking through the money section of a newspaper and it was listed as one of the best pet insurances to have. We will definately be putting Phoebe onto it when her six weeks free insurance comes to an end with the Kennel Club.
-
Its interesting to see that M&S are pet plan, I will inform my vets. They recommend pet plan wothout saying it because alot of the other companies they have had problems with. A great thumbs up to pet plan for giving M&S their business.
-
have just had a look at m & s insurance is indeed pretty similat to petplan,with whom i have 'premium ' cover, there is one thing i am not sure it is the same.
with petplan i am unlimited to the vets fees i can claim in a year, with
m & s you seem to be limited to £7000 per year.
can anyone clarify this because it may be worth changing if they are but one and the same, and 1/2 the price of petplan!
thanks
michelle
-
Hi, just thought I'd chip in!
OH and I were discussing this last night.....with M & S due to sell off their financial services as part of their 'survival package' we debated the risk of taking out M & S cover, only to find the premiums increased/cover changed in a year or so.
The problem is, if we claim under the M & S policy, and then need to change, Molo then won't be covered for any pre-existing conditions - so we decided that under the circumstances we may be better off giving M & S a miss, despite the competitive rate at the moment.
IMHO, the less well known insurers seem to offer a better deal though....Pet Plan is almost double some of the other quotes I have obtained.
-
I agree Rachel which is why I had doubts as to the way M & S are going as they could be sold off elsewhere or if absorbed into Petplan then back to square 1 for some people.
I'm in the position where I can't change any of mine as Wilf has well and truly used up a considerable amount already on one illness and someone said that if your dog has been bitten then M & S have that as an exclusion (Ruby was attacked by 2 staffs a year ago, totally unprovoked), i.e. if your dog gets bitten again then regardless of circumstances you're not covered if you change. One of my cats had an argument with someone's greenhouse one year (sliced right through his tendon one expensive sunday afternoon) so no doubt future 'arguments with greenhouses' must be excluded!
-
I've insured Silas with PPlan too,especially with all the upheaval at M&S.Pet Plan have been going for years and having been a vet nurse before I got married and moved,(10 years ago) found our owners at the practice who had PP insurance had no trouble at all with any claims they made.I've yet to test this out for myself though.