Hi there!

My first time on this board...

I have an 8 month old Schnauzer called Ruby.  We originally insured her with a company called E&L, but since they can't seem to get payment from my credit card...even though I have rang them every month to confirm my credit card details and even checked with the credit card company that everything was fine with my card, I have now decided to go elsewhere because I am sick of the hassle.

I have browsed around and got some quotes online for virgin pet insurance, PetPlan, Tesco pet insurance and The Kennel club....I am looking for insurance that will cover for illness and accident (Middle of the range kind of policy - not too expensive but not just basic). 

Can anyone recommend a good company....it's getting to the point where I just want good customer service and reliable insurance.

Any advice gratefully recieved!

Heidi xx

Hi

I haven't got any particular advice to give but beware the small print, I have heard that some companies have so many stipulations on what they will or will not cover that it makes having the insurance almost pointless. I have heard PetPlan are pretty good. I think DirectLine are meant to be good as well. I have a feeling some of the insurance price comparison sites now cover pet insurance, it might be worth a try.

Like I said please read all the small print before you agree to the policy because the last thing you need when you pet is unwell is extra worry about whether or not the insurance will cover it.

HTH

Hello Heidi and Ruby

Welcome to the board!! I'd agree with the other lady who posted, do watch the small print, our old dog had horrendous problems with a broken jaw that occurred because of her teeth but it turned out our insurance co would not pay for her treatment as it was dental related. We are with Tesco at the moment for our cat.

Do shop around and let us know who you go with.

Katie and Sox x

Hi

We are with Tesco, the policy only cost £28 a month for a dog and 2 cats, and they are covered up to £2,500 per illness each.

I had to take my labbie to the emergency hospital where you have to pay up front and claim after and they are very slow to pay out but other than that it has been OK. Normally you would get your treatment from the vet and they would claim for you which means you wouldn't have to worry about that.

My last insurer was M & S and they were very good, we only switched because they were putting our monthly premiums up as we had claimed a lot for our dog, but that is the same with any type of insurance.

As before though, please do read all the small print. Good luck

Hi Heidi. I'm a vet so I deal with insurance companies a lot. I wouldn't touch E+L with somebody else's bargepole - they almost never pay out and are a complete pain in the posterior to deal with. I insure my own pets with Petplan and have been extremely happy with them as a customer and as a company to deal with on behalf of my clients. One of my cats was in intensive care at the university for a week at a cost of £2000 and they paid without a murmur. They are expensive, but they are also one of the only companies that specialise in pet insurance and don't just tack it on to their home/car insurance business. They employ veterinary staff so the claims advisors understand what they are talking about. In terms of taking a balanced and reasonable approach to claims that makes a big difference.

When shopping around there are three basic types of policies, in order of increasing premium cost:

1. 12 month policy - gives you a fixed amount per condition for 12 months, then it and anything related to it will be excluded. Some are even worse and the cover is for the policy year, so if your pet falls ill in month 11 you'll only get paid for a month of treatment then it will be excluded at renewal. A lot of policies do this - it's better than nothing, certainly if your dog has an broken leg it will cover it, if she developed arthritis as a result or any other chronic condition you are on your own. (Schnauzers esp mini ones prone to hyperlipidaemia and pancreatitis so bear this in mind)

2. Fixed amount policy, with no time limit. So you have maybe £4000 per condition but can spend that over a long period of time, over several years if necessary.

3. Cover for life. Fixed amount per condition per policy year, which renews every year,so if your pet has a chronic condition the policy will continue to pay out.

Also bear in mind that if you have claimed for anything and then change company it will be excluded from the start. Most companies will only take on new policies for young animals (less than 8 or 10 years) so you can't change once they are older. All companies will increase their premiums and make you pay a larger excess as the animal gets older and it's worth finding out how they do that at the start. Some of them are downright underhand about it and clients with animals too old to start a new policy will find they have very high premiums and are paying a high percentage of any claim so it's almost not worth their while insuring.

I have quite a lot of clients who have said they put money into a bank account for their pets rather than paying an insurance premium. Personally I think it's be too tempting to raid it for another 'rainy day' need, and there is nothing to say your pet won't need treatment tomorrow when you've only put one month's money in there. I've insured my dog for 10 years and never needed to claim (vet staff get lower premiums because any minor things I treat myself and wouldn't cost much), my cat was newly acquired and ended up in trouble within a couple of months.

Hope that helps - I know it's confusing. Read the small print with a fine tooth comb and don't be caught out. Jen xx