plan for the worst with petplan (Pet Plan)

Member Name: pania22

Product:	Pet Plan
Date:	12/06/09 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: very slick quick customer service

Disadvantages: exclusion policy after first event for a period of 12 months.

27th October 2004. Ashford horse sales. Why I went that day I will never know! but... I had no money on me, I had no transport and I certainly had no plans to buy a horse.
Walking amongst the stalls I ooh'd and ahh'd at a few of the ponies but nothing managed to pique my interest. Until I got to the last few stalls. There I saw two ponies that quite literally were skin and bone. Had the RSPCA been in attendance that day they would never have been allowed to enter the sale. One of the ponies, an iron grey welsh mountain pony, advertised as being 6 months old was quite clearly ill. I fell in love.
To cut a long story short, after a lot of hair pulling, thinking what the heck have i done and arranging transport and a place for him to live, he came home with me. Slowly and surely he was nursed back to health and became my best friend and companion.

Having worked for a vets in my younger years and also seen friends facing no choice but to destroy their beloved pet as a result of not being able to afford treatment, I was not going to make the same mistake and was adamant that my pony would be insured.

I also recalled that when we were asked about insurances by clients at the vets, there were some leaflets that we would readily hand out and others that we would leave sat on the shelf. As a result of this I contacted Petplan for a quote.

***The technical bit***

Petplan insurance are a trademark of and underwritten by Cornhill insurance.
They cover insurance for domestic pets (dogs, cats, rabbits) and horses.
They also offer cover for reptiles, birds and small mammals under their exotic cover, but these I found costly compared to other companies for this specialist level of cover.

Their website is very clear, concise and easy to follow. This incorporates an excellent online quoting system for all of the above type of cover and clear contact details from the outset should you require to contact them.

The cover for my pony, who by now had been named Samson was not the cheapest available, I will admit that. However the company offered middle ground cost with the highest levels of cover. This was on a comparisson with NFU insurance, SEIB and Equine and Life (E&L) insurance companies.

***The claim***

When I purchased Sam I was informed that he was 6 months old, however he still had his foal tips on his hooves and looked very baby. The vet visited on the day i got him home and told me that he was barely 4 months old. As a result of this he missed out on vital nutrition from his dam, despite being on milk replacement powder for 4 months. He developed a musculo-skeletal condition in his patellas known as "patella luxation" very similar in humans to locking kneecaps. Except it caused him a great deal of distress as his leg was effectively locking out backwards and terrifying the life out of the poor lad. The vet was called with the knowledge in my mind that this was going to hurt someones wallet and prayed that it wouldn't be mine!!

Ultra sounds confirmed the presence of the condition (even though it could clearly be seen from the outside!!)
x-rays confirmed an operation would be needed (see above)
Blood tests and chest x-rays (???!) confirmed he could go under anaesthetic
and so the costs mounted up...

Petplan were very quick to send me out a claim form and I was reassured over the phone that a claim of that nature would be paid. A massive relief off my mind i can tell you!!! Initially I was informed that I would have to pay the vets myself (eep!) and the cheque would then be sent to reimburse me.
However I explained to petplan that the bill was in excess of £4000 and that I would not be able to pay this and as such they agreed to pay the vet directly. An excellent example of their excellent customer service.
approximately 8 days after the claim had been submitted I received a call from the vets stating that they had received the money and asking me to pay the excess, which in my case was £150.
I was amazed at how slick the transaction was and how there was absolutely no quibble over the condition or payment at all.

My one complaint, actually i wouldn't call it complaint, more an area of disgruntlement was that as the vets had informed them that the case had been concluded and samson was on the road to recovery, petplan would not pay any further claims on this condition for the preceeding 12 months. therefore if his other back leg went the same way the cost would be borne by me. Gulp. Therefore i spent the following 12 months with my breath held!!!

***Summary***

To summarise I was exceptionally impressed with petplan and they way that they handled my claim.
I know a number of other owners of animals also insured with the same company and the very very few have had problems. I would say on a ratio of about 1 in 9, the 1 being bad experiences to 9 good experiences. Therefore you would be very unlucky to have a bad experience with them.

I was unperturbed about the cost and remain so. I would much rather pay slightly more for enhanced levels of cover and a good service with a quick payout than pay a cheaper amount, only for it to eventually cost me more in time and finances. I would advise any one to pick an insurance company with middle of the road cost and not just look at how cheap the policy is. Believe me you will be thankful that you did in the end

Petplan did me proud in my hour of need. Samson was fine and is now living as the much loved pet of a 10 year old girl. His leg was such that without this cover I may have not had the option to rescue him for the second time in his life.

I would urge any one with a pet to insure them, whether your primary concern be for your wallet or for your pet.

I have marked petplan down one star for their exclusion policy but the fully deseved 4 stars remain.

Summary: do not be without insurance for your pet.