Lethal injection? (Pet Plan)

Member Name: offy

Product:	Pet Plan
Date:	25/05/01 (1457 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cover for Life, Quick claim payouts, Peace of Mind about vet's bills

Disadvantages: Expensive, Quite a few exclusions

Pet Plan certainly aren't the cheapest pet insurer, but they are one of the best.

COVER FOR LIFE
The main bonus that puts them ahead of the rest is their 'cover for life'. This means that each year the animal is covered for continuing illnesses. Many insurance companies only pay out for the same disease for one year only, or up to a certain amount (often as little as £1000 which wouldn't cover the cost of a serious injury or set of comprehensive tests). If your animal is diagnosed with a long term illness, this can mean disaster with these companies, as you will shortly find yourself paying the bills even though you thought your pet was insured.

EXCEPTIONS
As with most insurance companies, there are some catches to this. You have to pay the excess each year for the same illness (mine is currently £50) and they can be 'funny' about what constitutes the same illess, e.g. if there has been a while between claims. When your animal reaches a certain age (10 for dogs) you have to pay the excess PLUS 35% of each claim. This makes the insurance a lot less cost effective. However, Pet Plan justify the charge as they say 60% of dogs over 10 years old make a claim. They do not pay for pregnancy, speying, grooming, vaccinations, cremation, dental work, or home visits. If your pet has a pre-existing condition, they also will not pay for it, so don't join hoping to get free treatment for something you (or more importantly your vets) already know about (or which occurs within 14 days of the start of cover). You must keep your pet vaccinated or the cover is invalid.

UPDATE: 29/5/01. At Crufts yesterday I found out that they have changed their policy exceptions for older animals again. Due to complaints about the large increase in excesses at aged 10 for dogs, they are now increasing the amount you need to pay towards a claim at age 7, 8, 9 etc. rather than all in one go. People like me who have suddenly had a
35% increase will get it lowered when the policy renews and then slowly increased again each year.


PRICES
Pet Plan insure cats, dogs, horses and rabbits. You get a discount if you insure 3 animals with them. Pedigree animals are more expensive to insure than crossbreeds, for example my Pekingese costs £13.45 per month but my mum's crossbreed only costs £5.45. The price also varies according to the type and size of the animal and the area you live in. Therefore a great dane in London will cost much more to insure than a Yorkie in Yorkshire. You can pay Pet Plan yearly or monthly by direct debit.

CLAIMS
Pet Plan rarely refuse to pay out on claims, which are usually settled within a week. You have to pay the vets up front yourself and then claim the money back. You complete a claim form and get your vet to complete and stamp the rest and post it to Pet Plan. The only claim they did not pay out for my dog was for some complementary treatment not carried out by a vet.

To give you an idea of the benefits per year covered by my current dog policy:
Vet's fees - £6000
Boarding fees - £500
Death from injury - £350
Theft or straying - £350
Advertising and rewards - £5000
Third party liability - £2,000,000
Holiday cancellation - £500

As you can tell I have been very impressed with Pet Plan and all of my pets are insured with them. One of my Pekingese was diagnosed as having auto-immune disease and they have paid out over £1,000 so far. This included specialist treatment at the Royal Veterinary College which I put on credit card. I received the cheque before the credit card bill had even arrived.

A CAUTIONARY TALE
A while back I rescued a persian cat and decided to put the equivalent of the monthly insurance premium into a savings account. Why should I pay Pet Plan if I could be earning intereston my money? Unfortunately, within 3 months he had had a number of problems. I h
ad £15 in the account and had paid out over £200! Conversely, I have insured my current cat, Moggie, and she has never been to the vets apart from the annual vaccinations. You win some, you lose some.

HOW TO APPLY
Their telephone number is 0845 017 8000 or you can pick leaflets up in most vets surgeries. Alternatively ask a friend to refer you as they will get a £20 voucher and you will get your first month free.

IS IT WORTH IT?
It will be for some and not for others - insurance is all about risk after all. However, are you prepared to take that risk? Will you be prepared to have your pet put down rather than pay for treatment if you cannot afford it or alternatively go into debt for it? It has certainly been worth it for me. I'll leave you to make up your own minds.

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