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Author Topic: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF  (Read 4599 times)

Patternmaker

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PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« on: January 14, 2012, 09:27:04 am »

Just received renewal for our 7 year old Cocker Spaniel, increased from £84.96 last year to £201.12 a 137% increase, more than I pay for Buildings a contents insurance.
How can they justify that level of increase, never made a claim luckily she is very healthy. Micro chipped, full vaccination record, insurance companies reason she is now 7 years old, needless to say I will not be paying that amount.
I shopped around and got insurance for £91.04 although very basic. Up to £1000.00 maximum for vet fees, and third party liability £1 million.

I know vet fees have increased, in fact I have just changed my Vet because they are much cheaper, vaccination
£12.60 and full checkup with no consultation charge.

Mick   

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dodgy geezer

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2012, 01:23:14 pm »

It's not only insurance, though it's quite visible there.

Modern business practice sees it as standard to offer very low cost initial services to get customers hooked, and then to raise the price gradually. The more savvy customers will then take their business elsewhere, leaving the company with a rump of customers who do not complain and will pay over the odds for a service which can then be lowered still further.

All companies love the idea of having a compliant customer base continually paying money for very little, and this is a common way to achieve it. Unfortunately, to avoid being caught like this you have to regularly check prices and service levels on everything from food, energy, communications... and older people tend not to do this so much. The aged can end up with very poor deals on everything...
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StarLocAdhesives/FiveStar

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2012, 01:47:02 pm »

Pet insurance is a rip off , and vets now charge more because of it

My dog was had cdrm for 6 years and the pet insurance refused to pay out for any treatment past the year it was diagnosed, cdrm causes all sorts of other problems and nothing would be paid for either even things like ear infection , i canceled the insurance

The best rip off was this years, my car insurance has gone up from £800 to £3700 LOWEST QUOTE , as i am now in an insurance blacklist area so nobody would insure me at all, when i asked why it was so expensive they said it was the number of pet insurance and theft from house claims in the area.

If you claim on your pet insurance it puts the cost of all your other insurance up!
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Patternmaker

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2012, 02:42:12 pm »

Yes I agree all insurance is a rip off, not only the premiums but the access if you make a claim, of course with car
insurance part of your premium is to pay for all the uninsured drivers which will increase because they cant afford it after all they only get a £200 fine and 6 penalty points.
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roycv

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2012, 04:33:59 pm »

Hi all, I agree a lot of Insurance is a rip off.  Patternmaker why do you insure your dog?  You must have almost paid the max that they would have coughed up, in premiums now.  This is not a criticism we are all subject to the many adverts on TV
This country has more insurance per head than any other.  Consider the remarks frequently heard "we have never made a claim"!
This is because the risks are no where near as high as we are led to believe.

We had pet insurance at one time but then it went too high, we pay the vet bills as they come and it is still cheaper than insurance. We had a big vet bill for our last dog of £500 for an operation to extend her life and it was still cheaper than insurance.

I had a loft conversion and refurbished the house and bought all new "white goods" you know dishwashers washing machine etc. in all 7 items, the cost of extending the warranty for each added together would pay for a new item per year!
So 5 years later nothing went wrong with anything.

Have a look at all the insurance adverts you see on TV, there are more than you can shake a stick at, and I sometimes do!
It is a lucrative business and the winners are sunbathing on risk free Islands in the sun.

My first job as a callow youth was in an insurance company, the best way to think about an Insurance company is as an upmarket betting shop.

I have to take out car insurance  In Germany to claim for a whip lash injury a car has to have been traveling at more than a certain speed. I believe I read the other day that most claims for this in the UK are bogus and then you have the lawyers willing to fight your case. 
Then there are the hire car companies that want to hire a car to you for as long as possible while car repairs are being done.I renewed my car insurance recently, try finding one where they do not insist that you have a car during repairs.
It goes on and on.

If I were sending a satellite up into orbit I would insure that because it is a bit dodgy.

I believe a sizeable ship sinks at least once a week around the world, so by all means have insurance.

After that think of the real chances of something happening and use common sense!


Sorry about all that but I do feel a bit better!

regards to all,
Roy
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dreadnought72

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2012, 04:41:25 pm »

I currently have: an old dog, an ancient cat, another cat with one leg missing, and a big bruiser of a cat with more rips/stitches/breaks and teeth missing than any other cat in the neighbourhood.  :-)

I looked into pet insurance a few years ago - and walked away quickly. They are all lovely animals, but in any realistic sense, utterly uninsurable.

Andy
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Patternmaker

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2012, 05:15:34 pm »

Roy,
The main reason I insure my dog is for public liability, if she caused an accident which resulted in injury or attacked someone (very unlikely) I could be faced with a hefty legal bill for compensation. as I have said luckily she is very healthy but you never know whats round the corner, she is taken for walks twice a day and gets on very well
with other dogs but there are some dangerous dogs that I do not trust that have been known to attack other dogs for no reason. Yes I have paid out £560 for insuring her, but then how much do we pay in car insurance for 7 years.

I realise as she gets older she will be more expensive to insure, most companies will not insure after the age of 9

Mick   
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funtimefrankie

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2012, 05:31:41 pm »

For what its worth, I found this the best price when I was checking last..

http://www.pet-insurance.co.uk/
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roycv

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #8 on: January 19, 2012, 09:06:04 am »

Hi Patternmaker, I respect your decision and it is a worthy one.  Just a thought but have you checked your house insurance, many policies cover the owner for negligence as well.
regards Roy
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Patternmaker

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #9 on: January 19, 2012, 04:33:42 pm »

Hi Roy,

Having ploughed my way through all the small print, no mention of owner negligence.
Regards Mick
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6705russell

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #10 on: January 19, 2012, 06:10:41 pm »

Years ago my dog ran off, got run over and seriously damaged the offending car, the owner claimed against me and I had no let insurance, luckily I found that my home insurance covered me..

Russ
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tobyker

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #11 on: January 19, 2012, 07:11:34 pm »

Extended vehicle warranties are a rip off too. Many years ago I bought it for a motorbike I commuted on - I had one service 500 miles early and the following one 500 miles late. A year later the rear shock absorbers (not an item ever needing service) failed and they refused to cough up because of the gap between the services. Remember, no insurance company ever made money by paying out!!
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justboatonic

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2012, 07:54:42 pm »

Years ago my dog ran off, got run over and seriously damaged the offending car, the owner claimed against me and I had no let insurance, luckily I found that my home insurance covered me..

Russ

Good the insurance paid out but, the car driver would have had to prove you were negligent in some way to be successful ie you knew the dog could get out through a hole in your fence but made no attempt to fix it or knew the dog would make a bolt for the door (no pun intended) if it was being opened etc.

The fact your home insurance paid kind of confirms you were no way negligible or else they would have refused to meet the claim on your behalf.

Today is a different story though but, I'd still wager the driver would have to prove at least some element of negligence on your part.
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Umi_Ryuzuki

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #13 on: January 19, 2012, 09:17:30 pm »

I had separate insurance companies for my car and house.
After a few years, the house insurance man sent a prospectus for new, higher rates.
However, he said that I could keep my old rates if I moved my car insurance to their company.

I mulled this over in my small brain, and rang him up.
I said, "So if I move my auto insurance to your company I get the cheaper rate?"
He confirmed that statement, and I then asked, "But if I don't move the auto insurance you'll raise my rates?"
He confirmed that statement also. I then said to him, "That's Blackmail!!!"
He stammered for a moment, then said "No, we always provide cheaper rates for bundled insurance".
I argued that there was no reason to raise the insurance premiums other than that his company didn't insure my car, and
that he and his company were threating to raise the premiums unless I moved my car insurance.
Not moving the car insurance had the direct penalty of being charged additional fees and that is blackmail.
He was completely flustered at that point, and a bit angry at being called a blackmailer.

I moved my house insurance over to my automobile insurance company, and maintained the same rate...
Of course that meant I bundleded my insurance...  %)

I didn't insure my pets,... couldn't afford it, and over the past few years have had to put both down.
Both times it was a huge emotional hit to have to lose the animal. But the cost of extending their lives
was as much blackmail as the house and car debockle.  They play on your emotions to make a profit.
I think I will stick to feeding the birds and squirrels for a while.
 :((
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justboatonic

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #14 on: January 19, 2012, 11:19:43 pm »

While I have my buildings insurance, I dont bother with contents and havent done for 10 years. Had contents insurance for 15 years before that and never claimed once but the premiums went up every year without fail and new clauses were regularly inserted.

IMO, its far too expensive and only ever goes up.

If you do have the misfortune to have to claim say if your house burnt down and you lost the lot, the loss adjuster would come around and reduce the amount payable to be less than the amount insured. The insurance co will them reduce the amount further on the basis that as you are paying cash for a lot of household items, you'll be able to get a decent discount for cash!!

So, out of that £35,000 to £45,000 you are insured for and have been paying full premiums for, you'll be lucky to see £30,000 tops.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #15 on: January 20, 2012, 10:10:41 am »

But you will still need around £40k in the bank to replace the items you have lost....
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Daemon

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2012, 01:25:03 pm »

But you will still need around £40k in the bank to replace the items you have lost....

Yupyup.

We rent, so don't pay building insurance, as the landlord is required to maintain it, according to the tenancy agreement (after our previous landlord stopped paying the mortgage and faced foreclosure, he sent us a "please vacate" notice when our lease ended, and put it back up for rent at about an extra 100 quid a month, so I made sure that both of these where covered by the agreement before we signed.) So we would only need content insurance.
However, we could have up to £25000 contents insurance from Lloyds if we upgrade one of our bank accounts with a £5 monthly fee. (aswell as other bank-related benefits, ofcourse.)

Should really head down to our branch and sort that out :/
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roycv

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #17 on: January 20, 2012, 01:39:57 pm »

Hi quite a few years ago we came back from a holiday to find that the large oak (pre-French revolution in age) had dropped a large branch on my neighbour's shed (or summerhouse if you are claiming on insurance!).
I contacted my insurer and they said my neighbour would have insurance!!  She came around to see me as she had been told to claim from my insurance.

Who are you insured with? I said, Turned out it was the same company and they came round, removed the wood and replaced the summerhouse.

Fortunately we were going to have the tree removed and I had two quotes in writing from "tree doctors"  One said the tree was sound and the other said it was diseased! Guess which one I showed the insurance guy?

No increase on my insurance, don't know about my neighbour.

regards Roy
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justboatonic

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #18 on: January 21, 2012, 01:24:15 pm »

But you will still need around £40k in the bank to replace the items you have lost....

Very much doubt it.

How much 'stuff' do you have in your house that you never use? I know I've got lots. Lots of clothes, 3 bikes, 2 hi fi systems, lots of pots and pans swmbo never uses etc.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #19 on: January 21, 2012, 02:09:33 pm »

Good point. But you would still need a hefty lump sum.

Colin
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dodgy geezer

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #20 on: January 21, 2012, 04:40:14 pm »

A couple of stories I have heard, but have not confirmed:

1 - Depending on the policy, insurance assessors may estimate how underinsured you are, and assess based on that. So you may be insured for £10,000 of contents, and the assessor reckons you actually had £20,000 worth. So you were 50% underinsured - so they will pay out £5000 ....

2- Books are valued at new price. I have a fair number - maybe 5,000 counting the ones in the attic - some people have many more. Most were picked up in second-hand shops, but if they were valued new they would be a tidy sum. You could easily price them at £40k. So if I wanted to be fully insured, that's £40k before I start to count the high-priced items...
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Colin Bishop

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #21 on: January 21, 2012, 04:44:19 pm »

Quote
maybe 5,000 counting the ones in the attic

Would you have a valid claim if the ceiling collapsed then?  :o

Colin
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dodgy geezer

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Re: PET INSURANCE RIP OFF
« Reply #22 on: January 21, 2012, 05:55:43 pm »

Would you have a valid claim if the ceiling collapsed then?  :o

Colin

If the ceiling collapsed books would be the least of my problems... there's a lathe and a wind-tunnel up there, and about 30 systems running my SETI farm.

Oh, and the Eezebilt, Taycol and a few other websites would go off the air....  :(( <:(
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