Don’t get us wrong, we absolutely believe that pet insurance is a worthwhile investment, and would advise every pet owner to consider it, especially if they don’t have significant savings to fall back on if something goes wrong.

Every vet will tell you how heartbreaking it is if a beloved pet needs medical treatment that the owner can’t afford and the pet has to be put down. 

Unthinkable.  

However, pet insurance companies don’t get it right all of the time. When considering which is the right insurance for you, we think it could be helpful to know what other people find frustrating.

In no particular order, the top five complaints we see are:  

Claim denials 

Your claim could be denied for a variety of reasons. It might be the claim relates to a pre-existing condition or something they consider could be related to a pre-existing condition. We’ve seen a claim for a twisted stomach denied as the pet had diarrhoea previously (the full story could be more complicated), and a claim for anal abscess being denied as anal glands had to be drained previously. If you think your insurer is trying to link unrelated conditions get your vet involved to give their opinion on whether or not conditions are linked. It could help your claim. 

We’ve seen claims being denied due to conditions arising in the initial exclusion time period (often 2 weeks from the policy start date for illnesses and a few days for accidents). Please be aware that when first taking out insurance or switching providers there will be an exclusion time period when your pet is not covered.

It’s also worth checking the small print to see if complementary therapies are covered as this is not guaranteed. Some insurers offer some cover but there are often inner limits  reducing the amount they will pay out. You can also find some insurers have lower pay out limits for common complaints such as cruciate ligament surgery.   

We’ve seen several insurers introducing restrictions on dental claims recently. Most insurers will only cover accidental dental treatment and don’t cover routine dental care. Those that provide cover for extractions, for example, will only pay out if you can prove your pet has had their teeth checked annually and you’ve followed any advice given. This can be hard to prove!  

Large annual increases in premiums  

It’s a fact. Your premiums will go up every year, whether you have made a claim or not. 

However, what is a fair increase and what is excessive? 

Everyone has their own view, but it is the case that some pet insurance providers will change underwriters from time to time and that can cause premiums to increase significantly. 

If your premium becomes unaffordable, talk to your insurer. You could consider reducing the amount of vet fee cover you have per year or switching insurer if you haven’t ever made a claim. You might be able to reduce your premiums with a policy that provides fewer extras if they are not important to you.           

Exclusions

It is always worth reading the policy small print to make sure you understand what is covered, but perhaps more importantly, what isn’t covered. 

The one exclusion pretty much every policy has is pre-existing conditions. This means that they won’t pay out for a claim that is linked to, or a repeat of, a condition they had before you took out your insurance policy. 

Make sure you understand the restrictions on different types of policy. For example, a Maximum Benefit policy will only cover a condition up to the value of your vet fee cover and then it won’t cover that condition anymore. A Time Limited policy will only cover a condition up to the vet fee limit and for a maximum length of time. 

Some policies don’t cover things like euthanasia, and it can be very distressing to find your policy doesn’t offer help with cremation expenses when you lose your pet. 

Equally some policies don’t cover a pet for a condition that occurs on both sides of the body. If your pet needs treatment for knee issues on one side the other knee might not be covered if that needs treatment, too.

Always read the small print on a policy document to ensure you know exactly what you are buying. That brings us to…

Complex policy terms

We know that understanding your policy can be a challenge! 

Our advice would be; don’t assume anything and if you aren’t sure what something means, give the insurer a ring and ask before making a commitment.  

One feature that is becoming more complex is understanding the amount you pay towards each claim. Many insurers have an Excess charge that you pay for each claim, and some have introduced co-pay payments, too. A co-payment is an amount you pay in addition to the Excess charge with the insurer paying the balance up to your vet fee cover. It’s fairly common to find a compulsory co-pay for older pets and some insurers offer a voluntary co-pay amount for younger pets. For example, if you have a cat over 10 years of age you may need to pay an Excess on each claim and a 10 or 20% co-pay amount. 

Poor customer service

This might result in hanging on the phone for ages waiting for someone to answer, poor service when they do answer, losing your claim, not replying to queries, not paying out when they say they would; the list goes on. We’d advise everyone to read insurer reviews to get a feel for the good, bad and the ugly of customer service teams before making your final decision on a pet insurer. 

It’s really important to do your research and understand what you are signing up to so you don’t get any nasty surprises if you need to make a claim. If you’d like to know more about pet insurance check out our pet insurance guides.