Issues with PetPlan....GRRRRRRRR

[Hannikat]

funny you should say that, they don't seem to have noticed they are still giving my multi cat discount. But since they haven't taken the time to respond to my questions I don't think I'll be in any hurry to let them know

[Millys Mum]

You may also have lost your multicat discount in that renewal, which for me is £12 a year. All my lot went up £1.10 so it seems things vary alot!
I have had amazing servcie from petplan, lolas claim was settled ultra quick, the bit that took so long was royal mail lol there was no quibbling even tho she had emergency and referral vets treatment 

Unfortunately Koko (Burmese) was involved in a RTA & killed but Petplan will not pay out for the cost of him. I was paying so much more for him (£12) than any of the others who are with Sainsbury's which averaged £7 a month. When I have lost others Sainsbury's have paid out the cost as they were pedigree's.

Theres an age limit on claiming the purchase price of an animal due to illness or accident, M&S gave me 'market value' for George which was £50

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Sorry - I was thinking you had moved bella from petplan to Axa and that this was her first premium with Axa.  It is unusual for them to go down though, and more usual for the renewal to be a fair bit higher than the initial premium.  that seems to be how the insurance companies work.  And so often there is nothing we can do about it because it's not always possible to change insurer.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

First post says that Bellas renewal was lower than the original , well done AXA 

Hope they look at Frantas renewal nicely too    Its cost nearly £2000 in the last year for him.

[Hannikat]

Bella's went down by £10 lol. perhaps it will go up a lot more as she gets older

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

That does sound like a rather large increase.  Unfortunately they do tend to lure you in with competitive quotes but when it's up for renewal, that's when they get you.   You will probably find Bella's premium wil go up a fair bit when it is due for renewal with Axa. 

[Hannikat]

a know dammit! good job she's worth every penny 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Sounds like your stuck with it then 

[Hannikat]

hmmm thats the problem. The vet graded it last time I asked and its round about a 3. She's reckons she may need meds when she's older. I've asked Axa about it and they were really helpful. They said they wouldn't advice a switch as any heart related issues wouldn't be covered as we'd have no way of proving the murmur wasn't the reason. She that and the likleness of ongoing meds put me off

Just wish I had a leg to stand on re unfair charging. Other financial services wouldn't be allowed to do it but then other services are more competitive since you can switch between them.

[Tiggy's Mum]

I would have a chat with your vet and ask what problems the heart murmur might cause her in the future, my childhood cat had a heart murmur and the vet said to us that it would never really affect him just that one day he might be running along an alley being chased by a dog with no way out and it might be too much for him.  If there is no treatment available for the murmur and it's unlikely to lead to any other illnesses/conditions then weigh up what you'd be paying in extra premiums over the years and see if it's viable to switch.

I was in this situation with Riley, I had claimed with M&S for heart related issues and although tests showed him to be perfectly healthy I knew that I would have a problem claiming for anything heart related with a new insurer. In the end I decided to switch as the probability of me needing to claim for his heart is very slim as they was nothing actually wrong with him!

  back btw 

[Den]

It might be that for some reason your area has a higher than average claim rate for petplan whereas AXA have deemed it low risk  It is scary though the huge price increase. Sadly though I have come across some pretty crazy price increases from them (and M&S).

[Hannikat]

how very odd. I don't think I'd have been half as annoyed if it wasn't for the fact that Bella is Izzy sister so same age, bredd etc and she's half the price. AXA said in their letter then had based the price decrease on stats for my postcode and Bella's age so I wonder why pet plan so this as a chance to charge me more.

I hate feeling this helpless

[Den]

With pet insurance whether you claim or not has no reflection on the renewal fee. They base their prices on age/sex/breed and postcode. So if a lot of people in your area are claiming they will see it as high risk so up the renewal. Thats why prices vary so considerably from area to area. I believe they also do a general price increase of a couple of pound for every customer every year or two. I think that is why it usually goes up but not down.

Plus pet plan is more expensive anyway.

[Purrlishious]

Thats one big increase Hannikat.
Think a phone call or letter is a must but a hassle for you.

I had a similar problem with one of mine & had to keep him with Petplan.

Unfortunately Koko (Burmese) was involved in a RTA & killed but Petplan will not pay out for the cost of him. I was paying so much more for him (£12) than any of the others who are with Sainsbury's which averaged £7 a month. When I have lost others Sainsbury's have paid out the cost as they were pedigree's.

A friend of mine also experienced massive problems with Petplan & after several letters & vet reports they gave in & paid out.

I hope you manage to lower the renewal as is does seem high at £14 a month.

[Hannikat]

Long time since I've posted but I'm having a bit of a mare..

Izzy and Belle where both with petplan when i got them. After the free period I move bella to axa but had to keep izzy with petplan otherwise her pre existing condition (heart murmer) wouldn't be covered if I move here to axa. I didn't think this was a big deal as bella cost me £89 with axa and izzy cost me 118 with petplan for similar cover. This week the renewal forms arrived. Axa had assessed their pricing and have lowered Bellas to £79. Petplan on the other hand have up'd the cost to £168!!!

I emailed them last week asking them to explain the increase to me (I've not made a claim) and how they could justify it when axa are half the price for higher cover and lower excesses. So far I've not had a response.

Is there anything I can do? I feel like they have me over a barrel and can charge me what they like because they know I can't move her elsewhere!