Pet Insurance

[wolf63]

I am going to insure my two cats and am looking for a relatively cheap quote.

The best so far has been: Argo, M&S and E&L. Has anybody used E&L? Were they any good?

I am only really about the vets fee portion of the policy.

Have used Petplan in the past, they started off cheap but by the time my dog was old it was costing a fortune.

Anybody know of any other companies that are good but maybe not one that I have heard of?

[ProperBoPeep]

Do NOT use E&L!!! I am a vet and this is the company we have had most problems with.

Although PetPlan are more expensive, they tend to be consistently the most reliable.

Watch out for supermarket offers as well. They often only cover for 1 year and then ditch or exclude you.

You want a policy that has lifetime cover (ie will pay out for a condition for the duration of an illness) and also a policy that will cover your pet even during old age. Pointless having one that expires when they get old - that is when most problems occur!!

Just anything but E&L!!!

xx

[janiee]

Just remember that some cheap insurance doesnt cover illness's after the first year, they exclude them on following years.
So say your cat got epilepsy they would cover all the drugs and treatment for the first year but when you re-newed they would make that an exclusion so you would have to pay for that medication etc yourself.

You need a policy that carries on year after year with no exclusions and the best ones are Pet Plan and Pet Protect, slightly dearer but a lot better. I dont know a lot of E&L but I think they are also like Pet Plan from what I remember from my Vet Nursing Days.

[foxyflugel]

I agree with Janiee. I have my pets insurance with Petplan - they are a bit dearer but they do not exclude illnesses on the following years renewal. I have not had any direct dealings with E & L - but quite a few years ago one of my friends had to have her horse put to sleep - she was insured through E & L. From what I remember they put her through the emotional wringer totally - they were messing about asking for extra tests before they would agree for it to be pts - even though it had been to 2 vets and they had both reported the same diagnosis - pts asap!! Then when it was pts they didn't pay up for absolutely ages - she had paid the vet directly.

Hope this helps. : 0 )

[Internet fan]

I don't know a lot about insurance for animals because I don't insure my dog but I have heard a lot of bad things about E and L from various dog forums that I go on so I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole if it was me.

[wolf63]

Thanks all

I am going to buy the cheapest 'good' policy. M&S look good so I will read the small print.

E&L - I was sure that I had heard that they were difficult to deal with, I will leave them alone.

[GCN]

hi wolf63 have u tried direct line we have used them for a while .now.They were brilliant with our really sick dog we spent thousands on him and got nearly everything back

[wolf63]

I have to admit that I went to Tesco - it was about �7.50 for both of them.

[GCN]

at least u are sorted wolf63 thats the main thing

[wolf63]

Yes - and the fact that they bribed me with a �15 gift card had nothing to do with my decision! :-))

My decision was a 'female logic' one, as is shown in this following story:

My sister-in-law wanted a new fridge, worked out how big it should be, how many shelves, electric consumption - basically everything. Which one did she buy? The one that was the nice colour of grey. Bravely my brother tried to remind her of her research, she gave him the 'death glare' and he shut up. It really is a nice colour.

[hammerman]

I've been with Tesco for a couple of months now....�10 pm for my 4 year old pedigree springer. Cheapest around.

[leelapops]

Hi wolf pleased you found something suitable for you and the cats :)

I've heard horror stories about E & L so I would advise anyone to stay away!

Our 2 1/2 year old Border Collie is insured with M & S (it's not just insurance, it's Marks & Spencer's insurance...)

�10.63/month, NO excess and a great policy. Never had to claim yet (touch wood) but they seem very professional.

Better safe than sorry :)

Lisa x

[wolf63]

I have decided to go with Tesco, my fiends are still young (22 months) and I can change next year if I want t. M&S looked really good too.

My monsters are indoor cats and this should cut down on accidents. However Merlin, a young long haired lady cat, is pretty clumsy and I can see her taking a header down the stairs at some point. Her brother, Frankie, is nimble and stealthy and never falls - or not whilst I am watching.

[raggies1]

I worked in a vets as a nurse for 3 years and we had lots of problems with E&L getting them to pay up, you said youve decided on Tesco anyway now but i just had to mention it.

[jancolls]

I've heard [through talking to people at the vet's that M&S increase the level of the excess each year [or each time they pay out, can't remember which].

I've signed up my 2 13yr old cats to Animal Friends. They were the only insurance company, that would insure cats of their age. On cats over 8yrs, you have to pay the �49 excess plus 35% of the vets fees, so I have it just really for anything serious [ie: their brother has spondylosis], as my vet charges really reasonable fees.

My cover is for up to �40K per condition per year and that costs me just under a tenner a month per cat. You can pay a bit more and have life cover though. I also like the way that they aren't for profit, they give their profits to animal charities, so I don't feel so bad about using the commercial vet.

You can find out more info at: www.animalfriends.org.uk

[wolf63]

I did look at Animals Friend, but I have to admit that I was confused with all the small print by them and did not read it fully.

Maybe next year....