If You Use M&s Insurance Please Read

[FeeFee]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

I saw this on another forum, but I know quite a few people here use M&S insurance so I thought it was worth highlighting.

People who have renewed their policies recently have had the following:

Vetfone

 

0800 980 5583

 

Your vet may not be available or the practice is closed. Vetfone’s veterinary nurses will give you advice about your pet’s health and welfare. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You must also call this number if your pet shows signs of illness or injury when your vet practice is shut before you use an out of hours service or another vet.

Some people have already queried this with M&S, who have confirmed that they may not pay for out of hours emergency vet care unless you have called their Vetline first for advice.

Personally if I had a dog with suspected pyometra or bloat or who had been involved in an accident the last thing I'd be doing is faffing around calling a Helpline number! The Vetline is apparently manned by two vet nurses - not vets - and calls are 'usually' answered within 5-10 minutes.

Apparently M&S have recently changed their underwriters from AXA to Royal Sun Alliance and there are other changes to the policy, eg things like hydrotherapy are no longer covered. Customers haven't been notified of these changes, so please read your small print carefully to make sure you know what is covered by you policy!

I'm not with M&S, but if I were I'd be kicking up one almighty fuss about this! :rant:

 

[chelynnah]

I renewed in Sept and it was still under AXA. Have just gone to the website to have a look and it looks like what they've added is a lower tier which doesn't cover some things, but the 'premier' tier still covers complimentary medicines and is exactly as in my booklet http://www6.marksandspencer.com/pages/defa...d=MI&Product=PI

I suspect that with the price increases there was a demand for a 'lower level' though of course I dont' know this. Rather than losing customers it seems they've given a lower range, still with good cover just not as comprehensive.

I can't see anywhere that you HAVE to call their line - it says it's a benefit, but I haven't had time to trawl through the fine print yet. I suspect it's to weed out those who would go running to an e-vet for a runny eye or something minor that could easily be taken care of with a quick phone consult... In your post you say if you see sign of illness. It doesn't say in an emergency - to me those are two completely different things, but as I said I haven't read the small print, but on the main page there it says nothing about it - just says there's access - also access to a Pet Pharmacy where you may be able to get meds cheaper.

Anyway, still going to investigate further when I've got time, but it seems the facts at the moment are only partially right - but thanks for the heads up and certainly worth looking into.

Wendy

edited to add

Have just done some more reading and the excess has gone up from 50-70, but the level of cover for the Premier has increased in quite a few sections. Not happy about the excess though. I need to stay with them for my Senior dog as they have the best senior policy, but I may be switching back to PetPlan - and certainly investigating where to go with the pups.

 

[FeeFee]

To quote from someone who has followed this up and queried it:

I spoke to Royal Sun Alliance (0800 980 8740) and she confirmed that yes, you do have to call their vet helpline before you put in an out of hours call to your own vet.

 

(Are they nuts??)

 

I asked that if I don't call them and instead contact my own vet straight away and he says yes come in, does that mean M&S may well not pay out for that out of hours call - to which she replied "well, that's the reason why we want you to call our helpline".

Obviously I can't guarantee that this information is correct, but I'd suggest anyone with an M&S policy should ring and check it out for themselves.

It seems the change from Axa to Royal Sun Alliance has only happened within the last week, so any changes to policies will only affect those renewed since then.

 

[maggiemay2]

I would suggest anyone who finds themselves in the situation of having made a claim for out of hours vets attention and have had their claim declined to call the Financial Ombudsman Helpline tel no. If anyone should need this please PM me.

They can give impartial advice as to whether, based on M&S's wording, they would adjudicate in favour of the insured/policyholder.

Any 'decent' insurance company or complaints department should take into account the facts and circumstances of the illness/injury and accept or decline based on the insured/policyholders behaviour and whether their actions at the time were 'reasonable'.

Dont be afraid to escalate your queries and get a definate answer from a manager rather than a handler. Always get a full name and department too :thumbsup:

Insurance Companies do have the ability to confirm what would happen in specific scenarios so dont be fobbed off. They have a duty to explain fully their policy wording and what it means.

 

[chelynnah]

Well even more interesting....

I've been on the PetPlan site planning to move back to them, but I'm investigating all the options. It's slightly more for one dog and slightly less for another.

But I then went to the M&S quote site, and got quote for 2 of my dogs to check which 'tier' they'd be classed on based on what we're paying!

One of them was quoted as £5-6 a month less than I'm paying for the new Premier (which has better cover for some stuff), and the other was almost £10 less! I'll be phoning tomorrow to follow up both regarding the phone call to the vet assistance line, and to see if they will be giving me my cover at the online quoted price or if I'll be moving back to PetPlan.....

If I'm going to pay the prices I'm currently paying I might as well move back (except for my oldie) and get more cover for similar or only slightly more. If they can honour the online prices then I'll stay.

I've accepted a lot of stuff from them because they've been good and the cover's been good, but this is just possibly a step too far

Ooh - meant to add that in the policy wording for several companies there is, in the 'what we won't pay' section a clause that says they have the right to refuse 'out of hours' extra fees unless the vet deems that it was required, so there is actually an out in most policies out there.

Wendy

 

[posh totty]

thanks for letting us know!! :thumbsup:

maybe this could be copied into the insurance FAQ sect too :thumbsup:

 

[maggiemay2]

Well even more interesting....
I've been on the PetPlan site planning to move back to them, but I'm investigating all the options.  It's slightly more for one dog and slightly less for another.

But I then went to the M&S quote site, and got quote for 2 of my dogs to check which 'tier' they'd be classed on based on what we're paying!

One of them was quoted as £5-6 a month less than I'm paying for the new Premier (which has better cover for some stuff), and the other was almost £10 less!  I'll be phoning tomorrow to follow up both regarding the phone call to the vet assistance line, and to see if they will be giving me my cover at the online quoted price or if I'll be moving back to PetPlan.....

If I'm going to pay the prices I'm currently paying I might as well move back (except for my oldie) and get more cover for similar or only slightly more.  If they can honour the online prices then I'll stay.

I've accepted a lot of stuff from them because they've been good and the cover's been good, but this is just possibly a step too far

Ooh - meant to add that in the policy wording for several companies there is, in the 'what we won't pay' section a clause that says they have the right to refuse 'out of hours' extra fees unless the vet deems that it was required, so there is actually an out in most policies out there.

Wendy

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

The reason they will give for the difference in premiums will be that 'new' customers get a 'special discount', there is an 'online' discount or even different/updated policy terms/conditions, may even be an imposed excess which drives the premium down. Good Luck with getting them to reduce premium.

the chances are though that the vet will confirm the visit was necessary I am sure, i dont think any vet particularly enjoys getting up at unsociable hours/going to work in their time off. :sweating:

 

[~Helen~]

thanks for letting us know!!  :thumbsup:
maybe this could be copied into the insurance FAQ sect too  :thumbsup:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

I've only just seen this, and have now linked to FAQ.

If anyone sees anything they feel would be useful in FAQ please PM the forum moderator (ie me, lol). There are thousands of new posts on K9 every day. I don't always get to read them all and assess their suitability, so I do rely on members and their PMs :thumbsup:

 

[chelynnah]

Well even more interesting....
I've been on the PetPlan site planning to move back to them, but I'm investigating all the options.  It's slightly more for one dog and slightly less for another.

But I then went to the M&S quote site, and got quote for 2 of my dogs to check which 'tier' they'd be classed on based on what we're paying!

One of them was quoted as £5-6 a month less than I'm paying for the new Premier (which has better cover for some stuff), and the other was almost £10 less!  I'll be phoning tomorrow to follow up both regarding the phone call to the vet assistance line, and to see if they will be giving me my cover at the online quoted price or if I'll be moving back to PetPlan.....

If I'm going to pay the prices I'm currently paying I might as well move back (except for my oldie) and get more cover for similar or only slightly more.  If they can honour the online prices then I'll stay.

I've accepted a lot of stuff from them because they've been good and the cover's been good, but this is just possibly a step too far

Ooh - meant to add that in the policy wording for several companies there is, in the 'what we won't pay' section a clause that says they have the right to refuse 'out of hours' extra fees unless the vet deems that it was required, so there is actually an out in most policies out there.

Wendy

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

The reason they will give for the difference in premiums will be that 'new' customers get a 'special discount', there is an 'online' discount or even different/updated policy terms/conditions, may even be an imposed excess which drives the premium down. Good Luck with getting them to reduce premium.

the chances are though that the vet will confirm the visit was necessary I am sure, i dont think any vet particularly enjoys getting up at unsociable hours/going to work in their time off. :sweating:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

I'm waiting for a callback from a supervisor, but they say that the lower price is the RSA price. They knew there would be a small difference, but it's a difference for me of almost 100 a year for one dog and 65 for the other. They said they shouldn't recommend, but if we had no ongoing problems the only way they could give us the RSA price would be to cancel the policy and take out a new one. I feel if I'm going to cancel I just may not take out a new one at all, but we'll see what the supervisor says.

When the policy is renewed it will be under the RSA underwriters, but they don't know if that means it will drop then or not. If I only had a few months left to run I might think about waiting it out, but as we only just renewed at the end of September I don't want to pay more for a policy that gives less cover (the new RSA policy has higher payouts for some things including complimentar medicines, rewards, and a few others).

They still seem to be running the 'age linked' prices even though it's not written anywhere, so every 3 years you'll get hit with a price hike. Where Petplan charges the same price for breed regardless of age. So I might be paying more now if I switch everyone, but I'd be getting unlimited cover, and higher cover for other things, and at least I know that my increases are only going to be cost of living increases - not almost doubling like I had this year... Don't know what to do.... If I start the new pup with M&S we talking £15 a month compared to 28, but in 3 years it will jump and what if we have an ongoing condition (not that I'm expecting one...).

Anyway, lots to think about.

I may just move Savannah back as she's 7 and then in 2 years drop her down to Petplan's mid tier since she'll be a senior so they'll cover less anyway.

What I DID find out is that part of the reason I moved over to M&S was their senior cover was the deductible plus 20% and stayed at that percentage, and at the time PP was deductible plus 20%, then 25%, then 30% and raised every year. They now leave it at a set 20% so that's fine.

Sorry I'm babbling, just talking through some of the pros and cons of what I've found out. If your M&S policy is up soon I'd probably wait and see what they offer you with the renewal as the prices under RSA seem to be a bit more in line with what I was paying previously

Wendy