Insurance

[Evie]

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Hi,

I had missed a few payments for Willow's insurance and it's been cancelled earlier this summer. Archie is still insured through M&S. I liked it because it was no excess and lifetime cover.

So today I went online to get insurance again for Willow. I don't see a no excess option anymore. :blink: Do M& S still offer it?

I also noticed the cost has jumped up by half again on top of the old price.

 

[~Helen~]

Yes, I think everyone's finding this with M&S, its come up a few times recently, check out threads here: http://www.k9community.co.uk/forums/index....pic=11531&st=15

There is no more Nil Excess for renewals from August this year. Have a troll through the above link for some extra info and discussion :thumbsup:

 

[Evie]

Craafty aren't they?! :rant:

Lure us in with lifetime policy ans no excess, then ditch the no excess!!!!!

I don't feel to guilty about not keeping up with the payments now. Her insurance would have run out in two weeks time and I'd be in the same postition anywway.

Need to find a decent lifetime insurance with no excess now.... for a decent price. (Not hard to please am I?)

Thanks Helen. :thumbsup:

 

[hely]

my sisters dog is with m&s, she got a new pup 2 weeks ago and rang them to get vinnie insured with them as they did a really good deal for reggie.............only to find it was nearly 5 quid more and a 60 quid excess :rant:

think she has cancelled both and gone elsewhere :thumbsup:

im looking for a different one, i am with direct line, its a lifetime cover but a 70 quid excess ..............trying to find one with no excess as well :thumbsup:

 

[masta]

Craafty aren't they?!  :rant: Lure us in with lifetime policy ans no excess, then ditch the no excess!!!!! 

I don't feel to guilty about not keeping up with the payments now.  Her insurance would have run out in two weeks time and I'd be in the same postition anywway.

Need to find a decent lifetime insurance with no excess now.... for a decent price.  (Not hard to please am I?)

Thanks Helen. :thumbsup:

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the no excess stands as long as you keep the policy open i have 2 dogs on the no excess policy and neither have increased at renewal

 

[Evie]

the no excess stands as long as you keep the policy open i have 2 dogs on the no excess policy and neither have increased at renewal

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Really? I heard a few people say that that when it came to renewal they no longer had the no excess, unless they didn't read their polices correctly. :unsure:

I'm looking around online at the moment and Halifax are looking good with £50 excess. I can't see a single policy with no excess now.

 

[gilliwigs]

the no excess stands as long as you keep the policy open i have 2 dogs on the no excess policy and neither have increased at renewal

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Muffin's policy increased with M&S and I now have to pay excess as well But they did pay out for my new glasses when Jonah trashed them!

 

[~Helen~]

Craafty aren't they?!  :rant: Lure us in with lifetime policy ans no excess, then ditch the no excess!!!!! 

I don't feel to guilty about not keeping up with the payments now.  Her insurance would have run out in two weeks time and I'd be in the same postition anywway.

Need to find a decent lifetime insurance with no excess now.... for a decent price.  (Not hard to please am I?)

Thanks Helen. :thumbsup:

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the no excess stands as long as you keep the policy open i have 2 dogs on the no excess policy and neither have increased at renewal

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I think maybe you squeaked in before they changed this for renewals after August. I've phoned them, and I know several people on another forum who have, and M&S say they've discontinued the Nil Excess now

 

[chelynnah]

Craafty aren't they?!  :rant: Lure us in with lifetime policy ans no excess, then ditch the no excess!!!!! 

I don't feel to guilty about not keeping up with the payments now.  Her insurance would have run out in two weeks time and I'd be in the same postition anywway.

Need to find a decent lifetime insurance with no excess now.... for a decent price.  (Not hard to please am I?)

Thanks Helen. :thumbsup:

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the no excess stands as long as you keep the policy open i have 2 dogs on the no excess policy and neither have increased at renewal

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Have just had mine through with another huge increase over last year AND the removal of the nil excess. I expect you happened to miss the cutoff and you'll find it next year.

Did a search and found there wasn't much cheaper out there with everything that I want so I'm staying with them.

As for the NIL excess - I think they were the only company that ever offered it.

WEndy

 

[Julie D]

yep, ours finished mid-August, they no longer offer nil xs, even if you had it before, it jumped up to about £19 /month for a 2 yr old, so I've changed to Argos Platinum, £14/month, almost as good cover, lifetime cover upto £6K per illness (M+S was £7K) with £50 xs.

 

[JAX]

Ive Buffee with Argos Premium ( life time cover or £6000.00 ) at £11.00 a month with £50.00 excess , they paid her bill of £1700.00 plus no problem , and wed only been with them for 6 months

I cant see why you are so after a no excess myself , surely its much better to pay , say £11.00 a month (£131 pa )with £50.00 excess than pay £17.00 a month ( £234 pa) with no excess :blink:

One would hope not to have to make a claim at all, therefore a saving of £103 per year

just my thoughts for what they are worth :cheers:

 

[Evie]

Hey Jax,

Thanks for the info. :thumbsup:

For my two the no excess only put it up by about a pound at the time, so I was happy to pay the wee bit extra for it. But I see now that nowhere else offers it anyway.

 

[zilloot]

Mmmm I'm a bit concerned now.. I've heard nothing at all from M&S about removing the 'nil excess' or increases in the premium and I have six dogs insured with them.

If they start messing about though I will tell them I'm taking my business elsewhere and with six policies that's quite a chunk.

 

[jezza]

I've been looking into argos and m&s and am I right in thinking that m&s will pay up to £7k each year whereas argos will pay £6k per condition? So I read that to mean, with argos, once the £6k is gone, its gone so you will get no more money for that condition? If thats the case, what is the likely hood of one condition costing more than six grand in the dogs lifetime?

I'm not with either but I am looking for a new policy as mine is a bit crap now I've also noticed a lot of companies are now putting in that they won't pay out for surgery to correct cryptorchidism which never used to be there before. When we first got Lenny I phoned direct line (who I'm with now) and asked if they would pay for the operation as he has 2 'no shows' and they said yes they would. We never had the op done but I suspect if I phoned and asked again now the answer would be different.

I'm also with Jax on the no excess thing, surely the reason premiums go up is because the insurance companies aren't making enough profit, so if people are claiming for every veterinary treatment they aren't going to be making enough money (like they don't make enough anyhow :angry: ). Just my thoughts on the matter.

 

[JAX]

you will only hear from them when your policy is up for renewal , i rang to cancel mine with M n S and the guy said he wasnt surprised i was cancelling :blink:

 

[FeeFee]

Just out of interest, has anyone here ever taken out a third party liability only policy?

I made the decision not to insure Musky, as the premiums for a new policy for a 13 year old dog were through the roof. If he needs any expensive treatment I'll just have to take it on the chin, but it does worry me having no third party cover if he were ever to cause an accident or something (not that it's very likely :lol: )

 

[~Helen~]

I've seen a few others talk about that on another forum I sometimes go to :thumbsup: If you're interested I can PM you the url.

 

[chelynnah]

I've been looking into argos and m&s and am I right in thinking that m&s will pay up to £7k each year whereas argos will pay £6k per condition? So I read that to mean, with argos, once the £6k is gone, its gone so you will get no more money for that condition? If thats the case, what is the likely hood of one condition costing more than six grand in the dogs lifetime?

Yes, you do read that right. M&S is £7k for year reinstated every year for all fees, Argos best plan is £6k per condition. Most conditions you would probably fall well within that, but what if you had something like epilepsy. You could use up that money pretty fast.

Nil excess was good, but that's why we've all been hit with the rises now. For an extra £5 a year we were offered it so what the heck... then claim everything. But they really got their figures wrong and didn't think people would actually claim so much for the small stuff, and that's why we've been hit withthe rises. Really they should have either not offered it or charged a lot more for it.

Have also been on the phone with M&S yesterday to discuss why such a hike for 2 of my dogs. THey said (though it's nowhere in the literature and I'm going to take that up with AXA once I go back through to be sure) there are age increments that get a big increase hit on the premium. From 0-3 is the lowest. When they turn 3 they get a higher than normal rise. From 3-6 they should now remain relatively stable with 'cost of living increases', then at 6 they get another hit (85% for SAvannah!), and then at 9 another hit, and from nine on should remain relatively stable.

Having done the numbers with the SAME cover elsewhere (ie not losing any benefits aside from the NIL excess which we've already lost) it's will cost me £3 a month more to insure Teya and £3 a month less to insure Savannah, so overall why move. And their senior plan is the best and most stable, so I'm not moving Chelsea.

They still pay out well, we've had no problems, so okay it's more than I'd like, but it's still a good policy, and we have claimed far more than we've paid them so for us we're staying.

It would have been nice to have it in writing about the age increments, and I do have a beef with that. I said to the CS guy that really it's a bit like a 'bait and switch' and he totally agreed, so once I go back through the most recent policy, if it's not in there I'll be calling AXA who underwrite it and see what they've got to say for themselves. Even if it gets it put into writing then people then know what they're signing on for.

Wendy

 

[quintessence]

We have recently opened a special savings account for the dogs. In addition to the insurance we pay each month with Argos we are also putting a certain amount into the account. The money will just sit and grow and yet be available should we need it for them. I suppose what we are doing it half and half .

Jenny

 

[JAX]

Just out of interest, has anyone here ever taken out a third party liability only policy? 
I made the decision not to insure Musky, as the premiums for a new policy for a 13 year old dog were through the roof.  If he needs any expensive treatment I'll just have to take it on the chin, but it does worry me having no third party cover if he were ever to cause an accident or something (not that it's very likely :lol: )

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perhaps you are covered for that on your home insurance :cheers: