Nadsi Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 After my crazy dog and his pal had me rushing them to the vet (a "much ado about nothing" scenario), I am concerned that if something actually happened, I would not be able to cover it out of my own pocket. I need pet insurance that will cover him for life, and I don't mind paying a large excess or 15-20% of the vet bill, as long as most of it is covered. I don't want to be stuck out in the cold if he were to develop a condition, only to have it covered for a year or or X amount of dollars before I foot the bill entirely. He doesn't have any pre-existing conditions, and is 7 months old currently. Does anyone have any success (or horror) stories they'd like to share? I just want the best for my handsome guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 What was the rushed vet visit for? It might now be considered a pre-existing condition, so be aware of that. There are a heap of threads on this already, so do a search on pet insurance. Basically, there are two options. Pet Plan (underwritten by Allianz), and everyone else (underwritten by the Holland Insurance). "Everyone Else" offers the same cover as each other, just slightly different prices, Pet Plan is the only unique one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitkatswing Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Ive recently joined up with RSPCA pet insurance. $33 a month! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minxy Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I've been absolutely thrilled with Medibank Pet Insurance. I've had numerous claims, totaling to around $8000 I'd say now, maybe more, for Kyojin's knees (only had surgery on the one so far) and they've always paid every claim within two weeks, no questions asked. Apparently they only do 80% of claims now, but as I'd already paid, I received 100% back (last appointment was about 2 months ago). They've saved us an absolute fortune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue & Waldo Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I've been absolutely thrilled with Medibank Pet Insurance. I've had numerous claims, totaling to around $8000 I'd say now, maybe more, for Kyojin's knees (only had surgery on the one so far) and they've always paid every claim within two weeks, no questions asked. Apparently they only do 80% of claims now, but as I'd already paid, I received 100% back (last appointment was about 2 months ago). They've saved us an absolute fortune. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I have REAL Pet insurance and so far am extremely satisfied. From memory I get back 80% or something, and the pay outs I’ve received so far have come within 2 working days. I also got a $50 cash back for having been with them for over 12 months even though I claimed during this time. No complaints from me – the process has been far easier and stress free than I had ever imagined, or have ever experienced from any other kind of insurance. I’ve heard some horror stories about Medibank, including them refusing to pay out claims, requiring swathes of documentation after having been approved for things. A friend is currently having significant issues getting Medibank to pay out a claim because she is unable to provide documentation for vet visits during a 9 month or so period, when the dog HAD no vet visits. She’s now cancelling her insurance with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadsi Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 What was the rushed vet visit for? It might now be considered a pre-existing condition, so be aware of that. There are a heap of threads on this already, so do a search on pet insurance. Basically, there are two options. Pet Plan (underwritten by Allianz), and everyone else (underwritten by the Holland Insurance). "Everyone Else" offers the same cover as each other, just slightly different prices, Pet Plan is the only unique one. They were rushed to the vet because the naughty little creatures decided to dig up my poor dead and buried rat from her grave in a pot plant. She was put to sleep with a toxic liquid that shuts down the nervous system, so I freaked out as I wasn't 100% sure that it would have broken down by now. The vet assured me that it would have, but he had them vomit her back up just in case. All my pot plants (which I purposely planted with non-toxic plants in case they ever wanted to eat the leaves)are now WELL out of reach. It was a surprise to me, as they had never shown interest in the pot plants before. Cheeky things are now happily munching on chews safely under my supervision. If that counts as a pre-existing condition, I would be surprised. Also, I did do a search but no one really answered the questions I wanted answered, so I asked them here. :) Policies also change, and there hasn't been a proper thread on this in a while, so I wanted to be sure I was getting up-to-date feedback from people who actually use and trust the insurance they're with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadsi Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) Ive recently joined up with RSPCA pet insurance. $33 a month! Have you made a claim through them yet? What were their response times? What's their customer service like? I have REAL Pet insurance and so far am extremely satisfied. From memory I get back 80% or something, and the pay outs I’ve received so far have come within 2 working days. I also got a $50 cash back for having been with them for over 12 months even though I claimed during this time. No complaints from me – the process has been far easier and stress free than I had ever imagined, or have ever experienced from any other kind of insurance. I’ve heard some horror stories about Medibank, including them refusing to pay out claims, requiring swathes of documentation after having been approved for things. A friend is currently having significant issues getting Medibank to pay out a claim because she is unable to provide documentation for vet visits during a 9 month or so period, when the dog HAD no vet visits. She’s now cancelling her insurance with them. That sounds great about REAL. I'll have to look into the ages they cover... I'm so paranoid my second dog will get hip issues when he's an old man and they won't be covered. He's a Border Collie x German Shepherd x other, so anything could happen! Edited May 25, 2012 by Nadsi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Ive recently joined up with RSPCA pet insurance. $33 a month! Have you made a claim through them yet? What were their response times? What's their customer service like? I have REAL Pet insurance and so far am extremely satisfied. From memory I get back 80% or something, and the pay outs I’ve received so far have come within 2 working days. I also got a $50 cash back for having been with them for over 12 months even though I claimed during this time. No complaints from me – the process has been far easier and stress free than I had ever imagined, or have ever experienced from any other kind of insurance. I’ve heard some horror stories about Medibank, including them refusing to pay out claims, requiring swathes of documentation after having been approved for things. A friend is currently having significant issues getting Medibank to pay out a claim because she is unable to provide documentation for vet visits during a 9 month or so period, when the dog HAD no vet visits. She’s now cancelling her insurance with them. That sounds great about REAL. I'll have to look into the ages they cover... I'm so paranoid my second dog will get hip issues when he's an old man and they won't be covered. He's a Border Collie x German Shepherd x other, so anything could happen! One thing to check, most will only cover conditions for a year, I believe. I think Pet Plan is the only that will cover most conditions "for life" as opposed to a year from diagnoses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheagle Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I use Pet Plan and have been thrilled with them and their customer service. They are a bit pricey but pay 100% of the bill minus $100 excess. The refund takes 2 weeks to arrive. I even had one time when I had missed a payment (direct debit issue) and they were happy to cover something that happened in that period. I just had to get back up to date before I gave them the invoice to process. My parents had some issue with them with their cat where they asked for proof of flea & heartworm meds and the payout took about a month but I've never had that issue with the dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheagle Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I use Pet Plan and have been thrilled with them and their customer service. They are a bit pricey but pay 100% of the bill minus $100 excess. The refund takes 2 weeks to arrive. I even had one time when I had missed a payment (direct debit issue) and they were happy to cover something that happened in that period. I just had to get back up to date before I gave them the invoice to process. My parents had some issue with them with their cat where they asked for proof of flea & heartworm meds and the payout took about a month but I've never had that issue with the dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teekay Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 After my crazy dog and his pal had me rushing them to the vet (a "much ado about nothing" scenario), I am concerned that if something actually happened, I would not be able to cover it out of my own pocket. I need pet insurance that will cover him for life, and I don't mind paying a large excess or 15-20% of the vet bill, as long as most of it is covered. I don't want to be stuck out in the cold if he were to develop a condition, only to have it covered for a year or or X amount of dollars before I foot the bill entirely. He doesn't have any pre-existing conditions, and is 7 months old currently. Does anyone have any success (or horror) stories they'd like to share? I just want the best for my handsome guy. Pretty sure PetPlan is your only option if you want this. That's who I use, for that very reason. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Petplan do6 weeks free that breders can register pups for when they sell them. Chatting with a friend tonight who was telling me of a horrific and freak fatal accident with 1 of her pups that she sold within that period and she said that Petplan had been fantastic to deal with for the owners and had no issue with paying full replacement price for pup. I always wondered how they would be if there was a big claim during the 6 week free period and this is the third time I have known of someone claiming and being happy with the service. I know their free plan but doesn't help the OP but I thought maybe hearing that they were hassle free for people to deal with would be encouraging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 The poisoning will count as a pre-existing condition, all poisoning won't be covered I believe. My boy once got a stick stuck in his throat, so all "stick in tnroat" incidence are excluded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 My perplan refund has taken over 5 weeks and it still hasn't arrived. It took 2 weeks to even get the "we've register your claim" letter. I've claimed before so I didn't need his history and all other paperwork was supplied. When I rang ghey said they had a 30 day backlog. Last time it took about 2 months to get my money. this is my only gripe about them and I've heard a lot of people complain about it. If you have so many backlogs you nerd more staff. They also aren't proactive in letting you know there will be a delay, you have to ring and pester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 Petplan do6 weeks free that breders can register pups for when they sell them. Chatting with a friend tonight who was telling me of a horrific and freak fatal accident with 1 of her pups that she sold within that period and she said that Petplan had been fantastic to deal with for the owners and had no issue with paying full replacement price for pup. I always wondered how they would be if there was a big claim during the 6 week free period and this is the third time I have known of someone claiming and being happy with the service. I know their free plan but doesn't help the OP but I thought maybe hearing that they were hassle free for people to deal with would be encouraging. I'm with Petplan and while they do take awhile to reimburse I know that my money will eventually arrived. My pup had a tooth abscess during his 6 week free period and they paid out no probs, I had an issue with his leg issue but that's coz the vet nurse wrote limp started at 8 weeks instead of approximately 8 weeks 4 days, so they wanted to class it as pre existing but after I wrote a letter and my vet did the same they paid out... Lucky as it turned out to be elbow dysplasia and my dog needed a very expensive surgery to clean up the joint and remove a section of his ulna, as well as follow up X-rays etc. everything has been paid for in fll minus my $100 excess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newfsie Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 I am also with Medibank private 100% for three and 80% for our last newfie Rescue dog....We do have an excess of $450, which I chose to keep the monthly payments down to $106.00 for four. I have just had a TPLO done for one of my newfies by A orhto Specialist in Melbourne A bloat scare with the same dog, when she had every test imaginable to check what she didn't have and her check x-rays with sedation and we got everything back. Except for the $450 I was diligent with the paperwork..we had three different vet practices due to some reasons. I thought that would be a problem, but no. I just got all the money back into my account and later got a statement saying what they paid for. Our bill was HUGE....$7000 in all with all the other stuff for her illness. I now know all the things that are not wrong with her. 12 weeks later and she is fit as a fiddle, back to full work and happy and my Mastercard is light again. I loved the fact that i did not have to think as to what i could afford and just do it ASAP....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadsi Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 As an update, I've decided to go with PetPlan. I'm yet to review the T&Cs, that is going to be arriving by mail soon. Here's hoping I've made the right choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 As an update, I've decided to go with PetPlan. I'm yet to review the T&Cs, that is going to be arriving by mail soon. Here's hoping I've made the right choice! Normally one would do that before signing up with someone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadsi Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 What was the rushed vet visit for? It might now be considered a pre-existing condition, so be aware of that. I got the contract, and the vet trip wasn't considered a pre-existing condition. I would have been surprised if it was, I mean, what could it be classified as? "Will not cover pet for illness pertaining to pet's curiosity for dead stuff"? LOL. I would have been impressed if they could exclude it. Thank you for that warning though :) As an update, I've decided to go with PetPlan. I'm yet to review the T&Cs, that is going to be arriving by mail soon. Here's hoping I've made the right choice! Normally one would do that before signing up with someone! Well, I did read everything on their website but I honestly expected they would have a more in-depth T&Cs document posted out with the details of my policy (like those whopping great legal documents you get with some contracts). They don't, which is a relief in a way because I wasn't up for reading more, haha! They do send out the insurance policy & product disclosure statement which you can find on their website as a PDF. Everything else in the envelope was stuff like billing information and certificate of insurance cover. It's all pretty straightforward. I will post about my first claim experience if I ever have to, and hopefully this thread can be of use to someone else trying to pick an insurer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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