Pet Insurance Scam

[courtanyshayne]

Okay I registered both my dogs with Petplan insurance back in late 13/early 2014.

I set up Halo's for the supreme cover on a monthly payment of $59.99

Hendrix's I paid annually for $455

when the cover expired this year I didn't renew Hendrix's but Halo's must have rolled over and I noticed payments of over $90 a month.

I never received any policy renewal notices- I received one via email regarding Hendrix asking if I wanted to renew his policy and surprise surprise it went from $455 a year to $800 so I did not respond to renew.

Petplan NEVER contacted me, via mail or email regarding Halo's insurance.

Halo needed to be stitched up a few years ago after being bitten by a dog- I didn't have insurance.

So on the weekend my dog was attacked by another dog and needed to be stitched up costing $1750

I contacted pet plan via phone and asked for my policy to be sent to me so i had the policy number to claim.

This is when i saw the exclusion stating that they would not pay any vet fees that resulted from a dog bite or fight as well as skin allergies and ear problems.

I'm beyond angry. Had I seen this document I would have NEVER agreed to pay over $1000 a year to have my dog excluded from so many things WITHOUT a per-exsisting condition.

Halo is an English bull terrier, so they've obviously excluded skin allergies and ear problems specifically for her breed.

Anyone have a similar situation and have any advice?

Pet insurance seems like a HUGE SCAM!

[coogie]

Petplan do pay for dog bites/fights, they have paid for my girl when she was attacked,they have also paid for skin issues and ear issues despite her being a Shar Pei, so unless they don't cover any Bull Terriers for the skin/ear thing it won't be breed based, what does the pds actually say? Does it state it is a breed based exclusion?

I just had to fill in an additional form when Issy was attacked. Check your original policy documents against the new ones to see if there re differences on the renewal, then you can ask about any changes you weren't informed about. There is an insurance (Financial) ombudsman as well if you feel anything has been misrepresented.

Link to Ombudsman

[OSoSwift]

My dog has been stitched up twice from wounds caused by another dog and her knee surgery was as a result of a high speed collision with my other dog.

Paid out no issue.

[megan_]

It would have been an exclusion listed in your original policy? It is standard practice to exclude things that have happened before ( SG my dog ate a stick before he had insurance , so he isn't covered for eating sticks forever).

I've claimed over $6000 for my two, so I wouldn't say it is a scam?

[cavNrott]

This why it's so important to read the Product Disclosure Statement carefully and ensure you understand what it means. If this was listed as an exclusion for English Bull Terriers then it means Halo would not be covered. They didn't scam you. You didn't read the PDS.

There are usually exclusions that apply to some particular breeds and they are listed in the PDS.

Eight years ago before one of my Cavaliers was insured she had surgery (twice) for an obstruction caused by her eating loquats that dropped into my yard from my neighbours tree. She could not pass the stones. Any further surgery for an intestinal obstruction was an exclusion on her policy. Fortunately it hasn't happened since. My other Cavalier did not have this exclusion on his policy and he needed bowel flush out for an impaction of crunched up bone that he was unable to pass. The insurance company paid out.

I'm with Bow Wow Meow who are always up to date with sending out the annual policy before it falls due. If the policy didn't arrive I would call to ask for it.

[Steve]

Im hearing that when people sign up on line they dont receive a hard copy of the policy from some companies as it is assumed it is read and agreed to before signing up .I havent checked to see if this is true but personally I think there should be a requirement for a hard copy and a cooling off period in case you pick something up when you actually get the chance to study it properly .If you are signing up on line read what you are getting and print it out and go over it before you pay your money.

[courtanyshayne]

I did a tonne of research before choosing pet plan

I read the PDS thoroughly, I also read the PDS from other companies to work out what suited me best.

When I agreed over the phone there was no mention of any additional exclusions nor did it say on the original PDS.

My insurance company has advised me that petplan underwent a massive restructure in March 14 that now determains the exclusions based upon the breed of my dog.

So because halo is an English bull terrier, she has exclusions placed upon her such as skin and allergies, ear and Otis, as well as the dog bite/fighting exclusion.

What I'm confused about is why I never received any notification of these changes, I never received a renewal notice. Pet plan increased my premium by 50% without notification in the 2nd year.

I received an email about my 2nd dog Hendrix notifying me that his cover was about to expire and his premium would now be $800 instead of $455.

Almost double the original premium, Hendrix is 2 and a half years old.

How have I received emails regarding Hendrix but none regarding halo, yet they have been taking payments out at the increased rate?

Doesn't seem right

[aliwake]

They have definitely been a mess since their restructure - lots of people didn't get their renewal notices before they started getting charged (me included), and their customer service has been terrible. However, the cover is still good, and they have been paying claims.

It certainly sounds like you have a good case to dispute with them - if they applied the exclusions without notifying you. I would lodge a dispute with them, and if you have no luck, contact the ombudsman.

[melzawelza]

On this page: http://www.petplan.com.au/general-enquires

Does Petplan have any breed specific exclusions?

No, Petplan does not apply any breed specific exclusions? All of our exclusions are solely based on the health history of your pet prior to the date that your appplication is accepted. (there is a 21 day waiting period on illnesses, please refer to your PDS for details)

[FHRP]

Petplan have lost the plot, and a lot of customers. You might be interested in reading this thread courtanyshayne and share the pain many Petplan members have had Petplan Premium Increase

I have recently cancelled my 3rd dog's renewal with them, pleased I don't have to deal with them anymore but a shame they no longer offer the best product at an affordable price :)

Edited January 6, 2015 by FHRP

[courtanyshayne]

There breed specific exclusions aren't even on their web page, without a renewal notice how can I be aware of these changes.

I was on the supreme plan for $59.99 a month my dog was 4

She's now 5 and they have increased it to $90.00, without notification.

Thanks everyone I'll give that thread a read and be speaking the the ombudsman if this issue can't be resolved.

[Steve]

There breed specific exclusions aren't even on their web page, without a renewal notice how can I be aware of these changes.

I was on the supreme plan for $59.99 a month my dog was 4

She's now 5 and they have increased it to $90.00, without notification.

Thanks everyone I'll give that thread a read and be speaking the the ombudsman if this issue can't be resolved.

They say they have no breed specific exclusions

[megan_]

On this page: http://www.petplan.com.au/general-enquires

Does Petplan have any breed specific exclusions?

No, Petplan does not apply any breed specific exclusions? All of our exclusions are solely based on the health history of your pet prior to the date that your appplication is accepted. (there is a 21 day waiting period on illnesses, please refer to your PDS for details)

But they do exclude pet existing conditions - they all do.

[Danois]

Im hearing that when people sign up on line they dont receive a hard copy of the policy from some companies as it is assumed it is read and agreed to before signing up .I havent checked to see if this is true but personally I think there should be a requirement for a hard copy and a cooling off period in case you pick something up when you actually get the chance to study it properly .If you are signing up on line read what you are getting and print it out and go over it before you pay your money.

It is not actually just assumed but you are required to tick a box that says you have read and understood the PDS.

There is plenty of time to review the PDS online before you hit BUY - they can be accessed at any time.

If people choose not to take the time to read and understand what they are signing up to (not talking about the OP here) then that is their choice but they cannot complain later about it.

[melzawelza]

On this page: http://www.petplan.com.au/general-enquires

Does Petplan have any breed specific exclusions?

No, Petplan does not apply any breed specific exclusions? All of our exclusions are solely based on the health history of your pet prior to the date that your appplication is accepted. (there is a 21 day waiting period on illnesses, please refer to your PDS for details)

But they do exclude pet existing conditions - they all do.

Yes, but the OP is that they have excluded specific things because of his/her dogs breed, rather than them being pre-existing.

[megan_]

There OP didn't? Someone else mentioned it and now people are assuming it is breed specific. There dog had previously been attacked before they were insured, which is considered pre- existing in insurance terms.

[courtanyshayne]

My dog has no medical history of any of the exclusions (Otis, ear and skin) and when asked about this via email I was told

"As of March this year the Petplan product underwent a massive restructure and change. After many months of research and deliberation, we have decided to move to a rating based system. This means that we have assessed the risks and claims associated with different breeds, ages, locations and histories to calculate which rating a pet is in"

contradicts what the website says about Breed specific exclusions.

I had not recieved any notifications of these changes or a renewal notice. Pet plan just continued to deduct the increased amount for a policy i did not agree to. I agreed to 12 months at $59.99 with the PDS in 2013, how can i agree to something that they did not notify me of and that is not even written on their website 9 months after this restructure

Edited January 6, 2015 by courtanyshayne

[megan_]

The email doesn't say breed specific exclusions are I. Place . It says your premium is based on risk (including breed) - they're two different things.

[cavNrott]

There OP didn't? Someone else mentioned it and now people are assuming it is breed specific. There dog had previously been attacked before they were insured, which is considered pre- existing in insurance terms.

The OP mentioned in her first post that the ear and allergic skin excluded obviously because she is an English Bull Terrier. The OP also said in a later post that the dog had not been treated for these conditions. If it's due to the risk factor then it goes back to what sounds like a breed specific exclusion to me.

I have the policies for my two dogs sent to me by snail mail. I want a hard copy of the policies and they also send the current PDS along with them. This is Bow Wow Meow, not Pet Plan.

Bow Wow Meow increased the prices by a huge amount too, it's not just Pet Plan. Two years ago the increase was 98%. I can't remember what the latest increase was but it was hefty.

Edited January 6, 2015 by cavNrott

[NotMyCircus]

Definitely go to the ombudsman, I'm about to go there for the second time. Sadly it seems now that pet insurance is about companies doing all they can to worm out of payment, not paying fairly when you've sp a fortune in premiums over the years.