We are currently insured with Pet Plan, however, the annual fee is quite expensive, so I decided to search around and try and find an equally good alternative but cheaper (as you do with car insurance)!

My first choice is PINNACLE LIFE TIME COVER - Does anyone have any experience of using them?

Second choice DIRECT LINE ADVANCE - Again, any comments?

Obviously, these Companies and what they offer sounds good, but it is when a claim is made that really makes a difference. So if anyone has made a claim from either of them, your comments would be appreciated.

Equally, can anyone highly recommend an Insurance Company other than the two mentioned?

Many, Many thanks,
and hopeful anticipation....

We are with Argos silver or Gold Plan which costs about £9 a month although we havent used them yet ( fingers crossed we nevr need to..)

Hi Guest

I have two cats and two dogs on Direct line and have claimed three times, I found them very efficent friendly and sympathetic and have recieved money promptly. They have given me no reason not to recommend them.

You could always use the Search facility here on the Forum and type in INSURANCE ...it has been discussed a few times and you might get some ideas from there :)

More Than or PetHealthcare Services (both run by Royal Sunalliance)
Fab at paying out they aim to have 90% of claims settled in the same day
that they receive the claim :) I can vouch for that :D I had the cheque on my
mat the next day. The only time it takes longer is if it's a referral and they may need
to go back to your vet, but if it's straightforward it's normally dealt with really quickly.

What ever insurance you go with make sure it's a for life policy.
You get what you pay for, alot of the cheaper insurances will exclude any existing
problems you may have had to claim for after the initial period of 12 months is up :(
For life means you can go upto the maximum allowed in your policy throughout the
rest of your dogs life (after paying the excesses of course)
Chat it over with your vet, they may be able to advise which they think are good.
Also which are bad at paying up for claims.:(
Always read the small print!

I have been told argos do a good one.

I know Direct Line used to exclude after a year. This is why i canclled my insurance policies with them.
Pinnacle have an excellent reputation.
I know which one i'd pick between the two.

Direct Line now do a two tier policy, you pay a little extra and cover is for life.

Hi
ive got my border collie insured with pinnacle ive never had to make a claim yet. i pay £13.74 a month and i have to pay the first £55.00 excess.and they send you a £25.00 voucher towards the cost of your booster vaccinations
hope this helps
Ann

Hi,

I use Direct Line (the life cover policy) - have found them efficient and they have always paid exactly what I calculated I was due, and promptly too.

M.

We use Equine and Livestock, have done for years. Fairly reasonable, no select breeds premium! Breeders discount (so register with them even if you only have 1 litter).

Claims settled quickly, good, knowledgeable staff on phone, etc.

Norm

Have to say, I have a differing opinion of Equine and Livestock, and wouldn't recommend them to anyone!!!:-(
They have been awful paying out for my Australian Shepherd's ongoing tablets and I have found staff to be rude and unhelpful........ My aussie is co-owned and his co-owner has had the same problems as me....
Between us, we have 6 dogs insured with them, but not for much longer...
Sorry :-(
Gabrielle

I have a friend who is a vets receptionist.
She states that E&L quibble about every last penny, when they try to claim for their costs.

Hi Snoopy,
Yes, your friend is correct.... Trying to explain that the dog has two owners is a nightmare, I have the same argument every time I phone up...
If I have told them once he lives with me, he is under my vet and all money is to be payed to me, I have told them a 100 times, it just doesn't seem to sink in, despite having it in writing 3 times now.......
Their paying out is so bad, that I have to pay the vet who has been my vet for 6 years now, because they are sick and tired of chasing them for the money....
You can guarantee every phone call ends in an argument of some sorts....... like now, my dog is due for more tablets, but four weeks after sending the letter to them, they still owe me £120 for the last 2 lots he has had, and I have phoned every day for a week, and ''the cheque is in the post''.
Not to be recommended :-(
Gabrielle

A friend of mine had thier horses insured with them until recently.
They had two months to run on one of their insurance policies but cancelled
it (surprise,surprise the cancellation fee was the outstanding two months owed
back as they paid for the whole year upfront)
They are most relieved they are now insured with any company especially as
someone else (another friend of theirs) who owns a horse insured with them is having trouble getting
any money out of them as they are quibbling the bill...............
Apparently if your bill reaches £600 you have to ring for authorisation to allow the treatment
to continue from the insurance company :o

Surprise, surprise...... :-(
I have had a letter saying, if the dogs treatment is likely to go over £1000, could I let them know, as they will want to have him examined by a vet of their choice.....
I will leave the dog with them till his insurance runs out, but I think the others will have to go elsewhere..... the thought of fighting for any more money owed to me, fills me with dread........
It will be nice to find an insurance company that will pay out without any quibbles and straight away........
I will not recommend them to anyone.....
Gabrielle

Lloyds TSB are good - £9.86 a month regardless of breed.
I had to make claims for both my Bordeaux and they paid out within 2 weeks. Excess is £50.00.
Their site can be found online.

I use Pinnacle lifetime cover and have made two claims, one for investigations , Xrays etc and a bite from another dog that required stitches, no problem either time paying up, fast service and and follow up calls enquiring how every thing went. Would recommend them every time, of course they may not be best in your circumstances, you should get details from a number of companies and compare them like for like.

Robert

Robert do pinnacle do the life time illness

Yes they do Emma. they also re-instate the amount they cover for vets fee's every year too, unlike a lot that allow you say £3000, once that is used up in a condition you have to pay it your self form then on.
A neighbour who has his own insurance broker business, said they're underwriters are good too.

Robert

I am glad that your claims with them have been settled well, as we have our IMported boy insured with them, as four people own him, so he really had to be insured. This years renewal was only pennies more than last years £120 plus some pence per year.

Our excess is £40 and we haven't had to claim as yet. Their cover is good and lifetime, and the amount of cover is reinstated annually, so an ongoing condition doesn't have a ceiling per condition, say once you have clained £3000 then that is it, the annual vet fee cover starts again next year.

I also had no problems giving more than one owner, ande they are happy to use his home address for the calculations, and send the paperwork through me(at a diferent address).

recently had a claim with Pinnacle - only a £70ish bill (£40 excess) and they paid into my bank acct a few days after I sent the form in so I'm happy with them :)

SaraW :)

Many insurance companies don't cover dogs you have bred yourself - this is something to watchout for

Christine

Hi Christine,

Had never heard this, and can't say I'd have thought to check, must look at my documents tonight!!

Any idea what the logic behind this strange decision is?

M.

I also would not recommend equine and livestock it has took them 3 months to settle a claim for my dog he now also has 3 exclusions on the policy so if his problem comes back he is not covered.

Hiya
I was about ready to sign up with Pet Plan, I'm on the free 6 weeks from my pups breeder & a free 4 weeks from the vets at the moment so Dylan is doubly covered lol. After reading this I checked out Pinnacle & found it to be £4.50 a month cheaper, Direct line with the lifetime cover thing was less than £1 cheaper than Petplan so Pinnacle looks the best bet. My worry is it seems too good to be true, why is it so much cheaper?? The Pinnacle one looks a great deal. Any advice before I sign on the dotted line!
Penny

There can be a number of reasons why one is cheaper than another , that is why you need to write down the benefits of both and compare them. Some companies will pay out per year and some pay out per condition. Some companies will pay £500 for the loss of your dog , some go up to £1,000 (in my breed the former would not buy me another dog) Some cover for lifetime , some until the dog is a certain age....

Some will only pay under certain circumstances ...you need to really compare them before making a choice ..see which one suits your particular needs :)

Thanx for the reply Im sat here comparing the 2 now. Pinnacle seem to offer much more than Pet Plans basic insurance. Trouble is I cant see a note as to how much the excess is, I'll give them a ring later to check that.

my exess with Pinnacle is £40.00, but I think this can vary with area you live in.

Robert

I have just realaised, to my horror, after giving out insurance "cover notes" to the buyers of our pups, and always advocating insurance - that I haven't insured the piddles :O (Beau and Vinnie). We're with Direct Line for the others, so must check whether they can take on Beau and Vinnie - especially as they are home bred!

Margot

Our vet said that E and L stabds for escuses and lies!!

I checked the excess, its £55 for here in Derbyshire, still £5 less than Pet Plan, seems a big jump from £40 though.

:D at BL.

I have my dogs insured with pet plan, they have life time unlimited cover. I do find this expensive but have never had any problems with them. I often look at cheaper ones and ask myself should I change but have not done anything yet, also one of my boys has retinal dysplasia he is covered under pet plan but I dont know if anyone else would insure him, saying that he doesnt require any treatment just 6 monthly check ups.

:-D ''Excuses and Lies''....... this sounds about right for this company,
Gabrielle :-)

I have one of mine insured with Pet Plan, but looking elsewhere as well, as I discovered that they do not cover if you breed a puppy and keep it (6 wks free) even if another family member owns the pup. Did not ask about insurance after 6 wks was finished if they insure if you have bred the pup, will need to find this out.

Hi Dont know how old you all are, I have just had my 50th, so I contacted SAGA, there cover equalled others & the excess is £38. Seems ok although fortunatly I hant used it yet, puppy only 14 weeks. Regards Pauline.