I have 2 dobermanns and a west highland terrier, all covered (supposedly) by E & L insurance.  I have been in a terrible state today, because my westie is showing signs of blood in her faeces and is undergoing tests at the vets and to top it all the insurance company is refusing to pay.

I realise that this is my fault as I was unaware of the small print but I still feel like Ive been ripped off.  I took her to the vet way back in February telling them of the blood I saw and I was told to put her on a prescription diet (hills) which I did.  As I have an excess of £49 on my insurance I did not think that I would need to claim so I left it thinking well it doesnt come to that much anyway.
The tests are increasing and the vet bill is getting higher and go over the exess £49 so I decide to put a claim in only to be told because I did not inform them of the condition in February (or within 90 days of that)  my claim is void and all further claims regarding this illness will be void.

As you can imagine I am devastated as this could lead to something like cancer and she may need operations and such forth.  So due to my human error I and my dog are being punished severely.  I have talked to my family and they agree that if the orignal bill didnt outweigh the excess then they wouldnt of bothered claiming as well. 

I pay around £30.00 a month to cover my 3 dogs and feel totally ripped off.  They were very matter of fact about it on the phone and showed no sympathy what so ever.  I have truly learned my lesson here and hope that by my story others will learn as well.    In this day and age it seems there is no room for human error.  Its all about money and I ask myself "Where Is The Love?"  which sound cheesey but basically thats what I feel.  Thanks for reading this I feel like I am doing some good now by telling people about this.

Do a search here on the site for E & L INSURANCE ;) :D There have been numerous threads about that particular company

Sorry to hear your news, but I have heard bad things about E&L in the past. I would never recommend them, sadly too late for you...........

liberty

I am just beginning to learn that people are not happy with them.  I had no idea that they had such a bad reputation.  Even my vet said they were "pants".  Unfortunatly this is all after my incident so no help now.   Please could anybody give me as many websites as possible where I can tell my story and hopefully inform as many people as possible to be careful.

Can you cancel this insurance and get another one?

E&L are terrible for paying up on claims and thier horse insurance is avoided by most of  us horsey people too.
I am with Direct Line and have thier premium policies for my dogs as they will continue paying for life on ailments not just a year, They pay up very quickly direct to your vet ( and I have had so many claims I've lost count)  They are always friendly and helpful and have just about the cheapest premiums and excess of £45.

Bev

I got fed up with insurances about 18 months ago and decided to put the amount I gave to the insurance company into the hounds own bank account. There are 4 dogs and in the 18 months I have paid all vet expenses including boosters and worming and all the small amounts that the insurance would not pay anyway. Their account now has over £600 collecting interest and if I was to add in the excess I would have paid anyway there would be over a £1000. so I am glad that I decided to do it and thankful that none of the dogs had a very expensive problem during the time it is taking to build the amount up.

Will add I have a puppy and I did insure him for the first year as it would seem that is the time that they seem to require attention, s*ds law but this one has never needed the vet yet, touch wood ;)

That wouldn't help in this case, alina d, because no new insurance policy will cover pre-existing conditions.

When I have written a letter of complaint and tried my best to squeeze my money out of them and when all treatment is over then yes I will change insurers with my westie.  As for my dobes I am now in the process of moving them over to a different company straight away, Im just waiting for their medical history printout and over I will go.

I would be inclined to complain about this, loudly and widely to anyone who will listen - the papers, Watchdog (appropriate subject for them) etc.  E&L have such a bad reputation for paying (and if you read their small print for not covering) that it should be bought into a more open arena.

How can you be expected to know, every time, how serious a problem is going to be.  The fact that you saw a vet and were following their instructions only to find over time that it did not fix the problem should surely be enough to cover it.

Of course, it could always be that the problem in February was something totally different (maybe because he ate something sharp) and was fixed by feeding the prescription food and that the current problem is a new one and not related at all to the previous one - what do your vet's think?

I would write to the daily mail they have a letters page at the very least it will warn people about it.
I have my dogs with saga and they are great

Dobermannpinsch-
I have PM'd you :)

Well I am sort of back and forth at the moment with the vet.  Anyway my vets are pretty good and are helping all the way.  I am going to start with a letter of complaint and see what happens.  If this does not work then yes I will consider other avenues. Thanks.

I've just put a claim in with E&L and I wish I had read to tiny small print.  Yes £55 excess and then 35% of the remaining vets fees claim once the flat excess has been deducted.  An orginal claim for £234.43 equals £122.68 back.  I would change insurers but George is 12 and no one now would cover him.

CarolW

Poor You!  I have to get my westie changed within 2 months as she will be 8 then and I will find it hard to get her insured by anyone else.  I dont want to change until i can get this claim sorted out though.  I have been on the phone to my vet today and she fully sympathises with me.  She said she is going to send the claim form off anyway despite the fact they said a flat no over the phone, and then if they still persist in not paying she said she will join me in complaining.  She has offered a full "free" health check for my 2 dobermanns so that I can get them changed to another insurance company and offered the services of the vet nurses who specialise in insurance to help me decide.  What A practise!  What more could you ask for!  You can tell they genuinely care for their clients and their animals and are not just out to make as much money as possible.  Perhaps that is why they are such a popular vets and have 3 practises in the area.

If you live in east anglia area and want to know the name of my vets who I thoroughly recommend PM me, As I am not sure I can advertise them on here.

Hi there everyone

I'm new to this board so I hope I'm not speaking out of turn but I'm a head nurse at a veterinary practice in London, and sadly we've had many problems with E&L.  I have found with them that sometimes persistence pays off so it may be worth asking your nurse to ring the company and harrass them (which sadly I have been forced to do sometimes).  It may be a waste of time but for the price of a phone call it's worth a shot and I'm sure any nurse would be happy to fight your corner.

In terms of insurance companies generally, I have found More Than excellent.  I recently acquired a cat, age unknown, but I said to them I thought he was at least 13, and they insured him for 9.99 per month (in London!)  Sadly he has since developed early stage renal failure, and I have had no problems with the company in terms of payment.  He is being treated with conventional medication, but I have also used an acupuncture specialist, and the company have not queried this alternative medicine in any way.  The bill has already gone into thousands, so I cannot praise this company highly enough.  I am getting a whippet puppy in 6 weeks and will be insuring him with More Than immediately.  I have another cat with PetPlan - he is only 3 but his premiums and excess are higher than for the older cat!  Unfortunately I cannot change companies as he has a pre-existing condition.

Please avoid E&L if at all possible, we have also had many problems with a company called PetWise, they are not terribly well known but I would not recommend them to any of our clients.

Kind Regards

I would check out More Than again!
As one of my dog's policy has just come up for renewal with them.
From paying £21 per month the premium has gone up to a staggering £38.99 per month!!
That's just for one dog, on their 'value' for life policy paying vets fee's upto £6K per condition.

I have only claimed once in the four years that I have been with them, and that was upto £150 max.

They claim premiums are now based on dogs breed, age and your postcode.
They also claim in their letter that vets fee's have increased above inflation rates...
But they haven't doubled thier costs have they?! (I hope not)

I live on the South Oxon/Berks borders..an RG post code.

Although their customer service in the past has been good, I am not renewing my policy with them
I just hope the other 2 dog's policies do not go up as much as this one, as they are with Pet Healthcare
whom are owned by the same people as MoreThan :(

I've just checked my Policy (am also with More Than) and I'm paying £15.49 a month for Libby, which covers up to £6k per illness, etc, etc.
There appears to have been no or little increase in my premiums.

liberty

Out of interest Liberty, which post code area are you in i.e. only the first two alpha's?
More Than claimed my policy increases were due to my dogs breed, her age and my post code
plus the fact that vets fee's had increased dramatically above inflationery rates.
(my dog is a 6yo Boxer bitch, whom I've only ever had to claim once in the four years I've been with them
and then as I say only a 'cheap' operation of £150 max to remove growth from her gum, non malignant)

Two years ago my premiums were similar cost to yourself but last year went upto £21.99 per month
and then this year hiked massively upto £38.99 per month for the one dog.

Hi Boxacrazy, my postcode is RH10 Surrey/Sussex area. I know some Insurance companies increase their Premiums when a dog reaches, 8yrs old (sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong) so as your dog is 6yr old, that is no explanation as to why it has gone up so much

Why not give them a call and ask why, I would be interested to hear their response.

liberty :)

P.S. Just re-read your post, that is an extortionate amount per month Even with my feeble grasp on maths that's almost £500 per year, I think they're having a laugh there

I did ring and the reasons above were given for the premium increases...
The lady on the phone said I'd be ok if I lived in Scotland...
I'm not moving that far north to get the cheaper premiums thou... :)

I also know that when a dog reaches it's 'senior' years that they may hike the premiums..
But not at 6yo! and surely not by doubling the premiums..(But we are at the insurance companies mercy here)
LOL they may have plenty of mugs to pay the increase...But sadly for them I'm not one of them ;)

I'd imagine that you also would be classed as an 'expensive' region too being in the south...
You obviously must own a more 'hardy' breed than a Boxer and a youthful one too:)

:)
Kirstine

Well young dog, yes, she's 2 1/2, as for a hardy breed, not sure, as flatcoats have a high incidence of cancer, and she's already had to have a growth removed on her chin :(
I don't pay as much as you're expected to pay, for my Golden who will hopefully be 15yr in December, although the cover is not so good, but then I can't expect too much for an Older Lady ;)

liberty

Edited to add: Bree (my goldie, is with Dog Breeders Insurance, and do not cover any ailment/illness after 12months.....

Hi there

Sorry to hear of your problems with More Than, that increase is unbelievable.  Our cat's has just been renewed and has gone from £9.99 to £12.39 per month, but I claimed for about £3,500 last year so I'm not really in a position to complain.  I think deciding which company is best depends a lot on where you live, London is the most expensive place for all the companies.

I chose More Than as they were about the only company who would insure a 13 year old cat, but I will research other companies for my puppy.

As far as vet's fees go, we certainly haven't doubled our prices in the last 12 months, I don't think offhand that we've increased them at all!

Regards

If their increase in premium had not been so dramatic, then perhaps I would have stayed with them.
But I'm sorry I am not going to accept such an dramatic increase.
I have told them so too, I shall also write with my reasons for cancelling the policy too.

Sadly for me they have stopped issueing the PetHealthcare pet insurance policies as I would have enquired with them.

I am currently looking at Pinnacle and going to look at the M/S pet policies too.

I have read today in the Mail that Saga have also just implemented major hikes in premiums and cuts in benefits
plus excesses have increased vastly...so I don't think it's just specific to More Than. :(

I recently switched from Petplan for my 2 dogs to M&S for my three.  I had been completely happy with Petplan, but adding the extra dog was just too  much if there was something equivalent out there for a better price.  I am now paying £4 more a month for 3 dogs than I was for 2.  The policy is better, and I'm actually in the process of making my first claim.  I've been told by others who use them that they pay up quickly so I'm hoping there won't be any trouble.

They even have a 'no excess' option for an extra 20'ish pence a month!  Totally worth it.  And once the dog hits 8 the excess is £50 and then 15% of the vet bills and STAYS that way, unlike other policies where the excess and % increase each year.

They also cover more in complementary treatment if approved and countersigned by your vet (not that we've used this, but it's always good to know).

When I switched over to them I was worried they might exclude my one dog for a few things because we'd had a couple of surgeries.  They shouldn't have because they were one-off conditions, but you never know....  After reviewing her vet history they only excluded anal gland conditions because she needs them emptied a few times a year.  I was totally impressed.

Definitely worth looking at.  I read the policy over and over off and on for about 2-3 months before finally going for it.  It seemed too good to be true.

OH and they give discouts for additional animals after the 1st one!

Wendy

Hi, I live in scotland and my three dogs were with petwise, they increased their prices last year and for £10.00 per month per dog, the dogs were only insurred for £1500 per illness, unfortunately, I am stuck, with my two dogs with allergies, but, my other dog who I have not had any claims against, I have changed her to Sainsbury's less money, she is covered for £6500 , with loads of other benefits. eleanor

M&S will cover up to £7000 for each illness :)

I've just insured my 3 pups with PetPals for £13.65 each (includes 10% discount for insuring multiple pets), cover is upto £5000 per condition and is lifetime cover. Petplan wanted £20.10 per pup(upto £6000 cover per condition) - it becomes expensive if you have a few!

Hi. We have just cancelled our policy with sainsbury's as they took 3 months from us applying and numerous calls from myself to get any documentation. Then they set up 2 policies for 1 dog and took 6 installments out on way day causes us a few probs. Their customer service is rubbish, they never rang back when they said they would, a check refund for the 2nd policy never arrived, the representative told me that if I couldn't ring at 9 the next day then maybe I should write a letter to get a refund. Needless to say I sent a strongly worded letter to AXA's head office (they do the insurance) and have had both policies refunded totally. We now have both our girls on more than.

I will be using PDSA, as I am a carer of two special needs kids. Who can I use for our 18 yr old Mare? she is coming in 2 weeks! (soooo exited)!!

Good news everyone!  E & L have said they will pay the fees I owed to the vet.    If they were not going to pay I was not going to continue with the tests and would have to have seen how things went with my little westie, she seemed lively enough and even a little fat.  Anyway now they have decided to cough up I have asked my vet to continue with the referral to a specialist in Cambridge and we will see what that will lead to.  I am only covered for £2000 I just hope that this will be enough.  But anyway good news and now we can continue to investigate her problem and get to the "bottom" of it (pardon the pun).

My partner and I have been going over and over whether we should bother with insurance anymore, at the end of the day it is a gamble.  We have also talked about if it is cancer, what should we do.  Go for treatments that may upset her quality of life and cause her horrible discomfort or just make the most of the time we have left.  Anyway I am being morbid here and pesimistic, lets just hope its something that can be cured easily and we can all get back to happy times.

Aw great news! My Charlie (Cavalier King Charles) is going through the very same thing. He was on Natures Best by Hills, but now he is on cooked chicken and rice as of today, as he began to strain but pure blood was coming out. I know it is Colitis, but there is a real possibility that it's something far worse. He desperatley needs to gain weight, and he is very tired all the time from lack of energy.

my email is birth companions @ i 12 . com (remove the spaces to mail me) if you need someone to talk to.

Best of luck!

This is an update on my little westie.  We had extensive tests done at Cambridge University last week all in all which amounted to over 800 pounds and yes E & L have agreed again to foot the bill I am amazed.  I feel slightly guilty for rubbishing them now.  Anyway they found legions in her stomach and colon, so I have been sent away with 3 different meds for her to take and an anti allergy food.  Anyway the last 3 poos have had no blood in them.  Brill!!!!  However she is not doing many poos, 1 in 24 hours if that, but at least it is not bloody.  We are waiting for biopsy results but Cambridge seem to think she has inflammatory bowel disease which is not curable but can be managed with drugs and special food.  So all is well.  Thanks for all your support and I will give a definet result when we get the biopsy results back.  There is no cancer, no masses were found and that is what I was worried about.  At last we can breathe a little.

Thats good news, glad its all sorted with the insurance, sorry about your little girl though but at least you know what it is now.

Hi,

On reading your problem with the insurance for the Westie, thought you may like some advise on insurance for the Dobes. I currently have 2 Dobes and over the last 20 years have had 7 in total. I have used Pet Healthcare Services for a long time now and found they offer an excellent service and are very quick in making payments. I pay £19.50 a month for my dog which was the best quote I found. (Most other company's quoted over £30.00 for a Dobe.) They also cover the the life of the illness up to a given amount (mine is up to £7,000.00). A lot of companies now only cover for the first 12 months.

Most of my Dobes have ended up with some type of ailment/illnees (not all serious thankfully), which have needed life time medication so I would definately recommend looking at your current policy.

The number for Pet Healthcare, if you wish to call them is 01491 571999.

Thanks for your advise.  I certainly will be looking into changing insurance for my dobes at a future date.  Money is a little tight at the moment and I am looking for a job so we are a 2 income family but as soon as I get one I will be upgrading their insurance to a better amount and of course changing company.  It is nice to get such good, helpful advise of this board and it is somewhere to let of steam with people that have a doggie interest as well.  As for Dana results for inflammatory bowel disease came back negative so all that is left really is food allergy.  She is currently eating the most allergen free food you can get from the vet, and is still taking some meds to help the legions heal.  So far her poos seem fine now.  Thanks everyone.

hi i saw this after doing a search for E&L insurance complaints. DO NOT feel guilty for rubbishing them, they have terrible customer service in my opinion. i have just had to have my 4 year lod horse put down and am facing an excess of approx £600 they charge 17.5% of vets fees excess on horse insurance and that is'nt even their high xs policy. they have been very uncaring and when i spoke to the manager (a mean feat to be aloud to talk to him and only after threatened with watchdog and insurance ombudsman) he couldn't recall a telephone call i had 1 week previous even though he reduced me to tears and promised to phone the following day, when asked why he hadn't he said i don't remember you! that was it. anway i owe just over £1000 in vets bills now and they won't even give me the full amount that she was insured for.

make your own mind up!

I am sorry about your horse.  That is very sad.  The last thing you need to worry about it money when a beloved pet is ill or worse passed on.  If you know you are entitled to more, keep persevering with them.  I eventually got them to pay for the bills, except they wont pay for the special diet or housing fees for the few days Dana was at the hospital.  Dana is 8 on Friday and then I will have to pay 35% of all vet fees which is very steep, but better than nothing I suppose.  She has had a blitch in her recovery the last few days so I have to make sure I get the claim in before Friday.  Silly isnt it.  Anyway I hope you get what your due and my thoughts are with you over your beloved horse.  It seems so tragic at only 4 years old.  Your right about their customer service, if they have no compassion then they shouldnt be working for an animal focused department.  Hugs.

thank you so much for your kind reply, i'll keep everything crossed for your dog.  at least you got something which i suppose is better than nothing, simarly my gsd pup had a bad tummy when he was 12 weeks old, although i didn't need to claim my vets made me phone to let them know, they'd obviously had dealings with them before.

thanks so much again

Its been difficult one minute she is fine next minute we have a problem with this damn possible food allergy thing.  However this is all completly irrelevent now as Dana has been diagnosed something completely different now.  Last night while playing with her I came across some lumps, this morning she was diagnosed with Lymphoma and has been gived days to weeks to live.  My husband took her and when he told me I shouted at him telling him he was wrong.  I could not believe it.  Not only for the past few months have I had to keep Dana confined due to this damn allergy thing while I do food trials which I hated, now all that has been a complete waste of her precious time.  Those lumps were not there 3 weeks ago, I know this because I had to stroke her throat to help her swallow her allergy medication, it has come on really aggressive and I only noticed last night.  She wasnt given any medication as steroids he said would upset her allergy thing.  I dont know what to do.  Today has been horrible.  Of course Ive stopped the confinement and now i dont care what she eats as we have been told that soon she will slow down and will have to be pts.  What should I do, is there any alternative treatments, how will I know when she has to go.  She is the first dog I have ever owned.  I bought her with my savings from a child (I was saving for a pony).  She has brought immense joy to my life, I cant beleive there is nothing I can do.  Please any ideas welcome.

Poor poor you and your dog, you know what its like to be kicked when your down.
Just take comfort in the lovely life you have had together. Not alot to say really I do hope she doesnt suffer too much.

Unfortunately Lymphona can be a very aggressive disease.

When life becomes too uncomfortable for her you will know it is time to let her go.

So sorry

Thank you.  I am making the most of the time I have left with her now.  She does seem a little more quiet now and her breathing is a little accelerated but she is still chasing the cat and barking at the dobes.  I am trying to make things calm but with the two dobes and my children it is a little difficult.  She is eating quite well.  I guess I will know when its time, I am very scared though about how on earth I am going to be able to do it.  I know it is the best thing for her, though and I have to be strong.  She has more than fulfilled her friendship and companionship and now I have to give her this last favour.  We are having lots of cuddles and relaxed time together.  I guess that is all I can do, thanks anyway for the replies.

Have been reading this with interest. I noticed the advice to go to Pet Healthcare. That's who I'm with for Elsa, who was just pts, and my shepherd pup. Over all the years I've been with them they've been brillient BUT just recently Elsa's premium went up to £31 a month, from the £19.49 that I usually pay. So I spoke to them, and they have completely changed how they underwrite their policies, and have joined the general bandwagon of basing the premium on age, breed, claims history and postcode. So not so good anymore. I'm going to contact their customer helpline and try to get the exact factors that affect the underwriting, because I can't see how you can possibly make a good choice of insurance when you don't know how they calculate the premiums. I'm really disappointed, as they've always been so good. Trouble is if you have a dog with a chronic condition you're a bit stuffed in terms of changing the company - so you're stuck with high premiums or nothing. I've always been such an advocate of Pet insurance, but now I just don't know
Kat

Sorry to hear about Elsa.  I know I am going to have to go through that pain soon.  Its been a week and a half since her lymphoma diagnosis and we havent noticed any change yet apart from her breathing and she is more quiet (except when there is a cat or a wheelie bin in the vicinity).

It must be very annoying about your premiums going up.  I never claimed for Dana until this year and she has just turned 8.  I thought I was safe and then I had all that trouble when I claimed.  But they paid in the end.  Now she has turned 8 though I have to pay 35% of the costs although we only have a few weeks left so it wont affect us I guess.  I would advise all dog owners check their insurance policies thoroughly and hunt out these little clauses.  I am looking for something better for my 2 dobermanns but they all basically seem the same, the good ones are expensive, you get what you pay for I guess.

My vet has actually told me now that they wont accept direct payment from E & L now because of all the trouble they have had in the past, so we will have to pay the vet and then claim the money back for ourselves.  I have got to change soon for the dobes but I am really at a loss.  I guess they all have their good points and bad points.

Hi there sorry to hear your insurance is mucking you around i am with more than and in the past 6weeks i have had to make three big claims all very quickly dealt with no quibbles and they are very helpful yes you have to pay £60 excess but thats it the payment goes straight to my vet and its done within a week i would withdraw your insurance with them and find yourself another but there are a few out there like that tescos is another its hard to get a penny from them to