Halifax pet insurance

[alanty]

i have just been informed that my pet insurers Halifax are pulling out of the pet insurance market and my accounts have been transfered to another insurer.

The problem is that all existing conditions to my pets are not covered by the new insurers as they will only insure any new condition which occours from the commencemet date of the new policy .

They could argue that any condition which occours within the next months or even years had started to develop before the insurance commenced,this will mean that it will cost me money through the Halifax decision to quit the market

Has anyone any comments or advice

[raydetinu]

If this is at the satart of a new policy there is little you can do about it except ask if they will transfer all condition; check with them, however if it is a transfer during the current policy then they should honour it.

[unclebulgaria67]

Halifax were only the agent and they did not hold the risk. When the agent stops offering the policy, you always have to get in touch with the Insurance underwriter, which in this case are a Swedish company detailed below. They underwrite the Kennel clubs policy, as well as many others. In my experience contacting another agent and trying to get them to continue to cover pre-existing conditions can be really painful. They just won't contact the underwriter on your behalf to gain their agreement. The only way you gain agreement from the underwriter is to contact them. If you managed to get an email from this Swedish company or their help, you might be able to arrange a policy that continues to cover the pre-existing conditions. Good luck. Get searching the internet for contact details of Agria that you can email and/or phone.

 

 

Agria International Forsakring AB. Registered in Sweden. Company

registration number 516406-0542. Registered office:

Tegeluddsvagen 11-13, Box 703 06, 107 23 Stockholm, Sweden.

Authorised and regulated by the Finansinspektionen, the Swedish

Financial Supervisory Authority and also regulated by the Financial

Services Authority.

[unclebulgaria67]

This might help. http://www.agriapet.co.uk/

[greasmonkey]

unclebulgaria67

if you had a screen repair it says you dont loose your no claims

but would you have to report it each time you renew your insurance

[unclebulgaria67]

unclebulgaria67

if you had a screen repair it says you dont loose your no claims

but would you have to report it each time you renew your insurance

 

Not if the claim is with the same company you are renewing with. If you are taking up cover elsewhere then you should declare it and the Insurers may charge a little more. Not everyone does of course, because they see the windscreen cover as a separate cover, probably because it does not affect the no claims.

 

PS. Just remembered the Swift Car Insurance actually do reduce the no claims by 1 year I think, if you needed to have a replacement screen. Not sure whether they do that for just a repair.

[alanty]

Can any one tell me the differance between halifax lifetime pet insurance and their other pet insurance are they the same but with different benefit levels

alanty

[rebel11]

Thread has been moved to the correct forum.

[BankFodder]

You'll have to be a bit clearer about what you want to know and why.

 

Halifax have abandoned the pet insurance market

and their clients

and their clients pets

[alanty]

i am using the template letter to send to the halifax ,the template letter refers to lifetime cover extra my cover was not the extra would the template letter be ok if i delete the extra ?

[Laura W]

Hi Alanty,

 

I am also using the template letter and have changed it quite a bit to fit with my personal circumstances. You should definitely delete the Extra (in my opinion!) as this technically relates to a different policy, which had a higher amount for which you could claim. Once I am happy with my letter i will post it on here for others to see (if i can work out how to do it)

 

Also, can anyone here please direct me to a website that states what costs I might have to pay if I take Halifax to a County Court over this? I know the fees would be in the region of £225, but I am more concerned by "hidden costs", something which I could not find on the County Court webiste

 

Many thanks

 

L

[BankFodder]

Laura, if you start your own thread for this it will be easier to help you. Have a look at the video linked here - a new thread

 

If you bring your claim in the County Court on the Small claims track then your costs are

the claim fee - depends on the value of your claim

the allocation fee - about £100

 

if you lose, then you may be required to pay the reasonable costs of travel of the other side.

 

If you win then you will get all of the above costs awarded to you.

 

There are no other hidden costs.

[alanty]

I have slightly modified a letter which one of the forum members has sent to lloyds / halifax .Could forum members please let me have their views on it any comments most welcome

regards

alanty

 

 

 

 

Halifax General Insurance Services Ltd YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS

Trinity Road

Halifax

West Yorkshire

HX1 2RG

 

Re: Pet insurance policy number 123456789

 

Dear Sir or Madam,

 

Thank you for your letter in which you inform me that you are discontinuing your lifetime pet insurance policy.

 

I am writing this letter as my formal complaint and to inform you that I reject your discontinuation of this product.

 

Your conduct in abandoning the cover, which I have had with you for X years, is a breach of your FSA obligation to treat customers fairly. It is also a breach of contract.

 

The terms in your contract that entitle you to terminate the policy are being operated contrary to the requirements of good faith and in a way that is detrimental to me, and are therefore invalid under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.

 

Breach of Financial Services Authority Regulations

The FSA Handbook, which regulates your activities, contains as one of its binding principles, a rule that requires you, as a regulated firm, to treat your customers fairly and to have regard to them when making decisions. Not only is this a statutory duty, it is also implied in the insurance contract and forms one of the terms and conditions that exist between us.

 

Breach of Contract

At the outset of my lifetime insurance policy with you, there was an implied term that you would provide cover for any conditions that came into existence after the initial commencement of the policy. As you fully realise, I will be unable to seek new cover with any other insurer for pre-existing conditions if you do not renew my policy.

 

You or your underwriters, for your own economic reasons, have made a unilateral decision to terminate your program of lifelong cover and this leaves me in a position where I am unable to insure my dog for any existing conditions This is despite the reasonable expectation that you created in me when you initially marketed the product and persuaded me to enter into a contract with you.

 

Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999

The UTCCR say that when there is a non-negotiated standard-form contract, and a term in that contract is operated contrary to the requirements of good faith to the detriment of the consumer, then that term is unenforceable.

 

For the reasons above I reject your termination of the insurance cover and I am writing to inform you that I am fully prepared to continue the insurance cover on the same terms as before.

 

I should point out to you that I am not interested in the fact that your underwriters may have changed their minds about providing the insurance policy as that is your issue. My concern is merely with your contractual obligations towards me.

 

I require an immediate response to this letter. You should understand that if you have not provided a satisfactory response within the next 14 days i shall send you a letter giving you a further 14 days in which to reflect before I commence legal action in my local County court, either to enforce your contractual obligations or to seek compensation to provide for lifetime care for my dog.

 

The County Court is the only route I will be taking if we cannot arrive at an agreement and I therefore advise you to forward this letter to your solicitors if you are not prepared to meet my demands.

 

You should also be aware that I am sending copies of this letter as part of a complaint to Trading Standards, the OFT and the FSA.

 

 

Yours faithfully

[BankFodder]

Yes, that's fine with the following provisos

 

Have you looked up the legal points which are being referred to in the letter so that you have at least a basic understanding?

You are threatening a County Court action. I am convinced that this is the only way, but are you prepared to take that action or are you just bluffing. Don't bluff. Don't expect any sensible reaction to the letter. The letter is merely putting yourself on the record. You will have to bring the action because it is only then that they will listen to you and take you seriously. If you don't intend to take the action then amend the letter.

Have you calculated the value of your claim? If you intend to proceed to court then you should know before you start sending threats about the value of your claim.

Do you know what the steps are in taking a legal action in the county court? If you intend to take the action then you must know what the steps are before you send this letter.

Have you the documentary evidence to support your claim?

 

What I am saying here is that you should make sure that you are fully prepared and that you know where you are going before you send the letter.

A small claim is pretty easy to take but you should understand what has to be done before you send this letter.

We will help you all the way but you will need to have done your own research.

[alanty]

can anyone tell me the phone number of halifax general insurance services in halifax

[BankFodder]

If you can find one then please let us know here. But actually I get the impression that they don't want to hear from you.

 

Here's their website - http://www.halifax.co.uk/insurance/insurancehome.asp -but I expect that you have found this already. No sign of any phone number for insurance.

 

More unfair treatment from Halifax because they are meant to communicate with their customers fairly.

 

Strange, because when they want to they are able to phone people non-stop and harass them until they are hauled into court.

Must be another one of Halifax's endearing little ways.

[Laura W]

Hi all,

 

I tried to paste on here the letter I sent to Halifax and BDML Connect last week, but I can't seem to make it work. Nevertheless, my letter was based on the template that has already been posted on here. I sent the letter recorded delivery last week and have received a standard response from the Complaints Team yesterday. It says that an independent member of the Complaints Team will investigate the complaint and that they will write to me as soon as they can. The letter includes a standard handout, telling me how my complaint will be handled.

 

If I havent heard anything next week I intend to write again, but any advice in the meantime will be gratefully received

 

It is probably worth saying that I am still yet to receive any correspondence from Halifax informing me that my cover will not be available for renewal!

 

Thanks

 

Laura