Axa pet insurance customers face price rise of up to £2,000

[Michael Browne]

Up to 10,000 Axa pet insurance customers are being moved to NCI Insurance as Axa leaves the market to concentrate on "key products" – motor, home and travel cover.

 

By August 30 2015, all customers will be shifted on to NCI's insurance books.

 

NCI told MoneySavingExpert that it would provide "similar levels of cover" to Axa, and will "continue to insure any medical conditions identified while customers were with Axa under the terms and conditions of the new policy."

 

But a number of customers who have already been moved to NCI say they are facing huge price hikes, particularly for cover for pre-existing medical conditions.

 

Many insurers will refuse to cover animals with pre-existing medical conditions, however, pet owners who want the most comprehensive type of pet insurance will need to opt for "lifetime" cover. Insurers will set a high maximum amount per year – say, £10,000 – but you will still have to renew the policy each year, and some insurers can refuse to renew it.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/insurance/pet/11598970/AXA-pet-insurance-customers-face-price-hike-of-up-to-2000.html

[unclebulgaria67]

Move to Insurance page or place a copy there ? ( will ask site team)

 

This has happened with Royal & Sun Alliance, where due to premium increases with the new Insurers people were faced with a difficult decision. It depends on what pre existing medical condition that you would want continuous cover for and perhaps people should check with their vet. I.e is it likely the animal will suffer further issues that would not be covered by a policy that did not cover pre existing medical conditions ? Sometimes Vets can arrange cover through their own Insurance which is cheaper and less hassle than policy offered elsewhere.

[citizenB]

I will pop a copy in the Insurance forum, Uncle B

[snowdragon]

I am not able to find anyone to insure my dog as his age ( he is 11 in July ) is against him and his " on-going " medical conditions

[PeKay]

Pet Insurance is a legalised ransom on your pets.

Promoted by Vets as a necessity.

You don't have it, the animal dies when you can't afford it!

The Insurance Companies are losing their taste for this insurance, hence the pull out by Lloyds, and Axa to name but a few leaving lesser known companies to pick up the entrails of the policies of owners who are literally too scared not to have one.

Why are insurance Companies doing this?

My opinion is that there is too much administration for them when they can get away with minimal work for the likes of Life, House and Car insurance.

Pet owners have policies and then have to use them so probably every policy gets used at least once over the lifetime of a pet.

Yes there is a profit to be had, but there are costs to be saved as well after they close down an office and redistribute the staff elsewhere (if they are lucky).

Other insurance companies rewrite the rule book by changing underwriters and relinquishing their responsibilities by the small print where any unsuspecting policy holder would normally let them get away with it, where they did fall foul by failure to include small print to do this, they don't now.

Follow that up by some but not all, unscrupulous Veterinary Practises who massage the companies for all the money they can get on the back of naïve pet owners, the result is disaster for pet owners.

Me?

I now do a lifetime policy year on year using different companies so as not to get a huge increase on renewal.

Of course pre-existing conditions are lost by doing that.

Yes, I know one day things will go wrong and I am saving alongside the policy so that eventually I can foot the bills myself if I have to.

For the future, it's the end of dog ownership for me after this one finally makes the trip over the Rainbow Bridge.

It will only get worse till the gravy train looses the wheel.

When that happens it will be interesting as a spectator to see the Veterinary Chains reverting to small practices again.

That said there are decent honest Vets out here, I have met them and I know that to be a fact, but let’s face it, Insurance Companies are there to make money for their shareholders and Veterinary Practices are there for themselves or if they are a chain, for their Board of Directors, and not for you and your pet necessarily.

It's just a shame that some Chains seem to exist just for one purpose, and that it seems, is not for the benefit of your pet!