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Petplan Rant


megan_
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I put in a claim about 6 weeks ago and heard nothing about it, so I rang up on friday and they said the cheque was in the mail.

When I got home this evening there was a letter saying the first vet also needed to fill out the paperwork (had initial consult with the regular vet who sent us to hospital, hospital filled out all the forms). I understand that they need vet #1 to fill out the form(only $100 of the $1000 claim relates to vet #1 ) but why did it take them 6 weeks to open the claim and tell me that it is incorrect? Most companies pay out in 2 weeks but they are consistently soooooooo slow.

Im also peeved that everything will now be delayed for another 6 weeks and I won't get the rest of the money before then (even though I could have split one claim over two forms right at the start). This after customer service told me my claim had been accepted!!

When i made a claim a few years ago they took 8 weeks to pay out even though all the paperwork was in order. I was assured that they were doing a system upgrade at the time and that was the reason for the delay. Now I realise this is their standard timeframe! If it wasn't for exclusions I'd be changing companies on renewal.

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I am also not thrilled with Petplan at the moment. I put a claim in 6 weeks go for $2300 - actually 3 claims - 2 conditions / 3 vets. I also made sure everything was in order before sending it. I called last Friday to hear that they were waiting on my vet to send my dogs records. When I called the vet they said they sent them the day they were requested. Call back to Petplan and they don't have them! So now the vet has had to resend them, so they haven't even entered stage two of the process yet! Not to mention my dog has been insured since he was 9 weeks old and he is now 18 months, neither condition could have been pre-existing 9 weeks, both conditions are covered under the policy, and his dual diagnosis is the only time he has been to the vet outside of vaccinations! I'm not exactly sure what they think they are going to find in his records that would affect the claim?? I am also sitting on a further $500 in meds and an additional specialist visit to the tune of $400 that I need to claim but can't now until the original claim is processed as they are follow-on claims!

I'm not happy, but also know that my dog may need treatment throughout his life for both conditions and Petplan is the only insurer I know of that doesn't exclude conditions after the year in which diagnosis occurred.

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Oh Oh :(

I've just gone with PetPlan because of that exact reason...

When the girl was talking to me about their plans, I said I had consistently heard they were very slow with their payments and she said they have just begun some 'new technology' that will hopefully improve their claim payout times...

Lol........

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Ive just made my first claim with pet plan for my dogs lymphoma treatment. I waas told it would take 21-30 days to process. I got an email back from them to say there was history missing, I emailed them with my reply and also rang to make sure they got it, there was no history missing, my dog just hadnt needed to see a vet in the time frames they were saying were missing. I rang nearly every week to be told the same thing, its awaiting approval. I then rang last week, since it was now just over 30 days since I emailed my claim and was told it was now in accounts awaiting a cheque to be written and yes it had been approved. I was also told they were behind with claims but my follow up claims for further treatment shouldnt take as long because they have all the information and history in the system. Im thrilled it is being covered but my friends dog who is with another company was bitten by a snake on the 16th last month and had her money in the bank in 2 weeks. Im with Petplan because they offer 100% coverage but I really think they can improve the times it takes to process claims.

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I like Pet Plan - they are VERY slow but there coverage is far better then anyone else and that don't have a ridiculous list of exclusions like most. They paid out for a puppy tooth removal where Medibank refused to pay for an emergency surgery after my Kelpie ran into a post and had teeth shards through his gums because it was 'dental' - they even had the gall to say "well if he has broken his jaw we would have paid"...

So yes rather get money eventually then have incomplete coverage and get nothing!

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Might be different in the UK but Petplan offer very good coverage and don't tend to argue about claims, like other companies do - which is why I use their 4 weeks free to send off with puppies to their new homes.

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We went looking for insurance to help our members.

You might like to look at Bow Wow Meow

They offer a free policy to all of our members as pet plan only offers breeders so our rescue people can give the free policies as they send their dogs to new homes as well too plus a free travel voucher even if they don't take out further insurance than the free first few weeks.

They have less exclusions and the prices we were given for our breeders who often purchase a 12 month policy for their puppy buyers was much less. Really quick turnaround, usually pays in 48 hours as they have a different system for pre existing conditions etc.

Worth looking at anyway when doing your comparisons. http://www.bowwowinsurance.com.au/

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I've just got off the phone to them and they insist that the claim has been approved and I'll get the cheque this week! They told me to ignore the letter, but I'll be checking that the invoice they "rejected" has been included in the pay out.

I understand that they cover more than most, but I'd really like it if they could be transparent about their payout times. This isn't the first claim for Fergus so they have his full history. The vast majority of people I know who are on PetPlan have waited about 6 weeks for a payout and they are always given one of two excuses for the delay:

i) We have a backlog

ii) We've just upgraded out IT system (even though this same excuse was used with me 3 years ago).

If they said outright that the time was about 6 weeks I wouldn't have a problem with it.

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I have been happy with my petplan insurance so far (over $3000 in claims in a year) but the time it takes for your refund leaves a lot to be desired. The fastest I have ever received a cheque is 4.5 weeks.

I have had to call a couple of times and have always found them courteous and helpful, however I am sick of getting the same excuses of there being a 'backlog' particulary when its a large claim that is gaining interest on your credit card awaiting a cheque to pay it.

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I scan and keep a copy of every document I send in with a claim to my pet insurance company. I'm not with Pet Plan but I've heard the old "we don't have your claim" before.

Last time they told me they hadn't received my claim I tol them how strange I thought that was because I had a signed receipt proving my registed mail had been received by their company. I was put on hold for a minute or two in which time they miraculously found they did indeed have my claim and I received reimbursement a couple of days later.

Always send your claims in by registered mail. It short cuts their denials of having received the claim.

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I emailed my claim at the recommendation of the vet, who said they are known for "losing" claims, I then followed up with a phone call that afternoon to ensure that had recieved it, which they had. I also kept a copy of everything I sent them. Im about to send off anohter claim for further treatment so I'll see if what they say is true in that it shouldnt take as long.

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A person purchased a pup from me. It came with the 6 weeks free insurance which I had been doing for years.

Within 48 hours the pup had a fatal accident. Despite having veterinary information available, Petplan would not honour their obligation. They will only pay up if something happens after 72 hours from purchase.

I don't see much point in that, so I am not providing the 6 weeks insurance any more.

Just another waste of time.

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I'm with pet plan. One time I waited a few months. But I do know that was due to the vet not sending the records in. In the end I went into the vet clinic and waited until they printed them out and then I sent them all in. Within 2 weeks of getting them they paid the vet. One of the reasons I am with pet plan is because they will pay the vet directly. The joke with that claim was that the vet was hassling me about the claim not coming through, but it was not coming through, as they were not providing the required information.

The second time I claimed, they had paid within 1.5 weeks.

I did lodge another claim 3 weeks ago and have still not heard, but it was only for a small amount, so I have paid the full cost and am really not worried about how long it takes to pay out.

My renewal was recieved 2 months ago. The premiums have not increased for me, and nor has the excess.

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Pet insurance is so confusing! I signed up with Petplan today after comparing several companies. The main reason I decided to go with them s they cover conditions for the life of the pet.

I have now just looked at Bow Wow Meow. Their prices are so much lower and they seem to be pretty comprehensive. But I can't see if they cover conditions for life. Does anyone know? I can ring them in the morning but I'm impatient :laugh:

ETA Yes,Meea, they are underwritten by Hollard. Is that a bad thing?

Edited by Tintin Jac
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I put in a claim with Pet Plan a few years back and found them hopeless. It took around three months to receive my cheque. All the paperwork was sent in correct as well as a copty the dogs vet records. After many phone calls saying the cheque is being sent (nothing ever came) they finally told me that the history was incomplete (the dog had no need to go to the vet for a bit) and they had to send a letter to all the vets in the area to see if I was one of their clients and if the dog had received treatment there. Needless to say when my next dog came to live with us I took out a policy with another company which is a lot cheaper.

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