LIFETIME POLICY...CONFUSING OR WHAT?!?

[xxLouxx]

hmmm after an hour on the phone, I had almost (almost!) decided to go with John Lewis pet insurance.

£15.70 / month for up to £10,000 per year. unlimited claims/chronic illness. My only problem is... nowhere does it say 'lifetime policy'. I have spoken to 3 different John Lewis pet insurance advisers on the phone and they have ALL assured me that EVERY pet insurance policy by John Lewis is a 'lifetime policy'. I asked them to confirm that should our dog be diagnosed with a chronic illness that this would be covered for the dogs lifetime and ALL said yes it would up to £10,000 per year. So why do they not detail the policy as 'lifetime'

They call it a 're-instated' policy which continues for the dogs lifetime (this is what I was told on the phone) as long as payments are met and there is no break in the policy...

I'm nervous about signing up to the policy when it doesn't actually say 'lifetime'..
Anyone else come across this with John Lewis?

[gilly g]

Another "Hmmmm"!

If the cover* is reinstated, do they just mean Policy limits, ie Sums Insured, or are they including terms and conditions? In which case, are they excluding any pre-existing conditions for which they have paid out for in previous period of insurance?... I would definitely ask for clarification in writing before going ahead.

Minefield isn't it.

* When I was an underwriter in what seems like another life, "cover" meant the lot, incl T&C)

[Linda&Coco]

How it was explained to me was if say you have a skin complaint and it is ongoing year one you use up your allotted amount.Year two you still have treatment for same condition,but you start again with the amount you are insured for the money will not run out.

As long as you do not miss any payments you are covered for life.Not all insurances do this.

[MrsAdmin]

Both of mine are insured under John Lewis policies. When it was named as Greenbee I am sure that 'Lifetime' cover was included in the policy wording.

When I got the papers through after renewing I saw it is in all the brochure details and on the website but not the actual policy.

I phoned up and queried this and they said that, as long as the ppolicy continued without a break any condition that dog developed would be covered for ever.

I then sent off an email to them to get this clarified in writing:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I renewed my policy for Jack, my dog, today, and also took out and paid for a policy for my Mother's dog.

Tonight I was telling a labradoodle forum about how good your insurance was when someone pointed out that there is nothing written in the insurance policy document to say you offer lifetime cover provided the premiums are paid.

I realise this is stated on your general pet insurance web site, yet surely this should be stated in the actual policy document as it is the main reason I use John Lewis insurance for my pets.

It is also a major factor in other dog owners chosing insurance.

The result was that several people liked the look of the policy but say that Petplan is better because it guarantees life time cover in simple English in the policy document.

Are you going to change this at all?

Their reply on the 1st March was:

Thank you for your comment which has been submitted to the relevant customer service team who will be in touch shortly.

I am going to chase them up again next week as this had slipped below my radar. It certainly needs clarifying.

[Bolster]

I would be extremely wary of this policy. If you look at the policy document, it says clearly under the heading Duration of the policy on page 6 "This policy lasts for a period of 12 months when
it automatically expires"

That to me is an annual policy. It means that after 12 months, you start an entirely new policy in which the insurer is entitled to exclude any conditions claimed in the previious years as pre existing. Also, if you make a claim for a condition which started in say the 11th month, but the treatment continues after the expiry, you are not covered.

Contrast the subtle difference in the Sainsburys policy document for true lifetime cover (although with a limit of £7,500 total per condition - Duration of the policy "This is an anually renewable policy"

[Linda&Coco]

I have John Lewis policy,and can assure you that Pre condition is on going,its written in my policy.

I pay by direct debit so do not miss any payments and they let me know in plenty of time that my renewal is due,which means I can change if I want to.Otherwise it continues as normal.


You can have vets fees paid directly to vets as well.


I have not made any claims so cannot make any judgements on how well they pay out.

[xxLouxx]

Thanks for your comments...I still have not made up my mind and we head off early tomorrow to collect Ozzy!!! Will definitely get it sorted by tomorrow night..
x

[poodledoodleted]

Its tomorrow now - Has Ozzy arrived home????