# Anyone with Animal Friends insurance?



## peter0 (Oct 4, 2011)

Just now i'm with Pet Plan lifetime cover (£7000 a year) but had a look at Animal Friends who offer a lifetime covrr (it says £20,000) for £10 cheaper per dog with the same amount of excess.

Anyway my questions are -

Are they good at paying out?
Do they put up the prices up loads each renewal?
Does the lifetime cover actually mean lifetime?

Anything else added would be great


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## penguin (Jan 2, 2013)

I'm with them for both dogs and have the £20,000 cover.

Had 1 claim for £800 and they paid out within a few weeks, we renewed the policy (after the claim) and the premium never increased (which I thought it would)


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## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

My vet won't deal with them because of the time they take to pay vets; my vet's have waited 7 months for payment for a claim so now, they just want payment up-front if clients' are insured through AF. 

It doesn't do any harm checking though and asking around. I've heard good and bad stories about them to be honest.


Also, just edited to add, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is, so be careful.


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

I've always been told to avoid them as they're apparently poor to pay out - although I've seen more positive things written recently

Can't comment on the "life" thing without seeing the T&Cs - some "life" policies have a set amount (total) and once you reach that, you're cover stops, whereas good life policies have a set amount, which renews each year


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## maisey (Oct 26, 2010)

I looked into them for pet insurance too and all the reviews I found were horrendous, a lot of people said it took forever for a pay out and they would try anything to get out of paying out. 

I would see if any vets near you do there own insurance policy if I was you, a lot of the insurers online say you have to pay first and they will reimburse you, but if your dog breaks a leg your looking around £2000 pounds and I know me myself would not have that to give the vet in the first place.


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## missnaomi (Jun 4, 2010)

I had to make a claim with them for my cat and it took lots of ringing before they said they'd paid it into my account...then lots more ringing before they "realised they hadn't" and actually paid it into my account. This was all after I had to pay the vets because the vets knew it would take too long...


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## peter0 (Oct 4, 2011)

Thank you all for your input!

By the sounds of it they're a bit of a pain to pay up and i also had a look at reviews and they weren't good so i think i will just stick with Pet Plan as they seem to be good


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## Sally More (Oct 26, 2012)

I have had my two dogs insured with them for nearly 5 years now and have never had any reason to grumble. Even when both of them went over 8 years old last year, the premiums stayed lower than anywhere else I looked. I had to claim for nearly £1,468 last year and they paid out with no hassle.

As a loyal customer of theirs I am sick of everyone believing everything they read on one-sided review sites. They have loads of good feedback, more so than negative feedback, but of course, people only rite reviews on sites reviewcenrtre when they are unhappy.

There are loads of postive feeedback here: Reviews and Testimonials for Animal Friends Insurance


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## Donut76 (May 15, 2013)

Ive been fluctuating between petplan & Animal friends

I need an insurance company that will pretty much pay out the max for most things (as does anybody) because i have a dog with an (expensive) pre-exisitng condition so i need to save my money (credit card) for THAT needing treatment so have to try to make sure i have the best policy for everything else 

Still can decide

Should i ring my vets & ask their advice then 

(sorry for hijack didnt want multiple similar posts)

THANKS


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## AlbertRoss (Feb 16, 2009)

A lot of the reviews for AF insurance are old. They've raised their game, although they aren't the quickest to pay they are not bad. (NB the 'good' reviews cited above are on their own website, so you might want to be a little less than impressed with that). However, most of what I hear now is positive.

Asking your vet is OK - but most vets will push Pet Plan (because they a) get commission and b) Pet Plan do pay out very quickly). The important thing is to get the cover YOU want - not what the vet says. If you need to know about pet insurance generally click the link in my sig and then click "Buyer's Guide". It should help.


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## Buzzard (Aug 10, 2012)

I think the £20k is the total amount per lifetime for a condition (so once you reach that that's it). And then there is a £2k limit per condition per year. Make sure it is what you want, as I would rather have to not worry about exceeding the £20k over the lifetime of my dog. I may have mis understood this from their website, but worth a check.


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## penguin (Jan 2, 2013)

No that's right. Thinking about upping mine from 20k to the maximum as the superior is only £13 a month.


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## nessa1 (May 6, 2014)

Thought I would add to this thread to give an insight into my current experience with Animal Friends. Unfortunately, on the evening of Easter Sunday our much loved cat and friend was hit by a car, and following a call to our usual vet I was given an alternative number for our out of hours service Vets Now. They were actually miles away but we had no choice but to get him there, and upon our arrival the vet advised she would give him pain relief and then assess him, and we were asked to wait.
I wont go into my opinion of Vets Now in this post, other than to say that the following afternoon they decided he should be put down, and for this assessment, which included x-rays and his pain relief we were presented with a £1,000+ bill.
Our claim was passed to AF who subsequently gave us £778 having deducted the vets charge to fill in their form plus a minor extra, the excess and over £150 for the hospitalisation charges which they stated were limited to £100 per day. Having worked in insurance I searched for the exclusion that gave this limitation and could find nothing, so I rang them. It seems they hide behind the following:-

_*Level of vet fees allowed:
We reserve the right to obtain a second opinion from our vet advisor
where we consider:
 Vet fees charged appear greater than conventional fees charged
by an attending referral practice; and/or
 Treatment received may not have been required or may have been
excessive when compared with treatment conventionally undertaken
by an attending referral practice.*_

Effectively, they dont want to pay out of hours prices because they think they are excessive - as if wed choose for our animals to get sick or injured outside of the 9-5 day Monday to Friday. As my cat was with the vet on Sunday and Monday I am currently arguing that this was over a 2 day period. The woman I spoke to reckoned they didnt know that because the bill only referred to the 21st but I believe my own entries on the claim form made it clear. Although I have asked the vet to confirm this, wouldnt be surprised if they still throw it out because he wasnt actually with them for more than 24 hours, and if they do I am likely to make even more noise because in my book the exclusion is ambiguous to say the least and people aim to buy a policy to protect them if disaster occurs. 
I also queried why they hadnt paid the death benefit and was told Id need to claim for that separately. I believe I paid Cats Protection around £40 as a donation but not 100%. If I can produce the bill they will pay 35% of that - £14. I saw somewhere that a minimum of £25 would be paid and was told this was only if there was no proof of purchase. Can anybody see any reason why I would look for the bill, because I dont? As its such a piffling amount, and certainly no compensation for the wonderful little man we lost, I probably wouldnt have bothered if they had been more reasonable with covering our considerable outlay.:mad2:


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## Theresa Dennett (May 23, 2014)

Do not use this company, do not be fooled by there freindly website/ethos
As soon as your pet turns 8 they are classed as senior (senior for an 8 yr old lively Springer Spaniel ??)
My premium increased by 67% and we have to pay for 35% of any vet bills we may have to claim in the future !!
This was never ever explained to us when we took the policy out
This company should be closed down keep away from them and DO NOT USE THEM you are throwing your money away


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## DirtyGertie (Mar 12, 2011)

Theresa Dennett said:


> Do not use this company, do not be fooled by there freindly website/ethos
> As soon as your pet turns 8 they are classed as senior (senior for an 8 yr old lively Springer Spaniel ??)
> My premium increased by 67% and we have to pay for 35% of any vet bills we may have to claim in the future !!
> This was never ever explained to us when we took the policy out
> This company should be closed down keep away from them and DO NOT USE THEM you are throwing your money away


I'm not with Animal Friends nor ever will be, have no reason to support them or complain about them, but to be fair to them they do make it clear on their website that a dog aged 8 (and a cat aged 10) will be classed as "older" and that the policy holder must pay the agreed excess plus 35% of the remaining claim. They aren't trying to hide it, it's perfectly plain to see.

Under their heading "Lifetime Pet Insurance Cover" it says



> What if my pet becomes an older pet during the duration of the policy?
> 
> Unlike some other insurers Animal Friends will continue to cover your pets even over 8 years old so you can continue to insure your pets and not leave you stranded without cover.


so they're telling you right away that they class 8 years as "older".

There's also a heading "Insurance for Old Pets" which is very well illustrated with the ages of dogs and cats and explains their co-payment plan and there's also mention of it under the heading "Questions About Pet Insurance".

Rather than "this was never explained to us when we took the policy out", it seems to be more of a case of "We never looked at the terms and conditions properly".

As far as premium increases are concerned, in the last year or two there have been some very high increases by some companies, it's been fairly common and mentioned on the forum quite a few times. My 3 year old dog's premium was increased by 120% by John Lewis upon renewal last July and there are plenty more examples of high increases.

Also, most companies have an age where they class the dog as "older", with John Lewis it is 9 years so AF isn't doing anything other companies don't do.


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## littlewolf (Sep 15, 2014)

Hi,
we are with Animal Friends (or were until today when we cancelled all of our policies) for our 5 pets. Recently our beautiful Persian girl got ill and subsequently died. The vets bill was for over £630. After 2 months of toing and froing with Animal Friends we were given a final settlement of less than £25.
They have managed this by breaking the illness down and settling each "problem" separately, with a £99 excess for each problem.
Horrified by how appalling the insurance cover has proved to be I asked to cancel all of our policies, so that we can insure our precious pets with a "proper" insurance company. It then became clear that the cat who had died was still insured with "animal Friends" who were also still collecting money, by Direct Debit from our bank, for a cat that has been dead for 2 months! 
Is there any point of insuring a pet when this is the level of cover that will be provided? 
If their prices look too good to be true there is a good reason for that.


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## victoria171168 (Apr 8, 2013)

Please take a look at my fb page animal friends are they really animal friends? 

I insured my Max with them and to be fair they paid out everytime as he was a poorly boy.my first years premium increased from £56 a month to £116 a month. This year he got terminal cancer and they increased his premium to £406 a month which l couldnt afford.l had my boy pts at the age of 2 years 2 months as his cancer got worse and l couldnt afford to try another treatment.if they hadnt extortionately outpriced us he may have still been with us albeit not for long but l still miss my munchkin and am fighting his case with the ombudsman.

There is a site on fb called pet insurance surveys uk where insurance companies are graded may help you.
I have my two new pups insured with Petplan as l will never use af ever again and l was a loyal customer of over 7 years.


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## Legoloon (Aug 11, 2014)

We've always used Tesco pet insurance and they're cheap and pay out quickly. Their customer service is pretty good too.


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## Sally Hayward (Apr 14, 2013)

As you will have gathered from the above comments the feedback on Animal Friends is mixed... until recently I had thought Animal Friends had improved over the last couple of years.. but seem to have seen a lot of negative feedback again in the last couple of months.

You also need to be very clear about the policy limits. According to their website the Animal Friends prestige policy (highest level cover available) has an annual limit of £6,000 to cover all conditions. I cannot find any mention of a £20,000 policy on their website .. although they used to market some of their policies as having a lifetime £20,000 per condition limit (which they have now removed so that there is not lifetime condition limit).

I have written a website to give unbiased independent advice to pet owners.. and have assessed all policies for how much cover they give. The Animal Friends Prestige Policy scores 68%.. it loses a lot of marks because of the number of exclusion clauses...

For further details please see Pet Insurance Surveys UK | pet-insurance-surveys.co.uk

You might also find this lifetime pet insurance cover report I wrote recently useful... it includes details of all lifetime pet insurance policies available in the UK with cover in excess of £7K per year.

http://www.pet-insurance-surveys.co...ifetime-Pet-Insurance-Policies-High-Cover.pdf


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## AlbertRoss (Feb 16, 2009)

I do find it interesting that 2 of the posts on this page have been the single posts of people claiming problems with Animal Friends. No other posts anywhere. Not defending AF but equally slightly perturbed by these two. Doesn't seem all that realistic. Just saying.


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## bertiewooster12 (Aug 15, 2013)

People should read all the bad reviews about this company then ask the opinion of a veterinary surgeon, wish I had it was appalling


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## Phoolf (Jun 13, 2012)

I'll stick with PetPlan regardless I think. On Monday night I had to take Kes to the emergency vets then transfer her to my normal vet in the morning (she ate a horrendous amount of chocolate) and I filled in the form, paid the excess and walked out without having to pay the £600 bill because my vets are so confident in them paying out.


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## missnaomi (Jun 4, 2010)

Phoolf said:


> I'll stick with PetPlan regardless I think. On Monday night I had to take Kes to the emergency vets then transfer her to my normal vet in the morning (she ate a horrendous amount of chocolate) and I filled in the form, paid the excess and walked out without having to pay the £600 bill because my vets are so confident in them paying out.


Exactly my experiences with them too - and exactly why I'll be sticking with Petplan. The thing with insurance is that it's supposed to give me peace of mind and Petplan does that.


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## Phoolf (Jun 13, 2012)

missnaomi said:


> Exactly my experiences with them too - and exactly why I'll be sticking with Petplan. The thing with insurance is that it's supposed to give me peace of mind and Petplan does that.


So true. I'd just been paid so I did have £600 in the bank, but any other time? No chance. And for some reason nobody will give me a credit card, supposedly because I always pay things on time!!!


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## AlbertRoss (Feb 16, 2009)

bertiewooster12 said:


> People should read all the bad reviews about this company then ask the opinion of a veterinary surgeon, wish I had it was appalling


Once again - someone whose ONLY posts are knocking Animal Friends. It just seems very strange to me that someone would set up an account here just for the purpose of knocking this company. That's this person and the two with only one post earlier.

At the same time that this thread was started there was also a posting elsewhere from someone with a very positive experience - which just goes to show that reviews aren't always believable.

I'm still waiting for Victoria to post the result of her complaint to the Ombudsman.


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## Meezey (Jan 29, 2013)

AlbertRoss said:


> Once again - someone whose ONLY posts are knocking Animal Friends. It just seems very strange to me that someone would set up an account here just for the purpose of knocking this company. That's this person and the two with only one post earlier.


Not sure why you think it's strange? If people have lost pets through illness and then have had issues with their insurance companies, I'm sure they would be checking to see if anyone else has had issues with them? You only have to Google a term and you get at least 5 linksto threads on here about AF. So I guess they don't want others to suffer the same, or they want to see if others have and what the outcome? Just the joys of search engines and the WWW....


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## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

I am with them, my Vet had never heard of them. I have not had to claim yet but I did enquire when the vet said Muttly had to be operated on (he doesn't).
I have £7k a year cover for all illnesses and £2k per year, per condition. 

But, what I didn't realise was for a condition like Luxating Patella, which effects both legs is if you have say one done, then you have atime limit of 1 year for the other one, or they will never pay out for that condition again for life.
Don't know if that is commonplace as this is the first time I have had insurance.


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## AlbertRoss (Feb 16, 2009)

Meezey said:


> Not sure why you think it's strange? If people have lost pets through illness and then have had issues with their insurance companies, I'm sure they would be checking to see if anyone else has had issues with them? You only have to Google a term and you get at least 5 linksto threads on here about AF. So I guess they don't want others to suffer the same, or they want to see if others have and what the outcome? Just the joys of search engines and the WWW....


I think it's strange because a) it's the only post they've ever made (in two cases) and b) it's virtually the same post over again in 6 cases. It may well be true that they don't want anyone else to suffer (that's precisely why I started my website, so I sympathise) but how many people search out a forum just to make one post?


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## Meezey (Jan 29, 2013)

AlbertRoss said:


> I think it's strange because a) it's the only post they've ever made (in two cases) and b) it's virtually the same post over again in 6 cases. It may well be true that they don't want anyone else to suffer (that's precisely why I started my website, so I sympathise) but how many people search out a forum just to make one post?


You don't have too search out a forum a quick qoogle of a phrase will find all threads? If you want people to know it takes a matter of seconds to find like minded people or people you want to warn?


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Muttly said:


> I am with them, my Vet had never heard of them. I have not had to claim yet but I did enquire when the vet said Muttly had to be operated on (he doesn't).
> I have £7k a year cover for all illnesses and £2k per year, per condition.
> 
> But, what I didn't realise was for a condition like Luxating Patella, which effects both legs is if you have say one done, then you have atime limit of 1 year for the other one, or they will never pay out for that condition again for life.
> Don't know if that is commonplace as this is the first time I have had insurance.


Im with them too, or one of them is. She has been with them since I got her at 12 weeks, and shes 6 in January. Ive had several claims the biggest over 1600, and shes had an ongoing medical condition needing meds and regular tests too since she was 2 years old. One claim was an out of hours too, and although they didn't pay for the out of hours actual call out fee itself (which they do state in the T&Cs unless its found to be life threatening) they did pay for everything else they did that evening and the follow up visits after.
Also my vets wouldn't accept direct payment when I first took it out, but in the last year or so now do due to improved admin and exceptance of claims apparently.

Ive never had any problems personally at all.

What cover have you got with them your other question would depend on what policy you have they do quite a wide range of policies, including limited and lifetime ones.

*UPDATE FEBRUARY 2015, HAVE NOW HAD A PROBLEM MY RENEWAL HAS BEEN INCREASED FROM £44.88 PER MONTH TO £172.79 MONTHLY, WOULD I RECOMMEND THEM NOW IN LIGHT OF THIS, NO WAY!!!!!! *
*FURTHER UPDATE* They have now replied to complaint saying its justified by the fact I had several claims last year a couple of which re-occurred. This is in spite of having the highest cover they do, and in another two years I will have to pay not only the excess but 35% of each and every claim. This is standard practice for dogs 8 years or over, the reason given by animal friends is that it helps keep premiums reasonable and affordable as dogs age.
They have also drawn my attention to a clause that they say was there in 2009 when I took out the policy, which either way I cant say, as I no longer have the original T&Cs from the policy 6 years on. As things are changed each year anyway, I usually only keep the current paperwork.
[BEWARE of this clause]
Section 12 General conditions and claims
12.1.13 formely 12.1.12
When inviting renewal of the policy we may, at our sole discretion, for any reason and as we deem appropriate taking into consideration (but not limited too your pets age, medical and or claims history, change cover, benefits, premium terms and conditions.
It would seem that if you have too many claims in their view, they have the right to price you out so you will cancel and go away, or in effect if you stay your premiums can become so high, in effect you are paying for your own vets bills, so not costing them much if anything.


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## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

SUMMARY OF COVER:
Maximum benefits before excess *PRIME*
Lifetime condition limit N/A
Annual condition limit £2000

Annual policy limit (ie. total annual amount
for all conditions)
£7000
Death of Pet £750
Boarding Kennel/Cattery £750
Holiday Cancellation £1000
Theft and Straying £750
Advertising and Reward £200
Public Liability £1500000
Overseas Travel Cover £1000
Claims limited to 12 months Yes

I'm not sure this policy was too great, I think I should have taken better cover....


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## Lexiedhb (Jun 9, 2011)

I'm with them- but have never had to make a claim.

Everyone RAVES about pet plan - they refused to pay out when a mates dog did his cruciate (in the end the vet told them he was clipped by a car).

I think you will find good and bad reviews on all insurances, just like everything else we buy.


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## AlbertRoss (Feb 16, 2009)

Meezey said:


> You don't have too search out a forum a quick qoogle of a phrase will find all threads? If you want people to know it takes a matter of seconds to find like minded people or people you want to warn?
> View attachment 149410


On the Google search I did for "Animal Friends Insurance" there's precisely 2 'forums' in the first 4 pages. One is this forum (unsurprisingly) and the other is the Money Saver forum. There are, a number of 'review' sites. Review sites are, generally, misleading because they tend to be full of complaints. People rarely post about 'normal' or 'good' treatment from a company. My point is that single postings by people directly to a forum is not only unusual - it's very rare.

In fact searching specifically for forums that have things about Animal Friends, other than the two I've mentioned, the latest post on a (dog) forum is 2011. (And, as it happens, that was a query which was met with positive answers). I stopped looking after 10 pages.

So, if those people were so upset about AF - why haven't they posted in other pet forums? Doesn't make any sense to me.


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## AlbertRoss (Feb 16, 2009)

Muttly said:


> SUMMARY OF COVER:
> Maximum benefits before excess *PRIME*
> Lifetime condition limit N/A
> Annual condition limit £2000
> ...


That's a time-limited annual cover. You are right in saying there's better cover available.


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## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

I wonder if I can change it being that I called them to enquire about the operation. Depends if it was recorded I spose...


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Muttly said:


> SUMMARY OF COVER:
> Maximum benefits before excess *PRIME*
> Lifetime condition limit N/A
> Annual condition limit £2000
> ...


Just double checked and the Prime is a limited cover, The lifetime ones are superior, Superior Plus and Prestidge.
You cant claim after 12 months on the one you are on.

Im sure when I took mine out which is the top cover anyway, when they were verbally giving me the different quotations and I think I read too, you can upgrade your cover to another policy. Might be worth speaking to them. If there is nothing on your records apart from routine (spay/neutering, worming, flea treatment, routine check ups that were OK) then now would be the time to do it.

I think but you would need to check, they will not give extended cover above what you already have on existing or anything health or problem wise already on his records, but they would I believe for anything that occurs in the future.
As long as you have at least the cover limits you have now, on anything so far then it would still be better. The only danger might be if they treated it as an entirely new policy and anything so far would become a pre existing condition you cant claim for. Might be worth giving them a ring and enquiring about an upgrade and checking. If you can get an upgrade for anything new and they will still honour cover at the existing rate of cover for current and past you would still be better off.

if you changed to another company then anything already on his records apart from routine would likely be automatically pre existing and you wouldn't be covered for at all. They do tend or a lot do to "group" illness too. So previous stomach upsets then becomes disorders of the digestive tract period.

After 12 months on your existing policy you wont be able to claim anymore for anyway if covers being limited to 12 months only from diagnosis or incident. If you can upgrade you will be better off long tern. Even if you change companies in this case it likely wouldn't matter as you wont be covered anymore after 12monts on the one you have at the moment.


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## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

Thank you Sled Dog. Goldie has not had anything done at the Vets (since he has been with me) and before that was only the standard stuff. So I'm wondering whether to change/upgrade after the year, although that might be risky just in case something big happens. 
But then if I did that then at least I know that if he did actually develop the Luxating Patella within a year from last month, I would be covered.
Is there some kind of database that the Vets share with all insurance companies? As basically he was diagnosed (wrongly) so not sure how this would stand unless I got a second opinion and cleared him.


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## AlbertRoss (Feb 16, 2009)

Muttly said:


> Thank you Sled Dog. Goldie has not had anything done at the Vets (since he has been with me) and before that was only the standard stuff. So I'm wondering whether to change/upgrade after the year, although that might be risky just in case something big happens.
> But then if I did that then at least I know that if he did actually develop the Luxating Patella within a year from last month, I would be covered.
> Is there some kind of database that the Vets share with all insurance companies? As basically he was diagnosed (wrongly) so not sure how this would stand unless I got a second opinion and cleared him.


Talk to VetsMediCover. They'll cover anything that hasn't re-occurred within the last 2 years. Explain your situation. I've found them very good in the past. Brief details of their offerings are on my website (link below).


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## ilovegreyhounds (Apr 19, 2015)

The are literally the WORST insurance providers EVER. Low premium, but high co-pay minimum spend and although we have submitted several claims that should have been paid out, they always find a way to not pay out anything. When challenged, very rude customer service.


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## Allan Armistead (Dec 13, 2015)

peter0 said:


> Just now i'm with Pet Plan lifetime cover (£7000 a year) but had a look at Animal Friends who offer a lifetime covrr (it says £20,000) for £10 cheaper per dog with the same amount of excess.
> 
> Anyway my questions are -
> 
> ...


Animal friends use many terms & conditions to get out of paying claims. I pay nearly £50 a month on 2 dogs to them.This is my first claim since joining them 4 years ago. They are refusing to pay out on one of my dogs saying he has behavioural problems which caused his illness. Even though my vet stated its a immune system problem . They told me that their claims assessors are vet nurses which I don't believe. Even on the refusal letter it stated his illness as A nal Furunculosis. The next line stated this was a behavioural problem which any first year trainee vet nurse would know it is a immune system problem. I now have to wait up to 6 weeks for them to revise my claim while I'm still having to pay his vet bills. Also after your dog hits 8 years you will be responsible for 30%+ of any vet bills. They may seem cheap but you end up paying for it in vet bills. Look for a different pet insurer unless you want months of hassle trying to get them to payout on claims


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## victoria171168 (Apr 8, 2013)

Hi
Sorry l have been missing for a while .

Well the insurance ombudsman have not helped me in any way with my complaint against AF.
They state that its fair practice to increase my premiums by over 700% in maxs lifetime and that the insurance companies are entitled to levy whstever charges they want in order to continue business and that because other people have been treated like me that l am not being singled out.

Obviously l am not impressed that if the FOS arent there to protect us then who us.
Like Sled Dog my premium was one beliw the top policy and it wasnt cheap but everytime l queried the website price versus my premium increases l was told its the price for healthy pets only.

Now l have no objection to an increase but a fair one but it seems like there is no one who wants to regulate the pet insurance market or take them to task over extortionate premiums and l read the small print between Beaus and Maxs policy and there is no wordi g difference so l would still like to know what has changed in the last few years.

Max also featured in the Telegraph and A F wouldnt comment.

I havent finished fighting this yet but if the fos arent interested in helping then l will have to try and passs the word around via fb,etc.


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## bertiewooster12 (Aug 15, 2013)

Allan Armistead said:


> Animal friends use many terms & conditions to get out of paying claims. I pay nearly £50 a month on 2 dogs to them.This is my first claim since joining them 4 years ago. They are refusing to pay out on one of my dogs saying he has behavioural problems which caused his illness. Even though my vet stated its a immune system problem . They told me that their claims assessors are vet nurses which I don't believe. Even on the refusal letter it stated his illness as A nal Furunculosis. The next line stated this was a behavioural problem which any first year trainee vet nurse would know it is a immune system problem. I now have to wait up to 6 weeks for them to revise my claim while I'm still having to pay his vet bills. Also after your dog hits 8 years you will be responsible for 30%+ of any vet bills. They may seem cheap but you end up paying for it in vet bills. Look for a different pet insurer unless you want months of hassle trying to get them to payout on claims


Their a bunch of scumbags, always have been and always will be, I'm of the opinion the good feedback they get is a scam, anyone who insures with this company must be mad.


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## bertiewooster12 (Aug 15, 2013)

victoria171168 said:


> Hi
> Sorry l have been missing for a while .
> 
> Well the insurance ombudsman have not helped me in any way with my complaint against AF.
> ...


The ombudsman seems not to have much clout against Animal Friends I had a £3000 vet bill and got nothing, the one thing they are not is animals friends, when your pet is in dia need I prey you not insured with them, all you can do is what I do and spread the word as much as possible about their reputation


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## victoria171168 (Apr 8, 2013)

I started a fb page af are they really animal friends as l am banned from posting on their actual site,they dont like the negative publicity and if l am ever at a dog show and l see their stand then l will make sure the word is spread about max.

The stupid and short sighted bit for them is if they had treated me fairly then they would now have had over £2000 of extra insurance a year with my tribe
Still their loss


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## bertiewooster12 (Aug 15, 2013)

victoria171168 said:


> I started a fb page af are they really animal friends as l am banned from posting on their actual site,they dont like the negative publicity and if l am ever at a dog show and l see their stand then l will make sure the word is spread about max.
> 
> The stupid and short sighted bit for them is if they had treated me fairly then they would now have had over £2000 of extra insurance a year with my tribe
> Still their loss


Ask a Veterinary Surgeon who to steer clear of, Animal Friends refused my claim after my springer broke his back leg, they are appalling, wish I had listened before buying their insurance, saved a few pounds but lost £3000, I make it in my way now to spread the word every day where ever I can to do some research before dealing with this company, they obviously make millions and all they had to do was pay my claim and I'd walk away, I think they thought I would just forget after a while and walk away, hopefully I can make people aware of their practices, I feel if we could get enough unhappy AF customers together we could make a real impact, no doubt they will have their solicitors sending out warning letters to keep our mouths shut, not going to happen...


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## Joe whittaker (Apr 3, 2018)

Lilylass said:


> I've always been told to avoid them as they're apparently poor to pay out - although I've seen more positive things written recently
> 
> Can't comment on the "life" thing without seeing the T&Cs - some "life" policies have a set amount (total) and once you reach that, you're cover stops, whereas good life policies have a set amount, which renews each year


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## Joe whittaker (Apr 3, 2018)

They are a bunch of Shysters don’t touch them with a barge pole,
Our Stafford BT had a fatty lump (biopsy) proven ,
An upset stomach at Christmas after eating stuffing,
And urine infection which was treated with antibiotics ,
No issues moving forward but after informing them they immediately put restrictions on including Tumors anything to do with stomach or urine problems ,
I almost think they enjoyed informing me that he was hardly insured for much,


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## NFC slave (Nov 7, 2017)

I don't have dogs at the moment, but up until a few months ago had shared my life with giant breed rescues for many many years. In all that time I insured with AF with no problem, they paid direct to my vet quickly, were courteous whenever I called them and overall I had no complaint. I had their top policy because giant breeds are pricy with vet bills, and for two years I was claiming for pain relief regularly along with other men's and they were paying more than my policy direct debit every month without comment. When my bitch died(not a rescue this time) they paid a death benefit but wanted the original purchase receipt, which I had. I now have 2 kittens and insured them with AF on the day they came home. I think with any insurance you have to read the policy very carefully but that's all companies not just AF, and remember these companies are in it to make profit, not to benefit you


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

I've today taken the plunge and cancelled Jack's Direct Line Essential policy.

Aged 9 the premium is now £46 a month with a £4000 limit on each condition annually.

I have put £4000 into a savings account and will pay £50 standing order in each month.

I have also joined Dogs Trust @ £25 a year which gives 3rd party liability cover for my dog(s).

I have other savings and can afford to cover reasonable costs and figure I would probably not treat catastrophic conditions such as cancer and amputation anyway given his age.


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## Luis Barroso Amaya (Mar 25, 2020)

Waste of time, I have a very bad experience with animal friends. Lots of headaches, they are going to make your claim impossible.


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## LinznMilly (Jun 24, 2011)

Old thread. OP hasn't been online in years, and a lot of the other contributors have moved on.
:Locktopic


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