Animal Friends Insurance urgent advice needed please!

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Bessieboo

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I need to renew my horse insurance and have received a quote from these people whom seem very resonably priced however I am concerned about their reputation.

Has anyone had any dealings with them in the past?

I just don't want to make the mistake of switching insurers and then finding out that I have bought something that I can't claim on.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I have to do this tomorrow at the latest.

Thanks in advance.
 
After several recommendations in the dog section of the board, my dog is now insured with them.

I can't comment on the horse insurance though.
 
The only insurance company that consistantly gets good reviews and vets are happy with is the NFU. For every other company i have heard at least one horror story!
 
Well, sorry cannot help you but from looking at their key facts it seems they are underwritten by red sands insurance who are registered in Gibraltar so seems to be a ligitimate company. Not heard anything bad about them so I guess that helps! lol. May be that they are new to horse insurance?
 
they used to be underwritten by e&l and were a complete disaster but from 2009 onwards the reviews are ok, but havnt seen any reviews for horse insurance. i have just insured my dog with them and they were very nice on the phone.
 
Please find out of they have a 24 hr emergency helpline, you never know when you may need it - NFU do not have this service as have found out to my cost at a very difficult time.
 
Don't worry re the emergency phone number. We don't have one and we don't have any problems. The wording should tell you what to do in case of an emergency out of office hours. The general consensus is to go on your vets advice if a veterinary emergency.
 
Thanks for all the advice everyone. It's really appreciated.

I heard about E&L from a girl I work with me and she told me not to touch them with a bargepole.

At least now I can make some kind of informed decision.
 
miss_buffay said:
they used to be underwritten by e&l and were a complete disaster but from 2009 onwards the reviews are ok, but havnt seen any reviews for horse insurance. i have just insured my dog with them and they were very nice on the phone.
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Animal Friends have nothing at all to do with E&L! They are privately owned and underwritten by RedSands. They have an excellent record with pet insurance and I have insured my pets with them for 2 years now. I have nothing but praise for the company and the charitible causes they help. Hope you do use them too...
 
which is why i put USED to be underwritten by e&l :D if they still were i wouldnt have insured my dog with them coz e&l are a sham. but as they are not anymore i have insured with them.
 
Here you go, if this is the type of company your thinking of going with, just a few reviews of the hundred and hundreds of bad reviews:
Your asking the wrong people, speak to a veterinary surgeon he'el more than likely tell you they stink

1/5 If you value your pet avoid this company 10 June 2014

Reviewed By:

If you value your pets health and wellbeing and your bank balance pay more for your pet insurance, do not be swayed by the fluffy we love animals image, its an incredibly cynical way of drawing you in. Read their policy documents which are extensive and I guarantee that you will not use them. Hateful!

1/5 Pathetic reasons not to pay 2 October 2014

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My cat has never been I'll ever and they refused to pay out as in his medical records they said he had lost some weight in a slight weight fluctuation he had when we lost his companion cat a few years before. They said the weight loss was a 'sign' of his current illness we were claiming for. Absolutely ridiculous and wouldn't budge even after our vets contacted them with medical facts. Avoid at all costs.

1/5 The worst insurance experience ever! 15 September 2014

Reviewed By:

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.

1/5 Thieves 9 August 2014

Reviewed By:

Avoid using these thieves they blatantly refuse to accept medical facts that are presented to them and squirm out of paying your claim.

1/5 Nightmare!! Steer Clear!!! 29 July 2014

Reviewed By:

Do not be fooled by the Animal 'Friends' image. This company is a disgrace. They avoid pay-outs at all costs and add small print into your contract each year they renew your policy. Every time I have made a claim for one of my animals in the last 7 years they have declined it and I have had to fight their decision. My ageing lab has previous arthritis issues so bones are written out of her policy- when I made a claim for an unrelated vulvar infection that was picked up at her check up for her arthritis they refused to pay on account of the fact that arthritis was noted at that appointment on the vets print out. My vet wrote a scathing letter to them and eventually they have paid out less the excess and less the 35% contribution that they have just pointed out is in the small print.
1/5 Read the small print, they avoid a pay out 28 July 2014

Reviewed By:

My dog was hit by a car, thankfully she is ok, but of course she needed treatment straight away and what with scans etc the vets bill came in at £1600.00. Animal friends refused my claim with a rather patronising letter quoting a line from the small print. My neighbour had the same problem with this company. Don't waste your money with Animal Friends.

1/5 Any excuse not to pay out 23 July 2014

Reviewed By:

Cancelled with a reputable company for these people, worst idea I had. They have taken my first direct debit payment and when I tried to claim, they declined saying I was hours short of the 14 day waiting period. They had taken my money though so if I wasnt covered on that date, they should have taken it after the waiting period was over. Then slapped an exclusion on any digestive illness in the future although this was a gastro bug and they DIDNT pay out anyway. Ive now cancelled my policy and will set up my own savings account as you are sure of your OWN money if needed. These are not ANIMAL FRIENDS quite the opposite. They also refuse to give their surname saying that "is their own personal information" which we the customer are not entitled too. Why do they need our full names then?

1/5 Avoid 22 July 2014

Reviewed By:

Happy taking money, do not pay out. Read terms & conditions carefully they will try worm out of every claim.

1/5 lipoma removal 12 June 2014

Reviewed By:

Refused to pay out after lipoma lumps were removed as first noticed over 12 months ago even tho been with them for several years. You go by what your vet recommends and in last 3 months got alot bigger and another appeared that was
causing problems.. now going to go thro small claims court to try to sue company if not resolved.. AVOID THIS COMPANY. YOU WILL BE WORSE OFF

1/5 Avoid Avoid Avoid 11 June 2014

Reviewed By:

Hi we are out of pocket to the tune of £1,000 due to Animal Friends saying that a throat infection was a Pre- existing condition from September 2013 ! How I wish I had cancelled the policy at the end of the first year.:(

1/5 KEEP AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY 23 May 2014

Reviewed By:

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

1/5 Do not pay out when you claim 15 May 2014

Reviewed By:

Have just made my first claim with Animal friends only to find out that they will not pay out on any of it. My dog had 2 lumps removed which were benign tumours and the assessor has refused my claim as she had another benign tumour removed 4 years ago which I did not even claim for, therefore any subsequent lumps will not be covered. This is a total waste of money each month so I have cancelled my policy with them.

1/5 Not friends but ENEMIES 9 May 2014

Reviewed By:

They have so many exclusions in their terms and conditions that they can wriggle out of most claims. Our dog developed oral cancer and initially had a tumour removed from her mouth. AF won't pay because they exclude any gum treatment even if its cancer treatment that just happens to manifest on the gum. Other companies do exclude gum disease, but AF specifically state treatment in the gum area regardless of cause. Two vets have written to them to point out that the treatment is for cancer, but they just point at the T and Cs. Both vets privately say that AF are anything but friends. The dog is very precious to us,and we are doing all we can regardless of cost, so far up to £8000 plus. The ombudsman initially wanted to support our claim,but the stated condition of gum treatment rather than the more usual gum disease got them off the hook. Please dont use this truly dreadful company, they are not animal friends,they are enemies.

1/5 Insulting staff, bad record for claim handling. 8 May 2014

Reviewed By:

I have recently claimed for a condition my cat developed in April this year. Animal friends have refused to pay out and added a retrospective exclusion on my policy due to something my vet wrote in his notes in 2013. The staff are snotty and unhelpful, refused to find the vets notes stating they destroy them once scanned onto the system and they take a while to download!!! Utter rubbish, do not touch them with a barge pole. I'm going to their complaints department, financial ombudsman, Rip Off Britain and Watchdog. What a laugh 'Animal Friends'!!!! I wonder how many people have had to take the decision to have their pets put down due to this company not paying out on their claims and no longer being able to afford vet's fees? I will stay with them until my complaint is fully investigated but then I will move all 3 of my policies elsewhere. I have given them a 1 rating but it would have been 0 if I'd had the choice.
 
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All mine are insured with them. In the past year I have had to make four separate claims, four different horses, two ongoing and they have been great.

They have won awards the last couple of years for best Horse insurer too.
 
We had our cats insured with them.
One became terribly ill one evening.
Rushed him to local vet they says take in straight to landford (the vet school) which is where all their major cases go.

Long story short animals friends at first refused to pay saying the bill was excessive !
It's a vet school and animal hospital, I can't control how much they charge!
We had to get Langford to call them and go through the itemised bill.


They did pay out eventually but it was hassle we could have done without.


We changed back to tesco who were brill with the previous major claim we made with the same cat!
 
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I'm a vet nurse and a lot of our clients have had trouble with them, and IMO they are a total PITA to deal with from our point of view. They certainly like exclusions and I'd be very careful with anything they may class as a 'pre - existing condition'
 
When my dog needed an operation,they refused to pay,my vet said that was the norm with that company and never to use the compare sites on line for animal insurance as its best to stick with one so they get to know the history of the animal.Animal house also spoke to their `resident` vet who advised them my dog did not need the operation as it would make matters worse,We had op done and she has been fine with no problems .
 
Can't say re horse as he has been with Petplan for years but have my dog insured with them - when he cut his leg on a Sunday resulting in trip to out of hours vet, operation and follow up appointments my bill neared £800 they paid out within 2 weeks for initial claim and a few days after final bill was sent !
 
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