Petplan - Saddlery policy not worth the paper it's written on

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Toby'smum

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I recently had some tack stolen from our livery yard. After police involvement etc and with no hope of getting my saddle back I put in a saddlery & tack claim to Petplan Equine. I have been a customer with a full horse policy with them for over 7 years and had checked in august that I was covered in my policy if my tack was stored at the livery yard, I was asked was it secured overnight - yes it was so thought that I was covered. Petplan have just declined my claim on the basis that there wasn't a 5 lever mortice lock door on all doors in a stone barn. My yard is a canadian barn style stone barn with 2 large steel agricultural barn doors which fit into a frame and then chained and padlocked tightly from the inside - a house insurance assesor just said that this is adequately secured - Petplan say no 5 lever mortice lock door no payout!
I have lodged a full complaint with the underwriters as it would appear to be that petplan really don't understand the types of agricultural buildings their customer base have to use - also as a livery I don't have say on the types of doors on a building and I have never seen a 5 lever mortice lock door on any livery yards I've been on.
Just wanted to let people know - check your policy's for tack if stored anywhere other than your home!!!:(
 
You might want to check your house insurance and whether you have the correct locks for that. I had a huge argument with an insurance comapny as we had two sets of good quality five lever mortice locks to BS3621 but with 14mm throw and then wanted one set to BS3621:2007 with a 20mm throw. It took an independent report to reassure them that two sets properly fixed were more secure than they required, not less. Had we not had the correct locks they were threatening to withdraw our insurance.
 
I'm just so disgusted with them as they just don't seem to understand the equestrian world at all and are making policy terms like a stable is a home!

I will never take out tack insurance ever again with any of them
 
Equine insurance policies need to be reviewed completely by the industry - I can imagine there are thousands of people who are not covered but think they are.
 
I have to say that's a normal requirement. Don't know of any that cover without one

Dee, I specifically don't have a certain type of lock on house insurance. It puts costs per year up but means that they can't call me out on it. Same as not having that all my windows are locking even though they are as one isn't a standard window lock and am sure would cause issues.
 
What did the policy wording say? If it specified 5 lever in the small print then they can rely on that. Personally I think that to be fair they should refund the premiums for that element of the policy so that might be worth pursuing.
 
Sadly standard insurance tricks to put tiny impossible to comply with clauses so they don't pay out but they only make this clear ONCE you've made a claim - not 7 years ago when you could have saved the premiums.

I suspect you'll find most of the others are the same - not just Petplan.

I insure only what I have to (buildings, car and third party for the animals) and treat it much more like a tax that I have to pay rather than anything I expect to get anything back from. Everything else I make monthly savings so I can choose what when and how I repair/ replace things.

New for old on your contents is also a total rip off once the small print is considered.
 
I've just had a nightmare trying to get paid out my them after the death of my horse in November and they still haven't settled the vets fees in full. The vet said they are just as difficult as E&L to deal with.
 
Petplan paid out in full for my tack claim, but then I was lucky that there was a 5 lever mortice lock on the door. (Went through the roof!) Unfortunately, it is there clearly stated (albeit small print :rolleyes:) in the policy booklet. I would not have bothered insuring with them otherwise. Thankfully most yards I have been at have them. I would try your house policy insurance. Also for future reference your tack is not covered if stolen from your lorry whist at a show. So something to bear in mind with other policies.

Good Luck.
 
I've never bothered insuring tack as they all have that clause, your better off keeping it in the boot of your car as it will be covered by your car insurance. I always (before I had my horses at home) took my tack home with me. Even now I keep it in the house not in the tack room.
 
I'm with south Essex and theirs is the same regarding locks luckily yard does have them also mine is covered in the lorry while I am at a show.
I was told car insurance even if in the boot was not covered over night ??
 
I keep mine at home too. Im with KBIS and they say they need a 5 point mortice lock for tack insurance, which no yard I have ever been on has had, so I dont bother. x
 
Years ago all our tack was stolen from the tackroom. The people insured by Petplan or other horse insurance got minimal payouts for their almost new tack after a battle. I at the time had a very old saddle that had been given to me and I got paid out new for old on my house insurance without a quibble.
 
It is mentioned in the booklet, and is also the reason I keep my tack at home, as very few yards have a 5 lever mortice lock on the tack room.

I have to say though in petplans defence, I made my first ever claim about 4 months ago, and got full payment within 2 weeks, I was very impressed.
 
Ive never bothered insuring tack. I was with petplan for 1 year, and noticed that it only covered if my tack was in a locked area that NO OTHER livery had access to.....so that meant in a locked locker in a locked tack room.............Which my stuff actually was, but the locker wasnt fixed to the walls or the floor so knew it would be fruitless.
 
I phoned insurers when bought 2 new saddles & tried 2 add them 2 my policy- was told if there wasn't 5 lever mortice on door not 2 bother!
Explained that yard has much higher level of security that just a lock- keypad entry gate 2 yard (normal code blocked after certain time at night), cctv (9 cameras on yard), owners on site, dogs, fully enclosed tackroom with keycode locks but still they wudn't insure my tack!
So didn't bother & just hope yard security does the job!
 
Years ago we used them and I remember some clause about being covered if horse knocked plastic furniture into a swimming pool but not a bbq or if the horse fell in. Was about 20 years ago so I can't remember but it struck me as odd as a kid!
 
I had trouble with petplan when they refused to pay hospitalisation for my pony when it was very sickly in hospital. It was written in the t&c but I just think how stupid, how can you not treat a poorly horse without hospitalising when dogs and cats hospitalisation are paid out for. I found them very difficult to deal with on the phone.
 
I'm afraid it's all in the policy OP :( This is the reason I no longer insure my tack with Petplan.

It is insured in a round about way on the car and house insurance though.

It is so important to read the policy.
 
Really sorry you had this but that clause has been there for a very very long time. I do read my policies carefully now and list any queries and there are always a lot of gotchas. My yard does have a 5 bar level lock and alarm on the tack room but previously I found exclusions for tack being kept on a public yard (e&l years ago), tack room needed to be brick built, tack at shows was only covered if lorry or car had been broken into..I make an utter pain of myself now and read all insurance policies very very carefully. Household was a good one. Accidental damage cover, but not if your pet caused it..?!!!
 
there 3rd party liability is also rubbish... if the horse injures/kills friends/family/anyone who is paid to work with the horse/anyone at an show whist the horse is there, then they won't pay out anything... so basically the horse would have to wonder into the middle of town on its own and randomly kick someone the owner doesn't know for them to do anything about it.
 
Standard exclusion in most policies. People really should read their policies. KBIS don't cover if tack kept on yard with 10 or more horses, or that's what it was.

Insurances are businesses, not charities. You pay your money for the services they provide fully explained in their policy documents....simples! Doesn't mean they are fair, but irritates me when people complain when they assume cover rather than check the terms at time of buying.
 
I completely take responsibility for not fully reading the huge amounts of paperwork going through policies but my moan is about the lack of knowledge these companies (who charge a fortune) don't have about standard livery yards!
 
I have my horses in insured with Petplan and deliberately didn'r insure my tack with them because of the t&c although it is quite clearly there in the policy booklet and any other insurance company has the same conditions.

On the plus side of Petplan, they have paid out for all my vets fees claims with no problems - they have sent me query letters to clarify points, but never refused a claim.
 
I'm insured with pet plan ( and have been for 6/7 yrs). When I had a new saddle decided to add my tack. Advisor at pet plan did explain that unless there is a five bolt mortice lock on the door, then it wouldn't be insured if stolen. I explained our security set up ( which I feel is comprehensive) but they were very clear that unless the lock specified is used, they won't pay out. I decided not to insured due to this.
Pet plan have been fantastic with the two claims I put in, paid out quickly and with no fuss. One involved a stay in hospital - I paid for the care part as this is not included in the policy - fair enough.

I feel it is a bit unfair to criticise insurance companies for not paying out, when it clearly states in there terms and conditions that they won't pay out in situations such as these!
I sympathise with you having your tack stolen - no doubt it's traumatic and v expensive to replace. However, in this situation I feel you are angry with the wrong people!
 
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