Watchdog and Animal Friends

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

grumpyoldman — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 18:22:48 GMT

In general never very comfortable with these media frenzies, Cant help thinking back to the panorama programme on medivet, gave them a right going over , not sure what if anything it did to their turnover numbers and growth% for the following year ,but cannot imagine it was a healthy effect. The public , as in the audience on goggle box, are quite likely to take a simple confused view that everyone is out to mug them.

I always remember sitting there watching the panorama programme , watching the clients being interviewed getting frustrated by the recurrent theme of , we liked the old vets they were honest and kind and just did enough, they never charged us much and never ripped us off, then we went here and........... !!! . The massive question no one asked any of them was why did you desert your old vet ,who you liked and trusted for years in the first place you plonkers??.

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

Stephen Courtney — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 20:55:04 GMT

Sammy 82 check with your client, if the insurer hasn't reconsidered favourably tell them to ask for a letter of deadlock and say they are going to the Ombudsman. it costs the insurer more to deal with that than settle the claim. Tends to work wonders IME and Which reports that the Ombudsman finds in favour of customers > 60% of the time. Or thereabouts.

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

Sammy82 — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 19:05:18 GMT

Yes, had the same experience last week with Animal Friends[quote user="Braden Collins"]

They sound like the new E and L - I saw them decline an after hours fee for a dog with a bleeding splenic mass on the basis that they didn't think it was an emergency!

[/quote]. They refused a claim for out of hours treatment and told the client that it wasn't life or death. It was a 6mth old dog with dyspnoe, very lethargic (just flopping on the table) and a temp over 40C. It might have been ok til the morning, but who is to know (and will Animal Friends take the blame if it dies of septicaemic shock overnight?). Surely out of hours treatment is warranted even if the animals life isn't at direct risk (e.g. a broken leg etc.). I sent them a strongly worded email and haven't heard back yet.

If bleeding out internally doesn't qualify as an emergency, what does?

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

Bob Russell — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 14:18:58 GMT

No link with E+L but rumoured to be previous staff from E+L.

E+L also seem to be behaving themselves more recently! E+L do trade under other names including Dog Breeders Association.

Are we just honoured?

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

Charlotte Marshall — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 14:02:35 GMT

Aren't they the company that is underwritten by E&L? I always forget which one it is but one with a name like that is.

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

Bob Russell — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 13:05:42 GMT

Strangely they have behaved themselves impeccably for the last couple of claims! Perhaps we now know why!!!

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

Stephen Courtney — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 13:01:50 GMT

If a claim is unfairly dismissed in my opinion i will help the client by writing stern letters and advising on how to use the ombudsman.

Often the refusals are down to some jobsworth who thinks they will earn brownie points by refusing everything they can, so escalating a grievance often results in a change of heart....

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

Braden Collins — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 10:08:35 GMT

They sound like the new E and L - I saw them decline an after hours fee for a dog with a bleeding splenic mass on the basis that they didn't think it was an emergency!

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

Hannah Wynne Richards — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 09:38:28 GMT

That is utterly disgraceful - a salvagable animal could easily have progressed to a non-salvagable one!and

I spent ages yesterday afternoon talking to a (not very intelligent) owner who's insured with Animal Friends. Insurence limit of £400, animalhas had an on-going condition since last Feb, and has now reached it's limit, so Animal Friends only paid half the latest claim (unfortunately they're paying me directly) None of the individual invoices are >£400, and I can't get through to the owner that it's still one claim! I ended uptelling her to discuss it with them, so I wish them joy of that conversation!

Wynne

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

grumpyoldman — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 23:54:11 GMT

My favorite one with AF is deliberately dragging their feet on pre authorisation over acute grade 4-5 Spinal cases and refusing to pay for MRI leaving the insured client with Myelography or a body bag.

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

Joyce Whitehead — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 22:51:41 GMT

I'm very glad they are highlighting pet insurance too, it's long overdue. Animal Friends have advertised so widely and so well that I feel they may be our second most frequent claim nowadays after pet plan.

The item on puppy farming tonight was excellent too.

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

Gillian Mostyn — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 22:05:02 GMT

How long have you got?

A good one was £3000 of cover, but, once the owners needed to claim, after an RTA admitted OOH, they realised that they had £500 per condition. Didn't even cover the first night...

Almost as good as the claim for a serious GI problem that was refused because the dog had a bout of diarrhoea....as a newly purchased puppy, 2 years earlier!!!!

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

ruths — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 22:00:11 GMT

I don't tend to see insured animals- what's the problem with Animal Friends?

RE: Watchdog and Animal Friends

Gillian Mostyn — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 21:08:51 GMT

[quote user="J G Wray"]Just watched the end of BBC Watchdog programme.[/quote]

Me too. Very informative for people....hopefully!

[quote user="J G Wray"]Next week it's Animal Friends under their spotlight[/quote]

Yeah!!!! I seem to be spending a lot of time talking about them with clients at the the moment.....great that a programme is highlighting them!