Woof deal

By JUSTIN HARPER FOR MAILONLINE
Updated:

 

A PET lover was left struggling to cover her eight-year-old dog after seeing its insurance premiums shoot up by nearly 900% in one year.

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Mary Wiedman, 65, was shocked when she received her renewal form for her English Bull Terrier, Bully, to find her annual premium would be £3,000. The previous year, it was £338.

If that wasn't bad enough, her insurer, Pet Protect, had also whacked on a £100 excess per injury or illness. She will also have to pay 25% of any veterinary fees.

Mrs Wiedman, from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, says: 'When I first saw the new premiums, I thought they'd added a nought by mistake. But when I phoned up and checked, they said it was correct.

'I can't believe how much it has gone up. Bully has had a couple of minor operations but nothing to justify the huge rise I'm facing. I wonder whether an increase this big is legal. If they knew it was going to rise this much, they shouldn't have taken on the dog in the first place.'

< p>Mrs Wiedman's other dog, Betty, a six-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, is insured with Pet Healthcare Services. Ironically, the cost of Betty's cover has gone down, from £192 to £162, during the past year. She adds: 'My vet has been telling his customers to open a separate bank account and save money into it for vet's bills instead of taking out pet insurance. I now think he might have the right idea.'

National Insurance and Guarantee Corporation (NIG) has now taken on Pet Protect's clients but Pet Protect still administers the policies.

Angela Durcan, a spokeswoman for NIG, says: 'We calculate premiums based on the age, breed and location of the pet but, additionally, now take into account the recent claims history.

'If a customer has made a claim and either the claim frequency or the amount indicates a pattern that is likely to increase, the customer will see a higher premium. Mrs Wiedman has fallen into this very small group of policyholders.'

Most other insurers also push premiums up when a dog hits eight years old. This is because they work out the risk and the premium once a year - and the older your pet gets, the more susceptible it is to illness and injury.

And many insurers won't even cover an eight-year-old dog if its owner comes to them as a new customer.

But some insurers spread the risk across a number of years, meaning you do not face a massive-rise when your dog reaches eight.

One such insurer is Pinnacle. Simon Wheeler, marketing director at Pinnacle, says: 'Lots of supermarkets have been pushing pet insurance like mad, selling cheap basic cover.

'Their customers get a shock when they find out how much their premiums will rise once the pet becomes eight. Some won't even insure the pet when it gets to this age.'

He adds: 'By putting your insurance up to £3,000 is basically saying: 'We don't want your business anymore.'' '

More Th>;n, part of Royal & SunAlliance, is one of the only insurers to take on your pet regardless of its age. Money Mail has put Mrs Wiedman in contact with More Th>n, which has agreed to insure Bully for £228 a year.

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