Back in April I made a review of the Tesco Pet Insurance website and to be quite honest I didn’t find it compelling at all.
Pet Insurance Company
If you’re a pet insurance company you need to make sure that whoever visits your website will want to sign up for a pet insurance program with your company based on what they read on the website. After reading four hardly mentionable selling points I had to give them a hard time in the review.
Since April I’ve been hoping to hear from some of Tesco’s current or previous customers to find out what their experiences have been with the company and their pet insurance plans. But until recently I didn’t get much response which I find to be a sign of everybody being okay with the service and coverage they were getting.
Tesco Pet Insurance Coverage
It has been proven that people are ten times as likely to tell you when things are not going their way as supposed to when they are. But luckily I then got a response from Natalie that had a really poor experience with Tesco when trying to get them to cover the injuries that her dog had experienced.
Now there are always people that want things that they’re not entitled to get so even though I am sure that Natalie are in her perfect right to claim that Tesco is in fact scamming her I set out to find more people that were pleased or the opposite with what Tesco were providing them.
There are not that many complaints that I was able to find but I did find one on Yahoo answers. It didn’t talk as much about them not wanting to pay what the pet owners believe that they should be merely about how Tesco might use untrained staff to handle pet insurance claims which in return will make the process slow and ineffective.
As a pet owner wanted to settle the matter and have any vet or pet hospital bill refunded that can be really annoying and personally I find it to be highly unprofessional of Tesco. It is so easy to settle these things fast and it will always leave the customers with a great experience because most will expect it to take forever to settle these claims. If Tesco wanted to they could easily use it as a branding opportunity because people would tell their friends because they would be positively surprised.
If you have any experience with Tesco pet insurance please share it with the rest of us in the comments below.
Tesco Pet Insurance is not worth the paper it is written on. All problems of a particular type are batched up together irrespective of whether they are different ailments.
For instance, my dog injured its back in a fall. He was given anti biotics , x-rays and was hospitalised. Tesco paid out for this.
Two years later my dog a KCS was diagnosed with SM, a serious problem caused by liquid not reaching the spine due to an overlarge brain. He was in terrific pain and was rushed to the Vet. Subsequently we recieved a bill in excess of £800. Being insured I made a claim only to be told that it was rejected because we had already claimed for back pain to years earlier. The problems were totally unrelated. I also asked them if my dog had broken its front leg leg and then broke a different leg two years later would I be covered. They replied each claim (condition) was covered for a period of 12months. Any claim after this 12 month period for the same organ, ears , back, legs etc.. would be refused even it the diagnosis was something completely unrelated to the original claim. IS THIS RIGHT?
Tesco are refusing to pay our claim,under the pretence that our dog has a pre existing condition. Barney our lurcher has some pea sized lumps on his chest, whilst undergoing his annual “mot ” my wife mentioned these to our vet who examined them, duly carried out a simple test and diagnosed them as fatty lumps (lipoma ). These Lipoma do not cause the animal any problems and are totally benign.Some time later Barney developed a large mass in his right thigh, this worrying lump was subsequently removed at a specialist centre in Essex and diagnosed as a intermuscular lipoma. The point here is that Lipoma are not systemic they do not migrate around the body. Therefore having a lipoma does not cause lipoma to form elsewhere. An intermuscular lipoma is only found between the muscles of the thigh and is specific in nature so totally unconnected,Tesco say otherwise. I have provided Two Veterinary statements and a case study of ten dogs carried out in America to substantiate my claim. This is ongoing at the moment. Tesco do try to lump problems under a common heading and argue against medical proof to aviod meeting their obligations .I prepose to challenge them in court if necessary
I went with tesco because it was the best value for money. My six month old kitten had a paving slab fall on her and she broke her pelvis in 5 different places. I paid the excess to my vet of £50 and gave them the claim form from tesco. I then had no further dealings and they sorted it between themselves. By the time she went for her next check up the vets had been paid in full. I couldn’t fault them at a very distressing time.
Sarah,
Lets hope your cat has no further pelvic problemsr. You will then experience what we have experienced.
Oh my god this is terrible! I have just called Tesco Insurance as my cat is currently at the vet having treatment for blockage in his intestine. So if he eats something he shouldn’t again (and he has once before, this is the only time he has needed treatment as the other time I knew when I saw it in his litter tray) am I going to be unable to claim? He will eat anything! And can’t stop him when he is off galavanting now can I (and can hardly muzzle him).
I hope that you guys do work it out. After all isn’t this why we pay for insurance?
I’ve just received a phone call from Tesco to say that they aren’t paying out on our dog’s ear operation (£1200) as we claimed for an ear infection 2 years ago!! I explained that it can’t possibly be a related condition from 2 years ago otherwise the treatment would have been ongoing…I’m furious with them and if it’s not resolved will be taking it further and advising everyone to use another company!!
Our westie had a tumour, £800 operation paid by Tesco no problems at all.
Can’t fault them.
There is no problem with Tesco Pet Insurance with payment for a condition in the first 12 months. I am glad your dog is fine but I hope it doesn’t get anothor tumour after the 12 month period has expired. You may not be so complimentary then.
In a nutshell, if you do not keep all your pets vaccinations up to date, Tesco Pet Insurance will not pay out! They will say any treatment could be avoided and it will be their vet’s words against yours.
My vet said our cats problem had nothing to do with the vaccination being out of date and even filled in my claim forms……..go elsehwere or make sure the vaccinations are in date, simple as that!
Our labrador became suddenly very sick and following emergency surgery before Christmas and New Year had to be put to sleep. We had to pay £1,600 up front. So far I have heard nothing from Tesco. I called them at the end of Jan about our claim, but was told they were two months behind in processing claims. I could not speak to them during the period our dog was being treated because it was between Christmas and New Year. If there is any problem with them paying out, I will definitely take it further.
Further to my previous comments I would like to add that I have finaly beaten Tesco !! The F.S.O. at appeal agreed that Tesco added disclaimers that were not included in the terms and conditions, I have recieved full payment plus interest.
SO.. read your terms ect and also read the excuses carefully, put a format complaint to the fso and good luck !!
We had to have our poor cat put down at the weekend, and we have suddenly realised that Tesco do not pay for ‘Euthanasia’. Granted, we should have read the bumph properly- but you don’t expect your cat to die young.
She had a blood clot and was paralized from the waist down… What quality of life would she have if she was unable to walk?! Maybe we should have waited for her to die on her own.
We’ll see, but I doubt, that we will get it covered. Thats not including the price of the over night bill, plus drugs- the total of which I dread to think!!! Therefore, we will have to pay the excess.
We haven’t had problems with them in the past, though- our other cat had urinary problems and had to go in for an emergency op. They paid out, but don’t forget- you have to pay that excess!!!
Watch this space
A sad ex-cat owner.
sorry to hear about your cat.
I am now in the same position and it was said to me by Tesco that as it was my decision to have my cat put to sleep they could not be expected to pay for this. I have today contacted Phillip Clarke the CEO of Tesco with my concerns. The money is not important to me, I would give all I have to bring the cat back
Our 3 year old Dogue de Bordeaux had a left hind CCL tear at the start of the year. He had an intermittent limp previously, which at the time the vet had ruled out as being a CCL problem. Tesco reluctantly settled the claim after numerous letters from the vet confirming the earlier and subsequent prognosis. We had insured the dog with Tesco since he was 6 weeks old so this should not have been an issue. This took 2 months.
During his recovery he was x-rayed and at this time the vet confirmed that he was recovering from his op well. There were no problems with the other CCL, also confirmed in the vet’s notes and dog’s medical history.
Shortly after this check up he slipped and had trouble standing so we took him back to the vet. The vet diagnosed an acute traumatic right hind CCL tear, requiring a 2nd operation. Quote: “Acute event with an immediate outcome”.
It is very clear in the vet’s notes and the dog’s medical history that these are totally separate acute traumatic events. The vet has confirmed this in writing.
Tesco however claim that it is the same ‘linked’ condition and refuse to settle.
It is beyond me as to how two “separate acute traumatic events” can be considered linked. If I broke a leg playing football and then broke the other leg in a car accident surely they are separate, although the outcome is the same.
We will now take this up the ombudsman.
I would advise anyone considering insuring a pet with Tesco to think again. They are a complete shambles. And if basing a decision on price again, think again. Our monthly premium, although cheap in the 1st year rocketed by almost 300% in the 2nd year.
I had been warned off tesco pet insurance, but unfortunately i had already signed up with them, when i had shingles some one let my cat a chocolate burmese out, she disappeared, she was a beautiful muscular very friendly cat with a dodgy purr she was microchipped, i am left with her sister now,brown burmese, but tesco did not believe she was burmese!! they asked for proof, so i sent the receipt for both my cats, they wanted the pedigree certificate so i sent the original, as requested (unfortunately both cats were on it) i sent them everything they asked for,right down to the breeders number and address!!! they paid out 40 pound and said she was not burmese! i wish you could see her pictures, she is so obviously not a moggy as the person put it, we rang them and wrote to them, and asked for the ombudsmans address, we have received absolutely nothing oh but they did send for the renewal with the other cat still on it stating she was burmese. Diabolical service Never Never again still have not received our documents back either!!
I also have an issue with Tesco pet insurance where my cat was unwell and was going to die, the vet could have operated and given all sorts of expensive treatment to keep him alive a bit longer but it was decided to put him out of his pain and misery. My reward, Tesco will not pay for the euthanasia and I was made to feel when I voiced my concerns that as it was my decision to have him put to sleep I should pay for this.
These are very uncaring people.
Renewed my policy and not had paper work to prove im insured, excuse was a computer error,still not got policy documents 3 months later.made numerous phones calls but still get the same excuse that the paper work has not dropped into there system!! what a load of C**p excuse!
I phoned three times to get a claim form. I asked the woman on the phone the third time is she could email me a form. She said she couldn’t do that as they came from a third party and she just passed the message on. Then she offered to fax a form to my vet!!! She did fax the form but the wait for the claim form meant a month had gone by. They did pay out quite quickly. Unfortunately I cannot now change vets as my dog has a known heart condition so I’m stuck with Tescos.
I took my dog to the vet for a booster injection and on examination the vet stated an adult tooth had grown over a baby tooth dosplacing it and causing a gum infection. He stated the tooth would have to be removed straight away to stop the condition worsening. Tesco would not settle the claim as they stated they do not cover dental treatment. I have had 4 dogs insured with tesco for over 3 years. I have now cancelled my insurance.