Are you sure you can claim on your pet insurance?
Have you read the terms and conditions of your pet insurance? Celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman (above) didn’t and it landed him with a hefty ?5,000 vet bill.
Mr Freeman, whose eye for legal detail? has led to him being dubbed “Mr Loophole” having successfully defended such luminaries as Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham for alleged driving offences, was holidaying in the south of France last August when his five-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rocco collapsed.
Initially, it seemed the dog was simply suffering from heat exhaustion but, when his condition didn’t improve, Mr Freeman had no choice but to submit his pet for extensive tests. These showed that Rocco had unfortunately acquired a life-threatening parasitic disease and required urgent blood transfusions.
Rocco was eventually released from care and returned home with his owners to Cheshire to complete his recovery in peace.
If “Mr Loophole” had paid better attention to his policy documents, he would have discovered claims abroad are invalid if notice is not given to the insurance company two weeks prior to departure. Furthermore, an extra ?100 is required to ensure overseas cover.
As it was Mr Freeman’s policy would only have paid out a maximum of ?900, but? pet owners should choose their policies carefully because some insurance companies will pay only the very minimum if a pet falls ill abroad.
For Mr Freeman – who owns Manchester-based Freeman & Co specialising in traffic law – the unexpected vet bill probably didn’t dent his bank balance as much as his pride. However, the majority of pet insurance policy holders, without the same level of fame and fortune, cannot afford to be complacent.
Pet insurance comparison agencies can point customers towards the best pet insurance products for their needs. But people need to know there will be plenty of additional details in each individual policy that must be carefully examined. Customers who travel abroad frequently, and use pet insurance comparison sites will discover that certain policies are better than others at covering emergency veterinary costs when on holiday.
After all even the experts can get caught out from time to time!
