Troubleshooter: leap in pet premiums

Laura Whateley The Times Published at 12:01AM, January 26 2013 I have a Scottish terrier called Harry. He has been insured with Sainsburys since November 2008, when I paid 54.60-a-month premiums until November 2010, when they went up to 81.50. Then, in November 2011, the premium went up to 142.62. Harry had been healthy and I hadnt claimed in the preceding year. I was appalled at a rise of 75 per cent. However, I kept paying, as Harry was 13 and, although healthy, I had never known a Scottie to reach the age of 14. I thought I might need the insurance. I checked my bank statement on Christmas Eve and was astonished that the amount Sainsburys had taken out of my bank account was 226.37 in November and December. I hadnt received any renewal documents. I rang up Sainsburys, cancelled the insurance, and asked for my premiums back. Sainsburys said no because my policy renewed automatically and I had not cancelled within 14 days. Jann Grant, via e-mail It is unclear why Jann did not receive anything alerting her to this crazy premium increase. A spokesman for Sainsburys explains: We issued renewal documents as usual. Were sorry that these appear not to have reached Ms Grant. We automatically renew cover each year unless the customer cancels the policy. This is designed to ensure the animal is always protected. Sainsburys has now taken the opportunity to review Ms Grants individual circumstances again and would like to recognise her loyalty by agreeing to refund November and Decembers premiums, and has also offered 30 of Sainsburys vouchers with best wishes. This is good news, but lets dwell for a moment on that premium rise, of 60 per cent in the past year. To get some perspective on this I had a word with a friend who is a small-animal vet. I ask what he could do for 3,000 a year the amount that Jann would be paying Sainsburys just to insure against unexpectedly high vet bills. He says exploratory surgery to remove a lump from a dog, and keep it in hospital for a few days to recover. Twice over. One of the most expensive procedures would be to repair a fracture, which cost in the region of 1,500 to 2,000. Bearing in mind that Janns Scottie is 13, you are unlikely to make the decision to go ahead with such expensive, gruelling treatment anyway. And thats not the least of it: claimants on the Sainsburys policy also have to pay an excess of 15 per cent. Given that Harry has no pre-existing conditions, and Jann has only ever claimed twice, once for a 68.84 bill in 2009 and another for 701.25 for dental treatment in September 2010, shed be better off keeping the premiums under her mattress than pumping them into insurance that is far more expensive than the costs it is supposed to protect against. Sainsburys says that the 60 per cent rise, on top of a previous 75 per cent rise overall, her policy has jumped by more than 300 per cent in four years was down to vets getting pricier. We calculate premiums based on factors including age, breed and claims history. Unfortunately, vet fees are continuing to rise due to advances in treatment, which means our pets have never received better veterinary care, but it does cost more. Yes, expensive treatments such as chemotherapy are increasingly fashionable in a country mad about Lolcat videos and pets, but I struggle to believe that advances in science have pushed up the costs of seeing a vet by 60 per cent in the past few months alone.