Pet insurance FAQ's
- What is a pre-existing condition?
- What happens if my pet is ill, before the insurance starts?
- Is there any advantage to paying my premiums monthly by Direct Debit?
- Is my pet covered if we travel abroad?
- Do you provide cover for dental treatment?
- How old does my dog/cat need to be before I can purchase esure pet insurance?
- What happens if I should move house?
- Do I receive a discount because my pet has been microchipped?
- What is the difference between esure pet insurance and esure pet plus?
- Are there any discounts if I insure more than one pet?
- What are the excesses I will have to pay, should I make a claim?
- Are hereditary and/or congenital conditions covered?
- Do I have to pay the vet and you reimburse me?
- If I don't make any claims will I receive a discount next year?
- How can I pay for my esure policy?
- What should I do if I don't want you to send me any marketing material?
- How do I cancel my policy?
- How do I complain?
- How do I know if my cover has been accepted?
1. What is a pre-existing condition?
Any medical condition or symptoms that your pet had before the inception date of your esure pet insurance policy.
2. What happens if my pet is ill, before the insurance starts?
Your esure pet insurance policy will not cover any medical condition or symptoms that your pet had before the inception date of your policy or any that occur during the first 10 days of your insurance cover.
3. Is there any advantage to paying my premiums monthly by Direct Debit?
Yes. It breaks your premium down into very affordable monthly payments and you can relax in the knowledge that at renewal your cover will continue unless you tell us otherwise. We don’t charge any interest for paying your premiums monthly.
4. Is my pet covered if we travel abroad?
Yes, provided you’re travelling to Eire or a member country of the PETS Travel Scheme and comply with the requirements of this scheme while you are abroad. You can find out further information about the PETS Travel Scheme by visiting the PETS Travel Scheme website run by DEFRA http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/pets/index.htm .
5. Do you provide cover for dental treatment?
Yes, your pet will be covered for dental treatment as a result of an accident.
6. How old does my dog/cat need to be before I can purchase esure pet insurance?
You can purchase esure pet insurance for your dog or cat as soon as they are over 8 weeks old. Once your pet's policy has been issued, they can be covered for life. The only benefit that stops is death from illness cover. When your dog is over 9 years old or your cat over 11 years old, we won't give you back the purchase price if they die or have to be put to sleep through illness or natural causes. All other benefits continue.
7. What happens if I should move house?
Please call us on 0845 606 1374* as soon as you move house. This will make sure that your pet is always covered. There may be a slight change in your annual premium as our premiums are rated on postcode.
8. Do I receive a discount because my pet has been microchipped?
Yes, you’ll receive a 5% discount on your policy if your pet has been microchipped.
9. What is the difference between esure pet insurance and esure pet plus?
esure pet insurance provides cover for veterinary costs for treatment of your pet for 12 months from the date of the incident up to a maximum of £2,500 for each condition.
esure pet plus provides up to £6,500 towards veterinary treatment for each new condition without a time limit, provided your policy continues with us. esure pet plus also provides higher levels of cover for benefits such as kennel/cattery fees if you’re in hospital, holiday cancellation or advertising and offering a reward if your pet is lost or stolen. Please call 0845 606 1370* for further details of the benefits provided.
10. Are there any discounts if I insure more than one pet?
Yes, you’ll receive a 10% discount on each pet insurance policy if you insure more than one pet with us.
11. What are the excesses I will have to pay, should I make a claim?
You'll pay a £50 excess towards the veterinary treatment for each new illness or injury and a £100 excess towards claims for accidental damage to third party property. If you have a dog, you'll also pay a £100 excess towards any claim for third party liability.
12. Are hereditary and/or congenital conditions covered?
Yes, your policy will cover hereditary and congenital conditions provided the condition hadn’t been discovered and your pet hadn’t any symptoms before the inception date of your esure pet insurance policy.
13. Do I have to pay the vet and you reimburse me?
To make it easier for you we usually pay the vet directly if they are set up for this. If the vet is unable to offer this facility or you’ve already paid the vet, we’ll send you a cheque.
In the event of an emergency call out, the vet may request payment to be made immediately.
14. If I don't make any claims will I receive a discount next year?
No, as we believe a pet insurance policy is completely different to other insurance policies such as car insurance. We want to make sure that all pets insured by us receive the care and treatment they need as quickly as possible. We therefore don’t want to discourage any customers from claiming out of fear of losing their no claim discount.
15. How can I pay for my esure policy?
We offer our customers a choice of easy payment methods. You can choose to pay your premium by monthly Direct Debit or if you prefer, you can pay in a lump sum by credit or debit card. We don’t charge you for paying your pet insurance premium monthly. Online payments are made via a secure server, which uses advanced encryption technology to ensure your details are safe during transmission.
We accept the following credit and debit cards:
16. What should I do if I don't want you to send me any marketing material?
We give you an option to tell us during the quote process if you don't want to receive any marketing material. If you don't take up this option and change your mind at any future date, you can also email us at dpo@esure.com or write to the Data Protection Officer, esure, The Observatory, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0SG. Please make sure you include your full name, address, date of birth and policy number (if applicable).
17. How do I cancel my policy?
If you're not satisfied with the cover provided by your policy, you have 14 days to cancel from the date you receive your documents. As long as no incidents have arisen which could result in a claim under your policy for the death/loss of your pet, we'll refund the premium you've paid.
If you don't exercise your right to cancel during the 14 day period, your policy will continue as normal. If you decide to cancel after this 14 day period, you must give us seven days' notice in writing. As long as no incidents have arisen which could result in a claim under your policy, we’ll refund the part of the premium you haven’t yet used. If the amount due when you cancel your policy is more than the amount you’ve paid, you must pay us the difference.
If a claim has been made, or any incidents have arisen which could result in a claim under your policy, we’ll cancel your cover but not refund any premium. If you are paying by instalments, you must still pay us the balance of the full annual premium.
We also have a right to cancel your policy at any time by giving you seven days' notice in writing. We'll send our letter to the latest address we have for you. If we do cancel your policy, we'll refund the part of your premium you haven't yet used.
18. How do I complain?
We’re committed to providing you with a first class service, but we recognise that there may be an occasion when you feel we haven't done this and you wish to make a complaint. We’ll always try to resolve any complaint speedily and at the earliest possible stage. The person dealing with you will be authorised to settle your complaint.
In the first instance, please call our Customer Service Department on
0845 606 1374* or write to our Quality Manager at:
The Quality Manager
esure pet insurance
The Connect Centre
Kingston Crescent
Portsmouth
Hants
PO2 8QL
If your complaint relates to a claim please call our Claims Department on 0845 606 1390* or write to our Claims Department Quality Manager at:
Claims Department Quality Manager
esure pet insurance
5th Floor
The Connect Centre
Kingston Crescent
Portsmouth
Hants
PO2 8QL
We'll try to resolve your complaint as soon as we receive it, but if this isn't possible we'll send you a written acknowledgement no later than four working days after we receive your complaint.
We'll write to you to confirm our resolution of your complaint. If we haven't resolved it within 4 weeks, we'll write to you again to explain why and tell you when we expect to give you our decision.
In the unlikely event that the problem hasn't been solved to your satisfaction, you may contact the relevant Head of Customer Care who’ll arrange for an investigation on behalf of the Chief Executive and send you our final decision in writing. Provided your complaint doesn't relate to flea cover, please contact the Head of Customer Care at:
Head of Customer Care
AXA Insurance
Civic Drive
Ipswich
IP1 2AN
If your complaint relates to flea cover, please contact the Head of Customer Care at Brit Insurance:
Head of Customer Care
esure pet insurance
25-29 London Road
Sittingbourne
ME10 1PE
If we haven’t resolved your complaint within 8 weeks, or if your complaint is still not resolved to your satisfaction, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The contact details for the Financial Ombudsman Service are:
Financial Ombudsman Service
South Quay Plaza 2
183 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SR
Telephone: 0845 080 1800
www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
The Financial Ombudsman Service will handle most complaints you might have, but there are some instances that fall outside its authority. The Ombudsman's decision is binding upon us, but you are free to reject it without affecting your legal rights.
Both Heads of Customer Care act with the full authority of the Chief Executive. However, you may at any time, write directly to our Chief Executive at our Ipswich address about the complaint provided it doesn't relate to flea cover. If it relates to flea cover, you may at any time write directly to the Chief Executive at Brit Insurance at the Sittingbourne address.
19. How do I know if my cover has been accepted?
Once you've entered your payment details, the "payment confirmation" page will be displayed. This page is confirmation of your cover, and will display your quote number and cover start date. Your policy documents will be posted to you by first class post.
* Telephone calls may be monitored and recorded
