Cat Insurance Pet Insurance

[karenlu73@aol.com]

I am writing this story in regards to the Veterinary Pet Insurance Co pet insurance I ordered and got a confirmation of payment for. The company is called Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. I searched out a “reputable” pet insurance carrier for my cat. I ordered the insurance, paid for the best plan, got a confirmation which I still have, and took my beloved Cat Rudy to the vet. After I bought Rudy to the vet and went to fill out my claim form I contacted Veterinary Pet Insurance Co who told me my starter package was on its way and I could just use their forms online and print out the claim forms and go from there. Fine, did that. <p>

To make a long story short after I submitted my bills I was told there was no insurance on my cat. Unbelievable. No nothing, no calls, NOTHING!! They have terrible customer service. If you doubt my story then call there yourself. The number is 1800-USA-PETS. There are 2 options. Watch and see how much faster they answer your call when you are merely interested in pet insurance. Then call about an existing policy. It took 5 minutes to get someone in the new customer department and 2 hours to get through existing customers. 2 hours. Does anyone reading this have 2 hours? Is that acceptable business? It was a disgrace and I don’t ever want someone with a sick pet to go through this TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE I RECEIVED. I requested a supervisor and no one EVER picked up the phone. Well I can’t say NEVER because I hung up after another hour. I mean you would think that if something was wrong with my account that they would notify me immediately. We are dealing with our pets lives, our families, and they deserve to be treated specially. <p>

Any company dealing with any kind of insurance knows that. Go with a company whom when you call there you get customer service within an acceptable amount of time. Even a ½ hour is a bit much, but 2 hours, no. That just isn’t acceptable. They say they have millions of customers. That’s not always a good thing. God bless Rudy as she has passed on and thanks to my husband having a great job we were able to costs ourselves, THANK GOD. Please, I write this so no one goes through this while their pet needs care. Do better research than I did!! Don’t believe their words, believe their actions!! Thanks for listening.
Karen.

[Traci]

Karen, this is the first time I've heard such a complaint about VPI, I'm so sorry you had to endure such a nightmare.

I would still not give up on speaking to a legitimate supervisor, if you are worried about being put on hold, then leave a number where you can be reached, along with a brief message about your inquiry. You should also probably hand write a letter of concern and mail it to them (keep a copy for yourself) and ask for a response. Chances are, this could still get rectified through the proper channels.

If you have proof of purchase and confirmation on the policy/coverage, they have nothing to hold back on, I would state that in your letter and demand some sort of explaination.

I'm so sorry about Rudy....

[Paulette]

I had a similar experience with a collection agency in Florida. They gave me a real runaround. A consumer advocate agency advised me to write a letter to the Better Business Bureau and to the Florida Attorney General and CC the 2 letters to the collection agency.

You can get the addresses for these on the net [for the appropriate state]. I sent my letters registered mail to the collection agency and I was fortunate to be able to address them personally to a supervisor (it was just luck that I got a name).

Well you better believe they did something then. It was so fast it made my head spin. I didn't have to do any more follow up. It was a lot of paper work, but I figured it was my $$.

[Traci]

Also, here is more contact info for the undewriting for VPI (I'd send copies of your request/complaint to each of them):

Veterinary Pet Insurance Company
(California Certificate of Authority #6434)
3060 Saturn Street
Brea, CA 92821

National Casualty Company
Home Office:
16 N. Carroll St., Suite 209
Madison Wisconsin 53703-2783

Property/Casualty Division:
8877 N. Gainey Center Dr.
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
800-423-7675 Fax 480-483-6752

Direct All Inquiries to:
DVM Insurance Agency
P.O. Box 2344
Brea, CA 92822-2344
800-872-7387

[MA]

I have heard horror stories about Pet Insurance Companies. Read the fine print on any paperwork you sign, a lot of times the company will exclude so many illnesses from being covered. Check with the Better Business Bureau before investing in any pet insurance companies. Because of my exposure to meowhoo.com I get emails all the time from people telling me that this company or that company renigged on their claim. Honestly, the best coveraged companies seem to be in England and Canada.

[samfudg]

I have been using PetsHealth Insurance for 4 years. It is an 80/20 major medical policy that covers accident and illness. There is a $100 yearly deductible per cat, but they reimburse within 30 days. My vet in Tampa used to let me pay the 20% and she would collect the rest when it came in. My vet on the east coast of Florida wants the money first and then I get directly reimbursed.
I have had no problems with them at all. Their web addy is:
http://www.petshealthplan.com/
hope this helps.