E and L pet insurance keep fobbing me off!!!?

Question

I have dog insurance with E and L, In december my dog had an op all paperwork finaly arrived arround 1 month ago, this stated the claim was accepted.

We signed the paperwork and are still waiting for the cheque! aparently they send cheques out everyday but mine as not been dealt with yet.

is there anyone i can contact or anything i can do to put this to an end? chasing for 6 months had finaly rubbed me up the wrong way.

thanks all

Answer 1

I'm happy to say that (assuming you mean E & L insurance in York, and by your correct spelling of 'cheque' I think you do) ALL types of insurance here are regulated by the FSA, so you do have a good course for redress/complaint.

In the UK, the birthplace and home of insurance, insurance is insurance, no matter what you insure, and if it's insurance... it's regulated.

We don't restrict consumer rights like our colonial cousins do, just because they haven't gotten round to updating their 'what do we regulate again guys ?' list .

So you can disregard the (accurate I'm sure) previous US based answer as they're still a little behind in such things over there, bless 'em.

But back to the matter in hand.....

Further to the previous answer, I agree that the Finacial Ombudsman is the way to go.

However, before you can appeal to them you must OFFICIALLY complain to the company (not just moan to the call centre staff).

All UK insurers like E & L  are required to have a documented complaints procedure by law. Ask them what it is... they will probably send you a form, but must at least give you the procedure. They must respond/ackowledge promptly, but do have up to 8 weeks to investigate and reply fully.

That said......

If you have a letter stating the claim is accepted.... they don't have a leg to stand on and will know it.

Mention the grounds for your complaint in your email asking for an official complaints form, my betting is the cheque will be in the post the same day.

This doesn't stop you complaining of course, but it's unlikely to get you anything more than the satisfaction of costing them time and money as they officially investigate and respond to your valid complaint.

I'm pretty sure they also have to report how many 'official' complaints they receive every quarter, so the more people that actually complain the more likely that the FSA will investigate the situation.

The attached link is to the official FSA (UK Govt) guide on complaints and that of the Ombudsman.

Give 'em h**l and good luck.

Answer 2

This appears to be a common complaint about E&L  pet insurance unfortunately. In fact, some policyholders say that their vets no longer deal with E&L directly because they are so slow at paying. You can find numerous reviews from E&L customers at http://www.uk-insurance-index.co.uk/insu... and here at http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews57547... If I was in that position, I would contact E&L and say that if I don't receive notice of progress with 30 days I will be contacting the Financial Ombudsman.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Pet insurance is NOT true insurance, as it's not regulated by any state insurance department.

Your only hope is the BBB, or a legal authority, or small claims court.  Sorry.

Answer 4

That sounds like a rubbing in a very wrong way!!  Get on their...  you know whats!!