I was advised by my vet to avoid E&L as they dont pay up very quickly.

i use Argos and so far they have been great with paying and advice.

I use Petplan which is quite expensive for lifetime cover..about £24 also the excess is £80 for each seperate condition and for each year of the policy. And they donate some of the money to charity.However they are pretty good at paying out. It's a bit of a gamble insurance isn't it but I think better to have it than not. Rufus is also with Petplan on a year to year policy(Pet Value) which provides lifetime cover and it's about £12. I can't shift Sam now as he has an existing condition.

I am/was with e&l and am furious with them,I have eight Mastiffs,we recently lost my beloved Moose,he had a pancreatic problem,that was making him collapse,he had been in vets for three days on drip etc,came out and went downhill rapidly,he was nine years old,needless to say he was finally put to sleep,had been with this company all his life,never had to claim for anything on him before,so really not bad going,they have just sent me a cheque for £8.50,his vet bill was £1,875.99 so am going to say I do not accept their offer,then if I do not get a result,I will be taking it to ombudsman,bad enough losing a beloeved pet,but after having him insured with this company for the whole of his life,to be treeated this way is disgusting,and I am on the warpath to be honest,what was the point of insurance,grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Wendy

that is awful, it is bad enough having a seriously ill dog and that you have had to make the dreadful decision as to whether to put them to sleep or not, and then you find out your insurance doesn't pay out!!!
What is their reason for only sending £8.50?? they are sick!!
I heard so many dreadful tales about E&L when I used to have horses that I would never have recommended them and this just reinforces it. How on earth they manage to keep on trading is beyond me.

We were insured with E&L many years ago. One of Huskies had gone down hill very quickly, He had had many tests done found out what the cause was, he didn't respond well to treatment and was in the vets for nearly two weeks. In E&L's policy it said if the vet fees were to go above I think it was £2000 we had to phone and let them know. Early one morning the vet phoned to say they had to open him up as he now had peritonitus(sorry not sure how to spell it), this was going to push us over the £2000. So I phoned E&L and told them this. The guy on the end of the phone told me that he would phone me back and let me know whether Wi-Ski could have the op. I told him "No I don't think so. I'm informing you that his fees will be going over £2000. He will be having the op or he dies!" I did hve trouble getting the money too. I had written several letters but did get it in the end. Unfortunatley poor Wi-Ski never left the vets. If it wasn't bad enough at losing a pet to have to fight for the insurance that was there to help him was even worse! I can still hear that lad telling me about phoning me back to let me know whether he could have the op or not! That was absolutely unbelievable.

I've heard so many stories since about them and Vets seem not to like them.

Now I have so many dogs I have Public Liability for them all just incase anything happens while out and about and a bank account for vet fees. Better I earn the interest than the Pet Insurance companies.

Ruth

Horse and small animal vets dont like E &L. I have been told by many not to use them, so dont.

Ihad my renewwll through today from Tesco, for a 11yr yorkie cross and 9 yr mini schnauzer per month was £51! gone up from £37 last year.(been with them for 4 or 5 years and never claimed)

Does anyone know of an insurance company that will insure a 'new' dog over 8yrs, i have been looking to change from Tesco, but cant find one.

E&L I wouldn't touch with a bargepole! Tescos comes a close second as a big no no for me aswell. They absolutely HATE paying out, and the amount of grief we get at the practice, when people phone E&L about their insurance claims, and E&L tell them that they haven't received the form - when it was sent by us weeks beforehand

Which company do you use for public liability insurance?
Just am considering going down this route myself rather than line the insurance companies pockets.

VIP - Vet Insurance Protector

www.vip4u.co.uk

I think I pay £21 per year for Third Party/Public Liability

For Blizzard as she a very nervous rehome I also have an accident policy so if she escapes and has an accident her vet fees are covered for this nad that's £69 per year.

Our dogs are often visiting schools, colleges and shops etc doing "Hug a Husky" so I are around the general public quite a bit so I think it very important they are protected especaily when we are in a society where everyone wants to make a easy money by sueing somebody!

Ruth

Looks like E&L are off my list then!!
I haven't been on for a while, or able to look up any more insurance quotes as my internet server seems to be working when it feels like it, real nuisance. Hopefully it's all fixed now and I'll be able to get Charlie insured as soon as possible.
I didn't think it was going to be so complicated, I've decided to get 3 more quotes and go with the best one as you could go on forever trying to get a good deal.
Friends have recommended Direct Line, Norwich Union and Argos so will see what they say.