Insurer won't pay out for Doris the cat's dental treatment – despite my 18 years of claim-free contributions
Doris, our cat, has been insured with Petplan for the last 18 years. Recently she required dental-related treatment. We believed this was covered by the policy as we have paid the insurance every month and kept up with all her yearly health and dental checks, and booster inoculations.
However, when we called to check the dental work was covered, Petplan said the policy terms insisted on yearly health checks within 12 months of each other. And as the last health check was 13 months ago (not 12), it would not pay. I feel outraged as nowhere on the policy documents does it mention that checkups must be held within 12 months of each other for a claim to succeed.
Surely, it is the responsibility of Petplan to make this clear and to remind us? If this is the rule, the wording should be: "Health checks and boosters must be within 12 months, to the day, of each other." Had I known about this clause, I would have taken Doris to the vet a month earlier.
We pay £21.55 per month to Petplan for Doris, and this is our first claim. The cost of the current treatment is around £600 to £700. Is this fair? AB, Plymouth
This nit-picking through terms and conditions gets insurance a bad name – and has policyholders running to the Ombudsman. Petplan's initial response was that it could not comment as you had yet to submit a claim, so it cannot be rejected. This is hair-splitting.
Whether it is an animal with a pet policy or a human with private health cover, insured parties routinely phone to see if a treatment is included. If they are told it is excluded – in this case by the Petplan service team – they will most likely then fail to have treatment, or pay for it themselves.
Petplan did not make clear the need for each check to be within 12 months of the previous one. And it has failed to factor in owner illness, holidays or family problems. You religiously kept up the policy for 18 years without a single claim, so you have been an excellent customer.
But the good news is that, following our intervention, Petplan has agreed to meet the bill. But it has refused to offer you compensation for the worry you have suffered. At 18, Doris deserves better treatment.
This week Bachelor and Brignall is guest-written by Tony Levene.
We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@guardian.co.uk or write to Bachelor & Brignall, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number
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