Why should I avoid using Pet’s Best for pet insurance? I signed my dog up for their insurance almost a year ago. He was young and healthy, with no issues, so I thought he was a great candidate. They approved him, and we waited for coverage to start before scheduling his first check-up on January 4th, 2024. Now, it’s August 6th, 2024, and they processed the claim but didn’t cover the regular exam. I misunderstood initially it did cover the exam, but most of the cost was for a treatment that apparently isn’t covered.
We noticed a problem with the claim before February 2024 and started calling to ask why it wasn’t processing. Every time we called, we got the same excuses. We sent all his documentation and medical history six times before April 2024. No matter how often we submitted everything, the claim just sat there “processing.” Meanwhile, I’m paying $80 a month for no coverage or reimbursement.
Every week, we asked them to speed up the claim, and they assured us it would be processed soon, but nothing changed.
Our policy has a $200 deductible, which I thought was fine. If I paid the deductible on a $500 exam, getting reimbursed at least $250 would have made it worthwhile. Instead, they took the $200 for the deductible and said the remaining $300 wasn’t covered. So I’ve spent $1,140 for a $550 vet appointment, $200 on the deductible, $350 on the appointment, and $640 on premiums (8 months at $80 a month), and nothing got covered.
I always knew insurance could be a scam, and this proves it. If I’d just paid cash for the appointment, I would have saved 50% of what I spent. I’m switching insurance for my dogs, not signing up any more pets, and I’m going to warn others to stay away from Pet’s Best.
Pet insurance is meant to cover your pet if they get sick or injured. It sounds like you took your dog for a routine check-up, which usually isn’t covered under standard plans. Imagine if that $500 expense had been for an emergency that cost thousands then you’d be glad you had insurance.
Thanks for being rude; I can guess how you treat customer service people. The claims process is terrible. It seems like you did everything right, but there’s also a misunderstanding about how pet insurance works. Make sure to read the policy for your dog’s next coverage most likely, it will be similar to this one, with no wellness coverage unless you add it on.
I’m not complaining about the coverage itself, just the processing time. It took over two months before we even called to check on the claim. And I never said anything negative about their coverage; you might want to read more carefully.
While it’s frustrating to deal with long claim times from Pets Best, did you have wellness coverage? Annual exams are usually not included in accident or illness plans unless you get additional coverage.
Pets Best offers a routine plan along with their accident and illness policy, and it sounds like Unclewaffl3s might have one based on the cost. I was checking quotes for pet insurance recently, and for my puppy, the total cost with a wellness plan was $60 with them. Sorry to hear about your experience, Unclewaffl3s, but I appreciate the heads-up as I haven’t decided on insurance for my pup yet.
Insurance quotes can vary a lot based on where you live and your pet’s breed, so it’s tough to know exactly what was purchased. If there was wellness coverage that got denied, it would be good to find out why. Some plans only cover specific fees, and if your vet’s charges are above those limits, you might not get the full amount back.
Exactly, many people expect pet insurance to work like human insurance, but it doesn’t. If you think you’ll get your premiums worth right after your first exam, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Pets Best has been facing claim processing issues for a while, so while this experience is disappointing, it’s hard to say what went wrong without more details.
What’s really annoying is the mental gymnastics some people do to justify how they’re treated by these big companies. It seems like you completely missed the point, @Unclewaffl3s
I have wellness coverage, the whole package. If it didn’t cover what I was trying to claim, I wouldn’t have submitted it. I’m not upset about the amount covered; I’m upset it took 8 months to process despite submitting all the required documents.
They did cover the claim, but the main cost was for a treatment we thought was covered but wasn’t. The real issue is the 8-month processing time. I avoided making other appointments because I was worried about how long it would take for a second claim. I didn’t want to switch providers until this case was resolved; otherwise, I would have had to go to court to get my money back.
No problem, I’m glad it helps. This was just my experience, but if it happened to me, it could happen to someone else. I chose Pets Best because a friend had a great experience, so you never know how it’ll go for you.