Axa - another 34 % increase in premium so cancelling

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I wait with a potential heart attack round the corner.....sigh

[Rosella moggy]

I know you've all been waiting with baited breath for an update so you can breath out now as renewals have arrived for Millie, Ruby (£7.26 pm each aged just over 2 years) and Dinah (£6.36 pm aged almost 3 years)

OK so 11% increases across the board not good  but at least they aren't 34% increases so we are sticking with it a while longer for those three young ladies 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I am not sure that what you say is right Firefox in view of the huge excesses on RTA cars and the quickness for right off and payout of thousands.

I insured all my cats when I got them but now  two of them have been written off by AXA cos of their age, I think thats the same as what happens to cars and only because I care about them so much and that I can do it, they will continue to get health care out of my pocket.

I see this as AXA forcing people who cant afford it to PTS their cats.

Those who dont neuter wont have insurance at all and education is needed so do not apply to this scenario.

[Fire Fox]

I think the whole of this saga is going to dramatically affect how many cats get insurance in the future and also the business that vets get and also the amount of cats who are dumped or PTS when they dont need to be.

In fact all of this is very bad news for rescues who are going to be inandated with middle aged cats who are ill. People will not take on cats cos they cant afford the vet bills.

Its like turning the clock back 50 years and vets are going to go out of business.....................why should it cost more to insure a cat than take out car insurance?

Because it probably costs more to fix a RTA cat than an RTA car. Because you are insuring against 'wear and tear' with a cat but not with a car. Because the owner may not mind their car being written off by the loss adjuster, whereas I'd mind very much if AXA did the same with Noah. Not sure what smilies are appropriate, my response was only partly tongue-in-cheek. 

I don't think the average person researches veterinary bills when they take on a new pet, nor contemplates the likelihood of an accident, injury, acute or chronic condition. How else can you explain the widespread failure to neuter, one of the first health decisions you make for your pet? It would be interesting to know what percentage of slaves research or take out pet insurance.

[mervyn7451]

I posted a link in the other thread here;
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,34957.0.html
to a report Watchdog done last week on the cost of pet insurance.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Axa told me twice from two different people that the increases are not related to c;laims that you have made but countrywise!

I suspect your next renewel will go up dramatically trigger, sadly.

I have had to cancel both birmans insurance cos cant afford to pay nearly £60 a month for each. I have kept on the other two cos although I am now paying nearly £13 for Sasa and £11 for Misa and are huge increases, Sasa now has a condition and I cant get her insured for that anywhere else.

Misa is still healthy but on investigating insrances for him as he is now 9yrs old and everyone wants more than double that of AXA.

I still think that for young cats AXA is the best insurance around but for older cats they have just priced most out of the market cos they dont want to cover them. They are effectively sentencing many cats to death but that is also the situation for all the other companies too.

Like Rosella I have set up a fund for the birmans and will pay their old insurance amount into it and thought that was bad at £40 for the pair!

I think the whole of this saga is going to dramatically affect how many cats get insurance in the future and also the business that vets get and also the amount of cats who are dumped or PTS when they dont need to be.

In fact all of this is very bad news for rescues who are going to be inandated with middle aged cats who are ill. People will not take on cats cos they cant afford the vet bills.

Its like turning the clock back 50 years and vets are going to go out of business.....................why should it cost more to insure a cat than take out car insurance?

[Rosella moggy]

I think previous claims must be the reason for increases

Axa say not Trigger.  I've been with Axa for some years now and have had all our cats insured with them.  I may be wrong but the feeling I get is that they completely revisit their premiums each July/ August and wonder when your renewals were? 

I'm not saying Axa are not a good company for pet insurance but, like Helen says, when you have 7 cats plus insurance on your mom's cat to fund, it gets very pricey.  I've been dithering about whether to cancel insurance for some time and 34% premium increases have just helped me to finally make a decision.  I will continue Groucho kitten's cover too until he is at least two years old as tittentats are always getting into scrapes ....

Hope you develop a huge slush fund that's never needed to be touched and end up having the holiday of a lifetime with it! 

Great thought Helen but, as we will always have cats, we're never going to be able to touch it 
 

[Tiggy's Mum]

As a two cat household that sort of increase would be sustainable to me but like you say, when you have 7 that's a bit much. Hope you develop a huge slush fund that's never needed to be touched and end up having the holiday of a lifetime with it! 

[Kay and Penny]

I think previous claims must be the reason for increases

my three AXA premiums went down very slightly this year, but I have not had any claims up to now

[Rosella moggy]

The renewal for Billy Whiz arrived today increasing his monthly premium from £6.66 to £8.89  .

As he is only 6 years old, this is not an age related increase.  With 7 cats, we can no longer justify paying such large amounts.  We've built up a fund over last 18 months and will continue to pay into it.  That will just have to do.  I will be cancelling others as and when the renewals arrive unless of course the premiums start to fall.  Yeh, right ..

Will keep Freddie's going as he has developed chronic health probs 
 
When I rang Axa asking them to justify the previous enormous increase for Freddie, they said increase is always based on claims made in previous 30 days so increases for other cats may not be so high, it would all depend on claims made in 30 days prior to issue of renewal invitation.  Mmmmmmmmmmmm.....