Petplan slapped 2 exclusions on our cat for things she was never even diagnosed with
Hi,
Posting mostly to warn anyone thinking of "upgrading" their Petplan policy.
We insured our cat on Petplan Essential from 3 months old. Never made a single claim in 2 years. Not one. Recently we decided to upgrade to Covered For Life, since that's what we actually wanted long term and figured a clean 2-year record would count for something.
It doesn't. They pulled her full vet history and excluded two conditions: eye discharge and coughing. She was never diagnosed with anything. These were routine check-ups where the vet made a passing note. No treatment plan, no follow-up, no ongoing problem. Just words in a file.
Turns out the upgrade isn't an upgrade at all — it's underwritten as a completely new policy, so everything in her history becomes "pre-existing." And their definition covers "signs of" an illness, not just actual diagnosed illnesses. So a vet writing "slight discharge, no concerns" is enough to lock a body part out of cover for life.
The part that stings: if we'd never taken out Essential in the first place, we'd be in exactly the same position. Two years of premiums bought us nothing but a paper trail used against us.
Also feels like a perverse incentive — the message is basically "don't take your cat to the vet unless something is properly wrong," which is the opposite of what any of us should be doing.
Anyone managed to get exclusions like this removed? I've read they'll review them if you can show the pet's been symptom-free for a while, so I'm going to ask our vet for a letter and push back. Curious if that actually works or if it's just something they say.