Helpucover Reviews 76

We had two cats with HelpUCover (Pinnacle) for years. One passed sadly but the other is still insured and she's quite a healthy cat apart from immunotherapy jabs she has which is paid for once a year around £600. HelpUCover increase monthly payments by £10 ever year regardless and even before they are 10 years old. It's a bit of a con really. I could get this policy half the price elsewhere but of course without pre-existing being covered. So, I halved my third cats policy by changing from another insurance company to Bought By Many (now Many Pets...obviously pre-existing not covered, but didn't need to cover any pre-existing, so no brainer). My renewal with HelpUCover is in excess of £717 for 2023, so I think I'll be shopping around regardless of not being able to get pre-existing for the one thing she has treatment for. You have to be savvy, but it's worth investigating other companies sometimes. It's plain greed.

Was wary after ready negative reviews about the pet insurance claims, but we’ve had gadget insurance with helpucover and never had to claim anything until recently when my phone was stolen. They asked for lots of details about the phone, proof of purchase, proof of usage etc, but I could provide everything and they ended paying out for the full price of a new phone. They do only pay out up to a certain amount during the whole year so hopefully won’t have to claim again!

The policy was sold as a lifetime policy which I understood to mean if I stayed with them then there would not be any significant increase in premiums and the value of cover would be kept up to a level to provide adequate support if required and that treatment for a 'claimed for' condition could be claimed again in subsequent years should it be necessary. I believed the policy was for £2000 of cover / year which seemed reasonable at the time the polcy was taken out; in 2014.

I have had the policy since my dod was young and have never claimed on the insurance in all those years. The dog is still healthy and still does not require any treatment of any description. I was content to be on auto renewal for my pet policy as it was a lifetime cover but foolishly did not reread the terms of the policy each year. I noticed that this year my policy premiums had increased 300% compared to when I first took it out in 2014, however there has been no corresponding increase in the level of cover.
I am now in a situation whereby I am paying out over £800 a year for £500/year cover (Whilst the policy is for £2000 of cover it will only ever pay out a maximum of £500 for any single condition in a year.
You could claim up to 4x£500m however each claim has to be for a totally unrelated condition). On top of that there is a 25% excess, minimum of £80, for any individual claim meaning that I am now paying out over £925 for £500 of cover.
I complained to Helpucover about this in July of this year and requested a call back to discuss it before I would cancel the policy. They did not bother calling me back. I called them again today, after seeing a further increase to my premium with no increase to cover and requested a refund, only backdated to July as that was when I first complained, They have admitted that they did not try to contact me or escalate my complaint and are currently stating that I have no grounds for a refund however will look at it. They also stated that it is their company's standard practice to increase the premiums year on year without increasing the value of cover.
I would urge anyone considering taking out a policy with HelpUCover to think very carefully before you do and make sure you fully understand what level of cover you are signing up for. I'd also urge you to check your policy each renewal to ensure it actually offers value for money and provides the cover you need.

really worried about the terrible reviews and I have also had an unexplained DD increase. It was meant to be a non decreasing. Looking to change now before its too late

Do not use if you ever need to claim. Had a talk with them before taking out insurance as I knew my cat would need dental work in the coming years. Was told to stay with them for 2 years to guarantee pay out. Stayed with them 4yrs then told they would not cover. I complained and they set up a complaint and closed down in a week without giving my vet time to reply. Don’t waste your money, save it as you guarantee you’ll pay out.

Got an increased direct debit with no warning. They'd not updated my address, apparently it was my responsibility to make sure they did that after I've informed them.
Policy canceled no refund.

Our fur baby has had several conditions to which there has never been an issue making a claim. Customer service has always been excellent.Today, Mustafa was very helpful, patient and empathetic regarding current treatment and what we were still entitled to claim with.

After paying for many many years without claiming, they've let me down when needed when my dog got an ear infection that needed specialist care - Long story short, I had to pay £3.5K out of my pocket because of this insurer's fine print that I was not aware of - Tbh, HelpUCover didn't make it easy when I took out the policy to make the fine print more clear and upfront - buyers beware - I've been so stupid to think I had adequate insurance - I was also really ignorant about the ridiculousness of vet bills (£1000 for a ct scan, £380 for specialist initial consultation etc. etc. - I feel that HelpiCover should really not offer such inadequate products to unsuspecting uncanny new pet owners - I am sure people don't take out inadequate pet cover on purpose - please make sure you are aware of the limit per condition and their no. of claims per calendar year etc. They are expensive per month for what you get in the end when you need them.

For these reasons I cancelled my policy and took out other better and affordable pet insurance (good I hope I haven't missed something again) but ,,, As it seems now HelpuCover also cancelled my policy from the wrong date (their mistake) which now leaves me without cover for a month and we all know Murphy's law!!! Upon speaking to them they refused to re-instate my policy for the rest of the month with the most rubbish excuse in the book of not being able to take payment as they have already cancelled my direct debit (which btw still shows as scheduled on my banking app) They probable think I want to make a big claim -all I want is peace of mind which is the reason we take out insurance - In stead I feel unsettled and am a lot poorer - will pay off the £3.5K for a long time to come (sigh sigh) Really dislike this company!

My 3 rescue rabbits have been insured a couple of years with this company. One of them needed emergency treatment due to GI Stasis and had a 3 night vet stay. The bill was huge but Helpucover paid out quickly and paid everything except the excess. I would recommend this company for Rabbit Insurance.

Very Poor. I have paid premiums for our dog for 12 years averaging out over that period as £1000 per year. Claims in total have been £3500 post excess / deductible. Just put in a claim for £233 which because it falls over two policy years results in a payout of £46! Utterly pathetic - no apology "It's in our policy conditions" I don't mind paying for insurance and glad I have but these guys - despite being part of a big French Institution - are very disappointing. When our dog passes away I will not renew with a new pet through this firm. Coupled with their low payouts- they still communicate via post and have no portal / email for confirmation of payments etc.I got this settlement before I got the letter explaining how they calculated it. Very poor - it's a zero from me

Very very poor service from this pet insurance.
Have had my policy for 7yrs and never made a claim.
My akita recently was diagnosed with arthritis and advised that he would require anti inflammatory meds for the rest of his life, without which he could not walk.
I paid the excess first £100 and was informed of the £1000 per condition clause.
My policy had risen from £21 per month to £67 in the recent years.
I decided to try to save money and have purchased the medication online but this has to have a vets prescription each time which the insurance don't pay for.
I was also informed that within the same claim once you reach £350 costs there is a deduction of amount paid by 25% and this is deducted from the amount of the total bill they pay taking into account my £100 excess and the amount the initial payment.
They say £1000 per claim but in reality once the bill is £350 of which I have paid 100 they start giving you a percentage of the bill.
I contacted to clarify this and to find out what would happen if vet advised euthanasia and was shocked to find out that the cost of any cremation or disposal would not be covered as my dog was over 8yrs old.
When your dog reaches 8yrs they are no longer covered for accidental injury or even theft.
If this had been made clear to me I would have cancelled my policy 3yrs ago instead of giving them over £700 per year not to be covered.
Avoid this company or cancel once your dog reaches 8yrs as they will do anything not to pay you.

This company should be avoided at all costs. I have never had to claim. My Dachshund needed treatment after paying years of contributions. I called Helpucover and they said they didn't think it would be a problem. I booked the dental treatment on this basis. I was refused the claim:

Firstly for not having annual check ups (in the middle of a pandemic and my practice wasn't offering routine appointments) when this one didn't work and they couldn't get out of avoiding payment that way Demi Ryle stated that it was now because he hadn't had the surgery within 6 months of the vet advising surgery (again my dog needed to lose weight so could not have the surgery within six months my vet advised against it and staff shortages due to covid he could not be fit in until then).

I have now written to my MP and Financial Ombudsman for financial misconduct. I see a lot of people have complained on here. I would strongly urge people to go to a financial Ombudsman and their MP as they use any excuse to get out of paying claims. At a time when you need their support this happens. My next stop is the National Press if this does not get resolved.

Avoid Avoid Happy to take your monthly premiums not happy to pay a claim. I can see you have asked me to call to discuss my complaint. However I have, and the complaint has now been escalated. You certainly have put drama and crisis into your claims process ...along with time wasting. I have nothing positive to say about this whole debacle. Disappointed I had to give you 1 star should be zero

I've had this insurance policy for my cat for many years, and just had to claim for the first time. Such a straight forward process, and really fast as well. Within 10 days of them receiving the claim, I had the full amount paid into my bank account. Couldn't have asked for better, and quite a relief to be reimbursed after a costly tail amputation!

Devastated with my policy with this company. Been with them since my dog was a pup he’s now 6 years old. I’ve never claimed once and now he requires bilateral cruciate surgery which is EXPENSIVE. This company will only pay £500 towards the whopping costs (I require to pay £90 excess first) and now we’ve had to start a go fund me page to try to fundraise for the additional amount which is thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds that we simply don’t have.

Maybe we should have reviewed his policy sooner but honestly gutted with the response from this insurance company.

Our policy price has also hiked up considerably which hardly seems worth it now to be honest.

I was advised by an agent that I had made only 1 claim in a calendar year, but then my claim was rejected as it turned out I had already made 2.

The hilarious part if the claim was made a week later it would of been accepted. This calendar point I don't have an issue with as terms are terms.
I have a HUGE issue with the fact that when I asked the agent how many claims I made on a RECORDED call, she gave me misinformation and as a result of her mistake I paid approx £600 out of my own pocket for a new iphone.

When I queried why I had to pay £600 for a replacement Iphone due to their staff's inept ability to advise customers on a recorded call, I was given a "Sorry but" response. In effect told to jog on and whinge elsewhere.

Given the insurance policy costs £180 a year, you would expect a bit more than this and to say I'm disappointed, given I have been covered by this policy for 9 years.

Been with help u cover for 5+ years, never made a claim, year on year policy price increases, this year 15% increase. £85 a month without even having made a claim, what will it be in 2-3 years when the dog may need it... disgrace.

So surprised with these reviews. I've got two rabbits insured with them and this insurance company has paid out when I needed it. They even help me removed exclusions that were put on veterinary notes by mistake.

I have paid this pet plan through direct debit for a few years.
Just like any insurance company, it's just a cash cow company that will do anything not to pay out.
My pet required tooth spur filing down. As one of my other little friends had been ill and I had paid cash vet fees, I decided to claim on this occasion.
They did everything to get out of paying. Throwing small print at me. Despite increasing premiums year on year, they refused to pay out.
I would strongly advise advise against using this company. Put the money in to a savings account. Then you can avoid cash cows refusing to pay the money you gave them.

I came on here and was so shocked at the reviews because in my 6 years of being with them I've had next to no issues pretty much.

I've claimed thousands upon thousands for my boy Marley, who has Syringomyelia, Epilepsy, Bad Joints, Severe allergies and now being tested for a Heart murmur (cavalier), and every claim I have ever made has been hassle free. Yes I pay £80 excess per condition per year and he is covered up to 6k in vet fees (thankfully max we have claimed a year is 5500)! But my god my boy would be dead if helpucover didn't actually cover the costs and I'm SO grateful!

Even getting through to claims has been easy and they've always been there to answer questions. Their customer service has been very friendly and it was a comfort to me when they told me I am a trusted customer as they've never had issues with me and always paid on time! Woop!

The only downside is i got him insured in my teens. Didn't look too much into it and am now in the insurance trap of his insurance costing an arm and a leg monthly (£83 a month, fro. £21 a month 5 years ago)! However I have claimed and the way I see it is its nowhere near what I would have paid heaven forbid I didn't have him insured. I'm just hoping next year they don't increase too much as I will also be paying 25% of my dogs vet fees which means... well there goes a large chunk of my salary! Haha.

Also, underwriting is important. Only main issue I had on a claim was my dogs teeth. In one part of their T&Cs they'd say it was covered, in another its not. It turns out they are within 6 months of a vet recommending teeth doing.. and of course I queried this 8 months after the first suggestion so it wasn't covered and my vets don't like to be cheap so I had to pay from my own back pocket.

However I do recommend them from my experience, but I also encourage people to look into pet insurance and get a static lifetime insurance if they can. I know when I get my next dog that's what I'll likely get but I shan't be affording a new dog/rescue soon. One costs enough!

But thank you helpucover for being easy for me and claims stress free and I really hope you don't increase too much next year. I've already told work I need a promo if poss so i can afford my dog.. because he's worth every penny! Thank you!