- Aug 7, 2003
- 8,073
[MENTION=273]bhaexpress[/MENTION] would definitely say recruitment consultants if he hadn’t shuffled off his mortal coils a decade ago. RIP
I think it's the Insurance industry which, in hand with the veterinary surgeries drive the costs up. Everyone insures their pets, the veterinary services go up, the insurance premiums go up and the veterinary costs go way beyond what people would normally be prepared to pay privately.
You would think so, wouldn't you
So this is only partly true.
Certainly not everyone insures their pet. There's a big insurance gap for pets. Secondly, in theory the more pets are insured, the cheaper it is, since there is more diverse risk with each insurer.
Insurance premiums are simply risk factor plus distribution costs, plus a little bit of profit but some risk factor is shared by reinsurers and some profit comes from investment.
Having a diverse risk is key to getting those prices down. If I only insure 2 year old cockapoos then the same thing is likely to happen to them over time and the same claims and claim values occur. However, if I have a book of cats and dogs of all breeds then it's statistically likely that some will never claim at all.
Pet insurance is currently attracting a lot of innovation in this country because of the number of people who got pets in lockdown. The OP mentioned co payment of claims on top of excess but I know there will be an insurer releasing products later this year with no co payments at all. Revolut have just announced they'll be doing Pet Insurance and they have managed to change an awful lot of bad banking practice just using financial technology.
At then end of the day, though, you get what you pay for. If you take the cheapest premium at the top of the price comparison site you'll almost certainly have a yearly policy with tiny claim limits and most stuff not covered. Scroll down and pay just a few extra quid a month and you'll get full coverage on a lifetime policy with limits of around £4k per treatment per year - the average bill is around £750 (which I agree is not cheap but would be covered by a good policy less the excess).
The main reason you want it, though, is liability. If Fido eats a baby human or baby dog or wrecks a house you could be sued for millions. Liability insurance will cover this for you. And, because there are so many more pets now, there are a lot more bad pet owners who think they are doing the right thing.
In these circumstances :
Under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education
Receiving low income benefits, or you're under 20 and a dependant of someone receiving low income benefits
In a previous life I investigated NHS dentists and later was involved in chasing people who had incorrectly claimed free NHS dental treatment.
So this is only partly true.
Certainly not everyone insures their pet. There's a big insurance gap for pets. Secondly, in theory the more pets are insured, the cheaper it is, since there is more diverse risk with each insurer.
Insurance premiums are simply risk factor plus distribution costs, plus a little bit of profit but some risk factor is shared by reinsurers and some profit comes from investment.
Having a diverse risk is key to getting those prices down. If I only insure 2 year old cockapoos then the same thing is likely to happen to them over time and the same claims and claim values occur. However, if I have a book of cats and dogs of all breeds then it's statistically likely that some will never claim at all.
Pet insurance is currently attracting a lot of innovation in this country because of the number of people who got pets in lockdown. The OP mentioned co payment of claims on top of excess but I know there will be an insurer releasing products later this year with no co payments at all. Revolut have just announced they'll be doing Pet Insurance and they have managed to change an awful lot of bad banking practice just using financial technology.
At then end of the day, though, you get what you pay for. If you take the cheapest premium at the top of the price comparison site you'll almost certainly have a yearly policy with tiny claim limits and most stuff not covered. Scroll down and pay just a few extra quid a month and you'll get full coverage on a lifetime policy with limits of around £4k per treatment per year - the average bill is around £750 (which I agree is not cheap but would be covered by a good policy less the excess).
The main reason you want it, though, is liability. If Fido eats a baby human or baby dog or wrecks a house you could be sued for millions. Liability insurance will cover this for you. And, because there are so many more pets now, there are a lot more bad pet owners who think they are doing the right thing.
My late wife did that role as well in Brighton a long time ago.
[MENTION=273]bhaexpress[/MENTION] would definitely say recruitment consultants if he hadn’t shuffled off his mortal coils a decade ago. RIP
In no particular order....
Dentists
Vets
Plumbers
Builders/roofers
Pet insurance
Lawyers
Financial advisors
Car mechanics
All necessary at some point, but the bills are eye-watering even for those I would recommend and continue to use because they are good at what they do (so am I but I don't get paid those amounts per hour).
I understand that, but £50 for a dental hygienist appointment that took at most ten minutes, and all he give was give me a good scraping.But if you want to hire professional skills, which most of you list provide, it does cost. I appreciate there’s rip-off merchants in most sectors and by all means complain about this, but if you want a sound plumber or a lawyer it will cost you. You pay peanuts etc.
Interesting, who did she actually work for? I only ask the administration of all dentists in England in Wales was based in Eastbourne and for many years was the towns biggest employer.
In no particular order....
Dentists
Vets
Plumbers
Builders/roofers
Pet insurance
Lawyers
Financial advisors
Car mechanics
All necessary at some point, but the bills are eye-watering even for those I would recommend and continue to use because they are good at what they do (so am I but I don't get paid those amounts per hour).
I didn't say it wasn't fair - just that it wasn't cheap.What do you do for a living?
Many employed plumbers do not earn lots of money, I was recently offered a Mon-Fri job as an employee, the hourly rate was really low for an experienced and trained plumber.
As a self employed plumber with my own business I think I charge fair prices for my work.
Interesting, who did she actually work for? I only ask the administration of all dentists in England in Wales was based in Eastbourne and for many years was the towns biggest employer.
My mum worked at the Dental Estimates Board in the early 70s working with paper tape. Still have the nice playing fields which was one of my favourite away grounds for Stoolball. Think the site is NHS owned now.
Tell me you've worked in the insurance industry without telling me you've worked in the insurance industry.