Kim Watts faced an £8,000 bill for her dog Darcey's treatment when her pet insurance policy was cancelled. She successfully appealed to the Financial Ombudsman Service and received the full amount back, though she still had to pay £900 for specialist legal advice. According to BBC News, Kim Watts described feeling badly treated, noting she wasn't given an email and only saw a cancellation screen.
Purely Pets implemented the ombudsman's recommendations in full and reinstated the policies for Darcey. 71 out of 5 from last year. 1% in 2025.
I feel badly treated. I wasn't even given an email to read. I looked at a screen and saw 'policy cancelled'. It's just unbelievable.
3. Peer Jelendorf, CEO of Smart Money People, said customers want to feel the overall deal is fair and that understanding policies makes them more critical. Average pet insurance sales premiums rose by 15% from 2022/23 to 2024/25 before falling slightly in recent months.
Vet prices soared by 63% between 2016 and 2023, well above inflation. The Competition and Markets Authority ruled that vets must cap prescriptions and publish price lists as part of reforms taking effect later this year. In another case, Ian Day's insurance claim for his dog Alfie was refused because it was more than 12 months after the problem was first spotted, leaving him to pay a £1,200 bill himself.
I think they were trying to get away with it. They just thought, 'you're a customer and you won't fight us'. I honestly didn't think they thought I'd fight them.
According to BBC News, Ian Day described being completely knocked sideways by this policy condition and noted it was a very basic package. It remains unclear why exactly Kim Watts' policy was cancelled by Purely Pets, how many pet insurance claims are being taken to the Financial Ombudsman Service, and what specific exclusions are most common in pet insurance policies that lead to denied claims.
I was completely knocked sideways by this policy condition.
Looking back, it was a very basic package that didn't cover much at all.