Some Safety Tips from the Pet Insurance Provider

By providing Pet Insurance, companies such as Sainsbury’s Finance are able to monitor the habits of claims made by members of the British public, analysing data to look at current trends and statistics.

One thing that Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance has discovered is that a large number of people are making claims on their pet insurance because of injuries and illness incurred by dogs and their owners taking unnecessary risks.

As a result, the policy provider is issuing warnings to pet owners – in particularly warning against dogs catching sticks in their mouths and swimming in ponds. This is because catching sticks in the mouth can cause lacerations, with the damage to the skin through scratches and cuts causing septicaemia. In total, nearly 26,000 pet insurance claims have been made every year in relation to such injuries (which can also be caused by swimming in ponds if the contents of the pond cannot be seen). Such claims carry a total worth of around £4.92 million.

However, swimming in ponds carries with it further risks, with poisonous algae found in many waters. Such poisonous algae carries warnings on signs next to canals, but can be found in various places, causing vomiting and diarrhoea for the canines. It means that in addition to the £4.92 million paid out for lacerations caused by catching sticks, pet insurance providers paid out £9.30 million in relation to illnesses caused by ponds.

As a result, pet owners are also highly encouraged to have pet insurance to cover the costs of veterinary treatment, being careful to shop around for the right offers and for packages that offer an adequate level of cover. As a result, an unforeseen visit to the vet as a result of accidents outlined above can be dealt with effectively.

Speaking about the findings, Lucy Hunter, Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance Manager pointed out that she is aware that pets enjoy such pass times but their safety must come first, “dogs do need to be able to run around, but simple steps can be taken to reduce the chances of them being injured or picking up an illness. 

“For example, keep them away from pond water and use a rubber stick or toy as opposed to a stick when playing “catch”.”

Source: Sainsbury’s Finance Press Release September 2009

Large Number of Students without Home Insurance

Being a student is about liberation; leaving home and finding new-found freedom living in your own flat or house. It is often cited as the best years of people’s lives, with flat parties, plenty of free time and of course studying. However, there is large concern over the amounts of students that do not have home insurance when living in a student property. The consequences of such actions could take the bite out of some people’s student years.

According to research from Sainsbury’s Home Insurance, around 34% of students to do have any form of cover for their possessions, which is worrying considering the average value of student belongings (£3,500).

The study of 1,000 students across 134 institutions of Higher Education also found that in addition to those that say they do not have insurance, 10% of those asked were not sure if they had any cover.

Student housing can therefore be under great risk from burglaries, with the total amount of student belongings in the UK that are uninsured amounting to £573 million. This figure was reached by Sainsbury’s Finance based on the average worth of student belongings and the average number of people in a house (four). Some student properties can include an even higher amount of bedrooms, meaning that the amounts of uninsured items inside a property could be worryingly high.

Sainsbury’s Finance therefore urges students to make sure they have cover, whilst also taking the usual preventative measures to keep their property secure (such as locking doors and windows and marking possessions with ultra-violet pen).

 “With an estimated one in three students falling victim to some sort of crime each year [based on Home Office figures], it’s worrying that so many students go off to university without any insurance cover in place for their possessions” said Ben Tyte of Sainsbury’s Home Insurance. 

“However, before splashing out on insurance, students should certainly check to see if their parents’ household contents insurance policy might provide cover whilst they’re studying away from the family home, and also to check that this cover will be adequate should they need to make a claim.”

It is common for young people leaving home for the first time to think they are covered by their parents’ contents insurance; however this is not always the case. It is similar to the case with television licences, where students also fall foul to laws requiring them to purchase a licence.

Source: Sainsbury’s Home Insurance Press Release Sept 2009

Tesco Pet Insurance Finds a Quarter of Pet Owners Take Their Pets into Holiday Consideration

Tesco Pet Insurance carried out a poll in May 2009 that found a quarter of British holidaymakers are taking their pets into consideration when heading away on their holiday breaks.

In particular, 1 in 4 dog owners are known to stay at home in the UK rather than head to a foreign destination, meaning that their canine companion can travel with them.

However, Tesco points out that in some cases, this might not be necessary as certain schemes allow pets to travel with owners throughout the EU.

The Pet Travel Scheme allowed over 46,000 pets to travel across the continent in 2008, with EU passports being administered to vets by the government.

Wherever dog owners plan to take their holiday, 83% of dog owners said leaving their pet behind in a kennel was out of the question, with 12% of those polled by Tesco Pet Insurance planning to take their pets with them.

The survey was conducted with One Poll towards the end of May 2009 with 4,000 British pet owners consulted as part of the poll.

Commenting on the results, the head of Tesco Pet Insurance Rachel Cutler said “As a nation of animal lovers, it is telling that a quarter of us organise our holidays around our pets.

“We’ve provided cover because our customers have told us they would like to share their holiday experience with their pets.”

However, pet owners thinking of taking advantage of rules allowing them to take their cats or dogs abroad must take certain steps. These include getting blood tests, treatment for ticks and tapeworms, vaccinations against rabies (and other conditions) and micro chipped. Owners must also ensure they have a PETS passport and have checked foreign import requirements for the location at hand.

“It may seem a daunting prospect, with health checks and a flight,” says Gillian Lewis of Airpets, “but more than a million pets fly safely world-wide each year. Pets travel comfortably in the livestock hold of direct passenger flights in kennels large enough for them to lie, stand and turn around in.

“Pet owners can pick up their pets after clearing customs.”

The study links to a recent Sainsbury’s Finance survey that found a large number of pet owners were leaving their pets at home for extended periods of time, causing behavioural problems. However, this study suggests that when taking holidays, British pet owners are taking care of their pets.

Source: Tesco Pet Insurance Press Release June 2009

Sainsbury’s Finance Outlines Growing Trends Concerning the Problems Pet Owners are Facing with their Cats and Dogs

A study carried out by Sainsbury’s Finance has shown that around 3.35 million cat and dog owners around the United Kingdom have been experiencing problems with their pets’ behaviour between July 2008 and July 2009.

There are various theories as to why pets are acting out in certain ways, but a similar study recently brought attention to the growing number of pets that are being left at home on their own for extended periods of time. Though dogs left alone for 4 hours or less a day is not frowned upon, some owners have been known to leave them for 8 hours or more, which Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance warns could cause behavioural problems.

Many of the behavioural conditions that Sainsbury’s Finance has witnessed in regards to the study were moodiness (accounting for 5%), aggression (at 2%), loss of appetite (at 2%) and depression (at 1%). There are also significant numbers of cats and dog acting out by causing destruction to furniture, with 1.3 million pet owners accounting for this, whilst 915,000 acted with nervousness or timidity.

Naturally, this means that many pets are requiring veterinary treatments for a variety of reasons, which is why people are highly encouraged to seek an adequate Pet Insurance policy to cover the costs. Whilst some pet owners are put off by high prices, there are pet insurance policies out there that suit various needs and do not have to be expensive to cover adequate ground.

The study highlighted the area of the UK most affected with behavioural problems as Yorkshire and Humberside, with the Eastern region of the UK least affected.

Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance Manager, Joanne Mallon, commented on the results: “The current economic climate is placing a lot of people under increased stress, and unfortunately this anxiety can have an adverse effect on the household’s pets. 

“Cats and dogs can be very sensitive to their owner’s feelings and behaviour so changes in mood such as irritability, distress or remoteness could be sensed and leave the animal themselves, agitated or depressed.”  

Source: Sainsbury’s Finance Press Release July 2009

Summer Months can bring pain to Pets

Two studies into the care of the nation’s pets have highlighted the times of year in which pets are at particular risk showcasing the dangers faced by pets, specifically during the summer months, some of which can naturally apply all year round.

During summer, there are many things that people like to do, but many might not take the risks faced to their pets into account. In a study carried out by PetPlan, they found that a quarter of people surveyed reported that their pet had come in harm’s way as a result of their barbeque. Further animals may become injured due to swingballs and paddling pools.

Similar results were found in a study carried out by M&S Insurance, which found that one dog had been injured as a result of running into a washing line whilst holding a Frisbee in their mouth. There were also problems with the items that dogs might have eaten, leading to illness, such as cases where dogs had eaten uncooked sausages, walnuts and a large frog.

It is therefore advisable for certain precautions, some of which apply all year round, to ensure that people do not have to make a large pay out on their pet insurance as a result of injuries incurred by their animals. Whilst pet insurance is a useful tool in keeping our animals safe, it is only second best to keeping them out of harm’s way in the first place.

PetPlan says that one such precaution is to ensure the perimeter around the home is fully secure, meaning that the dog is not able to escape and land in trouble. This also avoids adding to the large numbers of cats and dogs that are going missing in the UK, with only certain types of pet insurance policies covering the costs associated with finding lost pets.

Other precautions relate solely to the summer months, such as taking water on walks, being gentle during games, making sure there is shade in the garden and being careful in the amount of exercise given to older dogs.

M&S highlights the ways in which advice can be obtained, particularly calling a qualified veterinary expert at any time. Many insurance providers offer a phone line to customers concerned.

So it is always best to be prepared for anything, whatever the season, by taking precautions and taking out an adequate pet insurance policy.

Sources: M&S Press Release and Petplan Press Release

Sainsbury’s Finance Highlights 3.8 million Missing Cats and Dogs Over 5 Years

Continuing to highlight problems facing pet owners in the UK, Sainsbury’s Finance has highlighted the rising numbers of missing pet dogs and cats across the British Isles, whilst encouraging pet owners to take out a to cover associated costs.

With the large number of missing animals over the last 5 years amounting to 3.8 million, Sainsbury’s Finance points out, in their study, that of all those who have owned a cat during this period,12% have experienced them going missing at some point, with 4% of dog owners suffering a similar fate.

Of these, a little over half of animals reported missing during this period were returned alive, with 32% claiming that the pet was never seen again and 14% reporting that they turned up deceased.

Of the remaining 45% of pet owners whose pets were returned alive, there were various circumstances that accounted for this, with some saying their cat or dog returned on its own, some saying they found them and a further percentage claiming that a third party returned their beloved animal to them.

Many people seem not to realise how far reaching pet insurance policies are in these situations. Whilst most people are aware that veterinary costs can be covered by such policies, as well as other factors, it should also be highlighted that some pet insurance policies cover the costs associated with missing animals. In most cases this amounts to advertising costs in the search effort and compensation for pets unreturned.

However Lucy Hunter, Sainsbury’s Finance Pet Insurance Manager points out that “not all pet insurance polices recognise the importance of providing support in the form of advertising or reward benefits to owners who have lost their pet”.

This highlights the need to shop around for a pet insurance policy that suits the areas the individual thinks are necessary.

It also highlights various methods that pet owners can undertake to ensure their pet is safe, with Sainsbury’s Finance recommending micro-chipping pets, ensuring they wear a collar or ID, securing property boundaries, supervising animals, using a dog walker and varying routes on walks.

With these steps, we could one day see the figures for lost or stolen animals declining.

Source: Sainsbury’s Finance Press Release May 2009

2009 Study Highlights Thieves Targeting top-end Cars

Thieves targeting motor vehicles are stepping up their efforts to steal top of the range motor vehicles, according to LV= Car Insurance.

Their study also highlights the areas of the country that are most likely to see people becoming the victims of car theft. These are, perhaps unsurprisingly, all large cities.

In the last five years, there has been a decrease in the age of the car that is most likely to be stolen, with thieves targeting eight years old cars as opposed to ten year old vehicles five years ago.

LV= sourced their data from claims made by people with motor insurance, with other figures relating to the British Crime Survey of 2007 and 2008, which showed that less cars were stolen during this period than the one before, with an 11% decrease shown.

However, in general, LV= claims that their data shows an increase in the size of the claims made between January and May 2009 in comparison to the same time span in 2008. The increase amounted to 38%, which rose to 44% when compared to 2007.

As a result, John O’Rourke, Managing Director of LV= Car Insurance issued some advice: “Our data indicates that motorists need to take extra care if they drive a car that may be particularly attractive to thieves.

“Having an immobiliser or tracker device fitted, and ensuring the car is kept in a locked garage will not only keep your insurance premium down but will help towards keeping the car safe.”

He also highlights one of the reasons why such top of the line cars are being targeted: “It would appear that the cars that are being stolen are specifically targeted by thieves who will often break into the owners property to steal the keys.  Many of these cars are then exported to be sold overseas.  Owners of top-end vehicles, like Porsches, BMWs and Jaguars need to be even more vigilant to keep their cars safe.”

Car owners are most likely to have their car stolen in cities such as London, which came out as the most likely city to experience such crime, followed by Manchester, then Cardiff, Leeds and Birmingham.

It shows that people need to take greater steps to protect their cars, or else face the consequences of an increased motor insurance premium.

Source: LV= Press Release July 2009

The Friendly Society Reveals Aspects of its Survey

LV=, the group also known as Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society Limited that seeks to help people with their financial situations, has revealed aspects of its recent study and concludes that life insurance should be encouraged more than it is already.

Their study, which was tasked with discovering where people’s priorities lie during the credit crunch, found that in general, three times more people had pet insurance than other forms of insurance such as income protection or critical illness protection, whilst 4% of the UK public did not have life cover.

The “Look After What You Love Index”, as LV= calls it, is a scheme to track people’s life priorities and how their financial transactions match up to these priorities. They point out that in a lot of cases, people’s actions do not match set priorities and the group is concerned that fewer than one in twenty people do not have insurance to replace lost income. This is despite the top 4 priorities for the nation’s public including family health at 1, quality time with friends and family at 2, personal health at 3 and maintaining current level of income at 4.

Speaking about the results Mike Rogers, LV= group’s chief executive commented in regards to the figures in comparison to those with Pet Insurance, “Three times as many people have pet insurance as have income protection cover, and only one in ten have critical illness insurance. Ideally people should protect all of the important things in their lives, but our study shows their actions don’t match their words.

“This may be due to lack of awareness or a mistaken belief that protecting income and health is very costly. Whatever the reason, now is the time for people to review what financial protection they have in place to cover their key life priorities and take action to bridge any gaps.”

Three times as many people having pet insurance than life covers is particularly concerning for the group and to put this into perspective, a Sainsbury’s Finance survey earlier in the year found that only 26% of pet owners have pet insurance.

Rogers also adds, “insuring the breadwinners in the family for loss of income will make only a modest impact on most people’s finances, yet can provide vital assistance if the worst should happen.”

Sources: LV= Press Release & MyFinances.co.uk June/July 2009

Motorists are Demonstrating a Lack of Knowledge in Even the Most Basic of Techniques

When someone owns a car, there are various tasks that they should be aware of; ones that could make the difference between a safe car and a potentially dangerous one.

Motorists should know how to change a tyre, charge the battery and check the oil levels (topping them up if necessary). However, a study by Britannia Rescue, highlighted by LV= Friendly Society, suggests that the majority of car owners are clueless in these areas.

From the period between July 2008 and July 2009, many of the call outs by Britannia Rescue were said to be the result of driver error, such as failing to grasp basic car maintenance and inserting the wrong type of fuel into the engine.

Obviously not all of these can lead to a claim on the driver’s motor insurance, but in some cases these problems could easily lead to an accident. Failing to check tyre pressure, for example, might have an effect on the performance of the car and if a damaged tyre causes a collision then the consequences could be severe. For example, if a car is over-inflated then this can cause problems in steering and driving the car in a safe manner, whilst under-inflated tyres can overheat.

So if the car owner is involved in a crash then as well as the major problems this could cause, it may also lead to a rise in their motor insurance premium if they are forced to make a claim.

Of those surveyed 70% of motorists were unable to perform various basic tasks, whilst 42% were clueless in changing a tyre. Some people were  unable to tell if their tyres have adequate tread and, perhaps most surprising, some motorists did not have any idea how to even open their bonnet.

Simon Stevens, the General Manager of Britannia Rescue commented on the findings: “Some tasks such as checking the tyre tread and pressure regularly, and checking the oil level, are vital for ensuring a car is safe to drive. They could also save your life in an emergency.

“These basics are now part of today’s driving test and we’d urge all drivers, however long they’ve been driving, to brush up on their car maintenance to improve reliability and also road safety for everyone.”

Source: LV= Press Release July 2009.

According to new Figures from Sainsbury’s Finance

It is one of the factors cited by modern drivers as a nuisance of the modern world – car insurance is too high, with unaffordable premiums making cars uninsurable.

However, despite the risks of even higher premiums for car insurance, two thirds of Britons are still admitting to driving in a ‘potentially dangerous’ way, according to figures released by Sainsbury’s Car Insurance.

Their figures demonstrate two thirds of drivers in the UK admit to taking part in a dangerous activity whilst driving during one month earlier in 2009. The figure of 69% of those asked demonstrates a 4% increase on the same period from 2008.

There are a range of illegal habits that drivers should avoid taking part in unless they want to face prosecution, an injury or their car becoming uninsurable in the future. Some of these are well known, such as talking on a mobile phone whilst behind the wheel and drinking and driving. However, there are certain activities that some people might not have considered.

Those who do not want to see an increase in their motor insurance premiums might wish to stop eating and drinking whilst driving, driving whilst tired, speeding excessively or wearing flip flops to operate foot pedals. Eating and drinking behind the wheel accounted to 43% of motorists during June 2009, a 2% increase from the year before, with driving whilst tired close behind at 32%, a rise of 4% from 2008.

Not all of the figures show a rise and as shocking as it might sound to hear that some Britons might feel the need drive bare-footed or with flip flops, these figures actually went down from 18% to 14% in the last year.

Worryingly though, drink driving has shown no change from the year before, remaining at 9% as it did in 2008. This is despite the warning that those who are convicted of a drink driving offence may find it hard to find an insurance provider willing to provide them with motor insurance in the future.

“Unfortunately many motorists get distracted too easily whilst driving and don’t consider the possible consequences of their actions”, said Lucy Hunter of Sainsbury’s Car Insurance, “We would urge motorists to concentrate at the wheel and not be tempted to engage in anything that could distract them.”