Dear Karen
I hope you’re well. It has now been over a month since our last email correspondence. Regrettably nobody from your underwriting team has reached out to me to discuss the 14-day no claim clause imposed by underwriters for pet insurance. This is extremely disappointing, as I would have liked the opportunity to see if there was some dialogue that we could have opened up around this subject. I understand that Covid-19 may cause a slight delay, but I feel that I have given RSA Insurance Group a reasonable window of opportunity in which to open a dialogue with myself around this issue. Whilst I am sure it is not the intention of RSA Insurance Group to avoid discussing the matter surrounding the 14-day no claim clause, I am disappointed that nobody has wanted to reach out to me to discuss my points. Maybe this is something you can raise internally?
On the 3rd of December 2020, I sent an enquiry to your colleague, Alexander J, regarding the 14-day no claim clause. He passed my initial enquiry to another one of your colleagues, Sam B. In response to Sam’s reply email on the same day, I advised that as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the issue of the 14-day no claim clause, and how it causes distress to pet owners, I would be launching a website to explore and discuss the issues surrounding the clause.
I did not want to launch the website without first giving all underwriters, including RSA Insurance Group plc, the opportunity to have a frank, open and honest discussion around the subject to ensure that input could be featured on the website, with the hope that this clause could be abolished, or for certain circumstances such as Danny’s, not be applicable.
After diligently waiting for a response from RSA Insurance Group underwriters, and waiting almost 4 months since my initial enquiry, I feel that I now must press ahead and launch the website. I am therefore advising you that I will be launching the website on the 14th of April. If before that date, RSA Insurance Group would like to issue a formal statement regarding why the 14-day no claim clause cannot be removed from UK pet insurance policies then I will ensure that statement is included on the website on the day of launch. If a statement is received after the 14th of April, I will place this on the website in as timely a manner as possible.
Just to reiterate the point I have made from the very beginning; the website will not apportion blame concerning the circumstances around Danny’s death, nor will it in any way accuse RSA Insurance Group of any wrongdoing. It will contain only factual information which I have gathered both through research and through anonymised correspondence with RSA Insurance Group. The website will be a platform to explore this 14-day clause, and, where appropriate, carefully select and publish stories from other UK pet owners who have found themselves in a similar situation. The nature of the campaign is to get the UK pet insurance market as a whole (both brokers and underwriters) to hopefully see why this clause not only penalises responsible pet owners who take out insurance to cover the high cost of vet bills to give their pets the best possible medical care but in some circumstances as those that my parents faced, causes unnecessary concern and worry at a time when they have just lost a much-loved family pet.
I would like to thank you for your efforts in asking internally for your underwriters to discuss the issue with me and look forward to any future dialogue that may arise from the campaign once the website is live.
Kind regards
Dave Parker
Response from Alex J In reply to Dave Parker’s original email dated 1st April 2021 to Karen M
HI Dave – thanks for keeping me in the loop. I’ll nudge from this side too…
Alex
