Animal Friends Reviews

1.7 Rating 538 Reviews
15 %
of reviewers recommend Animal Friends
1.7
Based on 538 reviews
Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods
Courier
Customer Service
Communication Channels
Telephone, Live Chat, Email
Queries Resolved In
Over A Week
Customer Service
1.2 out of 5

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Animal Friends 1 star review on 30th November 2021
Roger Rothery
Animal Friends 1 star review on 6th April 2021
Angela
Animal Friends 1 star review on 23rd February 2021
J Sewell
Animal Friends 5 star review on 15th October 2020
Paula Mccur
Animal Friends 1 star review on 25th September 2020
Paige
Anonymous
Anonymous  // 01/01/2019
I really wish that I'd read the reviews before I joined this company. They are dreadful. They look for excuses not to pay out - please don't waste your money. We had to take our 14 yr old dog to the vet on bank holiday Monday as we thought she had had a stroke. She couldn't stand up, she was really sick and there was blood in the vomit, she couldn't eat or drink and she was drooling incessantly. The vet was able to diagnose it as vestibular disease and gave her an injection but the vet said that she could understand why we thought our dog was dying. The insurance wouldn't pay ot because she wasn't actually dying but how were we as lay people suppose to know that - we needed a vet to tell us that. Just like the reviews below I feel like they were looking for a reason not to pay us.
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Posted 5 years ago
Terrible insurer I had a policy for my 14 year old cat, that had bladder cancer my vets bill was over £300. I finally had to have her put to sleep which cost another £200. They declined my claim and did not even pay for her death even though she had premium cover. And was insured for this came up with some lame excuse that her condition was Pre existing. I would avoid this company far worst pet insurer on the market. They take your money but give you nothing in return.
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Posted 5 years ago
Please do not insure your pet with this company, it will be as much use as a chocolate fire guard. I would give minus stars if I could. At the time of writing this review 67.92% are one star reviews and most saying they would give zero stars if they could. Animal Friends are fraudsters at the very least and will wriggle out of any claim if they can. I'm very disappointed with this company and wish I had read their reviews before taking out insurance with them. Will be cancelling my insurance immediately as they have declined my genuine claim stating it was a pre existing condition, much the same as many of the customers who have left bad reviews on here. Animal Friends should be ashamed of themselves for having so many bad reviews.
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Posted 5 years ago
BEWARE don not use animal friends to insure your pets your as good as not insured as they do not pay out for anything unless your pet dies. This company should be closed down and stop taking money from people knowing they will never payout. SCUM..................
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Posted 5 years ago
Do not use these crooks Have put in 3 claims and all 3 have been rejected due to what their vet called preconditions although their vet has never seen my dog and the last problem was only found by a blood test,
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Posted 5 years ago
As previous reviewers have stated stated, I am only giving them one star because there isn't the option to leave no stars. They will use any excuse to label something as a 'pre-existing condition' to get out of paying. We devastatingly had to have our greyhound put to sleep last month as he had broken his femur. Due to the seriousness of the break and his age (he had just turned 14) it wasn't fixable. He obviously had worsening arthritis at this point and it would have been very unfair to put him through surgery with no guarantee of a successful outcome. However because the supplied vets notes mentioned a stiff shoulder in 2012, Animal Friends are claiming his arthritis was a pre-existing condition and have refused the claim. We took the policy out in January 2011, the stiff shoulder is mentioned in October 2012. Despite repeated requests, they have yet to explain how a stiff shoulder relates to a broken back leg. Instead they have 'suggested' that we go back to the vets and ask them to provide more information. I have told them to jog on. I will be making an official complaint to the company and will also be reporting them to the financial ombudsman. As fair as I am concerned this is a fraudulent company. I am never taking out pet insurance again. You will be better off putting the premium amount in a separate account to use if you need it.
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Posted 5 years ago
Awful company! Used every excuse in the book to wriggle out of an insurance claim. Used my pets previous history when I was not even insured by animal friends at the time. Then they stated that cover was invalid on any out of hours claims... does this mean people should let there animal suffer until they can make an appointment with there vets??? Being weekends, nights or bank holidays. Always been sceptical to use insurance companies and this confirms why. I will be cancelling my policy with immediate effect and would not recommend this company to anyone hoping to claim any fees back on a claim
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Posted 5 years ago
I never ever write reviews but I felt compelled to on this occasion. I've had insurance with this company for the last 3 years and it included lifetime cover. I recently submitted a claim as our basset hound has an ongoing skin condition and I thought this would help towards the ongoing cost of his treatment (shampoo, occasionally medication) The claim was rejected on the basis of a single visit to the vet when our dog was less than 12 weeks old which took place while he was still covered by temporary insurance taken out by the breeder. No condition had been determined at that stage. I then took out the Animal Friends cover and it was only a year or so later as the dog got bigger that it was diagnosed as a yeast condition. I feel really let down and wonder now what the point of the insurance was. Furthermore, when I rang up to cancel the policy, the person at the other end of the phone did not seem remotely concerned or too bothered about the cancellation. I would not recommend this company to anyone.
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Posted 5 years ago
Avoid these thieves. 10 years of premiums paid to AF for our Dog with no claims made. Poor lad has been diagnosed with a Tumour in his Jaw, rang AF prior to telling the Vet to go ahead with his surgery. Told there was no problem and to go ahead, he was covered. A week later received another call from AF telling me the vet would be paid that day. The next day I received a 5 line email from AF saying his problem was dental related and they were refusing the claim. We have complained and I have let as many as I can let know what this company is like on social media so I hope I have cost them a few hundred customers! This company needs investigating ASAP it us legalised theft.
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Posted 5 years ago
Purchased a lifetime policy and on year 8 they increased my premium by 300% from £55pm to £220pm! My dog was diagnosed with an ongoing condition that year! What is the point in lifetime cover if they can price you out at renewal? When I took out the policy 8 years ago their advertising included the claim that they would not punish you if you had a pet that needed vet care - but that's exactly what they did to me! I paid enhanced premiums for 8 years for lifetime cover and then found myself priced out of renewal - the policy is not fit for purpose.
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Posted 5 years ago
NOT A PET INSURANCE ITS A PETTY INSURANCE i have had the same problem as many or most of these 1 star reviews .is there no ombudsman covering pet insurance company's ? Been paying insurance for 6.5 years for two dogs took one dog to vets 2 years ago for eye drops ,( NO claim ) two years later other eye got a aggressive ulcer & dog lost eye now they say because its had eye problem 2 years previously its a previous problem and dont cover, even though we never ever claimed in 6.5 years should be investigated by someone NOT PET INSURANCE PETTY INSURANCE :-(
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Posted 5 years ago
Glad to say I've never had to claim on my animal friends insurance for my dog. Rang animals friends 3 days ago to cancel my policy as my dog passed away, this morning I received a lovely sympathy card hand written from the lady i spoke to when I cancelled my policy, this was unexpected and a lovely gesture
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Posted 5 years ago
Refusing to pay out after a genuine claim. Been a long stressful fight and got nowhere. Now left to pay a £600 vets bill. Be aware. TAJ
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Posted 5 years ago
If I could give no stars I would.. truly awful company...any claimants please beware to read all your vets notes as they will try every trick in the book to wriggle out paying a claim...I've now cancelled..have paid the hefty vets bill myself...it was the principal for me, whether it's £50 or £700 , you take out insurance for peace of mind... animal friends certainly deserve zero stars !!!!
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Posted 5 years ago
Avoid at all costs. Their website and lovely blurb might lure you in but they'll refuse to pay out on the flimsiest of 'pre-existing conditions' excuses. Be warned, if your dog bumps its leg running on the beach this year and you take it to the vet and the vet states that there is '...nothing really wrong, probably just a bit of a strain...' and the animal receives no treatment, but then in two years your dog is diagnosed with some joint disorder in the same leg, your claim will be refused. As others have implied here, there need be no actual 'condition' diagnosed for them to claim that whatever is wrong now was pre-existing! Badly let down, many hundreds of pounds out of pocket. Shame on you AF.
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Posted 5 years ago
Don't use this company as they find any excuse they can not to pay out. A dog that goes to the vet because they are licking their paws as a 6 month year old puppy is excluded from all claims to do with Allergies,Skin Conditions and anything to do with ear infections. If you upgrade your policy make sure you only do so on annual renewal dates otherwise your old insurance is cancelled and any preconditions that you may never have claimed for on the old policy become void. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.
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Posted 5 years ago
Watch out for the gradual, but significant erosion of policy cover after a claim. There is now so little covered by my policy that it is pointless. For example, a bout of sickness lead to "the (whole) digestive system" being removed from cover; and accidental injury lead to anything relating to "sticks" being removed from cover; a heart murmur at a check up (no treatment needed) lead to "heart conditions" being removed from the policy cover. This latter situation was most disappointing as this did not appear in my pet schedule and only came to light when my (now elderly) dog actually needed medication for heart failure. I have found the fiscal attitude is completely inconsistent with the Animal Friends advertising (friendly and charitable). I felt extremely let down by Animal Friends Insurance at a time when I needed most help with my pet's healthcare costs. I do not recommend them as an insurer. I just hope some of my money has made it to animal charities.
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Posted 5 years ago
never buy from this company.. not interested in your pet, solely interested in avoiding paying out on genuine claim. Staff rude & not helpful.. invest your money elsewhere.. one star is one too many
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Posted 5 years ago
One star is too many but it doesn't let me record no stars. Absolutely appalling, avoid, avoid!! I made an claim for a sore that developed in a fold of skin near to my dogs eye. The only thing to their credit, they did reimburse me quickly however they have also placed exclusions on my policy. I am now unable to claim for any other skin conditions, no matter where they are or what was the cause and because it was near the eye, I am also excluded from making any claims for anything connected to the eye!! I acknowledge I did sign up to a policy that would not support on-going / repeat illnesses, so I was expecting an exclusion for any other similar skin conditions in the folds of his skin near the eye but I was not expecting to be unable to claim for any other skin conditions (eg allergic reactions) or anything involving the eye (eg trauma). This doesn't make any sense to me and I will not be renewing with them.
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Posted 5 years ago
Can’t give a lower rating, this so called caring animal insurance is a total waste of money. They don’t cover anxiety?in your pet, waste of money don’t go anywhere near these chancers
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Posted 5 years ago
Animal Friends is rated 1.7 based on 538 reviews