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Review 4/23/2010
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Nine years ago we adopted out first Bernese Mountain Dog. We knew full well that they had their fair share of health problems so, for the first time, we bought pet insurance, and because of the breeds history of cancer, added the cancer rider. When we got our 2nd Berner a year later, it was a no-brainer to add a policy for him. Over the first few years, we had very few claims and when we made a claim, because of the $50 deductible, the checks were small. However a year ago the older dog was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. Three months after that the younger one developed hemangiosarcoma. VPI insurance has been a life saver. Over the past year we have had in excess of $20,000 in vet bills. VPI has reimbursed us for about $16,000 of it, better than many human insurance plans. The claims process is simple, fill out the form, fax it in and in a couple of weeks your check arrives. We did have to supply biopsy results to "activate" the cancer coverage, but that was just a simple fax too. When you read the negative reviews, many of them relate to excluded conditions. These are spelled out clearly on the policy and on the web page, so the information is available before you buy. Guess what folks, all insurance plans, even including human ones, have exclusions. But they are right there to see before you buy, so I really don't think that these criticisms are valid. Both policies came up for renewal after the diagnoses were made. They could have cancelled us. I would have understood. But they DID NOT cancel, they continued to stand in back of us and our dogs. About 6 weeks after we renewed, the second dog died. I thought of calling them to cancel and get a refund of unused premium, but we were so far ahead, even totalling all of the $$ we had spent over 9 years that I figured I'd let it slide. Much to my surprise, within a couple of weeks of seeing the claim that included euthanasia and cremation (both of which they allowed and paid) I got a refund from them for the unused premium and a note of sympathy. Our first dog, is doing well 13 months into treatment and VPI is still there helping us help our dog. They are a fantastic company and really care about their policy holders and pets. I recommend them highly.
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