Paul Davidson thought little of it when he casually talked about to his pet insurer that his handle had modified.
The 64-year-old had insured his beloved ten-year-old springer spaniel, William, with John Lewis since he was a pup and was paying £195 a month for canopy.
So he was staggered to find that shifting from Tavistock, Devon, to Cirencester, Gloucestershire, meant his month-to-month invoice would soar by an eyewatering £500.
Certainly, Paul’s story is typical of the nonsensical postcode lottery plaguing pet homeowners throughout the nation.
Value hike: Paul Davidson and associate Pat with ten-year-old springer spaniel William
Insurers declare a mess of things are accountable for premiums routinely various by tons of of kilos relying on the place you reside.
When Paul queried how his change in handle might make such an infinite distinction to his insurance coverage threat, a John Lewis worker informed him that sure areas had larger incidents of dognapping, which meant premiums had been larger.
That is an more and more widespread excuse trotted out by insurers after an alarming rise in canine thefts in the course of the pandemic.
With extra folks at residence throughout lockdown, there was a growth in demand for canine, with an estimated 2.2million folks adopting canine between March and September of final 12 months.
This despatched costs spiralling, making canine a worthwhile asset to thieves.
But evaluation by Cash Mail reveals that the probability of getting your canine stolen has barely any impression on the price of pet insurance coverage.
Take Paul’s case, for instance. His outdated handle was in Devon — a spot with way more dognappings than his new handle in Gloucestershire.
In accordance with figures from comparability website GoCompare, there have been 222 incidents of dognapping in Devon and Cornwall reported to the police between 2018 and 2020.
In the identical time interval, there have been solely 42 circumstances reported in Gloucester.
Extra curiously, GoCompare’s analysis confirmed that West Yorkshire had the best incidents of dognapping, with 430 circumstances reported to the police between 2018 and 2020.
By comparability, the least seemingly place to have your canine stolen was in Surrey, the place solely 26 circumstances had been reported in two years.
Regardless of this, the typical annual pet insurance coverage for a canine in West Yorkshire is £445, whereas in Surrey it’s a lot larger, at £540 (premiums rise steeply as canine age and face well being issues).
Actually, pet insurance coverage in Surrey price greater than all the high 5 dognapping hotspots, which embrace: Kent, Devon and Cornwall, Northumbria and West Mercia.
Paul says: ‘The lady on the telephone mentioned the premium rise was most likely as a result of canine thefts are larger in Cirencester, however I do not see that being true.
‘In the end, we won’t afford to pay the additional prices. They mainly informed me I must pay £700 per 30 days, which is a payment I feel most individuals would battle to afford.’
James Daley, of campaigning physique Fairer Finance, says there’s little justification for such variation in insurance coverage prices throughout the nation.
He says: ‘It is completely exploitative that any individual might be quoted an additional £500 per 30 days simply to alter addresses.
‘Usually when insurers do not wish to proceed having a buyer on their books they’ll discover all types of excuses to alter the premiums.
‘[Paul] would want to get his canine stolen a number of occasions a month to make that soar worthwhile.
‘What’s extra, most insurers have a cap on how a lot they’ll pay out anyway.’
Postcode lottery: Vet payments for primary therapies can differ extensively, relying on the place you reside
Figures present that pet insurance coverage payouts are spiralling.
The Affiliation of British Insurers (ABI) says insurers processed £799million in claims to cowl veterinary therapies in 2020 — the equal of £2.2million per day.
However what’s pushing up premiums sooner in some counties? Specialists say vet payments are largely accountable as surgical procedures in sure areas present dearer providers as normal, whereas even payments for primary therapies can differ extensively.
For instance, Parkvets, which has eight practices throughout south-east London and north-west Kent, prices £55 for an preliminary session.
But Inshes Veterinary Centre in Inverness, Scotland, advertises preliminary consultations at £38.
The Ark Veterinary Follow in Stratford-upon-Avon prices between £145 to neuter a canine between 10kg and 20kg.
However at Midland Veterinary Surgical procedure in Leyton, East London, it is round £100 extra, with costs various between £225 and £356 relying on the canine’s weight.
Hannah Isitt, head of pet insurance coverage at GoCompare, says: ‘There are a variety of things that sit behind a pet insurance coverage premium which decide the premium paid by clients.
‘So whereas dognapping is growing in some areas, it doesn’t seem that premiums have elevated in areas the place reported thefts are on the rise.
‘For this reason it is so essential to get costs from as many insurers as you may if you’re on the lookout for pet insurance coverage cowl.’
John Lewis has now agreed to maintain Paul’s premium at £192 per 30 days — although this might rise when he renews the insurance coverage in December.
A spokesman says the customer support agent who spoke to him made an error.
She says: ‘We take many elements into consideration when calculating insurance coverage premiums and Mr Davidson should not have been given the impression that pet theft was the primary purpose for the worth enhance.
‘We’ve got reviewed his circumstances and, whereas a rise to his premium was due, it was nowhere close to £500 a month. We apologise for this error.’
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