Purely Pets Insurance - Portsmouth

Katy Harris

I have been with Purely Pets for over two years, ever since my dog was a puppy.

Recently, I submitted a claim for my dog’s patella surgery, which cost £2,400. It's been over 8 weeks since I filed the claim, yet it's still 'with an assessor,' awaiting review. Despite calling approx five times and raising a formal complaint—which resulted in a £50 compensation—I still have no clear indication of when I can expect my claim to be reimbursed.

I’ve had lifetime cover for my dog since he was a pup, and the surgery was straightforward. It's unacceptable that Purely Pets feels it can take this long to assess and pay out claims. I even had to borrow money to cover the surgery costs. With the ongoing cost of living crisis, this experience highlights their lack of empathy for customers. I would only recommend Purely Pets if you're prepared to wait months for them to fulfill their obligations—if they do so at all."

Carly White

This company provided very competitive cover for the first year.
Year 1: £14.42
Year 2: £15.57
Year 3: £20.99
Year 4: £32.99
I have made 0 claims and my dog is in excellent health. Nothing to justify such a sharp increase. I tried calling but unhelpful agent could not offer an explanation, a reduction or any type of consideration for loyalty.

25 Competitors offer same terms for between £11.66 and £20 per month. Purely Pets clearly don't value customers and only interested in early years profits when it is lower risk to then. Appalled by customer service and will not use again!

Josh Locke

Claim made for £2,500 on August 17th, it's now two months later and nothing has come through. I called them after a month (an impossible job as they kept cutting the line off when I was asking for an update on my claim.) I emailed and if they respond, it takes three weeks minimum. Got through to a nice woman eventually who informed me the claim status had been stuck waiting for information from the Vets, however all information had been provided three weeks before, which she confirmed she could see, including background checks which were provided before a previous claim we had made. Had I not called up to get this changed, I have no idea how long it would have taken them to realise. Another month gone by and still no update. They clearly have no sympathy for the people who have to use credit cards, savings accounts and loans to pay for emergency vet treatment. Every month they delay, the more it costs. It's just not good enough and it doesn't work. You're better off paying more to reputable company.

Lydia Farrell

I was with Purely Pets for a number of years and was very happy with their service. This year my renewal came through for two of my dogs, they had both doubled in price to over £1000 per dog. Im so disappointed with their lack of care of their current customers and found they were offering a price 1/4 of what I was paying online. Absolutely disgusting, do not use as this company who just wants to cheat you out of more money.

Sean Egan

I know this saying is as old as the hills, but you really do only find out how good your insurance company is when you need them most. In my experience, this especially applies to Purely Pets (formerly known as Petwise). They state in all of their communications that they “aim to settle all claims within 4 weeks”. My vet submitted the paperwork for my claim on 30 July 24, but it sat in the Purely Pets inbox for more than 3 weeks before they even acknowledged receipt of it. A further 7 weeks passed (including two chase up calls from me) before they finally took any action. But this was only to delay the process even further by requesting a load more information from the vet in an effort to suggest pre-existing conditions. We are now 12 weeks in with no sign of any conclusion to this sorry affair. I would strongly advise you to give this one a wide berth

Karen Martin

I wish I had read reviews before i signed up with Purely Pets...purely rubbish is a better name for them!
My dog has been insured with this company for a couple of years and I haven't needed to make a claim until this year. A vet bill of £545, which I paid for upfront, was sent to purely pets on the 14th of July. I've had nothing but text messages informing me they are working hard to complete my claim since then.

Considering I have to pay £160 excess, plus an extra 20% due to my dog being over 6 years old, they don't even need to pay me much money. I work out it's about £270 from them according to my policy. If they can't even settle a small claim, I dread to think what would happen if the bill was thousands of pounds. It's a shoddy service and I will not be renewing my policy with them. I recommend anyone who is considering them for a pet policy, to avoid them like the plague. Terrible service.

Update: 01/10/2024; Since writing this review on Trust Pilot, Purely Pets have contacted me and explained that they have been behind with assessing claims. They have now assessed my claim and will be paying me £204. It's a shame that someone needs to raise an issue before a claim is completed. I started my claim on the 14th of July 2024, and 10 weeks to settle is too long. They said they are reconsidering sending out generic text messages informing clients that they are working hard to assess a claim. These messages are sent automatically every couple of days. They accept that this is not the best way to communicate the progress of a claim and they will consider different content in the messages so clients have a clearer picture of what is happening.

I hope they do start to give a better service. It is a shame that I am not the only person to have had this problem of waiting too long for a claim to be settled. The good reviews are mainly from people who found setting up an insurance policy simple, with easy access to documents on the online portal. Most of those reviews have not had to make a claim. So I will stand by my review of a poor service by PP, and can only hope they do improve their service for other customers in the future. It's easy to provide a good service when it comes to taking money, but the proof of the service is when they have to pay out money, and this is where many insurance companies fail miserably.

David Barbour

Currently insured with Petwise but this changes to their sister company Purely Pets upon policy renewal later this month. Apparently all Petwise policies now transferred to Purely Pets. RESULT 153.5% increase upon renewal. Yes we made a claim and guess what; that percentage increase virtually equates to the sum cost paid for the veterinary procedure! Originally went with Pet Wise because they supposedly specialised in affordable insurance for older dogs but now that our dog is yet older it is all but impossible to get insurance elsewhere if we don't renew with them. This means you either pay the extortionate fees demanded by Purely Pets or risk going without insurance!! I would point out that we had annual cover for £8000 so you can imagine that our monthly DD was for quite a substantial amount and our claim with them was for less £850. God only knows what the increase would have been if we had a claim approaching the policy limit! Forget about their statement that they settle claims within 4 weeks. They don't reply to emails (take an age to pick up the phone) and in our case had not even LOOKED at our claim until 4 weeks after we submitted it AND ONLY THEN BECAUSE WE EVENTUALLY MANAGED TO SPEAK TO A REP. We have had many dogs insured over time with various companies but this outfit are dreadful. Take my advice and look elsewhere for insurance. They may offer a good deal initially but make a claim and they will hammer you when you go to renew! Vets get loads of stick regarding their fees but insurance companies are a law unto themselves. I know, lesson learned, new kids on the block may seem cheap initially (they need to be to get the business) but something will always come back to bite your backside!

Just thought I'd update on my previous review!!!!
Having been quoted a 153.5% increase to renew my dogs policy I decided to try and speak to the company with regard to reducing the amount of cover. They very 'kindly' offered to reduce the amount of cover from £8000 downwards to £4000 annually. Great I thought. Well only until they quoted a renewal premium of £1241 which reduced the annual premium by £48. A £48 (3.35%) reduction for a 50% reduction in cover was derogatory. Needless to say I told them politely to shove it. PLEASE before you buy a policy from this firm read their 1* reviews first as almost all the 5* reviews are people buying policies (which the company are extremely efficient at) NOT people who have to negotiate their dreadful claims procedures'! You have been warned. They know full well that once you insure an older dog with them that you are stuffed once they start jacking the renewal quotes upward as alternative cover is usually impossible to obtain, especially if you've made a claim and therefor your pet has or has had 'pre existing conditions'. Please take my advice and read the negative reviews before parting with your hard earned cash!!!!! There are far better companies out there. You may pay more initially but please do your homework. Check out how they rate amongst other insurers.

Alan Ralph

I have had pet insurance for my GSD for many years. Recently she was ill and over a 6 day period I took her to the vet 3 times. Unfortunately she had a tumour on her heart and had to be aneasitized. I put in a claim knowing there was a £200 excess and I wouldn't be covered for her cremation. They took 3 months to pay and because the first visit was on the last day of my policy and the subsequent visits were on the new policy which had continued on they charged me 2 times £200 excess. This was one illness and one lot of treatment so I don't think they should have done that. It was a very sad and difficult time for the family and they should have been more understanding. It makes you wonder if taking out pet insurance is worth it.