Hartville | Pet Insurance Review

Our beloved cat had an accident and fractured her back leg. She needed surgery, which was very expensive. After I paid for everything and I submitted the claim, I was ready to fight for the reimbursement, like you always have to do with insurances. Three days after, the claim was accepted, no questions or uncomfortable phone calls. I had the reimbursement included in my policy less than one week after the surgery. Thanks Hartville Insurance for making things so easy in a moment of need. 100% recommended.

PetWatch24 transferred my policy to Hartville, telling me I did not need to do anything, and the policy and billing would continue. All of my details were transferred to Hartville including bank card details for payment. They failed to take the payment in January, and then contacted me by post to tell me my policy was cancelled. No email or phone call, but snail mail only. They did email me on Saturday 8 Feb, telling me coverage ceases on 10 Feb, but of course their phone lines are closed over the weekend. When I finally received the letter on Feb 8 (it took two weeks), I looked on the policy page to see no pet listed and no policy. When I called Hartville on Feb 11, they said they would see if the policy could be reinstated and would call me back. They didn't call, but DID take the premium for both January and February on February 12! When I called to ask why, they informed me that there could not be a lapse in coverage so they took January's money too! Even though my policy was not in effect and had been "cancelled". You can bet that if I had made a claim in January, they would have denied it. Their only alternate option was to restart the policy (Which was cancelled due to their error), and suffer a 14 day lapse in coverage. They refused to refund the payment for the month which was cancelled, and said it was state law, but would not provide me with that state law. They also said they emailed me on Jan 20 to notify me of the cancellation, but could not forward me that email either. They refused any goodwill payment to make up for THEIR ERROR. So I will be looking for alternate coverage, and advise everyone to stay away from Hartville - they certainly strive to maintain the poor reputation of insurance companies! I would not guarantee that they would pay out even if I was covered!

My owner called Hartville to make sure that her dog's TPLO surgery from tearing her cruciate ligament (ACL for people), and they said that it would be covered. They have now denied the $5000 claim after she's already paid for it, and their stance is that since the owner did not see an accident or injury, it's not an injury. They say it is an illness that causes the rupture and thus is not covered under her accidental/injury policy. I responded with a long letter about how this patient had no orthopedic history and was acutely unable to put weight on their leg one day after coming in from the backyard, obviously indicating an acute injury. Their response was, "Knee and ligament conditions are orthopedic illnesses...regardless of cause". Do not use this company, as they are the only ones I know of who can deny a simple knee surgery, so there is no telling what else they would deny.

I just wanted to take a moment to share how amazing our experience with Hartville has been. Our dog developed several medical issues as he aged and they always had our reimbursements returned to us within 5-10 days, directly to my bank account. It was always easy to update our policy for our needs. When our dog unexpectedly passed away after a short stay at an animal hospital, they were incredible to work with. The bill was massive, we were grieving the loss of our dog and Hartville Pet Insurance took care of everything after we submitted the claim (getting records from the animal hospital, etc.) and we were reimbursed every dollar that our planned covered. They also called me to send their condolences for our loss and check to see how our other dog was doing after this loss, as we have two dogs on our account with them. It was so thoughtful in a time that was very difficult for our family. We will be staying loyal customers!

I strongly recommend Hartville pet insurance. First of all, read your policy and know what is covered and what isn’t, and then you won’t be disappointed and leaving poor reviews. That said, this insurance has been fantastic for me and my pets. I have had four dogs under policies and yes, it’s a big expense to carry pet insurance, but the knowledge that I never Have to worry about putting one down because I can’t pay a vet bill is worth the price. Hartville saw me through extensive vet, bills for surgery and cancer treatment for a beloved dog, and I trust them with my others. I certainly don’t know of an affordable health insurance for humans that has a $250 deductible! Customer service has always been excellent.