Spot | Pet Insurance Review

Terrible policy. To much red tape. Healthy Paws much better.

Trying to get reimbursed for a claim. They sent 6 emails saying only they need additional information. They contacted my vet multiple times, even though I told them they do not communicate with insurance companies. It took me a month to discover they needed a glucose read. Why they couldn't say that in one of the many emails, we could have resolved this long ago. They put the policyholder through the ringer. I would not recommend.

We decided to go with Spot based on the reviews we read and the advertised quick claim processing that stated 48-72 hrs. We adopted a new aussie puppy and we went with both the pet insurance and the wellness plan. I submitted all the paperwork we received from the breeders vet and then took the puppy to the vet after signing up. It was a first vet visit for us so the usual (exam, shots etc). The total cost was $213. I submitted all the paperwork to SPOT and got an instant message saying that due to high volume of claims at this time yadda yadda it could take longer than expected etc. Ok that's fine but keep in mind this is not what they advertised and is not what I would think anyone would consider quick claims. It has now been 8 working days and there has been no status change on my account. Just says processing... Banfield may not have been perfect but at least the discounts for wellness was immediate, taken off the cost at the time you paid not reimbursed like this. I will update my review if and when it pays but so far the experience hasn't met the standards I was expecting based on the reviews.

I wish I could say SPOT will have your back, but I can’t… We purchased the policy when my puppy was 3 months old. He got into trouble and swallowed rocks twice: once before and once during the insurance waiting period. The first time, he went to the ER for an endoscopy to remove them from his stomach. The second time the Dr made him puke it out. He had diarrhea for a couple weeks after due to all these procedures, but it went away after some time. It was all paid out of pocket ($4K) because the policy wasn’t active at this time. Too bad timing didn’t work out but that was the rules we agreed to, no hard feelings there. After the waiting period was over, our dog started causing destruction around the house when left alone. He bit entire corners off the walls and literally ate two holes through the wall when left alone inside a gated kitchen for less than 1 hr. We consulted with the vet and they wrote a letter diagnosing separation anxiety and recommending behavioral treatment, which SPOT claims is covered. We submitted the letter from the Dr and letter from an animal behaviorist outlining a treatment plan to SPOT for approval. They denied coverage claiming that eating rocks when he’s with us is a sign of separation anxiety and is therefore a pre-existing condition. I argued it is unreasonable to claim that a behavior observed when accompanied is a symptom of separation anxiety, but they disagreed. They also disagreed with the Dr’s letter that, literally and word by word, states the diagnosis for separation anxiety is unrelated to eating rocks. SPOT formulated their own diagnosis for my dog that justifies rejection of coverage and denied the claim. At some point the diarrhea came back and lasted for weeks. The vet put him on medication for a month but wasn’t getting better so they recommended doing a full blood panel to diagnose any physical issues. SPOT rejected coverage for the vet’s medication, the blood panel and diagnostic tests claiming that because he had diarrhea before, it is a pre-existing condition and no treatment would be covered. I’m not one to leave bitter reviews around the internet but I at least felt I had to share my experience and warn others.

I wish I could say SPOT will have your back, but I can’t… We purchased the policy when my puppy was 3 months old. He got into trouble and swallowed rocks twice: once before and once during the insurance waiting period. The first time, he went to the ER for an endoscopy to remove them from his stomach. The second time the Dr made him puke it out. He had diarrhea for a couple weeks after due to all these procedures, but it went away after some time. It was all paid out of pocket ($4K) because the policy wasn’t active at this time. Too bad timing didn’t work out but that was the rules we agreed to, no hard feelings there. After the waiting period was over, our dog started causing destruction around the house when left alone. He bit entire corners off the walls and literally ate two holes through the wall when left alone inside a gated kitchen for less than 1 hr. We consulted with the vet and they wrote a letter diagnosing separation anxiety and recommending behavioral treatment, which SPOT claims is covered. We submitted the letter from the Dr and letter from an animal behaviorist outlining a treatment plan to SPOT for approval. They denied coverage claiming that eating rocks when he’s with us is a sign of separation anxiety and is therefore a pre-existing condition. I argued it is unreasonable to claim that a behavior observed when accompanied is a symptom of separation anxiety, but they disagreed. They also disagreed with the Dr’s letter that, literally and word by word, states the diagnosis for separation anxiety is unrelated to eating rocks. SPOT formulated their own diagnosis for my dog that justifies rejection of coverage and denied the claim. At some point the diarrhea came back and lasted for weeks. The vet put him on medication for a month but wasn’t getting better so they recommended doing a full blood panel to diagnose any physical issues. SPOT rejected coverage for the vet’s medication, the blood panel and diagnostic tests claiming that because he had diarrhea before, it is a pre-existing condition and no treatment would be covered. I’m not one to leave bitter reviews around the internet but I at least felt I had to share my experience and warn others.