Petprotect: What customers criticize about pet insurance

Deutsche Familienversicherung offers insurance for dogs and cats and is currently advertising this on major shows such as Germany's Next Topmodel. However, the insurtech company's offer is being criticized online.

All the worries of a dog owner are explained and marketed in 20 seconds. Three dogs stand between large blue numbers in a video and all look forward with anticipation. A woman's voice says a sentence that dog owners will be more than familiar with: "Vet visits can be expensive". Figures appear on the screen to match: 500, 1,600 or 1,200 euros - a tidy sum for your own pet.

A few seconds later comes the supposed solution: Petprotect covers up to 100 percent of vet costs, plus all kinds of extras. The video then goes on to give the number and the website so that people can make an immediate decision. End of the introduction.

Petprotect often appears as an advertisement on ProSieben

Hundreds of thousands of people are likely to have seen this advertising video in recent weeks, as it has featured prominently on major shows such as Germany's Next Top Model. Although the insurance company has been around for around three years, the new advertising campaign has given it even more attention - it is probably also an attempt to improve the insurance company's image a little. Because while Deutsche Familienversicherung advertises grandly that it covers 100 percent of veterinary costs, negative reports about Petprotect are piling up on the Internet. But what do people criticize - and what do the makers say?

"We never thought we would be so dissatisfied. We will now change our insurance too."

Comment from a user on a review platform

What many people don't know: Behind Petprotect with the white paw as its trademark is Deutsche Familienversicherung AG (DFV), a German insurtech company. DFV even calls itself the "leading German insurtech" and offers various types of insurance. The insurtech has apparently teamed up with ProSiebenSat.1 Digital, which has taken over sales and also manages the brand, to insure dogs and cats under the Petprotect brand name. This also explains why the advertising is running more than once on ProSieben.

The start-up advertises reimbursement of up to 100 percent of veterinary costs

At the launch, DFV CEO Stefan M. Knoll said: "Deutsche Familienversicherung's pet health insurance covers all risks that a dog owner could be confronted with if their pet falls ill." And the start-up also advertises full-bodied on its website: Up to 100 percent reimbursement of vet costs.

Lured by these advertising promises, some dog owners are likely to have taken out insurance in recent months. However, the majority of customers are clearly not satisfied, as the relevant review portals show. On Erfahrungsscout, for example, there are only 30 reviews with a rating of 2.8 out of a possible 5 points. The more recent reviews are consistently poor. The situation is similar on Trustpilot, where three out of four reviews give the insurance company an "unsatisfactory" rating. And the situation is only slightly better on Check24. Although more than 50 users gave the service five stars there, 21 users only found the service good enough for one star, with a further 12 giving it two stars.

"Under no circumstances should you believe the appealing TV advertising. Not all medical costs are reimbursed."

- Comment from a review platform on DFV dog insurance

It is striking that most of the negative comments revolve around the same topic: People believed the promise from the advertising and assumed that Petprotect would just cover 100 percent of all bills. In reality, however, according to user reports, things turned out differently. Günter Lenk, for example, writes: "Under no circumstances should you believe the appealing TV advertising. Not all medical costs are reimbursed." Another user comments: "Great advertising, but poor service" and concludes a long comment with the remark: "We never thought we would be so dissatisfied. We will now change our insurance too."

Some customers complain about Petprotect online

Even customers who give supposedly acceptable ratings of three stars criticize the lack of cost coverage. Birgit P. writes in a review on Check24: "Many services are listed and you only realize later in the small print that hardly any are covered. Vaccinations, castration, etc.". Some reviews in the upper range also say that they have not yet had to make a claim on the insurance. Now, every review should be treated equally, but future buyers should pay attention to this in the review portals.

Many people are also annoyed by the advertisement with a "daily notice period", which is only available under certain conditions. One Trustpilot user writes: "Daily termination is also not the case, as the daily termination option is excluded for a period of 12 months (blocking period) if you make use of a service within 24 months of the start of the contract."

Petprotect insurance comes with some restrictions

All just whingers? Not at all. In fact, the health insurance does have some restrictions, which can be found in the TV adverts in tiny white lettering, on the website or later in the contract. If you take a closer look, you will see that the advertising promise is quite correct - but is subject to certain conditions that you might not think about when taking out a policy quickly.

For example, the maximum limit for reimbursement in the best tariff of 49.90 euros is just 500 euros in the first year after taking out the policy. In the second year after taking out the policy, the limit is 1000 euros. This does not cover all operations or treatments, as the DFV's own advertising shows. It says: "MAGEN-OP, €2,500" and "The dog swallowed a toy. Afterwards he even had to go to rehab...". There are further restrictions regarding the age of the animal, as stated in an FAQ at the bottom of the website. There, DFV writes that the "upper benefit limit" is reduced from the 7th and 9th year of the dog's life. In other words, as the dog gets older and tends to need to go to the doctor more often, there is less money.

The Insurtech behind Petprotect does not wish to comment on request

Further down on the website, there is more information about the supposedly simple termination. It says that Petprotect guarantees a "daily right of termination". The catch: This only applies from 12 months after taking out health insurance - or after 24 months if the dog owner has claimed a benefit in the meantime.

When confronted with the criticism, the insurtech company DFV told Startbase that it generally does not comment.