Petprotect: What customers criticize about pet insurance

Deutsche Familienversicherung offers insurance for dogs and cats and is currently advertising this on big shows like Germany's Next Topmodel. But the insurtech's offering is attracting criticism on the Internet.

The whole worry of a dog owner is explained and marketed in 20 seconds. In a video, three dogs stand between large blue numbers and all look forward eagerly. To this, a woman's voice says the sentence that should be more than familiar to dog owners: "Vet visits can get expensive." Figures appear on the screen to match: 500, 1,600 or 1,200 euros - a tidy sum for one's own pet.

A few seconds later the supposed solution follows: Petprotect takes over up to 100 per cent of the veterinary surgeon costs, in addition all kinds of extras. Then follows in the video still the number and the web page, so that humans can strike immediately. End of show.

Petprotect appears often as advertisement with ProSieben

This advertising video is likely to have seen hundreds of thousands of people in recent weeks, because it was prominently displayed on major shows such as Germany's Next Topmodel. Although the insurance company has been around for around three years, the new advertising campaign has brought it even more attention - and is probably also an attempt to improve the insurance company's image a little. For 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 are people criticizing - and what do the makers have to say about it?

"That we would be so dissatisfied, we would not have thought. We will now also change the insurance company."

Comment of a user on a rating platform

What many do not know: Behind Petprotect, with the white paw as its trademark, is Deutsche Familienversicherung AG (DFV), a German insurtech. DFV even calls itself the "leading German Insurtech" and offers various coverages. For dog and cat insurance, which goes under the brand name Petprotect, the insurtech has apparently teamed up with ProSiebenSat.1 Digital, which has taken over sales and also manages the brand. This also explains why the ads are running more than once on ProSieben in particular.

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

Still at the launch, DFV CEO Stefan M. Knoll said, "Deutsche Familienversicherung's pet health insurance covers all the risks a dog owner might face if their pet gets sick." And the start-up also advertises full-bodied on its website: Up to 100 percent reimbursement at the vet.

Lured by these advertising promises, some dog owners are likely to have taken out insurance in recent months. But a large proportion of customers are apparently not satisfied, as the relevant rating portals show. With experience scout there is for example with 30 evaluations only a valuation of 2,8 of 5 possible points. The more recent ratings are consistently poor. The situation is similar on Trustpilot, where three out of four reviews give the insurance company an "unsatisfactory" rating. And things look only a little better on Check24. There, although more than 50 users gave the service five stars, 21 users found the service only good enough for one star, and another 12 awarded two stars.

"In no case should you believe the appealing TV advertising. Not all medical expenses are reimbursed."

- Comment from an evaluation 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 advertisement and assumed that Petprotect would just cover 100 percent of all bills. In reality, however, this looked different according to the reports of the users. Thus Günter Lenk writes for example: "In no case one should believe the responding TV advertisement. Not all medical costs are reimbursed." Another user comments, "Great advertising, but poor performance," and concludes a long comment with the remark, "That we would be so dissatisfied, we would not have thought. We will now also change the insurance company."

Some customers complain online about Petprotect

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

Likewise, many are bothered by the advertising with a "daily cancellation period", which then only exists under certain conditions. For example, a user on Trustpilot writes: "Daily cancellable is also not the case, as the daily cancellation option is excluded for a period of 12 months (lock-in period), if you claim a service within 24 months after the start of the contract."

Petprotect's insurance comes with some limitations

All just whiners? Not at all. In fact, the health insurance has some restrictions, which can be found in the TV commercials in tiny white letters, on the website or later in the contract document. If you take a closer look there, you'll see that the advertising promise is quite correct - but subject to certain conditions that you might not think of when you sign up quickly.

For example, the maximum limit for reimbursement in the best rate of 49.90 euros in the first year after signing the contract is just 500 euros. In the second year after signing the contract, the limit is 1000 euros. With it not all operations or treatments can be paid, as already the advertisement of the DFV shows. There it says: "MAGEN-OP, 2.500€" and "The dog swallowed a toy. After that he even had to go to rehab...". There are further restrictions then with the age of the animal, as it is called in a FAQ at the end of the web page. There, DFV writes that the "benefit cap" is reduced from the 7th and 9th year of the dog's life respectively. In other words, if the dog gets old and tends to need to go to the doctor more often, there will be less money.

The Insurtech behind Petprotect does not want to comment on request.

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

Confronted with the criticism, insurtech DFV tells Startbase that it generally does not comment.