PO Box H2, Australia Square NSW 1215
Ph: 1300 731 324 | Fax: 1300 731 288
This document is a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for our Petcover insurance policy and is also the Petcover insurance policy wording. The insurance policy wording commences on page 6. This PDS is dated 5th March 2007. (ref:PCv1.40307).
The PDS has been prepared to assist you in understanding the key features of the insurance policy and making an informed choice about your insurance requirements. This PDS sets out the significant features of the insurance policy including its benefits, risks and information about how the insurance premium will be calculated. You should read it carefully. You should also read the policy wording for full details of the terms, conditions and limitations of the insurance cover.
Calliden Ltd ABN 43 110 186 224, AFS Licence No. 284889 is the insurer of this Policy and the issuer of this PDS. Calliden specialises in developing tailored insurance solutions, in partnership with intermediaries, for affinity groups and associations in Australia. To find out more about us, visit www.calliden.com.au
Cerberus Special Risks Pty Ltd ( 'Cerberus' ) ABN 81 115 932 173 AFS Licence No 308461 of 1306 World Tower 87 - 89 Liverpool Street, NSW 2000 has been authorised by the insurer to act on its behalf in arranging, issuing, varying and cancelling pet insurance products. Petcover.com.au - Pty Ltd ( 'Petcover' ) ABN 97 117 476 990 has been appointed as an authorised representative of Cerberus (AR No. 312054) Cerberus and Petcover act for the insurer and not you. See the Financial Services Guide provided to you for more details of this arrangement.
You may contact Calliden in any of the following ways:
Petcover provides financial protection for veterinary expenses in respect of the insured pet resulting from sudden and unexpected injury or illness.
Petcover provides cover for 100% of veterinary expenses and allows you to use the services of any registered veterinary practitioner in Australia. The expenses paid are subject to a maximum limit per injury or illness, a maximum limit during the policy period, an excess and a thirty (30) day waiting period from the start of the policy period for illness.
Petcover includes Tick Cover which provides cover for veterinary expenses for treatment due to illness caused by ticks. This cover is subject to a $100 excess and a maximum limit during the policy period. There is a waiting period for illness caused by ticks of thirty (30) days from the start of the policy period.
The policy will not provide insurance cover under certain circumstances. For example, routine examinations or vaccinations, any expenses incurred before your pet reaches the age of 8 weeks, any expenses incurred if your pet is 9 years or older when your policy first commenced, expenses incurred as a direct or indirect result of desexing. Full details of the exclusions appear in the policy wording on pages 1, 2 and 3. You should read the policy wording and make yourself aware of all the exclusions that apply.
There are things that you must do for your insurance cover to apply. For example, you must pay the premium. Conditions of cover are shown on page 10 and 11 of the policy wording. You should make yourself aware of all the conditions that apply by reading the policy wording.
Our liability is limited to the amounts shown in the Schedule of insurance that we will issue to you. The limit of cover unless altered by us is $7,500 for each policy period which includes a limit of $4,000 for each policy period for Tick Cover. You need to decide if the limits of cover are appropriate for you. If they are not, you may be underinsured and have to bear part of any loss yourself. Once the Limit of Cover has been paid you do not have any more cover and will not be insured. If in this circumstance you require further cover please contact Petcover on 1300 731 324.
If you make a claim under the policy, you may be required to pay one or more excesses. The descriptions of these excesses and the circumstances in which they are applied are shown in the policy wording under Excess and other amounts we do not pay on page 8.
The amount of premium that you pay for this insurance will depend on factors that affect the risk of insuring your pet. These may include the type of animal, the average costs of veterinary expenses from time to time, administration expenses and the policy excess selected. We may adjust the premium depending on your claims experience and the claims experience of all our customers who have this insurance.
Premiums are subject to Commonwealth and State taxes and/or charges. These include the goods and services tax and stamp duty. The amount of these taxes and/or charges will be shown on your Schedule of Insurance. Where payments are allowed to be made monthly they must be paid on or before the due date for payment. If an instalment is unpaid for 14 days or more we can cancel the policy or refuse to pay a claim.
If you are entitled to an input tax credit for the premium, you must inform us of the extent of that entitlement at or before the time you make a claim under this policy. We will not indemnify you for any GST liability, fines or penalties that arise from or are attributable to your failure to notify us of your entitlement (or correct entitlement) to an input tax credit on the premium.
The amount that we are liable to pay under this policy will be reduced by the amount of any input tax credit that you are or may be entitled to claim for the supply of goods or services covered by that payment.
If you are liable to pay an excess under this policy, the amount payable will be calculated after deduction of any input tax credit that you are or may be entitled to claim on payment of the excess. Otherwise, we pay the GST but the limits are inclusive of GST.
There is a 21 day cooling off period. If you are not completely satisfied with your policy you can cancel it by contacting us in writing within 21 days of the date of issue of your policy. We will refund your premium less any non refundable government charges and taxes that we have paid. You do not have a right to cancel your policy if you make a claim for any incident within the 21 day period.
For cancellation rights after the 21 day period, please read the cancellation clause on page 4 of the policy.
Before you take out insurance with us, you have a duty under law to tell us everything that you know, or could reasonably be expected to know, that is relevant to our decision to insure you and to the terms of that insurance. If you are not sure whether something is relevant you should inform us anyway.
You have the same duty to inform us of those matters before you renew, extend, vary or reinstate your contract of insurance.
Your duty, however, does not require disclosure of matters that:
If you do not comply with your duty of disclosure we may be entitled to:
In the unlikely event that you have a compliant about the service we provide, please contact Petcover on 1300 731 324 initially to have your matter reviewed. If your complaint remains unresolved you can refer the matter to Calliden.
At Calliden we strive to make our customers happy. However, complaints do occur and when they do we try and resolve them as quickly and easily as possible.
You may contact us at any time if you are dissatisfied with any matter relating to your insurance with Calliden, including:
Call 1300 785 544 and we will try and resolve your complaint straight away. If we cannot, we will ask you to put your complaint in writing.
You can write to us at:
Actioning of your complaint will be by an authorised staff member. If they are unable to resolve your complaint, the staff member will refer the matter to their manager for immediate attention.
Should your complaint still be unresolved, the manager will refer you to Calliden's internal disputes handling department.
The internal disputes handling department will acknowledge your complaint within 2 business days of receipt and will endeavour to resolve your complaint within a further 13 business days. They will advise you in writing of the outcome.
If we cannot resolve your complaint within 15 business days or you are not happy with our response to your complaint, you can seek an external review via our external dispute resolution scheme, administered by the Insurance Ombudsman Service (IOS).
This national scheme is for consumers, free of charge and is aimed at resolving disputes between insured's and their insurance companies.
For more information call 1300 780 808 or visit www.insuranceombudsman.com.au/
Calliden, its agent Cerberus Special Risks Pty Ltd (Cerberus) ABN 81 115 932 173 and Cerberus's Authorised Representative Petcover.com.au Pty Ltd ABN 91 117 476 990 AR No. 312054 ("We") are committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information you provide to us. Any personal information you give us will be treated in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988.
We require personal information about you to assess your request for insurance and to administer your policy, and also to notify you about other services or promotions from time to time.
Unless we are required by law to provide personal information to others, your personal information will only be seen or used by:
By submitting your personal information to us, you agree to us using and disclosing your personal information as outlined in this Privacy Statement. This consent to the use and disclosure of your personal information remains valid unless you alter or revoke it by giving us written notice.
If you do not provide the information requested, your insurance proposal may not be accepted, or we may not be able to administer your policy, or you may breach your Duty of Disclosure, the consequences of which are set out in the Duty of Disclosure section of this document.
You can request access to the personal information we hold about you and, where necessary, you can notify us in writing of changes so we can ensure that the information we hold about you is accurate, complete and up-to-date.
From time to time, we may use your name and contact details to send you or your firm offers or information regarding our insurance services or promotions that may be of interest to you. Please let us know if you no longer wish to receive this information.
For further details of Calliden's Privacy Policy or to request access to or correct your personal information, please contact the Privacy Officer at Calliden on 02 9551 1111 or by e-mail to privacy@calliden.com.au or by letter addressed to the Privacy Officer, Calliden Limited, PO Box 144, St Leonards, NSW 1059.
Calliden's Privacy Policy may also be viewed on Calliden's website www.calliden.com.au/
This is your policy wording. Before you purchase the policy, please read it carefully. Make sure you understand it and that it meets your needs. If you are satisfied with the cover please retain this policy in a safe place.
Once you have selected your level of cover and paid the premium shown, we will provide you with a Schedule of Insurance, which will entitle you to claim under the policy up to the amount stated in the policy.
You can purchase this policy if your Pet is 8 weeks or older and younger than 9 years of age at the time of purchasing the policy.
To confirm any policy transaction, (if the Schedule of Insurance does not have all the information you require), call Petcover on 1300 731 324.
We proudly support the General Insurance Code of Practice. The purpose of the Code is to raise standards of practice and service in the general insurance industry.
For more information on the Code, please visit the Insurance Council of Australia's web site at www.ica.com.au
Claim forms are available on our website www.petcover.com.au/ or by calling Petcover on 1300 731 324.
Please complete the claim form with the treating vet and attach supporting ORIGINAL itemised accounts and receipts, and send to the below address.
In the event of a claim, notice must be given as soon as reasonably practical to:
Your claim will be processed within 10 working days of us receiving all information we require. This will usually be a fully completed claim form and sometimes we may need additional information. If we need additional information, we will contact you and ask you for this [A1].
Words in your policy that have special meanings are defined here.
Accident means a sudden, unforeseen, and unintended event causing injury to your Pet.
Alternative Therapies include, but are not restricted to treatments involving homeopathic remedies, acupuncture, chiropractic treatments and physiotherapy. Alternative Therapies are excluded from this policy.
Condition means all manifestations of clinical signs resulting from the same diagnostic classification or disease process, regardless of the number of incidents or areas of the body affected. For example, all types and occurrence of cancer that occur in the same animal are classified as one Condition.
Congenital Defect is a condition present at, and existing from, the time of birth or in growth and development. Examples of congenital defects include multiple rows of teeth, cleft palate, hydrocephalus, congenital heart problems and cryptorchid (undescended testicle).
Excess means the amount specified in the Schedule of Insurance which you must pay in respect of any claim.
GST means Australian Goods and Services Tax.
Hereditary Defect/Hereditary Condition means that there is a significant genetic component in the development of that particular condition in a particular breed or type of animal. The condition may manifest or show its symptoms at any time during the Pet's life. Examples of hereditary conditions include hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, entropion eye problems in Pugs and dislocating kneecaps in small breeds of dogs. Contact Petcover to obtain further information on breed specific Hereditary Defects/Hereditary Conditions.
Illness means sickness or disease suffered by your Pet which is not caused by Injury and which first occurs or first shows clinical signs during the Policy Period.
Injury means a physical and bodily injury that is unforeseen and happens accidentally to your Pet as a result of external, violent and visible means that results solely and directly and independently of any other cause excluding any known or unknown pre-existing physical, Congenital or Hereditary Condition. The Injury must occur during the Policy Period.
Maximum Benefit Payable means the total amount payable for any one Injury or Illness as specified in the Schedule of Insurance.
Pet means any canine (dog) and/or feline (cat) listed on the Schedule of Insurance and owned by you.
Policy Aggregate means the total amount payable for all Injuries and/or Illnesses occurring during any one Policy Period as specified in the Schedule of Insurance.
Policy Period means the period specified in the Schedule of Insurance. If this insurance policy is cancelled, the Policy Period terminates when the cancellation becomes effective.
Pre-Existing Condition means a Condition that first occurred or first showed clinical signs or was reasonably foreseeable before your Pet's policy started or within the applicable Waiting Period.
Schedule of Insurance means the most recent Schedule issued by us containing your details, your pet's details, the limit of cover payable and the excess applicable to any claims.
Treatment means any examination, consultation, hospitalisation, surgery, X-rays, medication, nursing and other care provided by a Veterinary Surgeon or Veterinary Practice.
Veterinary Expenses means the reasonable normal customary expenses incurred in Australia and payable in respect of treatment or services given by any legally qualified Veterinary Surgeon and including the cost of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals.
Veterinary Surgeon means a qualified and legally registered veterinarian.
Veterinary Surgery means a legally registered veterinary hospital, clinic, centre or Surgery.
Waiting Period means the period of 30 days starting from the commencement of the Policy Period.
You, Your, Yours means the insured noted on the Schedule of Insurance.
We, Us or Our means Calliden Limited.
We will pay the Veterinary Expenses for Treatment carried out by a Veterinary Surgeon up to the Maximum Benefit Payable for each Injury and/or Illness of your Pet subject to exclusions of the policy and subject to the Policy Aggregate less the applicable Excess. We do not pay any Veterinary Expenses incurred for any Illness during the Waiting Period. . If you renew or have renewed the policy immediately upon the previous policy expiring so that your Pet is continuously covered by Petcover, the Waiting Period will not apply.
In the event of a continuing Condition, the amount payable for that Condition will be restricted to the Maximum Benefit Payable. No further amount shall be payable in the event of the same Injury or Illness recurring.
Hospitalisation expenses are payable only if deemed essential by the Veterinary Surgeon in the interests of your Pet's health.
We will not pay Veterinary or hospital expenses incurred 12 months after the Injury and/or Illness occurred.
We will pay for Veterinary Expenses for Treatment carried out by a Veterinary Surgeon as a result of your Pet suffering an Illness caused by ticks.
We will not pay more than $4,000 for Treatment under this benefit during the Policy Period. Any amounts paid under this benefit are part of the Policy Aggregate. You must pay an Excess of $100 for any claim under this benefit.
We do not pay for any Veterinary Expenses incurred for any Illness during the period of 14 days from the commencement of the Policy Period. If you renew or have renewed the policy immediately upon the previous policy expiring so that your Pet is continuously covered by Petcover, we will cover you for Veterinary Expenses incurred under this benefit from the commencement of the Policy Period.
We will only pay for Treatment arising out of one (1) Illness or episode of Illness caused by ticks during the Policy Period.
All the other terms, conditions and exclusions of this policy are unchanged by this Additional Benefit.
The following terms and conditions apply to all sections of the policy, unless amended by an endorsement to your policy, or the condition is altered or amended under another section of the policy:
We will not pay for:
Claim forms can be obtained by download from Petcover's web site www.petcover.com.au/ or by calling 1300 731 324.
The policy is for a period of twelve months (whether paid in full or in monthly instalments). After that, we will renew the policy as a new contract of insurance each year unless you tell us you do not want to renew it or it is cancelled by either of us or we no longer issue this type of insurance. We may adjust the premium depending on your claims experience and the claims experience of all our customers who have this insurance.