All reviews of Lucy Jones
Review about: Pawp
Emergency fund
I was having a serious issue with my puppy and was freaking out.. he was normally super energetic but I knew something was wrong. I talked to the Pawp vets and they sent me to the clinic right away. turns out he was having some sort of blockage that was life threatening. They paid the bill to the clinic, no reimbursement or anything... saved my and my dog's life!
Hi CA Gray,
Thank you for your feedback. I can confirm that our vets are always working in the best interest of your pet, and will always activate the emergency fund for you in case of a life-threatening emergency. I do apologize if there was any confusion as to how the emergency fund works or what is covered - I'd be happy to take a closer look into your case if you send me your information to [email protected].
Again, I sincerely apologize for any confusion as to how the emergency fund works or what it covers. I look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
The Pawp Support Team
Thank you for writing this up, Lucy. I'm scouring the internet for "bad Pawp" reviews, and finding them strangely hard to come by.
But the way Pawp structures it's protocol sets off red flags for me; ie: You don't get access to the fund (you pay monthly for) unless THEIR online vets clear you for emergency care no matter how dire the actual situation.
AND the fact that if you call in, and they play down your pet's symptoms, and tell you to make a non-emergent appt, and you don't (or can't! - precisely bc in the event of emergency you expected to have access to the fund) then you don't get access to the fund then either. ???? Further, in that case they're gonna accuse YOU of medical neglect. Says so right under that clause, "We don't support 'medical neglect.'"
Ahh, the classic gaslight scenario! In addition to being a glaring loophole, allowing them to deny emergency funding to enrolled members. All Pawp has to do then, in the event of a true emergency, is play down your pet's symptoms ONCE, and hold themselves not responsible for ANY care relating to that emergency; the one both you and your board certified vet of record knew damn well was an emergency from the start.
I'm guessing Pawp staffed Vets are asked to abstain from clearing emergency visits whenever possible... or the fund would collapse. Not to mention the plain idiocy of being expected to log into an online chat forum before heading to the vet even if your dog gets hit by a car. Or seizes. Or suddenly falls unconscious and cannot be roused.
My guess is that pets are gonna die in relation to this protocol, as is always the case when those acting as insurance cos. are allowed to dictate what is/isn't emergent. And that lawsuits will follow, and Pawp will either conform itself to industry standards, meaning ANY US or CA Board-certified Vet can classify an event as an emergency, and thereby receive payment for services rendered. Or perish under the weight of due scrutiny.
For the record, Pawp, it's nice to include 24/7 vet access for questions/concerns... but when coverage of an emergency is reliant upon some random, necessarily low-info opinion from someone who can't truly assess my pet; their rate of respiration, their level of consciousness, heart rate, or PB... above that of the board-certified vet who can... well, I think that's a problem. If not for that, you'd have had my business.