What to Expect When Filing a Claim With PCI

Q: How long will my claim take to process?

Every claim is different — it’s impossible for PCI to give a prediction of how long your claim will take. Claimants should be prepared to wait for several weeks or months for their claims to be approved or denied, and should make appropriate preparations for their business in the meantime.

Q: I filed a claim but I haven’t heard anything.

Start by checking your email to make sure you didn’t miss the confirmation email. Check your spam folder, trash folder, or search your inbox for any messages from PCI and/or Lloyds of London. If the initial email wasn’t received, reach out to them at claims@premierclaimsllc.com or call 888-683-2266.

Q: Can I talk to a claims adjuster right now?

It takes 7-10 business days for Lloyd’s to assign an adjuster for your claim. Calling before then will not ensure that you can talk to an adjuster any faster. Once you receive an initial email from your adjuster, you may message or call them at their discretion.

At PCI, we know that filing a claim almost never happens at a convenient time and it usually means something pretty stressful has happened in your professional life. Maybe one of the pets you care for was injured on a walk, maybe you lost your client’s house key before you could return their pet, or maybe a crucial piece of your grooming equipment was damaged during transport.

Whatever the reason, we know you’re filing a claim to protect yourself, your clients and their pets, and your business—and you deserve to know exactly what to expect from the claims process. Let’s take a look at what to expect when navigating a claim with PCI:

Log in to your online user account*
Locate the “Manage Policies” section
Click “File a Claim”
Fill out the form and submit

*If you are not the primary policy holder but need to file a claim, call us at 844-520-6990 or email us at info@petcareins.com so we can send you the necessary digital claims form.

Need more details? Follow the steps below to make sure you have everything needed to successfully file your claim.

How to Submit a Claim

First things first—every claim is different, and getting the best outcome takes some preparation on your part. Let’s start at the beginning.

What We Need From You

Before filing a claim, gather all of the necessary information. This will speed up the claim acknowledgment process and avoid confusion later on. Some of the necessary information includes:

Policy information: Your policy number, effective date, etc.
Date and approximate time of the incident for which you’re filing a claim
Name, address, and contact information of the person making a claim against you
The exact dollar amount of any damages (legal fees, medical bills, etc.) sought by a claimant
Names and contact information of any Additional Insureds
Location of the incident
Detailed description of the incident
If filing a theft report, name of the police department with which you filed a report
The exact or estimated dollar amount of the property that was stolen or damaged
A complete police report* in cases of theft or intentional damage

All of this information is materially important to establishing the facts of your claim and most adjusters won’t be able to process your claim without some or most of it.

*Note: It is your responsibility to contact the police and file a police report yourself. We cannot file a police report on your behalf, or contact the police to receive a report from them directly.

Things That Won’t Be Covered

>>Take time to review the entire list of exclusions before attempting to file a claim.<<

Your policy includes a list of activities and circumstances which won’t be covered by an insurance claim. These are called exclusions, and it’s worth it to study them ahead of time so you can avoid things that expose you to unprotected liability.

In the pet care industry, these exclusions are typically certain types of animals that don’t warrant coverage from a business perspective (your personal pets, for example), care for exotic animals or livestock, or certain care or boarding businesses that increase the likelihood of incidents

Some scenarios that won’t be covered by a PCI policy include:

Pet services or daycare operations of more than 10 pets at a time
Training any kind of protection, guard, or service animals
Training animals for participation in any sort of contest or sport
Landscaping services
Normal wear and tear of equipment
Mysterious disappearances of property or equipment

Get a better idea of the types of insurance coverage PCI policies include.

Things That Can Delay Your Claim

We understand that pending insurance claims can be a burden on your personal and professional life. In order to get your claim processed quickly, keep these things in mind:

Make your initial claim promptly: Waiting to start the claims process will only delay the final result and can make you more likely to forget crucial details of the incident for which you are filing a claim.
Respond quickly: It’s vital that you respond to any and all correspondence from your claims adjuster in a timely manner. Your claim cannot be properly investigated without your input—your adjuster can only work as fast as they are given the information they need.
Double-check everything: Incorrect names, dates, serial numbers, etc., take time to correct. This can drastically alter the timeline and overall result of your claim approval – especially in cases where your claim is heard in court.

>>Pro Tip: Check your Junk or Spam folders to make sure correspondence from your claims adjuster didn’t get flagged.<<

Useful Ways to Stay Prepared

Keep an inventory list of any expensive or critical equipment, including receipts, the date of purchase, and price at the time.
Take photos of the surrounding context of any incident, and/or any damage that occurs.
Ask for the contact information of any witnesses to incidents you are planning on filing a claim for.
Keep a record of any appointments as proof of a timeline or chain of custody. Scheduling software can be helpful here.

Now, Let’s Talk About The Claims Process

Once you file a claim with PCI, we immediately get to work. Our main priority is to make sure your claim is sent to the insurance carrier with all the necessary information we need to provide.

Start by filing a claim through your customer dashboard.

Log in to your online user account*
Locate the “Manage Policies” section
Click “File a Claim”
Fill out the form and submit

*If you are an additional insured or are otherwise filing a claim and are not the primary policy holder, you can call us at 844.520.6990 or email us at info@petcareins.com and we will send you the necessary digital claims form.

After you initiate a claim, a dedicated Customer Service Representative from our team will typically reach out to you within 1-2 business days to confirm receipt of the claim.

After that, our job is to send the necessary claim information including your policy number and Certificate of Insurance to our insurance carrier, Lloyds of London, which is a separate company in charge of validating, accepting, or denying the claim, and eventually paying it out.

What Is Lloyds of London?

You had good reasons for choosing PCI for your insurance. At this point, you might wonder why your claim is being sent to an insurance carrier outside of PCI—and we get it! Think of it this way:

While PCI packages your insurance policy and makes it available for purchase on your end, our carrier, Lloyd’s of London, is the company that administers your insurance policy and carries the financial risk.

Our dedicated CSRs can answer any questions you might have about the details of your policy. But since they are licensed insurance agents, they can’t comment on whether or not your claim will be accepted or if you are entitled to any payments.

Only Lloyd’s can tell you the status of your claim, if you meet all the necessary qualifications for a payout, or any of the reasons why your claim is denied.

What Happens Once Your Claim is Submitted?

After we send your claim to Lloyd’s, it usually takes 7-10 business days for Lloyds to assign a claims adjuster to your case.

The claims adjuster will reach out by email to confirm they’ve received your claim. This person will be your primary contact for your claim throughout the process and you should direct all your questions about the approval status, timeline, and any payment amounts to them.

If you don’t receive an email from a Lloyd’s Claims adjuster within 7-10 days, reach out to them by sending an email to claims@premierclaimsllc.com or calling 888-683-2266. Also, don’t forget to check your junk or spam folders to make sure their emails didn’t get flagged.

After the initial confirmation email from Lloyd’s, your claims adjuster may need more information from you to validate your claim. They might ask for:

Names of anyone injured during the incident for which you’re filing a claim
Date and time of the theft or accident
Make and model of damaged or stolen property
Receipt or other proof of purchase for the property
Photos
Police report – and so on

Claims adjusters use many different variables to determine whether or not to approve claims. Gathering the necessary information can take anywhere from a few days to months depending on the type and amount of damage.

While we know waiting is hard, you should expect a claim to take at least a few weeks to be processed.

Here’s a Timeline of an Example Claim:

Max’s owner picks him up from the vet later that night (don’t worry, Max is going to be ok!) and while Michael’s client knows he didn’t mean to injure Max, the injury still happened while he was under Michael’s care—meaning Michael is liable for Max’s vet bill.

Reasons Why a Claim May Be Denied

There are many reasons why a claim might be denied. In addition to the specific exclusions listed in your policy, some of the biggest reasons for which a claim is denied include:

Providing a service not covered by your policy.
Seeking coverage for equipment that disappeared mysteriously (loss that can’t be sufficiently explained by the insured.)
Requesting coverage for equipment theft with no ensuing police report.
Wanting coverage for equipment that has broken down due to normal wear and tear.
Seeking coverage for equipment that you damaged, or a pet that you harmed while in your care, even accidentally.

Some other general reasons for denial of claim include:

Loss due to governmental search and seizure
Nuclear hazard
War action
Improper maintenance of equipment (not using valid protective equipment)
Earthquake, floods, or other so called “acts of God”
Fungus rot and bacteria
Property is not owned but rented

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How long will my claim take to process?

Every claim is different — it’s impossible for PCI to give a prediction of how long your claim will take. Claimants should be prepared to wait for several weeks or months for their claims to be approved or denied, and should make appropriate preparations for their business in the meantime.

I filed a claim but I haven’t heard anything.