About Vets'Own and The Product Developers
When we were talking to Munro Deysel and Dr. Piet Scheepers (the Product Developers) about coming on board as sponsors to help us in our quest to improve the life of dogs in shelters, what struck us the most was their passion when talking about the products they have developed - this is not just a business - these are two people who care deeply, and want to help all pet owners get the best possible cover for our own pets, and to this end, have developed specific products to achieve this.
When we asked Munro what had ignited this passion to make a difference in this industry, he explained the following to us:-
"After December 2013 the South African Veterinary Council stopped publishing their annual Guideline of Tariffs.
The Guideline of Tariffs recommended the minimum and maximum tariffs/fees veterinary surgeons should charge for specified services and procedures. These fees were not compulsory but they provided a benchmark (subject to certain “factors”) for determining whether a vet either overcharged a client or was guilty of touting.
Instead, the SAVC published Fees Advice directed at the client/petowner. This advice includes the following:
The net result of all this, plus the introduction of new technology, plus the weakening Rand
was an escalation of fees with which the current pet medical insurance limits simply did not keep pace. To our minds, all these policies fail the test of “adequacy”. It is this shortcoming which we sought to address through the “no limits” Vets’Own pet medical insurance
policy.
To demonstrate this lack of adequacy, consider the following:
R750 per claim for injections and/or
R600 per claim for radiology and/or
R500 per claim for prescription medication, etc.
As opposed to that, Vets’Own has:
To our minds, Vets’Own is the policy which covers the real veterinary medical expenses
exposure that pet owners have currently. In addition to that, the Vets’Own premiums are
either equal to or slightly less than the top of the range options provided by other products".
When we asked Munro what had ignited this passion to make a difference in this industry, he explained the following to us:-
"After December 2013 the South African Veterinary Council stopped publishing their annual Guideline of Tariffs.
The Guideline of Tariffs recommended the minimum and maximum tariffs/fees veterinary surgeons should charge for specified services and procedures. These fees were not compulsory but they provided a benchmark (subject to certain “factors”) for determining whether a vet either overcharged a client or was guilty of touting.
Instead, the SAVC published Fees Advice directed at the client/petowner. This advice includes the following:
- The SAVC recognises that, especially in a diverse country such as South Africa, there are a wide range of services rendered by veterinarians
- The SAVC recognises that veterinarians set fees taking into consideration the
The net result of all this, plus the introduction of new technology, plus the weakening Rand
was an escalation of fees with which the current pet medical insurance limits simply did not keep pace. To our minds, all these policies fail the test of “adequacy”. It is this shortcoming which we sought to address through the “no limits” Vets’Own pet medical insurance
policy.
To demonstrate this lack of adequacy, consider the following:
- claim limits e.g. R2,500 or R5,000 or R10,000 per claim
- sub-limits e.g. R500 or R1,000 or R2,500 for certain conditions or procedures
- sub-sub-limits e.g.
R750 per claim for injections and/or
R600 per claim for radiology and/or
R500 per claim for prescription medication, etc.
- treatment limits e.g. only one treatment per year for cruciate surgery or back surgery or hip surgery or foreign body ingestion surgery, etc.
- waiting periods of 1 to 6 months for certain conditions related to e.g. knees, eyes, cruciate ligaments, shoulders, etc.
- co-payment periods requiring the pet owner pays 50% of all claims for conditions arising in this period for the duration of the policy.
As opposed to that, Vets’Own has:
- no annual limit
- no claim limits
- no sub-limits
- no sub-sub-limits
- no treatment limits
- a 30-day waiting period for illness and none for accident related treatment
- no co-payment period
To our minds, Vets’Own is the policy which covers the real veterinary medical expenses
exposure that pet owners have currently. In addition to that, the Vets’Own premiums are
either equal to or slightly less than the top of the range options provided by other products".
The Product Developers
Mr. Munro Deysel. BA BA (Hons) Hons B&A MBA. 30 years' marketing, general and strategic management experience at a nations, regional and international level in private and public companies throughout Africa, the Middle East and the UK
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Dr. Piet Scheepers. BVSc. 45 years general veterinary practitioner's experience
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Munro says :- Apart from Vets’Own and wanting to supply pet owners with the best cover available, Piet Scheepers and I have two things in particular in common:
The love of Tennis and Yorkies.
We met through Piet's daughter Chani Scheepers who came to stay with us in London when she played at Wimbledon. Chani up to her retirement about two years ago was South Africa’s #1 ladies’ tennis player.
Piet and his wife Nicci have always had multiple Yorkies who are all appear in family photos
and even in a big original painting of the family.
My wife Antoinette and I love Yorkies but could not have any pets for a period of 15 years
whilst we stayed in the UK, the Middle East and some residential estates in South Africa.
However, as soon as we moved to Dullstroom, we got Miss Button (her name comes from “Cute as a button”). The thing about Button is that she has this attitude: 'What do you mean I am not human? You keep on calling me Baby!'
Piet being a vet and Yorkie owner told me there are certain things you need to know before adopting a Yorkie:
Just to let future Yorkie owners know, it’s all true….
The love of Tennis and Yorkies.
We met through Piet's daughter Chani Scheepers who came to stay with us in London when she played at Wimbledon. Chani up to her retirement about two years ago was South Africa’s #1 ladies’ tennis player.
Piet and his wife Nicci have always had multiple Yorkies who are all appear in family photos
and even in a big original painting of the family.
My wife Antoinette and I love Yorkies but could not have any pets for a period of 15 years
whilst we stayed in the UK, the Middle East and some residential estates in South Africa.
However, as soon as we moved to Dullstroom, we got Miss Button (her name comes from “Cute as a button”). The thing about Button is that she has this attitude: 'What do you mean I am not human? You keep on calling me Baby!'
Piet being a vet and Yorkie owner told me there are certain things you need to know before adopting a Yorkie:
- You will never eat alone gain.
- Your bed is not your own anymore.
- Your sofa is not your own anymore.
- All your stand-up cushions will be indented at the top.
Just to let future Yorkie owners know, it’s all true….
The Underwriter
Vets'Own is underwritten and administered by GENRIC Insurance Company ("GENRIC"), an authorised financial service provider, FSP Number 43638, with company registration number 2005/037828/06 and is located at Building 3, Midrand Business Park, 563 Old Pretoria Main Road, Midrand, South Africa. Telephone:+27(0)86 144 4462 : Fax: +27 (0) 86 685 0357 : e-mail: [email protected]