END COTTAGE VETERINARY CLINIC
TERMS & CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS
Thank you for entrusting the care of your pet to End Cottage Veterinary Clinic.
This document details our Practice Terms and Conditions. By accepting our services and / or purchase of goods you are contractually agreeing to WSHPM Ltd T/A End Cottage Veterinary Clinic Terms of Business as printed below.
FEES
All fees, consumables and drug charges are subject to VAT at the current rate.
Professional fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case and according to the drugs, resources, materials and consumables used. Details are available on request and an invoice with a breakdown of fees is generated and issued.
We can provide an estimate of the costs (this is not a quotation) of treatment. This figure will be an approximate as variations and complications may result in additional costs being incurred.
Out of hours fees are charged when a Veterinary Surgeon is asked to attend to your animal(s) outside of our normal surgery hours.
Normal Surgery Hours are:
Monday – Friday 8.30 am – 18.30 pm.
Saturday 8.30 am – 12.00 noon.
There may be occasions when we incur costs on your behalf, such as diagnostic tests carried out at specialist laboratories. These charges will be added to the cost of treatment.
In giving instructions, either in person or by your agent, you will be responsible for our charges.
SETTLEMENT TERMS
Payment is due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of drugs /goods.
Accounts outstanding after 21 days will receive a reminder and administrative costs may be added.
After due notice to you the client, overdue accounts will be referred to a debt recovery agent or the Small Claims Court. Any costs incurred by this action will be passed to you.
Any cheque received from you in payment for our services which is returned unpaid, any credit / debit card payment not honoured and any cash tendered that is found to be counterfeit will result in your account being restored to the original balance together with any fees incurred in the process.
Failure to comply with our settlement terms may result in the suspension of credit facilities on your account which means that you will be required to pre pay for treatment or the withdrawal of our services.
METHODS OF PAYMENT
We accept Cash, Debit Card, Credit Card, Cheques or Bank Transfer. We can provide banking details for you to allow you to make electronic payments through internet banking.
DISPUTES
Any dispute with the service provided must be put in writing to the Practice Manager within 5 days of receiving the invoice. Where a dispute is not proven and as a result payment is late, then the overdue accounts procedure will come into effect.
COMPLAINTS AND STANDARDS
We hope and endeavour to ensure that you never feel the need to complain about the standard of service received from End Cottage Veterinary Clinic.
However, if you feel there is something you wish to complain about, please direct your comments in the first instance to our Practice Manager.
MEDICATIONS AND PRESCRIPTIONS
Prescriptions are available from this Practice. There will be a charge for of £15.00 (incl VAT) for a written prescription, this fee will include the first item. Additional items will be charged at £4.20 (incl VAT) each.
We can only prescribe medications for animals that are registered with our Practice and have been treated or inspected by one of End Cottage Veterinary Clinics Veterinary Surgeons. In accordance with current RCVS regulations we cannot prescribe medications to animals not in our care.
The general policy of this practice is to re-assess animals requiring repeat medication / prescriptions at least every 6 months, or more frequently depending on current legislation and individual circumstances. There will be a charge of £17.10 (incl VAT) for this consultation.
We ask that 24 hours notice be given before collection when ordering prescriptions.
All drugs must be approved by one of our Veterinary Surgeons and in some cases drugs may have to be ordered from an external supplier, so please allow time for any such delay when placing an order.
Should the Practice order specific medication for your pet, you will be liable for costs incurred once we are in receipt of the drugs.
TREATMENT
Subject to our professional duties as Veterinary Surgeons, we reserve the right to make final decisions on treatment.
We retain the responsibility for radiographs, ultrasound images and animal history, but at your request these can be forwarded to another Veterinary Practice.
By registering as a client of End Cottage Veterinary Clinic you will be required to give us permission to contact your previous vet(s) to obtain your pets previous medical history.
OVERNIGHT CARE OF PATIENTS
Patients that are hospitalised overnight and at weekends will be checked and monitored according to their condition on an individual basis. 24 hour supervision is not routinely provided.
INSURANCE
It is the clients responsibility to submit correctly completed claim forms to the Practice.
Accounts must be settled at the time of treatment and any fees reclaimed from your insurance company.
We are unable to liaise or negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf but we are happy to answer any veterinary queries related to your claim. Please be aware that your Insurance Company will request full clinical history from us.
End Cottage Veterinary Clinic accepts no liability if your claim should be rejected either in part or in full
It is the clients responsibility to pay any excess or exclusions that may be set within the terms of your insurance policy.
DATA PROTECTION
End Cottage Veterinary Clinic acknowledges that for the purpose of the provision of veterinary services and for the purpose of the existence of professional relationships, data from data subjects must be collected, used and stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the current EU Legislation update; GDPR 2018.
A full copy of the End Cottage Veterinary Clinic Privacy Statement is available; please forward your request to [email protected]
If you wish to raise concern regarding the collection, use or storage of your data please submit your query in writing to the Practice Manager, End Cottage Veterinary Clinic, Boothferry Road, Howden, DN14 7TA
VARIATION IN TERMS
No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the Practice unless specifically agreed in writing by End Cottage Veterinary Clinic. Additionally no agent or person employed by or under contract with the Practice has the authority to alter or vary these terms and conditions in any way without the prior consent of the Directors.
Terms and Conditions may be revised from time to time and will be posted on our website.
