|
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS
FEES
All fees and charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case and by the drugs, materials, consumables and foods used. You will receive a detailed invoice for every consultation, surgical procedure or other transaction with us on request.
METHODS OF PAYMENT
Payment is due at the end of the consultation, or on the discharge of your pet, and upon collection of drugs/food. You may pay using CASH, CHEQUE, and all major CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS. Please note we DO NOT accept AMERICAN EXPRESS.
ESTIMATES OF TREATMENT COSTS
We will happily provide an estimate of the probable costs of a course of treatment. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate – often a pet’s illness will not follow a conventional course.
SETTLEMENT TERMS
If you have not paid within 14 days, then a reminder will be sent to you. If you fail to pay, you will be told that we are about to refer you to our Debt Collection Agency. Once you have been referred further charges will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt; such as production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court, phone calls, home visits, etc. In cases where a cheque is returned by our bank as unpaid, or any Credit Card payment is not honoured, or any Cash tendered is found to be counterfeit, you will still owe us the original sum and further charges will be added in respect of bank charges and administration costs, together with interest on the amount owing.
INABILITY TO PAY
If, for any reason, you are unable to make payment as specified, we ask that you discuss the matter as soon as possible with a member of staff. Please note that any installments or part-payments can only be arranged with the express permission of Mrs Baines (Director).
PET HEALTH INSURANCE
We strongly support the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accidents. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to pay us then reclaim the fees from your Insurance Company.
COMPLAINTS
We hope that you never have cause to complain about the standards of service received from Marshall and Till. However if you feel that there is something you wish to complain about, please write to Mr M Till, Practice Administrator.
OWNERSHIP OF RECORDS
Case records and similar documents are the property of, and will be retained by, Marshall and Till. Copies with a summary of the history will be passed on request to another veterinary surgeon taking over the case.
OWNERSHIP OF RADIOGRAPHS AND SIMILAR RECORDS
The care given to your animal may involve making some specific investigations, for example taking radiographs or performing ultrasound scans. Even though we make a charge for carrying out these investigations and interpreting their results, ownership of the resulting record, for example a radiograph, remains with the practice.
VETERINARY MEDICINAL PRODUCTS
All veterinary surgeons will provide prescriptions on request. You may obtain veterinary medicinal products from us or ask for a prescription. Preparing and providing a prescription is a professional act enshrining a considerable degree of professional responsibility and a fee will be charged .We can prescribe relevant veterinary medicines only following a clinical assessment of an animal under our care. Providing a written prescription may not be appropriate for an in-patient or if immediate treatment is necessary. You will be informed, on request, of the charge we will make for any medicine that we dispense for your animal. The general policy of this practice is to re-assess every animal requiring repeat medication every 3 months, but more frequent examination may sometimes be necessary. There is a charge for this re-assessment.
CARE OF IN-PATIENTS AND OUT OF HOURS EMERGENCY TREATMENT
All in-patients are cared for by our veterinary surgeons. However out of hours emergency treatment is provided by our dedicated emergency provider Vets Now, located in Derby. Phone our normal number and you will be directed to Vets Now, who will provide directions to their premises and details of fees on request.
DATA PROTECTION
Data held by ourselves is only used under lawful basis’s (these are legal obligation (processing is necessary for complying with the law) and legitimate interests (processing is necessary for your legitimate interests)). Personal data held by ourselves is used for contacting you about vaccine reminders, appointments, blood results, maintaining our clinical records and maintaining our accounts and credit control. The only data shared externally is with the laboratory (for the purpose of identification of samples), insurance companies (for the purpose of processing your insurance claim), the crematorium (the identification of individual ashes) and referrals centres (for the purposes of referring your animals). Without the data we hold we would be unable to provide an acceptable level of care to fulfil our legal obligations. If you change practices we will continue to hold this data for the potential lifetime of your animal.
No variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by the company director. No other person has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in any way.
23/05/2018
|
