Bicester Vets Terms and Conditions of Business
OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU
Thank you for entrusting the care and attention of your pet to Bicester Vets. We will endeavour, at all times, to provide you with a very high standard of veterinary treatment and care. Our focus is the health and wellbeing of your pets as well as the wishes of you as the owner.
ESTIMATES OF TREATMENT COSTS
We will happily provide an estimate of costs for treatment; however, this can only be a guide, as often a pet’s illness will not follow a conventional course. We will endeavour to keep you informed of costs along the way especially when it seems likely that an estimate may be exceeded.
FEES AND PAYMENT
All fees, diets and drug charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case plus the drugs, materials and consumables used. Details of our fees are available on request. Fees are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet from hospital or upon collection of prescriptions or diets. You may settle the account using cash, cheque or credit/debit cards. A detailed printed receipt is available on request. Please retain all receipts.
SETTLEMENT TERMS
If for any reason settlement has not been made at the time of treatment a statement will be issued. Should this statement not be paid then administration fees of £60 will be added.
INABILITY TO PAY
If for any reason you are unable to settle your account in full, we ask you to discuss the matter with a member of staff as soon as possible.
DEBT RECOVERY CHARGES
In the event of non-payment of the outstanding bill in its entirety within the required period, further administrative and debt recovery charges may be applied to your account and referral to a debt recovery agency can take place forthwith. Please note that upon referral to a debt recovery agency of our choice, you will incur additional fees. You agree to reimburse us of all debt recovery charges we incur in the pursuit of recovering the debt due to the additional correspondence, phone calls, reports, administration costs and other debt recovery actions. You contractually agree to pay these additional debt recovery sums and any interest charged as a result of your non-payment under the agreed terms.
If the debt remains in arrears 30 days after referral to the debt recovery agency, we reserve the right to commence legal proceedings. You agree that you will be liable for any additional debt recovery costs thereafter as well as legal costs. You agree to be liable for our legal costs on an indemnity basis in addition to the principal sum and interest.
We reserve the right to issue notice that no further veterinary services and/or products will be supplied to you.
Any cheque returned to us unpaid or credit card not honoured will result in the original account being reinstated with further charges added to cover bank charges and administrative costs.
PET HEALTH INSURANCE
Bicester Vets strongly supports the principle of insuring your pet against any unexpected
accident or illness. Please ask for details about insurance from one of our receptionists. We are happy to submit direct claims with many insurance companies but this is at our discretion. Direct claims will only be done for claims over £300 and will incur a £15 administrative charge for each direct claim submitted. You will need to pay for any fixed and percentage excess as well as unclaimable items at the time of treatment. Please be aware that any outstanding amount remains your responsibility should the insurance company not cover the cost completely. We do not do any direct claims for dental work.
COMPLAINTS
We hope that you never have recourse to complain about the standards of service received from Bicester Vets. However, if you do, we would gratefully receive your letter addressed to The Directors and will endeavour to reply and investigate complaints promptly.
FEEDBACK
We are always pleased to receive feedback whether it is good or bad. Please feel free to give us your thoughts so that we at Bicester Vets can continue to improve our service. We have a comment box in reception and welcome your thoughts.
OWNERSHIP OF RECORDS
Case records including radiographs and similar documents are the property of, and will be retained by, Bicester Vets. Copies will only be passed on to another veterinary surgeon taking over the case with your prior consent.
DISPENSING OF MEDICINES
Prescriptions are available from this practice. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V (POM Vs) from your veterinary surgeon or ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or a pharmacy. Your veterinary surgeon may only prescribe POM Vs following a clinical assessment of an animal under his or her care. A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or immediate treatment is necessary. The general policy of this practice is to re-assess any animal requiring repeat prescriptions every 3-6 months, but this will vary with individual circumstances. There is a standard charge for this re-examination as outlined in our prices sheet. Please ask if you require further clarification of this point as each individual situation is different. Animals requiring Prescription anti- parasite medications will need to have been seen within the last 12 months.
No addition or variation of these Conditions will bind the Practice unless specifically agreed in writing and signed by one of the Directors. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with the Practice has the authority to alter or vary these Conditions in any way.