Thank you for entrusting the care of your pet(s) to Linkswood Veterinary Centre. Detailed below are our Terms & Conditions. Some aspects of the terms may not be relevant to you. Please ask for further explanation or clarification if required.
Registration.
It is essential for us to maintain accurate records of our clients and patients. To do this, we will periodically ask you to confirm the details that we hold for you. If your details change, please inform us so that we can ensure our database is as up to date as possible. By registering as a client, Linkswood Veterinary Centre has permission to contact your previous vet (s) for any relevant clinical history.
Costs.
All fees, food, reception sales and drugs are subject to VAT. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case, and according to the drugs, materials, consumables, and diets used. You will receive a detailed invoice for every consultation, surgical procedure and transaction with us. All prices quoted, whether on our price list or in an estimate, are inclusive of the current rate of VAT.
Methods of Payment.
Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet and upon collection of drugs, diets and reception sales. You may settle the account using cash or credit card/debit card; MasterCard, Visa, Delta or Switch. We are unable to accept cheques.
If you do not pay your invoice when it becomes due, we shall take such action as we consider appropriate to recover our fees, which may include engaging third party debt collection agencies and/or instigating proceedings against you in the county court. In such cases, any costs levied by the debt collection agency will be added on to the outstanding balance owed by you and/or we will seek to recover any legal expenses from you. Please note that the use of debt collection agencies and the county court could affect your future credit rating.
We shall be entitled to suspend the provision of any further goods and/or services until you have paid any outstanding sums in full. Where we consider it appropriate to do so we may require payment on account before goods and/or services are provided.
Inability to pay.
If, for any reason, you are unable to settle your account as specified, we ask you to discuss the matter as soon as possible with one of our vets. Instalments or part payments of any account may only be sanctioned with the express permission of a vet. If you are unable to pay for veterinary services we are only obliged to fulfil our minimum legal responsibilities and professional obligations in resort to your pet.
Return of unused drugs.
We are happy to accept unused medications back into the practice for disposal only. However, as drugs which have left the premises are no longer fit for resale, no refund can be given. Drugs purchased from any other supplier will not be accepted for disposal.
Prescriptions.
Written prescriptions are available from this practice. You will be advised of the prescription charge when you contact the practice. Prescription charges are applied only when you request a prescription from us but go elsewhere to have the prescription filled. Animals requiring repeat prescriptions for ongoing medications will need to be re-assessed periodically by the veterinary surgeon dealing with the case. The re-examination interval will vary between clinical cases to a maximum of 6 months. Please give us 48 hours’ notice for any requests for a repeat or written prescription. There is a charge for a re-examination, details of which will be provided on enquiry.
Pet Health Insurance.
Linkswood Veterinary Centre strongly supports the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accident. If you are concerned that your insurance company will not cover the costs, then with many companies we can submit a pre-authorisation prior to the treatment being carried out (if treatment is not very time sensitive) which will give indication as to if the insurance company are likely to pay.
Estimates of Treatment Costs.
We endeavour to always provide you with an accurate estimate of the treatment your pet(s) requires. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate. Often a pet’s illness will not follow a conventional course and unforeseen expense may occur – we will endeavour to inform you of any additional costs at our earliest opportunity, depending on your pet’s safety.
Out of Hours Service.
We are temporarily signed up with Vets Now, Witham until we can run our own Out of Hours. You can ring our number (01787 389248) and you will be diverted to their out of hours service if we are shut.
They are located at: Vets Now – Witham
Spring Lodge Farm, Powers Hall End, WITHAM, CM8 2HG
01376 619435
Home visits.
Home visits are available at an extra charge and if booked in advance. In most cases your pet will receive better treatment if it is bought into the practice where we have the facilities and staff necessary to treat them. In an emergency it is usually in the best interests of your pet to be seen at a surgery where facilities and a full range of drugs are available. It is not normally possible to carry out home visits outside normal working hours.
We are temporarily signed up with Vets Now, Witham until we can run our own Out of Hours. You can ring our number (01787 389248) and you will be diverted to their out of hours service if we are shut.
Consent.
Written signed consent for procedures is required in all cases of admission to the hospital and any alterations will be agreed prior to action being taken. Consent is also required for the use of medications in species for which they were not licensed e.g., Rabbits and rodents. In this case a consent form will be provided to allow this to be done without asking for specific permission in each separate case. These drugs are used under the “cascade” where there is no licensed appropriate drug for the species being treated. We must then use drugs which have a proven activity and efficiency despite this lack of licence. Consent is also required if your pet is hospitalised into our care out of hours. If a situation changes and further or different procedures are required whilst your pet is in our care, we may obtain verbal consent over the phone which will then be documented on your pets clinical record rather than asking you to return to sign an updated form.
Complaints.
Linkswood Veterinary Centre is committed to providing an exceptional standard of service and care. We realise, however, that things can go wrong and there may be occasions when you feel your expectations are not met. We hope that if this is the case you would give the surgery the chance to put it right. Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way, and you wish to make a formal complaint, we would like you to let us know in writing. An acknowledgment letter will be sent to you once your formal complaint has been received.
Cancellations.
If you need to cancel or rearrange your appointment, then please give as much notice as possible. We understand sometimes it is unavoidable. If you consistently cancel or fail to attend appointments at short notice (less than 24h) then we reserve the right to ask for payment of any future booked appointments at the time of booking, which will be non-refundable if the appointment is then cancelled again.