Thank you for entrusting the care of your pet to Honddu Veterinary Practice Ltd. Detailed below are our Terms and Conditions. Please note that some aspects of the terms may not be relevant to you, and we suggest that you ask for further clarification from us if required.
Conditions of Registration
By registering you agree to the Terms and Conditions of business.
For clients transferring from another veterinary practice, we will require a full clinical history. It is a condition of registration that you consent to a financial reference being provided from previous veterinary practices, and consent to the disclosure of this information. Unsatisfactory references may result in your registration being declined or cancelled. Please ensure you allow enough time for your history to be obtained before making an appointment.
Veterinary Care
Honddu Veterinary Practice will endeavour to provide veterinary services in accordance with reasonable standards denoted in the RCVS guidelines for practice standards and the professional conduct of veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses. Guidelines are available at www.rcvs.org.uk.
Please note veterinary care may be withheld from clients who appear aggressive and abusive to staff members.
Fees
There is no National Health Service for pets, and Honddu Veterinary Practice Ltd relies on fee income to invest in the best possible standard of facilities, equipment, and staff to the benefit of our patients and clients.
All professional fees, accessories, and medicine charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time and skill level required for a case as well as medicines, materials, laboratory test, consumables, and diets used. Itemised fee breakdowns are always available for every treatment. You are liable for any fees incurred in the diagnosis and treatment for your pet even if your pet is brought to us on your behalf by a relative, friend or agent.
Methods of payment
Invoices are due for settlement at the end of each consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of medicines and other pet requisites. You may settle your account using:
- Cash
- Cheque
- Credit /Debit card
- BACS Account number 22870768
Sort code 306359
Estimates of Treatment Costs
We will provide written estimates as to the probable costs of a course of treatment. Estimates are valid for 30 days. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate – often a pet’s illness will not follow a conventional course. We will try to contact you on the contact numbers you have given us if we believe the treatment costs are going to exceed the estimated costs, however, if you are not contactable we will treat your pet as necessary for the prevention of pain and or suffering.
Settlement terms
All accounts should be settled in full at the end of each consultation, on the discharge of your pet, or on collection of food, medication, or accessories.
Should credit terms be allowed, you will be allocated an account limit and will be invoiced for work up to this limit. If the work carried out exceeds the account limit, payment will be required upon request. Payment is due strictly 60 days from the date of invoice. All invoices not paid within this period will be charged interest at 2% per calendar month.
Any cheque returned by our bank as unpaid, any card payment not honoured, and any cash tendered that is found to be counterfeit will result in the original account being restored to the original sum with further charges added in respect of bank charges and administration costs.
If payment terms are not adhered to, we reserve the right to withdraw the credit terms offered and to withhold routine treatments, goods and services until full payment is received.
After due notice to you the client, overdue accounts will be referred to our debt collection service and further charges will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt. (These include but are not limited to, the production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court, phone calls, home visits etc.)
All missed appointments will be charged for unless reasonable notice of cancellation is given. It is at the sole discretion of Honddu Veterinary Practice Ltd not to charge for a missed appointment.
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 a member of staff. Please note that instalment payments or part-payment of any account may only be sanctioned with the express permission of the directors after appropriate checks have been made and you will need to sign an acknowledgment of debt. The granting of permission for instalment payments rather than full payment at the time of treatment is at Honddu Veterinary Practice Ltd.’s absolute discretion.
Out of Hours policy
Should your animal require Veterinary attention outside of surgery hours, we provide 24hr Emergency Veterinary cover. Please telephone the usual phone number – 01874 611811.
No staff are resident at the practice overnight, however any hospitalised patients, will be monitored by the Out of Hours team as often as is considered appropriate for their condition.
Home Visits to Pets
Whilst we routinely provide visits to our farm and horse clients, the best facilities for the treatment of your pet are in the Veterinary Surgery. We recommend that on most occasions you bring your pet to the surgery for examination and treatment. However, there are occasional circumstances when home attendance may be more appropriate. Please call us to discuss this if you think this is the case. If you require a home visit, we appreciate as much notice as possible to help us accommodate your request. Visiting pets at home takes much longer than at surgery. We respectfully advise that home visits are more costly for this reason.
Referral and Specialist Services
Specialist veterinary care is now available at several referral veterinary practices. If such care is appropriate for your animal we will recommend and discuss the costs/benefits of referring your animal or involving a specialist in their care. Fees incurred at referral practice remain entirely the responsibility of the owner.
Prescription Policy
We can only provide prescription medications for animals under our care. This means that the Veterinary Surgeon is required to examine your animal before dispensing medication or at suitable intervals if your pet is on long-term medication. The frequency of repeat medication reviews is at the discretion of the veterinary surgeon. A consultation charge will be payable for these checks which must be carried out at least every 6 months.
Return of Unused Drugs
We are happy to accept unused medications back into the practice for disposal only. However, as medications which have left the premises are no longer fit for resale, no refund can be given. Medications purchased from any other supplier will not be accepted for disposal.
Insurance
Honddu Veterinary Practice Ltd supports the principle of insuring your animals against unexpected illness or accidents. But any contract of insurance is between you and your insurer. Please ensure that you refer to the terms and conditions of your insurance policy.
Please be aware that Practice policy is for you to settle your account in full at the time of treatment and to reclaim any fees from your insurance company.
Complaints
Honddu Veterinary Practice Ltd is committed to providing an exceptional standard of service and care. We hope that you never feel the need to complain about the standards of service you receive. However, if you feel there is something you wish to comment or complain about please do contact us or refer to our Complaints Policy for further information (available at www.hondduvets.co.uk).
General
Honddu Veterinary Practice Ltd may contact you either by letter, phone, text, or electronic means in order to advise you of outstanding account, reminders of your pet’s preventative healthcare treatments and any marketing offers that might be of benefit to you or your pet. Please inform us if you wish no contact to be made. However, please be aware that this will remove the ability of the Practice to send vaccination reminders.
Reminders are provided as a complimentary service to our clients. Honddu Veterinary Practice Ltd accepts no liability for any loss, damages or costs which may result from the failure of a client to receive any reminder.
No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by a director. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with Honddu Veterinary Practice Ltd has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in any way.