Terms & Conditions

Thank you

Thank you for entrusting the care of your animals to The Pet Vet (UK Veterinary Services) Ltd. Some of the terms detailed may not be relevant to you and we request that you ask for further explanation or clarification if required.

General

By accepting our services or purchase of goods, you the client contractually agree to the Terms of Business as laid out below.

Fees

All fees, diets and drug charges are subject to VAT. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case, consumables, materials, resources and diets.

We will usually give an estimate of the price of any treatment before we carry it out. Please be aware that this is only an estimate and may be exceeded, as an animal’s illness may not always follow a predictable course. We will endeavour to contact you should the treatment costs rise above 20% of the estimated amount. If this is not possible and to delay treatment would jeopardise the animal’s care we will continue treatment.

Payment methods

We accept the following methods of payment: cash, credit/debit cards, cheque and bank transfers (Corporate businesses only).

Client referencing

We reserve the right to reference any new or existing client’s credit worthiness. This will include credit referencing agencies, CCJs and payment histories with other veterinary practices. Clients that are required to be involved via a limited company may be required to provide a guarantor.We reserve the right to request additional identification from any client to confirm the client’s accurate details eg full postal address.

Settlement terms (Corporate businesses only)

Payment is due in full 21 days from the month end of the invoice date. If the bill remains unpaid 7 days after the due date we will send out a reminder letter. Bills that remain unpaid for a further 7 days will incur an administration fee of £25 and a further reminder letter will be sent. If the bill remains unpaid after a further 7 days a final reminder letter will be sent. After a further 7 days if the invoice is not paid it will be referred to our debt collection agency, whereupon additional charges of £75 will be levied onto the outstanding bill. Ultimately court action may be sanctioned to collect outstanding fees.

Persistent refusal to pay bills will result in a written request to seek veterinary treatment elsewhere because The Pet Vet (UK Veterinary Services) Ltd will no longer consider the bad debtor a client of the practice.

Ownership of records and radiographs

Clinical notes and radiographs are owned by The Pet Vet. Upon request we can send copies of clinical histories and radiographs to referral practices and to any new practice with which the client chooses to register.

Repeat prescriptions

We request that you give us 24 hours notice for any repeat prescription. We are only able to prescribe medicines for patients that are deemed to be under our care. Depending on the clinical condition, this means that we must have examined your animal within the past six months.

Prescription dispensing

Once your pet’s prescription has been dispensed, we are unable to accept any returned medication.

Complaints procedure

In the event of a complaint please discuss the matter initially with the Customer Experience Manager at your surgery. If this proves unsatisfactory, please put the complaint in writing and send to feedback@thepetvet.co.uk for the attention of the Group Practice Manager.

Animal insurance

It is practice policy to encourage all our clients to consider adequate insurance for their animals. We do not sell insurance and cannot advise you on the merits of specific policies. Clients are reminded that animal insurance is a contract between you and the insurance company. If you are insured we reserve the right to insist on payment from you while you make a claim. While we will provide all accurate information required in expediting any claim we cannot and will not negotiate with any insurance company on your behalf. If an insurance claim is unsuccessful the individual client will be expected to pay any costs associated with the care of their animal.

Out of hours

Our customers and patients receive 24 hour service, including in-house overnight hospitalisation. For emergency cases out of hours, please telephone your local The Pet Vet surgery.

Data protection

We promise to only use clients’ details for the purpose of our business. We will not intentionally pass any details onto any third parties, unless detailed below, without your permission. We may, from time to time, contact you with veterinary information or special offers which may be relevant to you. We will aim to maintain your details correctly. You the client must inform us of your correct current details to allow us to provide services to you and collect any fees due. This includes: name, address, email and other contact details, animal’s details, plus details of anyone involved

Pet Health Plan

If the Pet Health Plan is cancelled, the treatment received will be offset against the amount paid to date, which may incur additional charges.

Vetsure’s Ts & Cs can be viewed here: Vetsure
At The Pet Vet, our additional Terms & Conditions are:

On sign up, 1 month of flea and worm treatment may be taken immediately.
On sign up, a second vaccination or booster vaccination can be offered immediately, at a discount of 50%.
If a primary course of vaccination is required, 50% of the full course vaccination fee is applicable.
For administration purposes, other products and services can be used from 2 weeks after registration.
10% discount as part of the Pet Health Plan benefits cannot be used in conjunction with other ongoing discounts (e.g over 60s and blue light) but it may be used in conjunction with seasonal offers and promotions.
Your Pet Health Plan benefits are not valid at clinics other than our own.
If your Pet Health Plan is cancelled within the first 12 months, the treatment received will be offset against the amount paid to date. This may incur additional charges.

Zero Tolerance Policy

At The Pet Vet we value our colleagues and feel it is important that customers behave in an acceptable manner towards them. We operate a zero tolerance policy to violence, abuse and demanding behaviour. The surgeries will not tolerate unacceptable behaviour such as customers shouting, swearing and being demanding towards our colleagues; any aggression, bullying or racism. Customers will be given a warning should any colleagues experience such incidents. The surgery has the right to remove abusive customers with immediate effect in order to safeguard colleagues, other customers and pets. We determine violence as actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In these circumstances we will notify the client in writing of their removal from the surgery and record it in the customer’s records stating why they have been removed.

Offers and discounts

Where The Pet Vet has an offer or discount available such as 10% off for Over 60s, BlueLight Card Members and Armed Forces, these individual offers may not be used in conjunction with any other offer or promotion.

Social giveaway

The T&Cs for our 2023 Christmas social giveaway can be viewed here.