General terms (applying to the provision of all goods and services)

Estimates

Estimates are provided verbally either at the time of booking the appointment or during the consultation itself. Written estimates are available on request. All estimates given are only approximate, and the final fee could be higher or lower than this estimate depending on complications during treatment and patient response to treatment. We will endeavour to contact you as soon as we have reason to believe that the costs could be significantly higher than the estimate.

 

Fees

All fees for services and prices for goods (including food, accessories, and drugs) are subject to VAT at the applicable rate. Prices for goods are as marked or notified at the point of purchase. A full fee breakdown will appear on your invoice.

Fees for services include our professional fees in respect of the veterinary services provided along with the cost of any drugs, materials or consumables used in the provision of the services. Professional fees vary according to the time spent on a case, and the level of expertise required of the staff looking after your animal.

 

Payments

Please refer to the specific terms regarding payment for small animal and large animal and commercial work below.

We will invoice you, partially or in full, at any time following the provision of services and/or drugs, materials or consumables used in the provision of the services.

You must pay all invoices in full without deduction or set-off, in cleared funds on the date it falls due.

Where the above payment terms are adhered to on a continual basis, we may, at our discretion, offer our farming customers a 5% discount on all drugs purchased. Additionally, we may offer a 5% discount in respect of all costs associated with the veterinary care of pets owned by senior citizens.

Time of payment is of the essence.

If you become unable to pay your account according to these T&Cs, this must be discussed with the veterinary practice as soon as possible.

In the absence of any other arrangement agreed with the veterinary surgeon, accounts not settled within our standard terms will be subject to a late payment interest charge of 7% above the Bank of England base rate accruing from the date payment should have been received until final settlement.

If you do not pay your invoice when it falls due we shall take such action as we consider appropriate to recover our fees which may include engaging third party debt collection agencies to recover the outstanding fees 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.

 

Prescriptions

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 will need to be re-assessed periodically by the veterinary surgeon dealing with the case. The re-examination interval will vary between clinical cases. 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.

Please note that we cannot accept the return of any prescription drugs as such items cannot be resold. If you wish us to safely dispose of any unwanted medication we can do so.

 

Client records

Client and clinical records, and other such similar documents (including, but not limited to, digital imaging results), are and shall remain the property of Drumrainey Ltd. Copies of clinical records may be passed to another veterinary surgeon on request should you move surgeries.

We never discuss or sell confidential records to any third party other than if you move surgeries or are referred to another veterinary surgeon.

 

Limitation of Liability

Our liability in respect of all and any claims, damages or losses arising in respect of the goods and/or services provided by us or arising in connection with any attendance at our practice or attendance at any property by one of our vets shall be limited in accordance with our insurance cover.

We will not be liable for consequential, indirect, or special losses; or loss of profit or revenue; loss or damage to equipment; and/or loss of use.

 

 

Data protection

When you register your animal with our practice or request that we provide veterinary services we will collect personal data about you and, where relevant, your employees and/or agents. We will only collect data that we need to perform the services, take payment or contact you such as names, contact details and possibly some financial details. Please note that we may pass your details to debt collection agencies or our legal advisers for the purpose of recovering unpaid fees if you do not pay invoices when they fall due. For further information about your rights as a data subject, plus information about the categories of data we process, data transfers, the legal basis for our processing, and the purposes of processing, please refer to our privacy notice.

 

Complaints

We pride ourselves on offering a quality service, and take customer complaints seriously. Should we not meet your expectations on any aspect of our service, please let us know at the time where possible.

Alternatively, should you wish to raise a formal complaint, we ask that you contact Liam Young in person, by telephone or in writing within three months of the complaint event.

 

Additional terms applying for small animal work only

Payment

Subject to any alternative agreement by us, you must pay for all goods (including drugs) at the point of purchase. You must pay for all services as they are received.

You will be advised exactly when payments are due depending upon the nature of the services that we provide to you but you should expect to make payments at the end of each consultation and upon the discharge of your pet from our care. In the event that your pet is hospitalised we may require part payment in advance of any period of hospitalisation and/or stage payments for longer periods of hospitalisation. If your pet is hospitalised we will try to phone you each day to discuss the progress of your animal and the fees incurred once the veterinary surgeon has completed their morning rounds.

Payment is accepted by cash, debit/ credit card, or BACS transfer. Please note that if a pet is registered with our practice we will assume that any person other than the registered pet owner who may bring the pet in for treatment is duly authorised by the registered pet owner to seek treatment for the pet and to incur costs for which the registered pet owner will be liable. Where a pet is not registered with our practice we will assume that the individual requesting treatment accepts liability for all costs incurred.

 

Insurance

We strongly support the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accidents.  Our policy is that you will pay the total bill and thereafter, seek to recover the costs directly from your insurer.

 

 

Home visits

In most cases your pet will receive better treatment if it is brought into the surgery where we have the equipment, facilities and staff necessary to treat them. However, there are some cases when it may be preferable to provide treatment at your home. We endeavour to come out to your home at your convenience but we ask that you call the surgery in the morning so we can arrange this around other duties. There is an additional charge for a home visit. You will be provided with an estimate of fees when calling to book a visit.

Should you have any queries regarding any aspect of these terms of business please do not hesitate to ask us for further clarification.