Terms and Conditions of business – Brelades Ltd
We are pleased that you have entrusted the care of your pet with our practice and we will endeavour to fulfil our commitment to you. However in order to avoid any misunderstandings it is necessary to advise you of our terms and conditions of business.
Fees
All fees, drug charges, diets and other products are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fees are charged according to the nature of the procedure, test and the time taken to carry them out as well as the drugs, consumables and diets used. The fees are provided in a detailed form on invoicing and patient’s records.
Estimates for the cost of treatment
We are happy to provide a written estimate for the cost of treatment on request. Please note that this is an estimate and not a quotation, as the cost of treatment can change depending on what extra medication or treatment your pet may need on the day. Our vets work with your pets’ best interest at heart and no two animals are the same and their welfare and wellbeing is our primary concern. We will endeavour to keep you up to date with costs throughout treatment.
Payment Terms
We accept the following payment methods:
- Cash
- Cheque
- Credit/Debit card – Switch, Solo, Mastercard, Visa and Delta
Please use the invoice reference number if known, and surname/animal name
We reserve the right to allocate payments received against the oldest outstanding invoice unless that invoice is under dispute.
We work on a strict policy of Payment at the time of treatment. This means payment after each visit, and after receiving products such as drugs or diet. If your pet has been hospitalised, then payment is due on collection of your pet. Invoices are offered and available on request showing the break-down of the fees.
Failure to pay
Any outstanding invoices that were not paid at the time, and/or are overdue, will be sent out to you with a request for prompt payment. We will attempt to contact you by various methods, however after due notice, any unsettled accounts will be referred to our External Debt recovery agency, and may incur additional charges including potential court costs. This may affect your credit rating and will likely result in notice of termination of services provided to you by Brelades Veterinary Surgeons. Once your debt has been referred then payment should be made directly to the debt agency.
Inability to pay
If for any reason you have difficulties paying for treatment, please discuss this with us as soon as possible. Any part payments or instalments must be authorised by a member of management, and may only be agreed prior to treatment.
Pet insurance
Brelades Vets recommend pet insurance for pet to cover the cost of illness and injury. Please be aware that if your animal is insured, as the policyholder it is your responsibility to settle our account and reclaim your fees from the insurance company. We make no charge for completing the Vet section of your form and providing the relevant documentation.
Direct insurance claims –
In certain circumstances we may agree to claim our fees back directly from your insurance company. This is subject to having a pre-authorisation form from your insurance company for claims over £500. You will be required to pay any excess amount on your policy at the time of treatment. Brelades Veterinary Surgeons reserve the right to refuse a direct claim at any time.
Ownership of records
Clinical notes and similar are the property of, and are retained by the practice. You may request a copy of your animal’s notes at any time. These shall be passed appropriately, by request, to another Veterinary surgeon treating that animal. In accepting these terms and conditions, you agree that Brelades Vets may share your record information with other clinicians and their organisations when necessary for the treatment of your animals.
Ownership of radiographs and similar records
During your Pet’s treatment, we may have taken radiographs or similar diagnostics such as ultrasound scans. Even though you may have incurred a charge for carrying out and interpreting these, the ownership of the resulting record, for example a radiograph, will remain the property of Brelades veterinary surgeons .
Prescriptions
Prescriptions are available on request from Brelades Veterinary surgeons. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, from the practice, or alternatively request a written prescription to obtain these medicines.
We require patients to be seen within six months for repeat or written prescriptions to be dispensed.
There is currently a charge of £19.00 for each written prescription. All requests require 72 hours notice.
Prescriptions are only authorised to animals under our care.
A regular examinations of your pet is required by regulations set by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. The frequency of examinations depends on the medicine being prescribed. This will be advised by your treating Veterinary Surgeon.
Complaints and standards
Brelades Veterinary Surgeons hope that you never feel the need to complain about our service or standards of care, however at times things don’t always go as you would expect them to. We try hard to achieve as good an outcome as we can with the care of all of our patients and in our communications with you, and consider your pet’s welfare as our upmost priority. If there is any aspect of our work that concerns you or has been left unresolved, then please let us know, so that we can listen, and act on your concerns. It is important for us to receive feedback because it gives us the opportunity to put problems and mistakes right and to quickly learn from them. Most importantly we want you to have confidence in us to do the right thing for your animals when it matters.
You may in the first instance raise a complaint with the member of staff directly involved if appropriate. We hope that problems can be resolved quickly and easily this way. If, however you would like to make a formal complaint, you can phone, email or write to our Practice manager using the details below:
info@breladesvets.com
Tel: 01306 883086
Practice Manager
Brelades Veterinary Surgeons
20 Knoll Road
Dorking
Surrey
RH4 3EP
We will endeavour to acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days. After which, we will investigate your concerns with the relevant members of staff if necessary within 10 working days of the receipt of the complaint. We will then be in a position to respond accordingly. We hope we can ascertain what went wrong and why, provide an opportunity to discuss the problem with those concerned if you wish, provide an apology where appropriate, and make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.
Out of hours service
Brelades Veterinary Surgeons operates its own Emergency service as follows
8.00am – 10pm Monday – Friday
9.00am – 6pm weekends and Bank holidays
Outside of these hours Vets Now Guildford provide our out of hours service for our client’s.
Vets Now Guildford : Stockton Close, Woodbridge Rd, Guildford GU1 1HR
Phone : 01483 346 203
They have access to view your pet’s clinical records.
This is in line with requirements by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. You can access this service by telephoning any of our branch numbers, where you will then be given the telephone number for our Duty Vet and our Vets Now telephone number to help deal with your emergency.