Terms & Conditions

Thank you for entrusting the care of your pet to Cedar Vets.

FEES

All fees and costs are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time and skill required, plus consumables used. They also contribute to the costs of running an accredited veterinary practice. Any fee is available upon request. You are liable for any fees incurred in the diagnosis and treatment; even if your pet is brought to us on your behalf by a relative, friend or employee.

METHODS OF PAYMENT

Except in certain circumstances (see below), any work done must be paid for at the time. We accept Cash, Cheques, Credit/Debit-Switch, Mastercard, Visa and Delta and in some cases relevant vouchers that are valid and in date.

ACCOUNTS

In certain instances (e.g. equine clients), and only by prior agreement, account facilities may be offered. New equine clients will be required to pay in advance of treatment for at least the first three visits to their horse/s.

SETTLEMENT TERMS

Accounts should be settled within 30 days. Should there be a delay in settlement of your account, you will be sent two letters requesting your immediate action to settle the account. If the account is still not settled, we reserve the right to refer the account to a debt collection agency.

ESTIMATES OF TREATMENT COSTS

We will be happy to provide an estimate as to the probable costs of a course of treatment. However, any estimate given can only be an approximation as often your pet’s illness will not follow a set course. We will try to alert you on the contact numbers you have given us if we believe the treatment costs are going to exceed the estimate given. If you are not contactable, we will treat your pet as is necessary in its best interests and for the prevention of pain or suffering.

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 instalments or part-payments of any account may only be sanctioned with approval of a Practice Director.

RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP

We encourage responsible pet ownership; this should include regular vaccination, worm and flea control. Microchipping is highly recommended and provides a permanent means of identification for your pet. The practice offers a Healthcare Plan (payable in monthly instalments), that provides discounts on routine flea and worm treatments and initial and annual vaccinations. Please ask for advice on any of these matters.

INSURANCE

This provides peace of mind against unexpected illness/injury or incidents involving third parties. We are no longer permitted to advise you about individual companies, so do take time to check the degree of cover being offered by those available which would be suitable to you. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle our account and then re-claim from your insurance company. Under certain circumstances, we will allow your account to stand until the insurance company pays directly to us. We levy a small fee for completion and processing of each claim.

COMPLAINTS AND STANDARDS

Our standards and procedures are monitored by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, in order to retain the practice status as an accredited General Practice. We are fully committed to providing exceptional service and care; however, there may be occasions when your expectations have not been met. Most problems can be resolved by discussion with the person concerned at the time they arise. Failing this, we request you make a complaint in writing within a month of the incident, addressed to one of the Directors. We will reply to your concerns as soon as is practically possible.

OUT OF HOURS POLICY

Our out of hours service for clients is provided by Vetsnow whose local branch is at our Alresford Surgery. Please see in-practice information for further information.

VETERINARY PRESCRIPTIONS

You may obtain prescription-only medicines, category V (POM-Vs) from us, or ask for a written prescription (for which a charge will be made) and obtain them from another Veterinary Surgeon or Pharmacy. We require 24 hours’ notice to process prescriptions. In order to comply with medicines legislation, we need to have checked your pet within a period no greater than 6 months. We can only prescribe POM-Vs for animals under our care.

TRANSFER OF CLIENT RECORDS

When you register with us as a new client, we will contact your previous veterinary practice (if applicable) to obtain your pet(s) clinical history and ask them to pass this on to Cedar Vets. If you do not want us to request a previous clinical history, please inform us of this fact. Please note, however, if we do not receive your pet(s) clinical history this may affect the level of care that we are able to provide. If you no longer wish your pet(s) to be registered with Cedar Vets, we will provide a copy of your pet(s) clinical history, if requested, by your new Veterinarian. If you do not want us to send a copy of your clinical history with CVG Ltd, please inform us of this fact. Please note we will store your personal information on our practice management system as an inactive client for 10 years.

PROCESSING AND STORAGE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Please see our Client Privacy Notice, which gives details about how we store and use any personal client information.