puppy looking curious

Vets4Pets Cardiff Ely Terms & Conditions

Terms and conditions

We like to take this opportunity to thank you for entrusting the care and attention of your pet/pets to Vets4Pets Cardiff. Below you will see the full details of our practice Terms and Conditions and by registering your pet/pets with our practice you agree that you have read and understood our conditions of business and agree to be bound by them. If you require any clarification regarding any of the following terms then please do ask a member of our team.

Payment terms

Here at Vets4Pets Cardiff, we require everyone to pay on the day of treatment. We may require payment before the treatment has been carried out for operations and hospitalisation. Should an account not be settled a reminder will be sent, however, should it be necessary for further reminders to be sent there will be administration charges incurred. After due notice, any unpaid accounts will be referred to our debt collection agency and further administration charges such as the production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court, and phone calls will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt. While it is our policy to co-operate with our clients whenever possible, if payment is not made in accordance with our terms and conditions then debts will be escalated for further action which may result in the referral to the County Court to issue proceedings.

Pet insurance terms

We fully support insuring your pet against illnesses and accidents. We may accept direct claims with insurers if we are able to obtain a pre-authorisation first. It is the client's responsibility to pay any excess that may be set according to your policy and to have knowledge of any condition exclusions. Any agreements made of a direct claim do not transfer liability of fees incurred over to the practice. If at any point the insurers refuse payments of direct claims, the owner will be fully liable for all costs incurred during treatment. As insurance policies are a private agreement between the owner and insurer, our practice cannot be involved in disputes over non-payment or deductions of insurance claims. Our practice will allow up to 30 days from the completion of the claim form to receiving the settlement, if funds are not settled within that time period, the owner may be required to settle the outstanding fees in full.

Vaccination reminders

Whilst the practice will endeavour to send booster reminders to clients, it remains the client's responsibility to present their pet for vaccination and health checks at the appropriate time. If the pet/pet’s vaccinations are overdue the client is liable to pay for restart vaccinations.

Estimation of treatment costs

Where possible we will provide a written estimate for the potential costs of a course of treatment or surgical procedure. Any estimate that is given can only be approximate and additional costs which cannot be predicted at the start may occur as the treatment and diagnosis progress. We will make every effort to discuss any such additional costs wherever possible. Any estimates that are provided are valid for one month and as they are estimates only, they may not reflect the final costs incurred.

Charges

All fees, medication and diet charges are available on request and are subject to VAT at the current rate. All fees are determined by the time spent on each case by our medical professionals and according to any medications, consumables and materials used. If you have any queries, a member of the team will be happy to discuss this with you.

Prescriptions

Prescriptions are available from this practice. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines (POM-V’s) from your veterinary surgeon or you may ask for a written prescription and obtain these medicines from a pharmacy. Our veterinary surgeon will only prescribe POM-V’s for animals under their care. A written prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or if immediate treatment is necessary. You will be informed, on request, of the price of any medicine that may be dispensed to your animal. The charge for a written prescription is currently on display in our reception waiting area and you can also ask one of our team members. The practice requires 24 hour notice period to supply a written prescription and repeat medications. The policy of our practice is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat medications/prescriptions every 6 months. This may vary with the individual circumstances. We may also require blood tests in order to monitor response to certain medications.

Home visits

It is not normally possible to carry out home visits, in an emergency, it is usually in the best interest of your pet/pet's to be seen at our surgery where facilities and a range of medications are available. In the case of a home visit, where an estimate is given, we request a 50% deposit to be settled prior to the commencement of the visit.

Anti-parasitic treatment

Our surgery strongly advises the regular use of anti-parasitic treatments, a majority of these treatments are POM-V’s (prescription) and legally we are only able to supply these treatments to an animal that has had a medical examination with a veterinary surgeon within the last 12 months.

Complaints and Standards

We pride ourselves on offering the best experience possible, however despite our best efforts to achieve the highest possible standards, you may feel disappointed with the service. We welcome feedback so please contact the surgery in the first instance to see if your concern can be resolved quickly and informally, we will not discuss cases or complaints via social media channels to ensure the correct following of GDPR regulations. Our receptionists are trained to handle your call but if you would prefer to speak to the Practice Manager please do let us know, If they are unable to speak with you at the time we will request contact details and the Practice Manager will return your call. Alternatively, you can email or write to the surgery direct using the contact details for the surgery available on our website. An acknowledgement will be sent by return and then a period will elapse while the case is investigated and reports collated from those staff involved. A reply in writing will follow, usually within 14 days although the period may be longer if the Practice Manager/JVP or staff members involved are temporary unavailable or delayed.

We have a ZERO tolerance policy for abusive behaviour towards our team members. The zero-tolerance policy includes aggression or threats made in person, over the telephone or in written communication including on social media channels.

The practice considers threatening behaviour to be:

  • Attempted or actual, aggressive, threatening and physical actions made toward any member of staff.
  • The use of aggressive, threatening or abusive language, (including raising of the voice, swearing and cursing, shouting) which threatens or intimidates staff.

If any of the above behaviour is directed to any members of our team then you will be asked to leave the surgery and written communication will be sent to you revoking our services.

Variations in terms and conditions or business

No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the Practice unless specifically agreed upon in writing by the partners.