VISIT TERMS & CONDITIONS
Terms & Conditions of the £22 Zone visit scheme
- We reserve the right to alter the boundaries of practice zones.
- For our long established Visit Scheme this will only be provided on the zone day allocated to your area. At all other times a flat rate visit charge of £85 (£45 if in Zone A or B) will apply in normal working hours.
- Zone visits must be booked by 5pm on the day preceding your allocated zone day; for a Zone Monday visit this means by 5pm on the preceding Friday.
- Visit times will be allocated on the morning of the visit.
- We reserve the right to refuse a zone visit to any client in breach of our business terms and conditions.
- Please note that a flat rate visit charge of £85 (£45 if in Zone A or B) will apply if you phone in for a visit on the day.
- If you require an emergency visit, outside normal office hours of Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm or at a weekend, an additional Emergency Attendance fee of £175 will apply.
- Weekends and Public Holidays are not included within our Zone Visit Scheme.
- Time and Vet Requests are not included within the Zone Visit Scheme, if you need to have a specific Vet or Time for your appointment a charge of £85.00 (£45 if in Zone A or B) will apply.
- 5 or more horses seen at the same time at the same location you can get a FREE visit on your Zone Day
BUSINESS TERMS & CONDITIONS
Thank you for using our professional services. This details our Practice Terms and Conditions. Some aspects of the Terms may not be relevant to you and we request that you ask for further explanation/clarification if required.
FEES
All fees and drug charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case and according to the drugs, materials and consumables used. Our written fee list is available on request. You will receive a detailed fee note for every consultation, surgical procedure or transaction with us.
METHODS OF PAYMENT
Accounts are due for settlement within 30 days from date of original invoice. You may settle the account using: CASH or CHEQUE with current Banker card CREDIT/DEBIT CARD – Switch, Solo, MasterCard, Visa, Delta
DIRECT PAYMENTS CAN BE MADE INTO THE PRACTICE ACCOUNT;
NATWEST SORT CODE 60-60-05
A/C NUMBER 55236685.
Please quote your name and reference number as shown in the bottom left hand corner of your invoice above our company number.
ESTIMATES OF TREATMENT COSTS
We will happily provide a written estimate as to the probable costs of a course of treatment. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate – often veterinary treatment will not follow a conventional course.
EXAMINATION/CONSULTATION COSTS
We are occasionally asked to elaborate on what constitutes an Examination or Consultation. Whilst this often incorporates an examination of a horse or pony it also includes a vet responding to questions or giving advice or information; in doing so, whether it be an examination or a consultation, they are relying on their veterinary knowledge, expertise and experience for which a charge is made.
SETTLEMENT TERMS
Should an account not be settled within 30 days, then a reminder will be sent with an additional accounting fee in respect of administrative costs incurred. Should it be necessary for further reminders to be sent, further charges will be incurred. These however, may be deducted if payment is made promptly. After due notice to you the client, overdue accounts will be referred to our Debt Collection Agency and further charges will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt, such as production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court, phone calls, home visits, etc. Any cheque returned by our Bank as unpaid, any Credit Card payment not honored and any Cash tendered that is found to be counterfeit will result in the original account being restored to the original sum with further charges added in respect of bank charges and Administrative costs together with interest on the principal sum.
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 installments or part-payments of any account may ONLY be sanctioned with the express permission of a director of the practice. In the event of an unpaid account or disputed account, we will instruct our appointed debt recovery agents/solicitors to proceed with the necessary course of action to retrieve any monies due to our Company without prior consent from the customer. Only information held that is relevant to the matter in hand will be passed to our appointed third party agents.
EQUINE HEALTH INSURANCE
Fellowes Farm Equine Clinic Ltd strongly supports the principle of insuring your horse/pony against unexpected illness or accidents. Please ask for general information about insurance from any member of staff, but be aware that we cannot recommend any particular Insurance Company. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle our account and then reclaim the fees from your Insurance Company. If this is not possible, a 90 day period will be allowed for the completion of the claim after which the account must be settled immediately in full by you.
COMPLAINTS & STANDARDS
We hope that you never have recourse to complain about the standards of service received from Fellowes Farm Equine Clinic Ltd. However, if you feel that there is something you wish to complain about, please direct your comments in the first instance to The Directors.
OFF – LICENCE MEDICINE USE
In certain situations the best treatment for your horse or pony may require the use of medicines that don’t hold an appropriate licence for equines. We might therefore recommend using such a medicine “off-licence” but prescribed in accordance with the “prescribing cascade”. This cascade is a sequence that all veterinary surgeons must follow and must firstly look for alternative medicines that are used in other animal species for the same condition, then medicines for different conditions in the same species and finally medication authorised for human use. Lots of human medicines are extremely useful in treating horses and most of these medicines have been in veterinary use for many years and are widely used. There are documented dose rates and they are known to be safe. Our use of off-licence medication is based on our knowledge of their use in horses and an assessment of the benefits and risks involved. These medicines will only be used when indicated and deemed necessary and no licenced alternative exists. The consent form we may ask you to sign for “off-licence” treatment may be for “one-off” use or give a life-long agreement for the use of unlicensed products to save you having to sign a form every time your horse is treated.
OWNERSHIP OF RECORDS
Case records including radiographs and similar documents are the property of, and will be retained by, Fellowes Farm Equine Clinic Ltd. Copies with a summary of the history will be passed on request to another veterinary surgeon taking over the case.
OWNERSHIP OF RADIOGRAPHS AND SIMILAR RECORDS
The care given to your animal may involve making some specific investigations, for example taking radiographs or performing ultrasound scans. Even though we make a charge for carrying out these investigations and interpreting their results, ownership of the resulting record, for example a radiograph remains with the practice. No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by one of the practice directors. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with, the practice has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in anyway.