Terms & Conditions

Terms and Conditions of Business

Some aspects of our Terms and Conditions which follow may not be relevant to you. Please ask for further explanation if clarification is required.

Consultations

Hansons Vets operate by an appointment based consultation system. Therefore we advise that you always phone to arrange an appointment at the clinic. We will always triage and prioritise your pet in the case of an emergency without the need of an appointment but recommend that you phone in advance to let us prepare for your arrival and if necessary refer you to a suitable emergency provider. Click here for our surgery opening and consultation times.

Responsible Pet Ownership

Hansons believes in the principle of responsible pet ownership and the benefits of preventative healthcare. This includes neutering, regular appropriate vaccinations, deworming and regular flea control of dogs, cats and rabbits. Please speak to one of the team about our Pet Health Plans that enable you to provide the optimum care for your pet spread over monthly payments. In addition to the legal requirement for dogs to be identifiable by a pet tag and microchip we also advise microchipping all cats and rabbits. We also strongly recommend insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accidents with a suitable insurance policy. Please ask for details about insurance from a member of staff. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle your account and then reclaim the fees from your insurance company. In exceptional circumstances the practice may agree to make a claim direct from the insurance company; however it is your responsibility to settle the account for any amount not covered by the insurance policy. In this event, we request that arrangements are discussed prior to our services and that you bring your insurance documents with you at the time of your appointment.

Fees

All professional fees, pet shop and medicine charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time and skill level required for a case as well as medicines, materials, laboratory tests, consumables and diets used. Fee levels will also have a contribution towards general overhead costs. Itemised fee breakdowns are always available for every treatment. You are liable for any fees incurred in the diagnosis and treatment of your pet even if your pet is brought to us on your behalf by a relative, friend or agent.

No pet foods or pet shop items can be dispensed without payment being received at the time the items are collected.

The veterinary surgeons and staff will be pleased to discuss likely costs at any time – please don’t hesitate to ask.

Methods of Payment

Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of medicines and other pet requisites. You may settle the account using: Cash or a Credit/Debit Card – we accept Maestro, Cirrus, Solo, Mastercard, Visa, and Delta. We do not accept American Express cards or Private credit cards. In some practices we accept personal cheques (up to the limit of the guarantee card, which must be produced) and in some cases we accept relevant vouchers that are valid and in date.

Estimates of Treatment Costs

We will provide written estimates as to the probable costs of a course of treatment. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate as it is not always possible to predict how a pet’s illness will progress, and often a pet’s illness will not follow a conventional course. We will try to contact you on the contact numbers you have given us if we believe the treatment costs are going to exceed the estimate costs, however if you are not contactable we will treat your pet as is necessary for the prevention of pain and/or suffering.

Settlement Terms

Should an account not be settled within 14 days, then a reminder will be sent. Should it be necessary for further reminders to be sent, further charges may be incurred. These however, may be deducted, at the sole discretion of the practice managers, 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. (These include, but are not limited to, the 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 honoured 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 administration costs.

If you are unable to attend an appointment we request that you contact us with reasonable notice to rearrange or cancel. The practice reserves the right to charge for repeatedly missed consultations.

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 instalment payments or part-payments of any account may only be sanctioned with the express permission of a partner after appropriate checks have been made and you will need to sign an acknowledgement of debt. The granting of permission for instalment payments rather than full payment at the time of treatment is at Hanson’s absolute discretion.

Prescription Policy

Prescriptions are available from this practice. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, category V, (POM V’s) from your veterinary surgeon OR ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or pharmacy. We request that you give 24 hours’ notice for repeat prescriptions in order for the vet to accurately prescribe and order your medication. There is a charge for providing a written prescriptions to obtain elsewhere (please ask a member of staff for current prescription charges). A veterinary surgeon may prescribe POM V’s ONLY for animals under his or her care. It is our practice policy that we must have seen your pet on an annual basis in order to consider them under our care. A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or immediate treatment is necessary. You will be informed, on request, of the price of any medicine that may be prescribed for your animal. The general policy of this practice is to re-assess every 3 months any animal that requires repeat prescriptions, but this frequency may increase or decrease, depending on individual circumstances and the opinion of the veterinary surgeon. The standard charge for a re-examination for such purposes is the prevailing price of a repeat consultation fee.

Ownership of Records

Case records including radiographs, clinical notes, laboratory records and similar documents are the property of, and will be retained by, Hansons Vets practice. Part of the fees charged will be for interpretation of such radiographs or laboratory reports. A summary of the history will be passed on request to another veterinary surgeon taking over the case for second opinion or referral. Should you, the client, wish to obtain a copy of the case records or radiographs, Hansons can provide such copies.

Use of client data

Hansons Vets may contact you either by letter, phone, text or electronic means in order to advise you of outstanding accounts, reminders of your pet’s preventative health care treatments and any marketing initiatives that might be of benefit to you or your pet. Please keep us informed of any change to your contact details or if you wish no contact to be made. However, please be aware that this will remove the ability of the practice to send vaccination reminders. Reminders are provided as a complimentary service to our clients and we will do our best to inform you of any routine treatments due but please be aware we accept no liability for any loss, damages or costs which may result from the failure of a client to receive any reminder.

We will not pass personal data on to any third party without attempting to obtain your permission first. Situations where we may request this permission are for example:- to send a history for referral consultation or second opinion/change in practice/where your insurance company seeks clarity or further information about a pet claim under your pet insurance policy.