Please read these Terms & Conditions carefully.
These Terms & Conditions govern the sale of goods and provision of veterinary services by Nova Veterinary Centre (“we”, “us”, “our”) to the client (“you”, “your”).
By requesting our veterinary services or purchasing products from us, you agree to these Terms & Conditions.
1. General
These Terms & Conditions apply to all veterinary services, treatments, consultations, products and other goods or services supplied by Nova Veterinary Centre.
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions affects your statutory rights as a consumer.
2. Fees & Payment
- All consultation, treatment, surgery, medication and other applicable fees are payable at the time of service or collection, unless we have agreed alternative payment arrangements with you in writing.
- You are responsible for payment of all charges properly due for veterinary services, products and other goods or services supplied to you.
- We accept payment by cash, personal Visa and Mastercard, and approved insurance direct claims, subject to prior arrangement.
- Estimates are available on request and are valid for 30 days. Estimates are provided in good faith based on the information available at the time.
- Treatment costs may vary depending on clinical developments, additional treatment required, changes in your pet’s condition or other circumstances that could not reasonably have been anticipated when the estimate was provided.
- Where the final cost is likely to materially exceed an estimate, we will endeavour to discuss this with you where reasonably practicable.
- Where payment is being made by an insurance company, you remain responsible for payment of any amount not covered by the insurer and for any excess or other applicable charges.
3. Late Payment & Debt Recovery
- If an account remains unpaid for more than 14 days after the date payment was due, we may contact you to request payment and may apply a reasonable late payment or administration fee, where applicable.
- Any late payment or administration fee will be intended to reflect reasonable costs incurred in administering and recovering an overdue account.
- We may require payment of an outstanding balance before providing further non-emergency veterinary services, subject to our professional obligations and the welfare needs of your pet.
- If an account remains unpaid despite reasonable attempts to obtain payment, we may refer the outstanding debt to a third-party debt collection agency or other external debt recovery service.
- Where an outstanding debt is referred to a third-party debt collection or debt recovery agency, reasonable fees, charges and costs incurred by us as a result of the recovery process may be added to your account and will be payable by you, to the extent permitted by law.
- Such charges may include reasonable fees charged by the third-party debt collection agency for recovering the outstanding debt.
- We will not seek to recover costs from you which we are prohibited from recovering by law.
- We reserve the right to take appropriate steps to recover any outstanding debt, including the original outstanding balance and any properly chargeable recovery costs.
- Where an account remains substantially overdue, we may decline to provide further non-emergency veterinary services to you, subject to our professional obligations, applicable law and the welfare needs of your pet.
- Nothing in this section affects any rights you may have under applicable consumer protection legislation.
4. Insurance
- It is your responsibility to ensure that your pet’s insurance is active and suitable for the condition or treatment being provided.
- Direct insurance claims may be available by prior agreement, subject to insurance approval and completion of any required claims consent forms.
- A fee may be charged for processing direct insurance claims, as set out in our current pricing.
- All insurance excesses, exclusions, non-covered costs and amounts not paid by your insurer remain your responsibility.
- You remain responsible for payment of our fees regardless of whether an insurance claim is successful or whether payment from your insurer is delayed.
- We are not responsible for the decision of your insurance provider to accept, reject or partially settle a claim.
5. Prescriptions & Medications
- Written prescriptions are available upon request and will incur a fee.
- Prescription medications are only dispensed following an appropriate consultation or valid clinical assessment, in accordance with applicable veterinary requirements.
- Medications and consumables are non-returnable once dispensed unless they are defective or faulty, subject to applicable law.
- You remain responsible for payment of prescription, medication and dispensing charges regardless of whether you subsequently obtain reimbursement from an insurer or another third party.
6. Appointment & Cancellation Policy
- Please arrive promptly for your scheduled appointment. Late arrivals may need to be rescheduled and may result in a further appointment being required.
- We kindly request a minimum of 24 hours’ notice to cancel or rearrange an appointment.
- Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice, or missed appointments, may be subject to our published cancellation fee.
- Details of our current cancellation fees are available from reception and on request.
- Any cancellation charge will be subject to applicable law and will reflect the circumstances and reasonable costs associated with the missed or cancelled appointment.
7. Returns & Refunds
- Retail items, including toys, accessories and food, may be returned within 14 days of purchase if unused, in their original packaging and with proof of purchase, subject to applicable law.
- Returns are not accepted for perishable or opened goods unless the goods are faulty or defective, subject to your statutory rights.
- Refunds for cancelled services will be considered in accordance with these Terms & Conditions and applicable consumer law.
- Nothing in these Terms & Conditions affects any statutory rights you may have in relation to faulty, misdescribed or otherwise non-conforming goods or services.
8. Ownership & Access to Clinical Records
- We retain and maintain your pet’s clinical records in accordance with our legal and professional obligations.
- Copies or relevant information from clinical records may be shared with you or another veterinary professional upon request, subject to applicable law and professional requirements.
- We may charge a reasonable fee for certain administrative services, such as duplicate certificates, copies of documents or extended reports, where permitted by law.
- Clinical records will be retained in accordance with our legal and professional record-keeping obligations.
9. Liability
- We will provide veterinary services with reasonable care and skill as required by applicable law.
- Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes or limits any liability which cannot legally be excluded or limited.
- We are not responsible for loss or damage to the extent that it is caused by your failure to follow reasonable veterinary advice, treatment instructions or post-treatment care instructions provided to you.
- To the extent permitted by law, we will not be liable for indirect or consequential losses arising from your use of our services.
- You remain responsible for taking reasonable steps to keep your pet safe and under control and for following appropriate veterinary advice and instructions.
10. Behaviour & Safety
- Owners and handlers are responsible for keeping their pets under control and safe while on our premises.
- You must follow reasonable safety instructions given by our staff.
- We reserve the right to take reasonable steps to protect the safety and wellbeing of staff, clients and animals.
- We may refuse or restrict non-emergency services where there is aggressive, threatening or abusive behaviour towards our staff, clients or other animals.
- Any decision to restrict or refuse services will remain subject to our professional obligations, applicable law and the welfare needs of the animal concerned.
11. Complaints
We aim to provide a high standard of veterinary care and customer service.
If you are unhappy with our services, please contact us as soon as possible so that we have an opportunity to investigate and address your concerns.
Our complaints procedure explains how we handle formal complaints and is available on our website or on request.
Formal complaints will be acknowledged and investigated in accordance with our complaints procedure and applicable professional requirements.
12. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time where reasonably necessary, including to reflect changes in our services, legal or regulatory requirements, or our business processes.
Where a change materially affects your rights or obligations, we will take reasonable steps to notify you in advance where required by law.
The current version of these Terms & Conditions will be available on our website and at the practice.
The version of these Terms & Conditions applicable to your services will be the version in force when the relevant services or goods are provided, unless otherwise required by law.
13. General
- Nothing in these Terms & Conditions affects your statutory rights as a consumer.
- If any provision of these Terms & Conditions is found to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply to the extent permitted by law.
- These Terms & Conditions, together with any specific terms agreed with you in writing, form the agreement between you and Nova Veterinary Centre in relation to the goods and services supplied.
- If there is any conflict between these Terms & Conditions and a specific written agreement with you, the specific written agreement will take precedence to the extent of the conflict.
- These Terms & Conditions are governed by the law of England and Wales and any disputes will be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
By using our services or purchasing goods from us, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to these Terms & Conditions.
