TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS

Rural Veterinary Services Pty Ltd (ACN 151 213 062 / ABN 34 151 213 062) Registered office 85 Gordon Street, Naracoorte SA 5271

This document sets out the Terms and Conditions between Rural Veterinary Services (RVS) and You (the registered animal owner or individual requesting veterinary services). These T & C’s become part of the contract when you register your animal with the practice or when you ask for any veterinary treatment or services.

 

Clinical records: Your pet’s clinical records, including radiographs, ultrasound scan records and laboratory test reports remain the property of Rural Veterinary Services and will be kept under the terms of the Data Protection Act (1998). You are entitled to see the records on request and if necessary, an appropriate appointment to view them will be made. Your pet’s records will be sent to another veterinary surgeon on request from them.

 

Missed appointments: Regretfully we must inform our clients that we reserve the right to charge our minimum consultation fee for appointments missed without at least 24 hours’ notice.

 

Consent: Written signed consent for procedures are required and any alterations will be agreed prior to action being taken.

 

Estimates of treatment costs: Written estimates (not a “quote”) are provided as to the probable cost of a course of treatment. While we endeavour to do our best to provide accurate estimates, please bear in mind that they are an approximate costing and not an exact. We will keep you up to date of significant changes in costs should they occur.

 

Prescriptions: We stock a wide range of medications and provide these as licensed veterinary surgeons to patients under our care. 
If you request a prescription to be filled elsewhere, there will be a charge for the checking of the medical records and writing of the prescription.
As with all medications, regular check-ups will be required and this interval will be dependent on the medical condition and treatment plan determined by the veterinarian and as a minimum will usually be every 3 or 6 months.

 

Repeat examinations: It is necessary both for the welfare of your pet and to meet legal obligations, for this practice to re-examine animals receiving long term medications. The standard interval for medication checks is 3 months; this initially may be less but at no time will be longer than 6 months. The prevailing examination fee will be charged for that consultation.

 

Return of unused drugs: We are happy to accept unused medications back into the practice for disposal only. However, as drugs which have left the premises are no longer fit for resale, no refund can be given. Drugs purchased from any other supplier will not be accepted for disposal.

Out of Hours care and hospitalisation: When able we will provide an emergency service or advice outside of our normal clinic hours. There is an additional charge for this service.

Fees: Our fees are set to reflect our professional service that we provide. All fees and associated charges are subject to GST at the current rate.

Methods of Payment: Itemised invoices are provided with every transaction and payment is required at the time of consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of medications or retail products. Rural Veterinary Services does not have the capacity to provide accounts, credit or payment plans. If you require assistance with credit services, our staff can assist you to register for VETPAY, After Pay or ZIP Pay.

Settlement terms: Should an account not be settled within 7 days; a reminder will be sent. Any overdue accounts not paid in full within 30 days will be subject to our debt collection procedure and further charges may be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt: such as court fees, correspondence, court attendance, credit charges, phone calls, etc. Any cheque returned by our bank as unpaid, any card payment not honoured, and cash tendered found to be counterfeit will result in the original account being returned to the original sum with further charges added in respect of bank charges and administrative costs.

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 senior member of staff.  

 

Data Protection: When you register your animal with our practice or request that we provide veterinary services, we will collect personal data about you. We will only collect data that we need to perform the services, take payment or contact you. The information may include names, contact details and possibly some financial details. Please note that we may pass your details to debt collection agencies or our legal advisers for the purpose of recovering unpaid fees if you do not pay invoices when they fall due.
We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 and will take reasonable precautions to ensure that your data is kept securely, used appropriately and is not shared with third parties except as required for the purposes outlined above.

 

Pet health insurance: We strongly support the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accidents. While we have no affiliation with any pet insurance company if you require any information about pet insurance, please ask a member of staff.

 

Complaints and Standards: We hope you never have recourse to complain about the standards of service received from us. However, if you feel that there is something to complain about, please direct your comments in the first instance to the Practice Manager, who will guide you through our complaint's procedure.

 

No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by one the Directors.
No agent of person employed by, or under contract with, the practice has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in any way.