Thank you for trusting Filey Vets with the care of your pet.
These terms and conditions explain how we provide our services. Some of the information may not apply to you. If you have any questions, please ask a member of the team.
By registering with us and continuing to use our services, you agree to these terms and conditions of business.
For clients transferring from another practice, including temporary registration for holidaymakers, we need a full clinical history before we can offer our professional services.
We will not tolerate aggressive or abusive behaviour towards any member of the team. Any client behaving in this way will be politely asked to leave the premises immediately and will be notified in writing to find another veterinary practice.
Filey Vets believes in responsible pet ownership and the benefits of preventative healthcare. This includes regular appropriate vaccinations and worm and flea control for dogs, cats and rabbits. We offer a Pet Health Plan to spread the cost of preventative healthcare.
Microchipping is a legal requirement for dogs and, in England, for cats. It’s the best permanent way to identify your pet.
Reminders are a complimentary service. Filey Vets accepts no liability for any loss, damage or costs that may result from a client not receiving a reminder.
Fees for all services and goods, such as food, consumables and medicines, are available on request and are subject to VAT at the current rate.
Charges for our professional services are based on the medicines, materials and consumables used and the time and expertise needed to provide the necessary care.
A detailed breakdown of the charges for each consultation, surgical procedure and transaction is available on request. We can print it for you at reception or email it to you.
Please remember that you are liable for the fees for diagnosing and treating your pet, even if a friend, relative or agent brings them to us.
Accounts are due for settlement at the end of a consultation, when your pet is discharged from our care, or when you collect medicines or diets.
We accept payment by cash, BACS or debit or credit card. We don’t accept American Express. Card payments can be taken over the phone for your convenience.
Accounts are only available by prior written agreement from the director.
We’re happy to provide detailed written estimates of likely treatment costs, valid for one month. Alternatively, you can discuss costs with the vet treating your pet, and these will be recorded on your pet’s consent form when they’re admitted.
Please bear in mind that estimates, while given in good faith, can only ever be approximate. A pet’s illness may not follow a typical course, and complications or unforeseen circumstances may need additional treatment. We’ll try to contact you on the numbers you’ve given us if we think the costs will exceed the estimate. However, your pet’s welfare will always be our first concern, so if we can’t reach you, your pet will be treated according to the judgement of a vet.
We understand that animals occasionally refuse to co-operate and that days don’t always go to plan. Please phone us as soon as you know you may not be able to attend a booked appointment. Missed appointments stop other pets in need from seeing a vet.
If you repeatedly miss booked appointments without giving notice, we reserve the right to charge a full consultation fee for missed appointments and to take the full cost of booked appointments or procedures as a non-refundable deposit against future bookings.
The practice provides an out of hours service. If your pet becomes unwell when we’re closed, please phone the normal practice number, 01723 513119, for details of how to contact the duty vet. There is an additional fee for out of hours consultations, which you can discuss with the duty vet. See our out of hours page for more.
Our vets and registered veterinary nurses monitor all in-patients closely through the day and will keep you informed of their progress and care.
No one from the team is in the practice overnight, but your pet will be monitored as often as the duty vet considers necessary.
In most cases it’s in your pet’s best interest to come to the practice, where we have the facilities, medicines and team to provide the treatment they need. It’s the client’s responsibility to arrange transport for their pet to the practice.
In some cases it may be appropriate to provide treatment at your home. We’ll try to visit at a time that suits you, but please call the practice in the morning so we can arrange it around other duties. There is an additional charge for home visits.
By law, we must examine your pet regularly when they’re on long-term medication. This is normally every 3 to 6 months, depending on the medicine and the condition being treated. It’s a reduced-price consultation to make sure your pet is responding well and isn’t developing side effects or other conditions.
We recommend prescription-only flea and worming treatments, as these are known to be safe and effective. We can supply prescription-only preventative treatments for pets a vet has examined within the previous 12 months.
If you’d like to order a repeat prescription, we need 48 hours’ notice so your medication is ready when you come to the practice.
Unfortunately, medicines can’t be refunded once they’ve left the practice, as they can’t be resold. However, we can dispose of any unwanted medicines free of charge.
You can ask for a written prescription and get the medicines from another veterinary practice or pharmacy. There is a fee for this service.
As a rule, we don’t send prescription medicines by post. If this is unavoidable, they’ll be sent by Recorded Delivery and a postage and packing charge will apply.
Filey Vets strongly supports insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accidents. It lets us provide the best care for your pet without added financial stress. Please speak to a receptionist or vet if you’d like to discuss insurance.
Our general policy is that accounts must be settled in full at the time of treatment and the costs then reclaimed from your insurer. For clients with policies from particular insurers, the director may approve a direct claim before treatment. If your insurer declines your claim, you remain liable for the full cost of treatment.
Please note there is an administration charge for completing insurance claim forms. It’s payable before claims are submitted and can’t be recovered from your insurer.
If your account isn’t settled within 14 days, we’ll send a reminder with an additional fee to cover administrative costs. We may, at our discretion, waive this if payment is made promptly. Further reminders will incur further, non-refundable charges.
After giving you due notice, overdue accounts will be referred to our debt collection agency or solicitors. Further charges will be added for the costs of collecting the debt, such as reports, correspondence, calls, home visits, attendance at court and court fees.
Any card payment that isn’t honoured, or cash found to be counterfeit, will result in the account being restored to the original amount, with bank charges and administrative costs added.
Filey Veterinary Practice Limited reserves the right to refuse treatment beyond emergency first aid to animals belonging to clients with outstanding accounts. We may, at our discretion, require payment before treatment.
If for any reason you can’t cover the estimated cost of treatment or settle your account as set out above, please talk to a member of the team as soon as possible. Emergency treatment to relieve suffering will always be given, whatever your ability to pay.
Payment by instalments is only available with the prior agreement of the director or practice manager, under a formal contract.
Case records and similar documents are the property of Filey Veterinary Practice Ltd and are kept by us. On request, copies with a summary of the clinical history can be passed to another vet taking over the case.
Your pet’s care may involve investigations such as x-rays or ultrasound scans. Although we charge for carrying out these investigations and interpreting the results, the practice owns the resulting records, for example an x-ray.
When you register your pet with us or ask us to provide veterinary services, we collect the personal data we need to provide those services. We may also need to share your data with outside organisations such as other veterinary practices, external laboratories and crematoria.
We may pass your details to debt collection agencies or our legal advisers to recover unpaid fees. For more on how we treat your data, please see our privacy policy.
We welcome any feedback that helps us improve.
Complaints can often be resolved quickly with the team members involved. If you’d like to contact the practice manager, please do so in writing as soon as possible. This gives us the best opportunity to investigate thoroughly and offer a solution. More information is in our complaints policy.
No addition to or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless specifically agreed in writing and signed by the director. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with, the company has the authority to alter or vary these conditions.
These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with English law. The courts of England have exclusive jurisdiction over any claims or disputes.
If any provision of these terms of business, or its application, is found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, this won’t affect the validity, legality or enforceability of any other provision.
