Lichfield Road, Brownhills, West Midlands, WS8 6LS
01543 373 033

Terms and Conditions

TREATMENT COSTS

Charges are determined by the time spent on a case plus drugs, materials, consumables and diets used according to the current price list. VAT is charged on all fees, diet and drugs at the current rate.

For emergency treatment and surgical procedures in particular, we will give you an estimate of the likely costs of treatment. Bear in mind it is an approximate cost only. In planned procedures we can agree on the upper limit and we will contact clients, whenever possible, where estimates seem likely to be exceeded.

METHOD OF PAYMENT

Payment is due at the end of each consultation, on discharge of your pet and upon collection of drugs or diets. You may settle your balance using:

  • Cash
  • Cheque with cheque guarantee card
  • Credit/debit card including telephone payment.

PLEASE NOTE: FOR EUTHANASIA (WITH OR WITHOUT  RETURN OF ASHES ) PAYMENT WILL BE REQUIRED BEFORE THESE PROCEDURES ARE CARRIED OUT.

EMERGENCY COVER AND HOME VISITS 

Warren House Veterinary Centre partners with Willows in Solihull to provide 24-hour emergency cover for registered clients only.

Home visits for small animals have been suspended since the COVID restrictions. In an emergency it is usually in the best interests of your pet to be seen at our practice where facilities and a full range of drugs are available.

Insurance is always a sensible choice, especially in the current economic climate.

PET HEALTH INSURANCE

We support the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected health problems. You can pay your bill in full and then reclaim it from your insurance company. Claims may look complicated at first, so we are here to help you with the necessary paperwork should you need to make a claim.

PHARMACEUTICALS

Prescriptions are available from this practice. The current charge for a written prescription is displayed in our reception areas or you may ask a member of staff for this information. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V, (POM Vs) from your veterinary surgeon or ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or a pharmacy. Your veterinary surgeon may prescribe POM Vs only for animals under his or her 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 policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescriptions every three months, but this may vary with individual circumstances. The charge for this re-examination is our standard consultation other than initial. Flea and worm treatments can however be dispensed without examination as part of a health plan agreed at the annual health assessment. Clients are requested to give 48 hours advance notice for repeat prescriptions.

We strongly advise the regular use of routine anti-parasitic medication. The majority of these products are POM Vs and legally we are only able to dispense such products without the need of an examination when an animal has been examined by a Veterinary Surgeon in the last 12 months. We may therefore be required to examine your pet prior to dispensing. In order to assist our clients, when the patient is just examined for the purpose of dispensing routine anti-parasitic treatment there is no charge for a consultation. Should clinical matters or a skin condition for which treatment is necessary arise out of that examination then a consultation fee will be incurred at this time.

In accordance with the Medicines Act we will always use a veterinary licensed product. Should this not be the case we will then use veterinary products licensed for use in other species and failing that a human medical product. Any use of off-licence medication will be based upon our knowledge of its use in animals and an assessment made of the risks and benefits involved. This is particularly common in species other than dogs and cats for which few licensed products are available. Please speak to a veterinary surgeon if you have any concerns about this issue.

VACCINATION REMINDERS 

Whilst we make every effort to send out reminders for annual vaccinations, the responsibility to keep them up to date remains with you. In particular, please be aware that PETS passports require rabies vaccination boosters so please keep a personal record of when this is due.

OWNERSHIP OF RECORDS 

The care given to your pet may involve undertaking some specific investigations, for example taking radiographs. The ownership of the resulting radiographs and all other records will remain at all times the property of Warren House Veterinary. Charges made for x-rays are for the interpretation of them. If required, we can arrange to have copies of x-rays made but this would be at your expense.

Radiographs and copies of all laboratory results, with a summary of the history will be passed on, by request, to another Veterinary Surgeon should the need arise. You may view your pet’s clinical notes on request by appointment only. Please note it is your responsibility to provide us with accurate contact details.

SETTLEMENT TERMS 

Payment is due at the time of treatment or discharge unless alternative arrangements have been agreed in advance; should an account not be settled a reminder will be sent.

Should it be necessary for further reminders to be sent, administration charges may be incurred. The Practice will charge interest on overdue accounts at a rate of 10% per month, compound.  If the involvement of a third-party debt agency or The County Court becomes necessary, you will be responsible for all agency / collection fees incurred.

After due notice unpaid accounts will be referred to our debt collection agency and further charges, such as for the production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court and phone calls will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt. Any cheque or credit/debit card transaction not honoured, or any cash tendered that is found to be counterfeit will result in the account being restored to the original sum with further charges added to cover bank charges and administrative costs together with interest on the principal sum.

Please note the role of the insurance company is to reimburse you for fees incurred for veterinary treatment.  Such fees must be paid by you initially and are due for payment on presentation of the monthly invoice.  Clients should be aware that we cannot guarantee that their insurance company will cover the costs of their animal’s treatment and they are therefore encouraged to contact the insurance company to verify the cover prior to treatment.

The Practice requires authorisation by new clients wishing to register as First Opinion Client for a credit check to be performed with a regulated credit agency and for permission to contact any previous veterinary practices to obtain their animal’s medical history and to check that the client does not have any outstanding accounts or poor credit history.

INABILITY TO PAY 

If for any reason you are unable to settle your account, we will ask you to discuss the matter with a member of staff as soon as possible and before any further treatment takes place. Please note that instalments or part payment of any account are only able to be authorised by one of the Directors and must be agreed before treatment takes place.

COMPLAINTS AND STANDARDS 

Please direct your comments, preferably in writing to one of the Directors. An acknowledgement will be sent by return and then a period will elapse while the case is investigated, and staff involved consulted. A written reply will be sent to you, usually within 2 weeks although the period may be longer if the Directors or staff involved are temporarily unavailable or delayed.

VARIATION IN THE TERMS OF TRADING

No addition or variation of these conditions will bind Warren House Veterinary Centre unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by one of the Directors. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with the practice has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in any way verbally or in writing. You should therefore consider these terms to be the relevant ones in all cases.

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 such as 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. From time to time we may also use your contact details to provide you with information about new services or special offers.

We comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 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. You are entitled to be provided with details of the data that we hold about you upon request and payment of a £10 fee.

Please click on the link below to view our full terms and conditions.