TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS
Hamilton Street Veterinary Clinic Pty Ltd (ACN 134 175 205) As trustee for Hamilton Street Veterinary Clinic Unit Trust (ABN 38 900 238 035) Registered office 74 Hamilton St Gisborne VIC 3437
This document sets out the Terms and Conditions between the Hamilton Street Veterinary Clinic (HSVC) 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.
Thank you for entrusting the care and attention of your pet to the Hamilton Street Veterinary Clinic Pty Ltd.
If you have an queries about any aspect of these T & C’s please do not hesitate to ask us for clarification.
Registration: It is essential for us to maintain accurate records of our clients and patients. In order to do this we will periodically ask you to confirm the details we hold. If your details change, please inform us so we may ensure our database is as up to date as possible.
Data Protection : When you register your animal with our practice or request that we provide veterinary services we will collect personal data about you and, where relevant, your employees and/or agents. 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.
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.
Communication : From time to time we would like to inform you of current promotions or medical alerts. This can be sent to you via SMS, email or letter to your postal address you provide us. If you do not wish to receive these mailings please send us an email stating that you wish to be removed from the mailing list.
Fees: Our fees are set to reflect our professional service that we provide. These fees may vary according to each case due to the time spent, materials and drugs used, and level of expertise required of the staff looking after your pet.
All fees, diets and drugs charges are subject to GST at the current rate.
Methods of Payment: Itemised bills will be provided with every transaction. Accounts are due for settlement at the time of consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of drugs/diets. You may settle your account using: Cash; Credit/Debit card; MasterCard, VISA. WE DO NOT have the capacity to extend accounts/credit. You are directed to use online/web-based account facilities "buy now pay later" if you require such services.
Estimates of treatment costs: We will happily provide a written estimate (but not a "quote") as to the probable costs of a course of treatment. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate – every treatment is different, circumstances may change, and we cannot provide exact costs for a particular procedure.
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. We offer to assist you access your preferred online "buy now pay later" services.
Pet health insurance: We strongly supports the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accidents. Please ask for details about insurance from any member of staff. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle our account and then reclaim fees from your insurance company. We have no affiliation with any Pet Insurance company.
Consent: Written signed consent for procedures is required in all cases of admission to the hospital and any alterations will be agreed prior to action being taken. Consent is also required for the use of medications in species for which they were not licensed e.g. rabbits, rodents and exotic species. In this case a consent form will be provided to allow this to be done without asking for specific permission in each and every separate case. This is required as the majority of veterinary drugs are not licensed for use in small mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, amphibians and invertebrates. We must then use drugs which have a proven activity and efficiency despite this lack of licence.
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 then there will be a charge for the checking of the medical records and writing of the prescription.
As will 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 be (usually) every 3 or 6 months.
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 complaints procedure.
Clinical records: Your pet’s clinical records, including radiographs, ultrasound scan records and laboratory test reports remain the property of Hamilton Street Veterinary Clinic 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. If you require a copy for your personal use, a charge may be made at the rate for administrative work.
Ownership of radiographs and similar records: The care given to your pet may involve making some specific investigations, for example taking radiographs or performing ultrasound scans. Even though we make a charge for carrying out these examinations and interpreting their results, ownership of the resulting record, (for example a radiograph) remains with the practice.
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.
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.
Out of Hours care and hospitalisation: When able we will provide, or outsource, an emergency service or advice, outside normal clinic hours. There is an additional charge for this service.
In the event we are unavailable to provide this care in clnic, we refer our clients to:
Essendon, Animal Referral Hospital Ph 9379 0700 or
Kensington, Advanced Vet Care Phone 9092 0400.
Missed appointments: Regretfully we must inform our clients that we reserve the right to charge our minimum consultation fee for appointments missed without reasonable notice.
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.