TERMS & CONDITIONS
Thank you for entrusting Greater Springfield Veterinary with the care of your pet(s).
This document outlines the terms of the contract established between us (Greater Springfield Veterinary) and yourself (the registered animal owner or individual requesting veterinary services) which comes into actuality when you register your animal with our veterinary practice or when you ask us to provide veterinary services.
Should you have any queries regarding any aspect of these terms of business please do not hesitate to ask us for further clarification.
VETERINARY CARE
Greater Springfield Veterinary will endeavour to provide veterinary services in accordance with reasonable standards denoted in the relevant legislation which can be found on the following website https://www.business.qld.gov.au/. These Acts and Regulations outline the practice standards and the professional conduct of veterinary surgeons.
REGISTRATION
It is essential for us to maintain accurate records of our clients and patients. In order to do so, we will periodically ask you to confirm the details we hold. If your details change, please inform us promptly so we can ensure our database is up to date. This will also ensure that you receive all correspondence regarding your pet’s health.
COSTS
All fees for services and prices for goods (including food, parasiticides, medications and over the counter products) are subject to GST. Prices for goods are as marked or notified at the point of purchase. A full fee breakdown will appear on your invoice.
Fees for services include our professional fees in respect of the veterinary services provided along with the cost of any medications, diagnostics, materials or consumables used in the provision of the services. Professional fees vary according to the time spent on any individual case, and the level of expertise required from the staff looking after your animal.
ESTIMATES AND TREATMENT COSTS
We will happily provide an estimate as to the probable costs of a course of treatment.
Estimates are provided verbally by the Veterinarian during consultation. Written estimates are available on request. All estimates given are only an approximation, and the final fee could vary from this estimate depending on several factors which include but are not limited to:
We will endeavour to inform you of any additional costs at our earliest opportunity dependant on your pet’s health and safety.
Estimates are valid for 90 days.
METHODS OF PAYMENT
Accounts are due for settlement at the end of your consultation, the discharge of your pet from hospital and upon collection of any goods.
You may settle the account using cash and/or credit/debit card. Credit cards that we accept are, MasterCard and Visa.
We offer payment plans through Humm, Zip and Vetpay. We do not offer in-house payment plans or Centrepay. For more information about Humm, Zippay and Vetpay please refer to our payment plans page which has links to these third-party credit provider websites.
We do not accept cheque payments.
PAYMENT DEFAULT
In the event that you breach any payment terms, you shall pay any and all expenses, disbursements, collection and legal costs which are incurred in an attempt to collect the debt.
Collection agents’ costs may be calculated on a commission basis at a percentage rate of up to 20% of the overdue debt and be contingent upon payment of your overdue debt (or any portion thereof), irrespective of the amount of work performed by the collection agent before the payment is made. It is understood that you will pay any such commission or fees as liquidated damages on demand when making any payment of the overdue debt or part thereof.
TERMS OF BUSINESS
The following general payment terms apply in all cases:
Accounts are due for settlement at the end of your consultation, the discharge of your pet from hospital and upon collection of any goods.
Greater Springfield Veterinary have professional ethical considerations; however, under the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001, the owner or representative is responsible for the animal. An inability to pay for veterinary services does not pass that responsibility to us and thus falls under the law of shoplifting and fraud.
We are entitled to suspend the provision of any further goods and/or services until you have paid any outstanding sum(s) in full and reserve the right to file a report with the QLD police which could result in a criminal charge. Where we consider it appropriate to do so we may require payment on account before goods and/or services are provided.
Please note that if a pet is registered with our practice we will assume that any person other than the registered pet owner who may bring the pet in for treatment is duly authorised by the registered pet owner to seek treatment for the pet and we will assume that the individual requesting treatment accepts liability for all costs incurred.
Where a pet is not registered with our practice, we will also assume that the individual requesting treatment accepts liability for all costs incurred.
In the event that your pet is hospitalised, we may require a deposit to be paid in advance of any period of hospitalisation and/or stage payments for longer periods of hospitalisation. If your pet is hospitalised, we will try to phone you to discuss the progress of your animal and the fees incurred once the veterinary surgeon has completed their rounds.
SHOPLIFTING AND FRAUD
We reserve the right to contact the appropriate authorities in the event that shoplifting has occurred. Please refer to the Regulatory Offences Act 1985 for penalties which may apply.
APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS
Please click here to read our general appointment terms and conditions.
PUPPY/KITTEN LITTER APPOINTMENTS
Please click here to read our litter appointment terms and conditions.
PROCEDURES/SURGERY
Coming soon.
PROFESSIONAL GROOMING SERVICES
Please click here to read our Professional Grooming terms and conditions.
PET CLUB MEMBERSHIPS
Please click here to read our Pet Club terms and conditions.
HOME VISITS
There are some cases when it may be preferable for our team to provide treatment at your home. We ask that you call with as much notice as possible so we can arrange this around other duties.
There is a higher fee for a home visit which encompasses travel time, mileage and the consultation itself. You will be provided with an estimate of fees when calling to book a visit and prepayment over the phone will be requested.
House calls cannot be provided for non-clients (specified as a family or individual who has not visited our practices or purchased any items from us within the last 18 months).
OUT OF HOURS SERVICE
Greater Springfield Veterinary has three locations.
Eden’s Crossing: Open 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 12pm on Saturdays.
Augustine Heights: Open 7am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 8am to 6pm on Sundays and public holidays..
Springfield: Open 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 2.30pm on Saturdays.
Outside of the above hours, you will need to seek the assistance of the Animal Referral Hospital (in Sinnamon Park) on 3172 0593 or the Animal Emergency Service (in Jindalee) on 3715 9999.
As we do not keep staff on the premises overnight, high dependency cases in the care of Greater Springfield Veterinary may be referred for monitoring to the above facilities; in this circumstance, you are responsible for arranging transport to the appropriate premises and the cost of further treatment.
BEHAVIOUR POLICY – ZERO TOLERANCE
All our staff are trained professionals and are dedicated to giving you the necessary assistance you require and will always treat you with courtesy and respect. In return, we ask that you and anyone that you bring with you to Greater Springfield Veterinary treat our staff with the same courtesy and respect.
We have a zero tolerance approach to any of the following behaviour displayed towards our staff or other clients.
Please note the above list is not an exhaustive outline of all forms of abuse.
We respectfully advise you that abuse of any kind will not be tolerated and will result in refusal of service.
CONSENT
Written signed consent for procedures is required in all cases of admission to Greater Springfield Veterinary and any alterations will be agreed upon either verbally or in writing prior to action being taken.
CLIENT RECORDS
Client and clinical records, and other similar documents (including, but not limited to, digital imaging results), are and shall remain the property of Greater Springfield Veterinary.
Patient records are the property of the attending veterinarian. Legal precedent indicates that a client does not have a legal right of access to patient records. A veterinarian has the right to decide whether to provide a copy of patient records to clients.
For further information please refer to: https://www.vsb.qld.gov.au/resources/guidelines/guidelines-practitioners/veterinary-records
The care given to your animal may involve making some specific investigations, for example taking blood samples, x-rays or performing ultrasound scans. Even though we make a charge for carrying out these investigations & interpreting their results, the resulting records, clinical or otherwise, remain the property of the practice.
Copies of clinical records may be passed to another veterinary surgeon on request should you move clinics.
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, send our newsletter or contact you such as names, DOB, contact details and possibly some financial details. Please note that we may pass your details on to the police, debt collection agencies and/or our legal advisers for the purpose of recovering unpaid fees if you do not pay invoices when they fall due.
We 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 or the healthcare of your pet(s).
Our practice management software has been designed with bank-level security so you can be rest assured all of your information is stored securely. All data is encrypted with RSA and SSL technology.
PET INSURANCE
Greater Springfield Veterinary strongly supports the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accidents. Unfortunately, we are unable to recommend a specific insurer and this choice falls to the client to select a product/level of cover you deem suitable. We are also unable to make comment on whether your insurance will cover your pet appropriately and you will have to make contact with your provider to validate the coverage.
Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle our account and then reclaim the fees from your insurance company.
It may be possible for us to submit electronic claims on your behalf to some insurance companies. Please contact reception if you would like to know if your insurance has this capability.
DISPENSATION OF MEDICATIONS
Written prescriptions are available from our hospitals. Prescriptions are subject to a fee which is applied when you request a prescription from us, but go elsewhere to have the prescription filled. You are reposnsible for sourcing such medications from a suitable supplier and should bear in mind that delay in the start of treatment many not be in the best interest or welfare of your pet. A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or if immediate treatment is necessary.
Our policy is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat medications/prescriptions at a maximum every 6 months, however, in more complicated/unstable cases re-examinations will be more frequent depending on the professional judgement of the veterinarian managing that case. Please give us at least 24 hours notice for any requests for a repeat or written prescription. There is a charge for a re-examination, details of which will be provided on enquiry.
The above policy is in line with the law set by the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Queensland.
RETURN OF UNUSED MEDICINES
We are happy to accept unused medications back into the practice for disposal only. Medicines which have left the premises are no longer fit for resale and no refund can be given. Medicines purchased from any other supplier will not be accepted for disposal.
RETURN OF USED SHARPS
We are happy to accept used sharps back into the practice for disposal (which incurs a small fee). To do so, all sharps must be returned to us in a sharps disposal container. A disposal fee will be applicable for the purpose of disposing of the sharps as these containers are removed and disposed of by a third-party company.
Sharps disposal containers can be purchased from reception.
STRAY PETS
Coming soon.
COMPLAINTS AND FEEDBACK
We hope that you never feel the need to complain about the standards of service received from Greater Springfield Veterinary. However, if you feel there is something you wish to provide feedback about, please contact our Customer Care Manager, Kate Muller, by email at cx@gsvets.com.au.
Disclaimer: Any published information provided by us is used as an educational service to our clients and should not be treated as a substitute for veterinary care and advice.
COMMUNITY
We recognise and pay our respects to the Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul peoples as the traditional owners of this land which was never ceded.
All rights reserved. Copyright Greater Springfield Veterinary 2024
