Terms of Service for APT LOCUM LTD, trading as Eco Vets

1.1 Introduction

We are APT LOCUM LTD, trading under the name Eco Vets (“we”, “us”, or “our”), a limited company registered in England and Wales. Our company registration number is 12806662, and our registered office is at 50-52 Fairfield Street, Wandsworth, London, England, SW18 1DY.
Eco Vets provides veterinary services to pet owners ("you", or "your"). Before seeking treatment for your pet, or purchasing any products or services from us, please review these terms of service (“terms”).
By registering, logging into our website or app, or booking an appointment at one of our clinics, you confirm your agreement to these terms. Once agreed, these terms form the contract between us (the "contract") and will apply to all goods and services you purchase from us.

1.2 What These Terms Cover
These terms outline how we provide goods, services, and digital content through our clinics, website, and app. Key areas covered include:

• Registration and Membership

• Veterinary Services

• Consultations

• Medication and Prescriptions

• Product Orders

• Payments, Fees, and Insurance

• Promotions

• Ownership of Clinical Records

• Your Responsibilities

• Your Rights and Our Liability

• Privacy

• Feedback, Questions, and Complaints

• Other Important Terms

1.3 Updates to These Terms
We aim to make our terms clear and understandable. We may update them periodically and will notify you of any changes in advance.

1.4 Other Applicable Terms
These terms represent our general contract, but specific services such as memberships, health plans, and promotions may have additional terms.
The following policies also apply and form part of these terms:

• Privacy Notice

• CCTV Privacy Notice

1.5 Questions About This Agreement?
If you have any questions about these terms, please contact us. You can reach our support team via our app or by emailing us at info@ecovets.co.uk.

2. Registration and Membership

2.1 Registration
To access our services, whether through our clinics, app, or website, you need to register with us.
During registration, we will ask for information about you and your pet, including health and medical history from all previous veterinary practices. This helps us prepare your pet’s medical records for any consultation.

2.2 Maintaining Accurate Details
Please keep your contact information up to date and inform us of any changes. Your privacy is important to us and will be managed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

2.3 Membership Types
Eco Vets offers two types of memberships: Pay-As-You-Go and Eco Club Membership.

2.4 Eco Club Membership
You can join the Eco Club through our website or at our clinic. Please note that registration for the Eco Club cannot be done via our app.

2.4.1 Renewal
Your Eco Club Membership will automatically renew after 12 months. To stop auto-renewal, contact us at least 30 days before the renewal date.

2.4.2 Cancelling Your Eco Club Membership
You may cancel your membership by paying for any services used on a Pay-As-You-Go basis, plus the cancellation fee of £25. You may cancel without fees if your pet passes away.

2.5 Pay-As-You-Go Membership
You automatically become a Pay-As-You-Go member when you register through our app, website, or at our clinics.

3. Our Services

3.1 Veterinary Services
We aim to provide veterinary services within a reasonable time or as agreed with you. Certain factors beyond our control may affect our ability to deliver services on time.

3.2 Pricing Transparency
We strive for transparency regarding treatment costs. Prices may vary depending on factors such as pet size and treatment complexity.

3.3 Our Veterinary Professionals

All of our veterinary surgeons are members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and fully comply with its requirements, including those related to ongoing professional development.

We are committed to ethical prescribing practices and medication management, ensuring:

Prescriptions, including repeat ones, are only issued when the veterinary surgeon has sufficient knowledge of your pet’s health and is confident that the treatment is suitable.

Remote prescriptions are made in accordance with updated RCVS guidelines, while in-person evaluations for repeat prescriptions will be scheduled according to the specific medication and condition but generally occur no less than every six months.

We only prescribe treatments proven to be effective, following the veterinary prescribing cascade.

We will ensure that our prescribed treatments do not conflict with other medications your pet may be taking, including over-the-counter products (so please inform us of any).

If we believe that medication is unnecessary for your pet’s condition, we may opt not to prescribe any.

Our veterinarians and nurses follow professional and ethical standards, complying with all relevant laws and guidelines. If we cannot ensure these conditions, treatment may be declined.

3.4 Out-of-Hours and Emergency Care

We offer round-the-clock 24 hours care for your pet through an emergency partner.

If we provide the after-hours care ourselves, a higher fee than usual may apply. All members will need to pay additional charges for after-hours consultations.

If we are unable to provide emergency care, we will refer you to a third-party provider. Please note that third-party services may charge higher fees, which you will be responsible for paying directly. We are not liable for the care provided by external service providers.

Our current emergency care provider is:

Veteris

Website: https://veteris.co.uk/

Phone number: +44 2036598446

3.5 Overnight Care

Should your pet need to stay overnight, we will discuss this with you in advance.

Please note that overnight stays may incur additional costs. If we are unable to provide overnight care, we will ensure that a trusted third-party can provide this service.

3.6 Referrals and Second Opinions

In some cases, we may need to refer your pet to a specialist or another vet with the necessary expertise. We do not charge referral fees, but the specialist vet will invoice you directly for their services.

You can request a second opinion, whether it’s with another vet at our clinic or an external practice, to confirm a diagnosis or seek another perspective. With your consent, we will facilitate this process by sharing your pet’s clinical records promptly with the relevant vet or practice.

3.7 Guidance Materials

Any informational content provided via our app, website, or in our clinic (such as advice on giving medication to your pet) is intended for general informational purposes only. It should not be treated as professional veterinary advice or a replacement for in-person evaluations. Always consult our veterinarians if you have concerns about your pet’s health. Please note that:

We reserve the right to update, modify, or remove guidance materials at any time.

While we strive to keep our guidance materials current, accurate, and reliable, they are provided in good faith, and we cannot guarantee their absolute accuracy or completeness.

Your pet is unique, so we encourage you to seek advice from our vets or independent professionals if you are unsure about any information.

“Guidance materials” refer to any content provided in our app, on our website, or at our clinics, including but not limited to text, images, articles, videos, and other resources.

3.8 Consent

For any procedures carried out at our clinic, we require written consent, either in physical form or through electronic signatures. We will always strive to inform you of any necessary changes to the agreed treatment plan before proceeding with additional services or treatments.

We will seek your consent for the following but not limited to:

• Medical procedures, including the use of anaesthesia and sedation

• Use of medications under the veterinary prescribing cascade

• Euthanasia, when necessary

3.9 Emergency Consent

In situations where obtaining your consent is not possible, you agree that we have the legal authority to provide urgent care to your pet if it is vital for their welfare.

While we are not legally required to provide emergency treatment beyond essential first aid, pain relief, and, if necessary, euthanasia in the best interest of the animal, we will always act with your pet's well being as our top priority.

4. Consultations

4.1 Booking a Consultation
You can book in-clinic consultations through our website, phone, app, or in person. We’ll confirm the appointment via email. We will confirm your appointment request by sending an email with the appointment details. It is your responsibility to ensure that all the information provided for the appointment is accurate and current.

We make every effort to accommodate preferred appointment dates and times, but please note that scheduling is subject to our availability and remains at our discretion.

We cannot assure the availability of a specific practitioner at any given time. Appointments are restricted to the time slot chosen when the booking is made

4.2 Consultation Fees
Consultation fees vary by appointment type and veterinary practitioner. Additional fees may apply for any required medication or services.

4.3 Types of Consultations

If you're uncertain about which type of consultation to book, please reach out to us before finalising your appointment. Should the consultation take longer than the time initially booked, we reserve the right to adjust the fee accordingly to reflect the additional time spent with the veterinary practitioner.

4.4 Treatment Plans
A treatment plan for veterinary services or products is typically discussed with you after the initial consultation with the veterinary practitioner and before proceeding with any further treatment.

However, in emergency situations, we may be unable to provide a detailed treatment plan in advance. In such cases, we reserve the right to administer any necessary veterinary care, based on our professional judgement, without prior agreement on a treatment plan.

To develop a diagnosis and treatment plan for your pet, it may be necessary for the practitioner to recommend additional investigations or tests, which will incur extra charges.

While we will make every effort to provide you with the results of these investigations, it is ultimately your responsibility to follow up on any recommended next steps, such as scheduling further appointments, tests, or procedures.

You are not obligated to proceed with any suggested investigations or tests. However, if you choose not to follow the practitioner’s advice, you agree that we are not liable for any consequences resulting from your decision not to proceed.

4.7 Cancellations and Refunds
You may cancel an appointment up to 24 hours before the scheduled time at no charge. Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours notice may incur full fees.

We will notify you in advance if we need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, except in urgent or emergency situations. If we cancel or decline your appointment ahead of time, you will not be responsible for any charges or fees related to that appointment.

4.8 Late Policy for Appointments

At Eco Vets, we aim to provide the best possible care for all our patients. To ensure that we can do this effectively, we have a 5-minute late policy for appointments.

You understand and accept that if you arrive more than 5 minutes late for your scheduled appointment, and the attending vet determines that there is insufficient time to provide a quality service, your appointment will need to be rebooked for the next available slot.

Please note that we cannot guarantee a same-day appointment, as availability depends on our schedule. However, we will do our best to accommodate you as soon as possible, without disrupting the clinic’s schedule or the appointments of clients who arrived on time.

You acknowledge that, due to the nature of veterinary practice, we cannot guarantee that your appointment will begin at the exact scheduled time. You understand that there may be delays, such as if we are attending to an emergency with another pet, which could result in a longer wait time for your appointment.

6. Medication and Prescriptions

6.1 Prescriptions
Our vets will prescribe and dispense medication under RCVS guidelines. You may request a written prescription for your pet’s medications. This prescription will have a cost.

7. Product Orders

When you place an order with us, it constitutes an offer to purchase products for the price listed at the time of the order. Prices and availability may vary, and we reserve the right to reject any order.

8. Payments, Fees, and Insurance

8.1 Fees for Membership
All membership fees are detailed on our website and are charged automatically by direct debit every calendar month. You can find membership fees here: https://www.ecovets.co.uk/eco-club.

8.2 Fees for Services
All fees must be paid at the time of service, or in advance where required.

8.4 Insurance
We encourage you to insure your pet against unexpected illness or accidents. We do not process insurance claims directly unless we have written pre-authorisation from your insurance company before the procedure. We can assist with any required documentation.

You are responsible for settling all incurred fees in full, regardless of whether your pet is insured.

8.5 Debt Recovery Charges
If any invoice remains unpaid in full within the specified timeframe, administrative fees and debt recovery charges may be added to your account, and we may immediately refer the matter to a debt recovery agency.

Upon referral to a debt recovery agency of our choosing, you may be charged additional fees of up to 30% of the outstanding balance. You agree to cover all debt recovery charges that we incur in pursuing the debt, including costs for correspondence, phone calls, administration, reports, and other related actions.

By contract, you accept responsibility for paying these additional charges and interest resulting from your failure to meet the agreed payment terms.

Should your account remain unpaid 20 days after referral to the debt recovery agency, we reserve the right to initiate legal proceedings. You will be liable for any further debt recovery expenses, along with legal fees incurred.

We may also choose to suspend the provision of further goods and/or services while the debt remains unsettled, and no future business transactions will occur until full payment is received.

9. Promotions

Promo codes may be available for limited periods and must be applied at the time of booking or purchase.
Promo codes are single use.

We retain the right to modify or cancel any aspect of a promo code at any time without prior notice. We also reserve the right to amend the Terms and Conditions of our promotions at any time.

10. Ownership of Clinical Records

Your pet’s medical records, including diagnostic images and test results, are our property. We will provide copies to other veterinary service providers upon request.

11. Your Responsibilities

11.1 Accurate Information
You must provide accurate information during registration and consultations. Failure to do so may result in suspension or termination of our services.

12. Your Rights and Our Liability

We are committed to providing veterinary services in accordance with professional standards. You have the right to request a redo or refund if services do not meet reasonable standards.

13. Privacy

Your privacy is protected in line with data protection legislation, including the Data Protection Act and GDPR. By using our services, you consent to the processing of your personal data.

13.1. CCTV, Video, and Audio Recording

Please be aware that we may use CCTV, as well as video and audio recording, in our clinics and during in-person consultations for purposes of training, safety, and monitoring.

13.2. Prohibition on Customer Recording

The use of any recording or imaging devices, including mobile phone cameras, is strictly forbidden in our clinic and during any appointments, in order to protect the privacy of both our staff and other clients.

If we discover that any individual has been recording or taking images without our written permission, we will require them to cease immediately and delete the content. Such actions may also lead to the termination of your agreement with us.

Additionally, we reserve the right to take legal action against any person who secretly records or photographs within the clinic or during appointments, or who publishes or shares this material on social media platforms (such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook) or any other online platforms.

14. Feedback, Questions, and Complaints

If you have feedback, questions, or complaints, please contact us at info@ecovets.co.uk. We are here to help and address any concerns you may have.