We love caring for your pets and appreciate your understanding of our policies to ensure a smooth and efficient service. Please review the following details carefully:

 Online Booking & Cancellation
A deposit is necessary to book our services. Without a deposit, the booking will not be valid.
A minimum of 48 hours' notice is required for cancellations. All deposits are non-refundable.

​

Due to a high demand for our services we take booking requests on the day our client is most available. Once we have the list of booking requests for the day we allocate clients an ETA based on their location. This helps to improve our environmental and time efficiency as a business. This also allows us to keep our costs comparable or lower than high street vet clinics who have no travel costs. Clients are permitted to change to another day if the time given is not suitable until we can find a mutually suitable time. we prioritise euthanasia appointments and minor procedures requiring sedation in this regard.

Priority booking is available for clients who would like to select the hour the vet comes on their chosen day. This comes at a premium cost. An ETA is given within 1 hour of the client’s chosen time. 

For some busy clients, they may decide to leave a family member or neighbour to host us. Please note clients should be available on the phone to speak during the appointment.

Urgent Vet Visits (Within 24 Hours)
Urgent bookings cannot be made on the website since the list for the day will have already been made. clients that wish to make an urgent booking request for within 24 hours should fill in the appropriate forms online and await contact with an ETA.

 

Emergencies

We are not an emergency service and by the very nature of what we are doing are unlikely to be able to drive out to a home as an emergency. If your pet is collapsed, struggling to breathe and/ or bleeding profusely please take them to the nearest vet clinic immediately. All clients should familiarise themselves with their nearest day clinic and 24 hour vet hospital for this reason.

 

Booking of Multiple Pets 

Please ensure you book all animals in at the time of appointment request. To comply with the VMD we only carry with us the number of vaccinations that we have booked for the day so may not be able to vaccinate animals that have not been pre booked. If you have issues using the booking system online please let us know and we will assist.

Parking Requirements and Property Access
Proximity: Ensure parking is available within a 5-minute walk of your property.
Difficult Parking: If parking is challenging (e.g., a long walk from the property), a £20 charge will apply.
Client Responsibility: Clients are responsible for parking fees, permits, or fines. Arrangements must be made in advance. Any time spent organising parking will be deducted from the consultation time.

 Availability of Client for Appointments
Please ensure you are available 1 hour before or after the scheduled ETA.
You are welcome to call the vet to confirm an updated ETA on the day of the appointment.

 

Preparing for the Appointment (for Cats)
Ensure that your cat is ready for examination in an enclosed room with no hiding spots.
If the cat is not available or the vet cannot access the property, the full consultation fee will be charged. If your cat is nervous please book a pre consult planning telephone consultation with us to discuss further.

We kindly request that your cat be placed in a ground floor room with minimal hiding spots for their examination. If the cat is located in an upstairs room, particularly in a bedroom, we reserve the right to refuse to examine them in that area, and they must be brought down to a ground level room. Your cooperation ensures a smooth and efficient examination.

Location Restrictions
We currently cover the following postcodes: TW12, TW2, TW3, TW1, TW10, TW11, TW13, TW9, TW7, KT8, KT11 & KT12.

 Restricted Roads
Clients in or near restricted entry road areas must ensure that appointments are scheduled outside restricted hours.
Please provide details in the booking form of the times of restricted entry in roads you are on or near to. If restrictions affect the visit, the appointment may be cancelled, and the full consultation fee will apply.

​

 Estimated Arrival Times
Appointment times are approximate due to the nature of our work. Please ensure you are available within 1 hour before or after the estimated arrival time.
If the vet is delayed by more than 20 minutes, we will try our best to contact you to inform you of the new ETA.

​

Suitability of Our Booking System

For most clients, our booking system works well, but we understand that some prefer booking appointment times within a certain timeframe. For these clients, we offer the option of booking a priority consultation (15 minutes), within an hour window of their choice on their chosen day, at a higher cost. This additional cost reflects the disruption caused to our travel schedule.

If neither of our booking options meet your needs, we recommend using a traditional bricks-and-mortar clinic, where appointment times are more predictable since the vet is not traveling to you.

​

All clients that book a standard consultation or vaccination with us, are allocated a time based on their location. The order of the booking list for the day, regardless of whether they book far in advance or make a special request based on their commitments, is based on location. 

​

We will always aim to visit within the client's preferred day and provide an ETA approximately 24 hours in advance.

​

All clients that request bookings with us must accept our terms of service. If neither of our booking options meet your needs, we would recommend seeking care from an alternative veterinary service provider. 

 Pre-Visit Consultation for Nervous Pets
We are happy to see pets who find visiting a vet clinic frightening. Please consider booking a pre visit telephone consult if you have any questions as to how best prepare for the visit. Please see our faqs for how to prepare for a vet visit for dogs and cats.

Strong Scents and Smoking is prohibited
For the health and safety of both the veterinary staff and your pet, we kindly ask that you do not use scented or unscented candles, room sprays and perfumes) during our visit. Smoking or exposure to unventilated rooms with smoke is prohibited.

 

No-Show Policy
No-Show: If the vet arrives and no one is present or available to answer, the full consultation fee will be charged.
Late Arrival: If you are not available upon the vet’s arrival and the vet has to wait, the waiting time will be charged at £100 per hour. The vet reserves the right to leave the appointment and charge the full consultation fee to avoid delays with other clients.

 

Individual Queries

As a small business with limited staffing, we are unable to provide advice outside of scheduled telephone or face-to-face consultations. Clients seeking further advice after a consultation should book a follow-up appointment.

To help us manage resources effectively and maintain the quality of care for all clients, we kindly ask that you refrain from making multiple contacts outside of consultation times.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

​

Complaints or Feedback

As a small business our clients benefit from direct interaction with the vet and clinic owner.  This helps to reduce the level of complaints that may be experienced in a larger practice and generally our clients are satisfied with our service. However we understand that from time to time we may not always get it right. Where clients have reasonable feedback or complaints, please give us a call or send us an email for the attention of the clinic owner. Where a complaint involves a member of staff that is employed by the clinic, we may require up to 10 days to investigate the matter. 

 

Non Payment

Full Payment is required at the time of consultation. No medications will be dispensed until payment is received. Any client that has received services or goods from us and does not fulfil payment, regardless of the reasoning, will be persued in court and incur interest, court and administrative fees. A court order will also affect credit score. 

 

Pricing, Deposits and Payments

Prompt payment is required at the time of consultation. Please ensure that you have sufficient funs prior to booking. We do not offer credit. 

Where a client is invoiced for payment after a consultation, the client should ensure that payment is made on the same day. Failure to settle invoices in a timely manner may result in a penalty in order to cover administration costs.

We have transparent pricing on all of our booking items. Further estimates for any minor procedures or treatment can only be provided at the time of a consultation.

Please kindly check your invoicing carefully and credit card statements before approaching us with invoicing queries. 

We account for deposits when we invoice as we deposit a standard amount to all clients. All clients are asked to check their bank statements and read through their invoices carefully before engaging us in any invoicing dispute or queries.

​

Nail Clipping and Anal Glands 

These are charged as an additional extra to the cost of the standard health consultation

Termination of Services Policy

At The Richmond House Vet, we are committed to providing professional and compassionate care to all pets and their owners. However, we reserve the right to terminate our services if a client exhibits any of the following behaviours: rudeness, aggression and/or threatening behaviour and threats

If any of the above behaviours are observed, we may end our services at any point during the course of treatment or consultation.

In such cases, the client will receive a Termination of Services letter, and we will promptly provide any relevant clinical history. 

We ask that all clients maintain respectful and cooperative behaviour while engaging with our staff, as we strive to create a safe and positive environment for everyone.

​

Social Media Slander

We reserve the right to take legal action against anyone who attempts to blackmail us with false or misleading accusations via any social media platform, in an attempt to obtain a discount or other.

We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring a smooth experience for both you and your pet.