We at Shadow Creek Veterinary Clinic understand that sometimes you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. However, when you do not contact us in advance to cancel your appointment, you may be preventing another pet from receiving much-needed treatment.
The Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship is built on mutual trust and respect. As such, we strive to be on time for your scheduled appointments and ask that you notify us at (205) 964-8866 when you are unable to keep your appointment. As a courtesy, we provide reminder texts before your appointment. Below, our missed appointment policies are outlined.
Late Arrival Policy: We make every effort to be on time for all our appointments. Unfortunately, when even one patient arrives late, it can throw off the entire schedule for that day. In addition, rushing or “squeezing in” an appointment shortchanges the patients and contributes to decreased quality of care. Therefore, a client who arrives 15 minutes or more late to their scheduled appointment will be rescheduled. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.
Cancellation of an Appointment: In order to be respectful of the medical needs of other patients, please be courteous and call our office promptly at (205) 964-8866 if you are unable to honor an appointment. If it is necessary to cancel your scheduled appointment, we ask that you call at least 24 hours in advance. Appointments are in high demand, and your early cancellation will allow another patient access to timely veterinary care. If it is after hours, please email shadowcreekvetclinic@gmail.com, or reschedule using the Otto pop-up widget on our website.
Appointment No-Show Policy: A “no-show” is a client who misses an appointment without canceling it. A failure to be present at the time of a scheduled appointment will be recorded in the client’s chart as a “no-show”.
The first time there is a “no-show”, we will contact you to inform you of the missed appointment and remind you of our “no-show” policy. You will be required to pay a nonrefundable $78 exam fee to schedule another appointment which will be put towards that visit.
A 2nd occurrence will result in no refund of the $78 deposit. You will be able to reschedule one final prepaid appointment at an additional $78.
The 3rd occurrence within one year will result in you being discharged from the practice and the second $78 deposit will not be returned.
We appreciate your patience, understanding, and support of this policy and want to do all we can to serve your needs. Thank you!