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YOUR CONTRACT IS WITH WORLD OF EXPERIENCE TOURS LTD, trading as
DESTINATION PORTUGAL & DESTINATION CAPE VERDE, A MEMBER OF THE TRAVEL
TRUST ASSOCIATION – MEMBERSHIP NO: U5444, (HEREAFTER CALLED "THE
COMPANY").
Our commitment to you:
A. Provision of your holiday:
We will arrange for the provision to you of the services which make up
the inclusive holiday as described and confirmed to you on our websites,
in our brochures or in written exchanges between you and a member of our
staff. These services will be provided either directly by us or by
independently contracted suppliers. When you, or your travel agent, ask
for your holiday enquiry to be confirmed, we will allocate your chosen
holiday to you and give you a confirmation of the booking from that
time. We will normally ask you to confirm your booking to us in writing,
but for practical reasons, we may need to proceed with financial
commitments to suppliers on the basis of your verbal instruction. In
either case, a binding contract exists between you and World of
Experience Tours Ltd (Registered in England no. 6554017) on the basis of
the material provided in our brochure, on our website, and in our verbal
and written exchanges. From this time, you become liable for meeting the
payment commitments for your holiday which will have been outlined. The
agreement to proceed with your booking also acts as your acceptance of
these booking conditions and your holiday is secured from that moment.
We will later send you or your travel agent a holiday confirmation
invoice confirming the details and prices of the holiday that you have
already booked, which in most cases will have been confirmed to you by
other means.
All holidays and offers advertised in this brochure on our website or
discussed in phone conversations and/or exchanges of e-mail are subject
to
availability at the time of booking, when a final price for your
arrangements will also be confirmed.
B. Your holiday price:
i. When you book:
All prices, supplements and offers shown in this brochure and/or on our
website are based on costs at 30 November 2011 although we reserve the
right to amend all prices, supplements and offers (up or down) when we
receive notification of new costs. If we receive notification of new
prices which make some of the information printed in the brochure
invalid for any reason, we will use our best endeavours to include this
revised information in a supplementary document, which may be sent out
with the brochure, however, we cannot guarantee that this will always be
the case. Many of our suppliers use a ‘fluid pricing’ model which means
that their costs (as we reflect them in our prices) may be significantly
different from those that we show in the brochure, especially during
periods of high demand. If there is a considerable time delay between
you receiving our brochure and/or a verbal/written price quote, it is
quite possible that the pricing given to you may have changed
significantly. We will re-price your holiday on the basis of these new
prices, and these will then be valid for your booking, provided that you
confirm your arrangements within a reasonable time-frame. Some of our
prices, dependent upon the programme, include airline rates applicable
at the time of producing our promotional materials for our brochures
and/or website and although these rates will generally be available for
the validity of the promotional material that we have produced,
occasionally during periods of excess demand, when the relevant class is
unavailable, we will book the next available fare class which may result
in you paying a higher price than that promoted in this brochure. The
government charges a levy to cover financial protection in the event of
an airline failure and we automatically add this to your invoice total
at the booking stage. Once you have confirmed your holiday booking, the
price is protected subject to clause 2C below of these booking
conditions.
ii. VAT and Exchange rates:
Our VAT Registration number is 931 501 949 and all prices quoted in this
brochure include VAT where relevant at 20%. The published prices of
holidays were calculated using exchange rates quoted in the Financial
Times Guide to World Currencies on 25 November 2011. Please note that
these rates are not comparable with note or tourist rates which are
quoted in national newspapers. In addition, hotel costs, transfers, and
other services, along with local taxes and part of the flight cost are
typically paid in the currency of your holiday destination country.
Aviation fuel is paid in US Dollars. All of these costs are affected by
changes in the cost of buying foreign currency and accordingly, we
reserve the right to increase our prices in accordance with these
booking conditions.
iii. Surcharges (after booking):
Once we have confirmed your booking, the
price of your holiday arrangements may be varied due to changes in
transportation costs such as fuel, scheduled airfares and any other
airline cost changes which are part of the contract between airlines
(and their agents) and the tour operator or organiser, and also in
respect of government action such as changes in VAT or any other
government imposed changes. In the case of any small variation, an
amount equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, and
any amendment charges, will be absorbed or retained. For larger
variations, this 2% will still be absorbed for increases but the balance
will be passed on to you in respect of an increase in the price that you
have to pay. In either case there will be an administration charge of £5
per person including an amount to cover agent’s commission. In the
unlikely event that you are asked to pay an increase of more than 10% of
the price of your holiday travel arrangements, you may cancel your
booking and receive a full refund of all monies paid, except for any
amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel for this reason, you must
exercise your right to do so within 14 days from the issue date printed
on the revised invoice that you will have received.
C. If your booking is changed:
It is unlikely that your booking, once confirmed, will have to be
changed, but we do plan the arrangements many months in advance, and
therefore we reserve the right to do so at any time. Most of these
changes are normally quite minor in character, but where they are major,
we will inform you or your travel agent as soon as reasonably possible
if there is time before your departure. A ‘major change’ is one that is
made to a major part of your holiday arrangements before departure, such
as a change of your departure airport (except between recognised London
airports), resort area or time of departure or return by more than
twelve hours, or offering accommodation with a lower category rating, or
where the change can reasonably be seen as adding a new element of
inconvenience to your arrangements or significantly detracting from your
overall holiday experience. If we have to make a major change you have
the choice of the following:
i - accepting the changed arrangements as notified to you,
ii - purchasing another available holiday from us, or
iii – cancelling your holiday and receiving a full refund of all monies
paid.
Additionally, if we make a major change after you
have paid the full balance of your holiday and you accept (i), (ii) or
(iii) you will be entitled to compensation on the scale shown below:
Period before scheduled departure Compensation within which a major
change is per adult notified to you or your travel agent:
More than 56 days
Nil
43-56 days
£20
29-42 days
£30
15-28 days
£40
0-14 days
£50
Important note:
Compensation payments do not apply to changes caused by reason of war or
threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial
disputes, natural and nuclear disasters, fire, or other circumstances
that may amount to ‘force majeure’. These are circumstances outside of
our direct control, and those which could not have been reasonably
predicted or foreseen.
Air Passenger Rights:
Under EU law you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or
compensation from your airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation
or delay to flights. Full details of these rights will be publicised at
EU airports and will also be available from airlines. However
reimbursement in such cases is the responsibility of the airline and
will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday cost from
us. Your right to a refund and/or compensation from us is set out in
paragraph 3. If your airline does not comply with these rules you should
complain to the Air Transport Users’ Council on 020 7240 6061
www.auc.org.uk.
D. If your holiday is cancelled:
We have to reserve the right in any circumstance to cancel your holiday
and, in this event, we will return to you all money you have paid us or
will offer you an alternative holiday of comparable standard to
purchase. In no case, except where the reason for the cancellation is
beyond our control, will your holiday be cancelled after the balance is
paid and in such unusual cases compensation will be paid per section (C)
above.
E. Our responsibility for your holiday:
We accept responsibility for ensuring that all
component parts of the inclusive holiday, limited to items included on
confirmation invoice are supplied to you as described in this brochure
and to a reasonable standard. If any such element is not provided to
your satisfaction due to the fault of our employees, agents, or
suppliers, or does not result from ‘force majeure’, we will pay you
appropriate compensation if this has affected the enjoyment of your
holiday (see important note in section (C) above). Our liability in this
respect is limited to a maximum of
two times the value of the holiday. We must ask you, however, to be
understanding in the event of unforeseen alterations to your holiday
made by our suppliers over whom we have no direct control.
F. Excursions (whilst participating in holiday arrangements made by us):
Excursions or other tours that you may choose to
book or pay for whilst you are on holiday are not part of the holiday
provided by us. For any excursion or other tour that you book, your
contract is with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with us
and we are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or
for anything that happens during the course of its provision. If you
have pre-booked a particular tour or excursion prior to your departure,
then we are liable for the reasonable provision of this service, subject
to the limits outlined in (E) above.
G. Personal Injury (whilst participating in holiday arrangements made by
us):
We have taken all reasonable and proper
steps to ensure that proper arrangements have been made for all the
holidays which are advertised by ourselves and that the suppliers of the
various services which will be provided to you as part of the inclusive
holiday are efficient, safe and reputable businesses, and that they
comply with the local and national laws and regulations of the country
in which they provide those services. We have no direct control over the
provision of services to customers by suppliers. However, subject to the
notes below, we may be obliged to pay to our customers the equivalent of
such damages as they would be entitled to receive under English law in
an English Court for any personal injury to the customer, including
illness or death, caused by the negligence, as understood in English
Law, of the servants or agents of ourselves or of any of our suppliers
contracted or subcontracted by us to provide any part of the
arrangements for your holiday as described in the publicity material
that we produce. With regard to any relevant international convention
for example, the Montreal Convention in respect of travel by air, the
Athens Convention in respect of travel by sea, the Berne Convention in
respect of travel by rail, and the Paris Convention in respect of the
provision of accommodation, which limit the amount of compensation that
you can claim for death, injury, delay to passengers and loss, damage
and delay to luggage, we are to be regarded as having all benefit of any
limitation of compensation contained in these or any conventions. Copies
of these can be made available on request.
H. Personal Injury (Unconnected with travel arrangements made by us):
If you, or any member of your party, suffer death,
illness or injury whilst overseas arising out of an activity which does
not form part of your holiday arrangements or an excursion arranged
through us, we shall at our discretion, offer advice, guidance and
assistance. Where legal action is contemplated and you want our
assistance, you must obtain our written consent prior to commencement of
proceedings. Our consent will be given subject to you undertaking to
assign any costs or benefits received, under any relevant insurance
policy to ourselves. We limit the cost of our assistance to you or any
member of your party to £5,000. Under your travel insurance cover, you
must make an insurance claim under the legal expenses section in respect
of any legal fees incurred abroad for that purpose.
Important notes in respect of sections
G & H:
We would request that you
(a) notify us of any claim for personal injury within 2 months of your
return from holiday;
(b) assign to Great Experience Travel Group any rights against a
supplier or any other person or party you may have relating to the
claim; and
(c) agree to co-operate fully with us should our insurers wish to
enforce those rights. This assignment is necessary to enable us to try
to recover from suppliers any compensation paid to customers and
associated costs as a result of personal injury to customers caused by
the negligence of those suppliers. It is not our wish to profit from
such assignment and in the unlikely event of our recovering more than
such compensation and costs, any excess will be paid to the injured
customers.
Booking Terms and Conditions
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I. Brochure & Information accuracy:
We make every reasonable effort to ensure that the information that we
provide in all its forms, whether via a brochure, website, given in
writing or advised verbally is correct and comprehensive. All
information is provided in good faith. As a result of compiling our
information, in some cases, many months in advance, we cannot be held
responsible for any distress/disappointment that may be felt if it
proves to be the case that some of the information that we have given is
incorrect, for example, if some facilities/services are withdrawn by
suppliers at short notice, and we could not reasonably be expected to
know this in advance.
J. Holiday disruption & seasonal withdrawal of
facilities:
All hotels and resorts occasionally have to undertake building work and
routine maintenance work. Where we are advised of such work in advance
by our suppliers, and we feel that this work may cause undue disturbance
and disruption to our holiday arrangements, we will advise you of this
in advance and seek to find a suitable resolution. At certain times of
year, some of a property’s advertised facilities may be closed or made
unavailable for some/all of your stay. This applies particularly in the
‘low season’, when occupancy levels are not at their maximum. As above,
we will endeavour to advise you in advance of any withdrawal of
facilities which we feel may adversely affect your holiday enjoyment, or
which we feel has not been suitably reflected in a considerable
reduction in the price being charged for the period of your stay.
K. Car rental booking:
For a lot of our holidays, a rental car is often required. Where these
are booked through us, the price that we quote will include all the
statutory insurances that you are required to have by law to drive in
the country that you are visiting. You will, however, be offered
additional insurances by the car rental companies when you collect the
vehicles. It is at your discretion as to whether you accept these. If
you are planning to use your rental car in another country, even across
borders in the EU/EEA, then you must advise the car rental company at
the time of collection that you are doing this, as they may require you
to take out additional insurance so that you are fully covered in all
the countries in which you are driving.
L. Special requests:
You are able to make a special request, for example, for a specific unit
or room number at one of the properties that we feature, or for
particular dietary requests, and we will ensure that these requests are
passed on to the relevant suppliers. We regret, however, that we are
unable to guarantee that any such requests will, or can, be complied
with. Failure to meet a particular request will not be deemed to be a
breach of this agreement, unless a booking is accepted on an agreed
basis, where a special request becomes a ‘condition precedent’, in which
case, this will be confirmed in writing in accordance with section (N)
below.
M. What happens to complaints:
It is our intention to resolve all disagreements
with our customers in a timely and reasonable fashion. However, on very
rare occasions, disputes arising out of, or in connection with, this
contract or the provision of one of our holidays cannot be settled
amicably and they may be referred to arbitration if the customer so
wishes, under a special scheme administered by IDRS, part of the
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. This scheme provides for a
relatively simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents
alone with restricted liability on the customer with regards to cost.
Under the scheme, customers must pursue their claim within 6 months of
the date of return from their holiday. (Outside this time limit,
arbitration under the scheme may still be available if we agree to it,
although the IDRS scheme does not require that we agree to such an
extension, unless there are special circumstances which make this
reasonable). The scheme does not apply to claims for amounts greater
than £5,000 per person or £25,000 per booking, neither does it apply to
claims which are solely in respect of physical injury or illness or
their consequences. However, the scheme can deal with compensation
claims which include an element of minor injury or illness subject to a
per person limit of £1,000 on the personal injury or illness element of
the claim. Full details of the scheme can be provided by us on request.
N. Variations to the terms and conditions of booking:
No one, other than a Director, of the Great Experience Travel Group of
companies may alter or make null and void any of the terms and
conditions as outlined in this document, or accept any special request
as a ‘condition precedent’ for a booking as outlined in section (L)
above. As such alterations which are agreed will be confirmed in writing
on an individual basis.
O. Data Protection Act:
Great Experience Travel Group is registered under the Data Protection
Act 1998 and will deal with all personal data you provide to us in
accordance therewith. It is necessary for us to pass on your personal
data to airlines, hotels, transportation companies, insurers and other
agents in order to arrange the holiday you require. By making a booking
or a booking enquiry with a company which is part of the Great
Experience Travel Group, you have consented to allow the passing on of
such data as we determine necessary for that purpose. Under the Data
Protection Act, you have the right to inspect any relevant personal
information held by us.
Your commitment to us:
1. Your holiday contract:
As soon as your holiday booking is confirmed, you are deemed to be
accepting these booking conditions as the basis of our agreement. Your
acceptance of the holiday offered to you confirms that you authorised to
make the booking on behalf of all of the members of your party, and that
you and they are accepting all the financial and contractual obligations
as outlined in these conditions. You will become our sole point of
contact for information and instruction at the address that you will
have been asked to provide for confirmation purposes. Your contract is
made on the terms of these booking conditions which are governed by
English law and the jurisdiction of the English Courts.
2. Payment for the holiday:
You will be required to pay the deposit as agreed with a member of our
staff or shown as required on our website when you book. This is your
commitment until 12 weeks before departure when your final balance is
due. For bookings within 12 weeks to departure, full payment is required
at time of booking. If payment is not received as above, we reserve the
right to treat your booking as cancelled and your deposit/s would be
forfeited. If you pay money for your holiday to an ABTA travel agent,
they will hold that money as our agent from the time they receive it
until they pay the money to us. If you have not paid your balance by 12
weeks prior to departure, then we reserve the right to regard your
booking as cancelled and retain any monies paid. You will not be
entitled to receive any services from your booking.
All credit card
payments incur a 2.5% charge.
3. If you change your booking:
If you want to change any details of your booking (eg transfer to a
different holiday, departure date or airport), we will do our best to
help as soon as we receive your request in writing. We reserve the right
to charge an amendment fee of £25 per person named on the booking form
for each detail of the booking changed and, in addition to the amendment
fee, we will charge for any additional costs we incur in making the
amendment(s). Please note that it is highly likely that amendment costs
will increase the closer the change is made to your departure date.
IMPORTANT: Some travel arrangements (e.g. flight
tickets purchased specifically from certain airlines and certain hotel
bookings) may not be refundable or transferable after a reservation has
been made and any alteration request may incur a cancellation charge of
up to 100% of that particular part of the holiday arrangements.
4. If you cancel your booking in part or in full:
You or any member of your party may cancel your
booking, or part of it, once it has been confirmed, but the instructions
will only be valid if in writing and signed by the person who has been
designated as our sole point of contact for the booking. Your written
instructions should go either to the travel agent you booked with,
asking them to notify us immediately, or if you booked direct, to our
address given below. To compensate us for the expense of processing your
booking, payment of cancellation fees will be applied according to the
scale shown below. The amount payable (by whomever confirmed the
booking) depends on when we receive your written instructions.
Period before scheduled departure Amount of cancellation within which
written holiday charge (shown as a % instructions are received by us of
total price):
More than 80 days
Deposit/initial payment
79-56 days
up
to 50% of the total holiday cost
55-42 days
up
to 75% of the total holiday cost
41- to departure date or after up to
up to 100% of
the total holiday cost
The above figures are given for guidance only. The
precise level of cancellation charge will depend on the terms and
conditions applied by the relevant suppliers. The actual amount of the
cancellation charge will be advised to you once we receive your
notification that you are cancelling your whole trip or making a partial
cancellation on behalf of a member of your travelling party.
NB. You may make a claim if your
cancellation falls within the terms of your travel insurance policy.
Please note: Where the price varies depending on the number of
persons travelling and the numbers are amended, the price will be
recharged on the basis of the new party size. Any increase in price per
person payable as a result of a part cancellation is not a cancellation
charge and will not normally be covered by your chosen insurance. A
separate cancellation charge will be levied in respect of bookings
cancelled in accordance with paragraph 4 below. A new confirmation
invoice will be issued as appropriate on which the cancellation charges
will be shown.
5. If you have a complaint:
If you have a complaint about your holiday please
refer the matter to the supplier immediately (airline, hotel, car hire
etc). If further assistance is required our agent/ representative in
resort or out of hours emergency telephone number should be contacted.
Matters can most easily be resolved for you on the spot, when the
supplier can see and understand the exact nature of any problems you
have, and each supplier MUST be given an opportunity to remedy your complaint on the spot.
It is unreasonable to take no action whilst on holiday, and only then
register your complaint on your return, when it is too late to try to
resolve the problem for you. In the unlikely event that matters cannot
be sorted out locally, you must then follow up your complaint writing to
our Customer Services Department at our office address below within 28
days of returning from holiday.
Booking Terms and Conditions
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6. Holiday participation:
We reserve the right to decline to accept or
retain any person as a customer if their conduct is disruptive and
affects the enjoyment of other holidaymakers, and we shall be under no
liability for any extra costs incurred by such a person as a result of
our doing so. Aircraft captains are legally entitled to deny boarding to
any passenger presenting themselves at the aircraft who, at the
captain’s absolute discretion, are unacceptably under the influence of
alcohol or drugs. Any passenger who is denied boarding on the outbound
flight for that reason, shall be deemed to have given notice of
cancellation of his/her booking at that moment, and cancellation charges
will apply in accordance with section (4) above.
7. Your accommodation:
The accommodation provided is only for the use of passengers shown on
the confirmation invoice as confirmed by us; subletting, sharing or
assignment is prohibited.
8. Your travel ticket conditions:
When you travel with an air or sea carrier, their conditions of carriage
apply, some of which limit liability. These conditions are often the
subject of international agreements between countries such as those
outlined in section (G) above, and copies of the conditions which apply
are available for inspection at the travel agent where you book your
holiday.
9. Passport, Visa & Health Information:
For most of the destinations that we feature in
our programme, a valid UK/EU passport with at least 6 months validity
from the date of your return to the UK is adequate for you to travel and
enter your destination country. In the case of programmes to the USA,
UK/EU/EEA passport holders must apply for an ESTA approval at least 72
hours prior to travel. Where a country requires UK/EU/EEA travellers to
have a specific visa for entry, this will be advised at the time,
together with details as to how to apply for the required documentation.
If you are not a UK/EU/EEA passport holder, then you are responsible for
informing yourself in respect of any visa/passport/immigration
requirements which are applicable for the country to which you are
travelling. Please also bear in mind that some trips may involve you
transiting through other countries, which may have different regulations
and requirements to your final destination and you may require
additional visas for these countries. None of the destinations that we
feature on our programme have specific health or vaccination
requirements for UK/EU/EEA passport holders unless you have recently
been travelling in an area where there is a known health risk, which you
are required to register. If any of our destinations impose new
regulations, we will use our best endeavours to advise you of these in a
timely fashion. Please note:
We cannot accept liability if you are not permitted to travel or cannot
undertake/complete your holiday if you have failed to comply with
prevailing passport, visa or health requirements for any reason.
11. Travel Insurance:
Having suitable travel insurance organised prior to your departure is
essential for all travellers. By making your booking with us, you are
confirming that you are responsible for having provided adequate travel
insurance arrangements for all of the members of your party. For each of
our programmes, we will offer you a travel insurance policy which we
believe provides you with an excellent level of cover. If you do not opt
to take our insurance, then we will take this to mean that you have your
own policy which provides you with cover that is at least as good as, if
not better than, the cover that we offer.
12. Travel delays:
If you are delayed getting to your point of departure for your holiday
for any reason, or your departure is delayed, for example, due to
technical/weather issues affecting your flight, train, ferry etc., then
you will be expected to make any relevant claims for compensation
through your insurance policy or directly from the provider of your
travel arrangements in accordance with their terms of carriage.
13. Making your own travel arrangements:
For a number of our holidays, we offer an ‘accommodation only’ booking
arrangement, which leaves you free to make your own travel bookings
to/from your destination, as an alternative to those that we offer. If
you opt to make your own bookings, please be aware that we cannot be
held responsible for any delays/alterations to your travel arrangements,
which may have a subsequent impact on your accommodation booking with
us, but are outside of our control. If, for example, a flight that you
have booked for yourself is cancelled and you can no longer get to the
accommodation that we have booked for you, then you will still be liable
for all the costs associated with your accommodation, and we can offer
no guarantees that the accommodation provider will be able to amend or
cancel your booking to match any new travel arrangements that you might
be forced to make for yourself.
14. Playing golf:
For a number of our holidays, we offer the
opportunity to play golf. In some cases, tee-times can be pre-booked and
paid for through us in advance of travel. In other cases, they can be
pre-booked by us, but have to be paid for locally, and for other course,
advanced booking is not permitted and all arrangements must be made and
paid for in resort. We will, of course, provide you with as much
information as possible as to the arrangements which are applicable to
the courses that you are interested in playing.
Please note: For all
membership courses, you will normally be required to present your valid
handicap certificates prior to the commencement of your round. For most
airlines, especially within Europe, any golf equipment which is to be
carried on the flights must be allowed for within each passenger’s
individual hold-baggage allowance and/or is required to be pre-booked at
an additional charge. Airline regulations in this respect are changing
regularly. If we are booking your flights for you and you plan to take
your golf clubs with you, then please advise us at the time of booking,
and we can confirm for you the relevant regulations appropriate to the
airline that you are using.
Address for correspondence:
Great
Experience Travel Group,
Waterloo Walk, High Street, Witney, OXON, OX28 6EU
E-mail: greatexperiencetravel@tarsc.net
Tel: +44 (0)1993 707840
Out of hours contact telephone number
(emergency use only): +44 (0)7766 40675
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