Your contract is with Alfa Travel Ltd, Euxton Lane, Chorley, Lancs PR7 6AF, a company Registered in England at Euxton Lane, Euxton, Chorley PR7 6AF with the Registered Number 02326610. All bookings are accepted on the following conditions:
1. Booking the Holiday
(i) Only confirmed bookings can be made on the internet. When you click the final request to book, your booking is confirmed immediately and the final page Confirmation is a valid travel ticket.
(ii) For your added peace of mind, a confirmation of your booking will also be forwarded to you by post within seven days of booking.
(iii) The balance of money is due (without any further reminder from us) 42 days before departure. Balance payments will be automatically taken by debiting your credit card 42 days prior to departure.
(iv) You should print the final page of the Internet booking process as your confirmation, although a postal confirmation will also be sent to you.
(v) Holiday price includes coach travel, accommodation, excursions and meals as specified in the holiday description. Some hotels make a small additional charge for tea or coffee taken after meals. Morning coffee, afternoon tea, personal items and liquid refreshments are not included in the price of the holiday.
(vi) Travel Tickets will be forwarded approximately 14 days prior to departure. Since feeder routes are frequently re-timed, it is essential that you check the time shown on your travel ticket and do not rely on your initial Confirmation for your joining time.
2. Insurance
It is a condition of the acceptance of the booking by the Company that you are insured either through the Company's scheme or some equivalent travel policy. If you wish to insure through another company, you must advise us of the insurer's name and emergency contact number prior to departure by e-mail to [email protected].
3. Room Allocation and Special Requests
Every effort will be made to provide precisely the accommodation booked and to convey special needs to the hotelier(s). However, the Company accepts no liability for any failure to provide a special request for which no payment is made and no correspondence will be entered into concerning the hotelier's failure to satisfy such requests. Where a payment is made for additional facilities, the Company's liability shall be limited to the brochure price of that supplement. Bookings for rooms with bath or shower shall be deemed to be fulfilled by the provision of either facility and requests for one or the other will be treated as requests only. Bookings for a double room shall be considered satisfied by the provision of either a double or twin bedded room. Bookings for a twin room shall be considered satisfied by the provision of a room with two or more beds.
4. Dietary and Other Special Needs
Clients who require a special diet must mark this requirement in the Special Requests section of the Booking Form. Clients with special dietary needs are also strongly urged to make direct contact with the hotel 7-14 days prior to arrival and to forward details of their requirements in writing to the hotel. Clients who are mobility impaired must make this clear when booking and should also write or e-mail the company's Customer Relations Department advising the precise degree of their mobility impairment so that the company can ascertain if the hotel is able to satisfy their needs. The company does not have any vehicles fitted with wheelchair lifts, so it is essential that all clients are able to manage the steps necessary to board a coach either unaided or with the assistance of members of their own party.
5. Alteration of fares, transportation, services etc.
The Company is responsible for all the elements of the holiday package and shall make every effort to ensure that all services are of the quality described in the brochure and tours are operated in accordance with the details contained therein, but reserves the right to modify arrangements in the light of circumstances arising provided that:
(i) it shall make every effort to inform clients of any change in hotel or itinerary. The Company shall be deemed to have satisfied this clause if it notifies clients of any change before the payment of the balance becomes due or, if it becomes aware of the change after that time, by sending a notice by first class post within 24 hours of discovering the information. Please note: Changes to single overnight stops on Continental and Scottish tours will only be notified with travel documents.
(ii) where a change in hotel or itinerary is necessary the change shall not result in a deterioration in the services provided or, if it is impossible to provide an arrangement of at least equal quality, the company shall make this fact clear and make a cash adjustment to the cost of the holiday.
6. Cancellation by the Company
The Company reserves the right to cancel departures if the number of clients wishing to travel is less than 25 persons. The Company shall not normally cancel a holiday after payment of the balance becomes due (42 days before departure). If for any reason it is found necessary to do so, the Company will provide an equivalent tour at a discount of 10% from the published price. If this alternative is not acceptable, the Company will refund all monies paid, whereupon all liability on the part of the Company shall cease.
7. Cancellation by the Passenger.
The following scale of cancellation charges shall apply to cancellation by the passenger:
Period before departure in.........Percentage of holiday cost
which cancellation is received...payable as cancellation charges
More than 42 days........................Deposit is forfeited
29 - 42 days.................................30%
15 - 28 days.................................45%
8 - 14 days...................................60%
0 - 7 days.....................................90%
8. Baggage
Which term shall include all personal belongings of the client, is conveyed at owner's risk throughout and the Company's liability shall be limited to taking reasonable care in the handling of such items by its servants or agents. Each passenger shall be allowed one suitcase measuring no more than 26in x 8in x 15in and weighing no more than 33lb (15kg). In the interests of the health and safety of employees and agents, we do ask clients to strictly observe this weight limitation on individual suitcases. If your suitcase exceeds this weight limit, coach drivers and hotel staff may refuse to handle it, so please consider the weight of your case and if necessary use two smaller cases rather than one large one.
9. Late Arrival by Passenger and Passengers in Difficulties
Should a passenger arrive late at any halt en route in accordance with an itinerary notified to clients, either verbally or in writing, the Company will not accept responsibility to delay departure and a passenger who misses a vehicle shall have no claim against the company. However, in accordance with the industry Code of Conduct, the company will make every effort to assist passengers who get into difficulty through circumstances beyond their control providing the passenger requests such assistance from the company by telephoning its emergency number.
10. Animals
Animals (other than registered assistance dogs) are not allowed on tour. Clients with registered assistance dogs must advise the company at the time of booking.
11. Optional Excursions
The Company does not operate any excursion other than those included in the price of the holiday and does not accept any liability for payments made to drivers or couriers for such excursions.
12. Hotel Amenities
Please remember that some facilities (e.g. lifts) are not always available due to sudden breakdowns or the need to service them. Other facilities (e.g. outdoor swimming pools) are only available when weather permits. The nature and frequency of entertainment is also subject to demand and is at the discretion of the hotel.
13. Seating Plans
Everything is done to conform to the seating plans shown in the brochure, but the Company reserves the right to modify these as necessary and the Company cannot accept bookings contingent upon provision of specific seats. In the event that the vehicle has seats numbered differently from the brochure seating plan, the row number and position (offside/nearside) and not the seat number shall be the determining factors in deciding where passengers shall sit.
14. Authority to Sign the Contract
By clicking on the Confirmation button you are confirming that you accept these Terms and Conditions on behalf of yourself and all the other clients whose names you list on the client names screen and that you have the full authority of those other persons to enter into a contract on their behalf.
15. Transfers
(a) The Company will permit clients to transfer the booking to other tours or other dates more than 42 days prior to departure without forfeiture of deposit providing the client pays an administration fee of £10 per booking form.
(b) The Company will permit assignment of the holiday to another client or clients subject to the following charges:
(i) more than 42 days prior to departure: £20 per booking form
(ii) less than 42 days but more than 14 days prior to departure: £40 per booking form.
It is not possible to transfer the booking to another client 14 days or less prior to departure without incurring the cancellation charges listed at 6 above.
16. Data Protection
When you provide your name and address, you give us permission to store it on our computer and use it to provide you with new editions of our brochure and special offers as these become available. If you do not wish us to include you on our mailing list, please write to us or send an e-mail to [email protected] or telephone our Customer Relations Department on 08451 305666 and we will ensure you are not sent any further publicity material.
Under the Data Protection Act, you have a right to access the personal data we hold on you. You must make any request for access in writing and we have up to 40 days to respond. We may not respond if in doing so we would be forced to disclose to you information concerning another individual. We charge a £5 fee for this service. Our mailing list is entirely confidential and we do not make it available to any other company.
Any personal information you provide to us regarding your state of health is stored only for the purpose of the specific booking for which you divulge the information. It is made available to hoteliers and transportation providers only in so far as is absolutely necessary to enable them to accommodate your needs. This information is not stored for use in future bookings and must be disclosed to us each time you make a booking.
17. Passports, Visas, Foreign Office Advisories and Health Information
UK Citizens do not need a Visa for any of our holidays, but they do need a passport for travel to mainland Europe and we recommend the use of a passport when travelling to the Irish Republic. It is advisable for the passport to be valid for at least 6 months following the planned end of your holiday. If you are not a UK national, you must ask for further advice either from your travel agent or by e-mailing us at: [email protected]. Because all of our holidays are to Western Europe, there are generally no health or security issues for most clients. However, you are advised to check the Foreign Office Travel site at www.fco.gov.uk/travel for specific information on any local risks in the countries you are visiting. The Scottish NHS web site at www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk provides useful travel health advice.
18. Air Holidays - Airlines Subject to an EU Operating Ban
In accordance with EU Directive - (EC) No.2111/2005, Article 9, we are required to bring to your attention the existence of a ‘Community list’, which contains details of air carriers that are subject to an operating ban within the EU Community. The Community list is available for inspection at http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/air/safety/flywell_en.htm. The identity of airlines being used on air inclusive holidays is shown on the relevant brochure page. Any subsequent changes will be notified with your Holiday Confirmation.
19. Fixed Price Guarantee and Financial Protection
The contract between the client and the Company is defined by these Booking Conditions and the Confirmation Invoice, which is issued upon receipt by the Company of the deposit. The price of the holiday as set out on the Confirmation Invoice is fully guaranteed and will not be subject to any surcharges. Advance payments to the Company are protected by means of an ABTA bond. In the event of ABTA ceasing to be a bonding body, the company reserves the right to resign its membership of ABTA and protect client funds by means of a Trust Account.
20. Complaints and Disputes
It is a condition of the contract between us that clients raise any complaints with the relevant person as and when they arise. The relevant person is the hotel manager for complaints about hotel services and the tour driver for complaints about travel arrangements. (The tour driver will also attempt to assist in the event of any failure by the hotel manager to resolve a complaint about the hotel.) We cannot deal with complaints which have not been raised in this way.
In the event that it is found impossible to rectify a problem arising during the holiday, we can normally agree an amicable settlement between us after you have returned from holiday, providing you write to us within 28 days of the completion of the holiday. If it is impossible to resolve a dispute, we will provide you with information on an independent arbitration scheme arranged by ABTA and operated by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The scheme has a claims limit of £5,000 per person (£1,000 per person for minor injury or illness) and £25,000 per Booking Form and cannot deal with major injuries. There is a time limit of 9 months following the date of return from holiday. Full details can be obtained from us or direct from the ABTA website www.abta.com.
Last Updated: 12 June 2006
