Booking Conditions
Important Note : These Booking Conditions apply to all bookings made with us from 23rd September 2019.
The following Booking Conditions together with our privacy policy here and, where your holiday is booked via our website, our website terms and conditions of use here , together with any other written information we brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking govern your booking with TheWeddingTravelCompany.com is at all times acting as a retail agent on behalf of Travelbugz Limited, a company registered in England with company no 04714191. Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. References to "you" and "your" in these Booking Conditions mean all persons named on the booking (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date) or any of them.
Please note that The Wedding Travel Company is at all times acting as a retail agent on behalf of Travelbugz Limited, a company registered in England with company no. 04714191 with office address 2nd Floor Nucleus House, 2 Lower Mortlake Road, Richmond, United Kingdom TW9 2JA.
References to “Travel Arrangement(s)” in these Booking Conditions are to the accommodation, flights, transport, activities, excursions and other services we feature on our website. References to “Supplier/Principal” means Travelbugz Limited.
By making a booking, the first named person on the booking agrees on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking that he/she:
a. has read these Booking Conditions and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them;
b. consents to our use of personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy here and is authorised on behalf of all persons named on the booking to disclose their personal details to us,
including where applicable, special categories of data (such as information on health conditions or disabilities and dietary requirements);
c. is over 18 years of age and resident in the United Kingdom and where placing an order for services with age restrictions declares that he/she and all members of the party are of the
appropriate age to purchase those services;
d. accepts financial responsibility for payment of the booking on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking.
Please Note: We act only as an agent in respect of all bookings we take and/or make on your behalf.
1. Your Contract
When making your booking we will arrange for you to enter into a contract with the Supplier/Principal, as specified on your confirmation invoice. Your booking with us is subject to these Booking Conditions and the specific terms and conditions of the Supplier/Principal and we advise you to read both carefully prior to booking. The Supplier/Principal’s terms and conditions may limit and/or exclude the Supplier/Principal's liability to you.
Your booking is confirmed and a contract between you and the Supplier/Principal will exist when we send you confirmation on their behalf.
By clicking to book and entering both your personal and payment details on-line, you are requesting that we make a booking on your behalf with the relevant Supplier/ Principal for your chosen Travel Arrangements. You will be bound by both our booking conditions and the relevant booking conditions of the Supplier/ Principal, and so we advise you to read these very carefully prior to booking.
It is important to note that your payment at the time of making your booking does not in itself mean that your booking is confirmed, as all bookings are subject to availability, and we do not guarantee that any of the Travel Arrangements advertised will still be available at the time of booking.
In order to confirm your booking we have to make live reservations with the Supplier/Principal, and as such we have to have the security that we have the appropriate payment from you. Hence your initial payment to us acts as your authority for us to make your booking with the Supplier/Principal.
We will inform you within 48 hours of placing an order, if, for any reason, in the short time between your payment to us and us seeking to confirm your booking with the Supplier/Principal, the Travel Arrangements that you requested for us to book on your behalf become unavailable.
If we cannot obtain an alternative that is acceptable to you, you will of course receive a full refund for the money that you have paid for those Travel Arrangements.
The initial email that is sent with a summary of your order attached is not the contractual acceptance of the Supplier/Principal’s ability to provide the requested travel arrangement, this acts purely as an acknowledgement that we have received your order. If all of the Travel Arrangements are available as detailed on our website, then you will be issued with a booking confirmation with the full terms and conditions attached, for both us and the Supplier/Principal. Once you have received this booking confirmation, then you have entered into a legally binding contract for these Travel Arrangements, subject to both the Supplier/Principal’s terms and conditions and our booking conditions.
As an agent we accept no responsibility for the acts or omissions of the Supplier/Principal or for the Travel Arrangements provided by the Supplier/Principal.
2. Booking
When you make a booking, you will have the opportunity to review/confirm all the details of the booking before making payment. Once you have reviewed and confirmed these details and made payment, we will proceed to make the booking with the Supplier/Principal.
Please check that all names, dates and timings are correct on receipt of all documents and advise us of any errors immediately. Any changes to these details will incur the charges stated below. Please ensure that the names given are the same as in the relevant passport. The booking information that you provide to us will be passed on only to the relevant Supplier/Principal of your Travel Arrangements or other persons necessary for the provision of your Travel Arrangements. The information may be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. This applies to any special category (sensitive) information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary and religious requirements. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons. Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies. If you are travelling to the United States, the US Customs and Border Protection will receive this information for the purposes of preventing and combating terrorism and other transnational serious crimes. If you travel outside the European Economic Area, controls on data protection may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. If we cannot pass this information to the relevant Supplier/Principals, whether in the EEA or not, we will be unable to provide your booking. Please click here for full details of our privacy policy here
3. Payment
In order to book your chosen Travel Arrangements, you must pay a deposit as required by the Supplier/Principal of the Travel Arrangements (or full payment if booking within 12 weeks of departure or as requested by the Supplier/Principal). You must also pay all applicable insurance premiums and booking fees.
If you have paid a deposit, you must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you. If full payment is not received by the balance due date, we will inform the Supplier/Principal(s) who may cancel your booking and charge the applicable cancellation fees (as set out in the Supplier/Principal’s terms and conditions),and you will also be required to pay an administration charge to us of £30 per person.
Payment methods that are accepted for new bookings are debit or credit cards. For balances debit and credit cards can be utilised as well as cheque payments, made payable to Travelbugz Ltd. Your booking reference needs to be clearly detailed on the reverse of the cheque.
Bank transfers can also be made. Please call 01708 412 280 for further details. Please use the lead surname and booking reference when making the transfer. If payment is made via this method your payment cannot be tracked unless the Administration Department is notified of the transaction.
For your convenience we now offer the ability to be able to pay your balance on-line. Please go to the My Booking section of the site and follow the prompts.
Low Deposit Offers
From time to time the Supplier/Principal may make offers available where you can take advantage of a lower initial deposit payment (‘Low Deposit Offer’). Where this is the case, the following terms will apply:
i. Where you make a booking that takes advantage of the Low Deposit Offer, you will be able to spread the deposit applicable to your chosen Travel Arrangements over a three-month period, instead of paying the whole deposit up-front.
ii. Please Note: Our administration fee of £4.50, which covers our administration costs for managing multiple payments, will be payable in relation to each instalment of the deposit.
iii. The amount of the low deposit required at the time of booking plus details of any further deposit and the value of the final balance, together with the applicable payment due dates will be communicated to you before you confirm your booking.
iv. Where you make a booking under a Low Deposit offer, all of the standard booking and cancellation terms set out on this page will apply to your booking, as normal.
v. All deposits (including both the initial low deposit and the further deposits you are required to pay, where applicable) are non-refundable and therefore would not be reimbursed should you decide to cancel your booking. If you wish to cancel your booking before you have paid the value of the full deposit applicable to your chosen Travel Arrangements then you will be required to pay the full value of the deposit on cancellation and may also be required to pay any additional cancellation charges imposed by the applicable Supplier/Principal and our administration charges, please see clause 11 for further details
vi. If the balance due date applicable to your booking (normally 12 weeks prior to departure) falls within the 3 month period mentioned above, then the full balance for your booking will still fall due on the normal balance due date and not at the end of the 3 month period.
Instalment Payments
On certain applicable bookings you can pay for your Travel Arrangements in instalments. We will tell you at the time of booking how many instalments there will be, the amount of each instalment, and the payment due dates. This will be confirmed on your booking paperwork. Our administration fee of £3.00, which covers our administration costs for managing multiple payments, will be payable in relation to each instalment.
We will endeavour to automatically clear the stipulated funds on the agreed dates as detailed on your paperwork. Please ensure that adequate funds are available on these dates as if the scheduled payment fails for any reason, then the remainder of the payment plan will be void, and our standard terms and conditions will preside, and we will notify you of the new balance due date that we must receive total cleared funds by. If the collecting of an instalment was unsuccessful for any reason, then your booking will also be subject to an increased administration fee of £10.00, which must be paid along with the remaining balance.
Failure to pay on the agreed dates may result in the cancellation of your booking. If you choose to cancel a booking that is subject to instalment payments, then additional fees may be payable. You will be advised of these costs at the time of cancellation.
Should you wish to pay for your Travel Arrangements in part or in full at any time after an instalment plan is entered into, then you are entitled to do so, and the remainder of your instalment plan will be adjusted accordingly to reflect this.
Should you want to make a change to your booking that means that you need to pay an amendment fee, then the amendment fee must be paid at the time that you make the change, and this fee cannot be included in your instalment payments.
4. Credit Card Fraud Protection
To ensure that your credit, debit or charge card is not being used without your consent, we will validate name, address and other personal information supplied by you during the order process against appropriate third party databases. By accepting these terms and conditions you consent to such checks being made. In performing these checks personal information provided by you may be disclosed to a registered Credit Reference Agency which may keep a record of that information. You can rest assured that this is done only to confirm your identity, that a credit check is not performed and that your credit rating will be unaffected. All information provided by you will be treated securely and strictly in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
5. Accuracy
We endeavour to ensure that all the information and prices both on our website and in any advertising material that we publish are accurate, however, occasionally changes and errors occur and we reserve the right to correct prices and other details in such circumstances. You must check the current price and all other details relating to the Travel Arrangements that you wish to book before you make your booking.
6. Prices
We reserve the right to amend advertised prices at any time. We also reserve the right to correct errors in both advertised and confirmed prices.
Special note: changes and errors sometimes occur. You must check the price of your chosen Travel Arrangements at the time of booking.
7. Insurance
The Supplier/Principal requires you to take out travel insurance as a condition of booking with them. In any event, we strongly advise that you take out a policy of insurance in order to cover you and your party against the cost of cancellation by you; the cost of assistance (including repatriation) in the event of accident or illness; loss of baggage and money; and other expenses, as well as ensuring you have cover for any activities you have booked, including additional cover for skiing/extreme sports/adventure travel and all other activities you have booked.
If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, neither the Supplier/Principal nor we will be liable to you for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.
8. Special Requests
Any special requests must be advised to us at the time of booking e.g. diet, room location, a particular facility at a hotel etc. You should then confirm your requests in writing. We will pass your request on to the Supplier/Principal but we cannot guarantee that they will be fulfilled. The fact that a special request has been noted on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation or that it has been passed on to the Supplier/Principal is not confirmation that the request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on neither our part nor the part of the Supplier/Principal unless we have specifically confirmed the request.
9. Fitness to Travel and Medical Conditions
We are not a specialist disabled holiday company but we will do our utmost to cater for any special requirements you may have. If you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability which may affect your trip, please provide us with full details before we confirm your booking so that we can try to advise you as to the suitability of your chosen Travel Arrangements. We may require you to produce a doctor’s certificate certifying that you are fit to participate in your chosen tour.
Acting reasonably, if the Supplier/Principal is unable to properly accommodate the needs of the person(s) concerned, we will not confirm your booking on the Supplier/Principal’s behalf or, if you did not give us full details at the time of booking, we will inform the Supplier/Principal who may cancel it and impose applicable cancellation charges, when we become aware of these details.
10. Changes and Cancellations by You
Any cancellation or amendment request must be sent to us in writing, by email, and will take effect at the time we receive it. Please ensure that you have received written confirmation of any changes to your booking prior to travel. Whilst we will try to assist, we cannot guarantee that the Supplier/Principal will meet such requests. Amendments and cancellations can only be accepted in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Supplier/Principal of your Travel Arrangements. The Supplier/Principal may charge the cancellation or amendment charges shown in their booking conditions (which may be as much as 100% of the cost of the Travel Arrangements and will normally increase closer to the date of departure). In addition, you must pay us an administration fee of up to £100.00 per person for any amendments to bookings and an administration fee of £100 for cancellations or as otherwise set out in the Service Charges table below. We will notify you of the exact charges at the time of amendment or cancellation.
Please note: some changes may not be permitted and therefore full cancellation charges will apply.
11. Changes and Cancellations by the Supplier/Principal
We will inform you as soon as reasonably possible if the Supplier/Principal needs to make a significant change to your confirmed Travel Arrangements or to cancel them. We will also liaise between you and the Supplier/Principal in relation to any alternative travel.
12. Our Service Charges
In certain circumstances we apply a service charge for the agency service we provide, in addition to any charge levied by the Supplier/Principal, as follows:
|
SERVICE |
CHARGE |
|
Cancellation or amendment |
Principal’s charge + £100 per person |
|
Special requests after booking has been confirmed |
Principal’s charge + £30 per person |
|
Pre-booking airline seats after confirmed booking |
Principal’s charge + £30 per person |
|
Tickets despatched by courier |
Cost of courier + £30 per booking |
|
Tickets despatched by post |
£20 per despatch |
13. Complaints
As the contract for your Travel Arrangements is between you and the Supplier/Principal, any queries or concerns about your Travel Arrangements should be addressed to them in the first instance. If you have a problem with your Travel Arrangements whilst using them, this must be reported to the Supplier/Principal immediately. If you fail to follow this procedure there will be less opportunity for the Supplier/Principal to investigate and rectify your complaint. The amount of compensation you may be entitled to may therefore be reduced or extinguished as a result.
If you wish to complain when you return home, write to the Supplier/Principal. You will see their name and contact details in any confirmation documents we send you.
If you remain unsatisfied, you can inform us, via admin@theweddingtravelcompany.com as soon as possible and, in any event, within 28 days of your return to the UK whereby we will endeavour to assist in our capacity as an agent by liaising with the Supplier/Principal on your behalf.
You can also access the European Commission Online Dispute (ODR) Resolution platform at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/. This ODR platform is a means of registering your complaint with us; it will not determine how your complaint should be resolved.
14. Our Responsibility for your Booking
Your contract is with the Supplier/Principal and its booking conditions apply. As agent, we accept no responsibility for the actual provision of the Travel Arrangements. Our responsibilities are limited to making the booking in accordance with your instructions. We accept no responsibility for any information about the Travel Arrangements that we pass on to you in good faith. However, in the event that we are found liable to you on any basis whatsoever, our maximum liability to you is limited to twice the cost of the commission we earn on your booking (or the appropriate proportion of this if not everyone on the booking is affected).
We do not exclude or limit any liability for death or personal injury that arises as a result of our negligence or that of any of our employees whilst acting in the course of their employment.
15. Events Beyond Our Control
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Conditions we will not be liable or pay you compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by “Events Beyond Our Control”. For the purposes of these Booking Conditions, Events Beyond Our Control means any event beyond our or our supplier’s control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Examples include warfare and acts of terrorism (and threat thereof), civil strife, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destination or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely to the travel destination or remain at the travel destination, the act of any government or other national or local authority including port or river authorities, industrial dispute, labour strikes, lock closure, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster, unavoidable technical problems with transport and all similar events outside our or the supplier(s) concerned’s control.
Brexit Implications: please note that certain Travel Arrangements may be affected as a result of the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union. This could include an unavailability of certain flight routes, access to certain ports and airports and changes to the visa requirements of British citizens travelling to, within or through the EU. Please rest assured that this is something we will continue to monitor and will advise our customers as soon as possible if we become aware of any confirmed bookings that will be affected. However, since this is something which is completely unprecedented and outside our control, we would treat any such changes as Events Beyond Our Control, and whilst we will endeavour to provide suitable alternative arrangements or refunds where possible, we will not be liable to pay you any compensation.
16. Visa, Passport and Health Requirements
It is your responsibility to check and fulfil the passport, visa, health and immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. We can only provide general information about this. You must check requirements for your own specific circumstances with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates and your own doctor as applicable. Requirements do change and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure.
Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date. If your passport is in its final year, you should check with the Embassy of the country you are visiting. For further information contact the Passport Office on 0870 5210410 or visit https://www.gov.uk/browse/citizenship/passports.
Special conditions apply for travel to the USA, and all passengers must have individual machine readable passports. Please check https://uk.usembassy.gov. For European holidays you should obtain a completed and issued form EHIC prior to departure.
Up to date travel advice can be obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, visit https://www.gov.uk/travelaware.
Non British passport holders, including other EU nationals, should obtain up to date advice on passport and visa requirements from the Embassy, High Commission or Consulate of your destination or country(ies) through which you are travelling.
We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel, or incur any other loss because you have not complied with any passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities. You agree to reimburse us in relation to any fines or other losses, which we incur as a result of your failure to comply with any passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities.
17. Law and Jurisdiction
These Booking Conditions are governed by English law and we both agree that the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute, claim or other matter which may arise between us (unless you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, in which case you can bring proceedings in your local court under Scottish or Northern Irish law, as applicable).
18. Accommodation Ratings and Standards
All ratings are as provided by the relevant Supplier/Principal. These are intended to give a guide to the services and facilities you should expect from your accommodation. Standards and ratings may vary between countries, as well as between suppliers. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of any ratings given.
19. Documentation & Information
All descriptions and content on our website or otherwise issued by us is done so on behalf of the Supplier/Principal in question are intended to present a general idea of the services provided by the Supplier/Principal. Not all details of the relevant services can be included on our website. All services shown are subject to availability. If you require any further details, in respect of any Travel Arrangements or any other services please contact us.
.
20. Foreign Office Advice
You are responsible for making yourself aware of Foreign Office advice in regard to the safety of the countries and areas in which you will be travelling and to make your decisions accordingly. Advice from the Foreign Office to avoid or leave a particular country may constitute Events Beyond Our Control (see clause 15).
21. Your Behaviour
You are expected to conduct yourself in an orderly and acceptable manner and not to disrupt the enjoyment of others. If in the Supplier/Principal’s opinion or in the opinion of any other person in authority, your behaviour or that of any member of your party is causing or is likely to cause distress, danger or annoyance to any other customers or any third party, or damage to property, or to cause a delay or diversion to transportation, the Supplier/Principal reserves the right to terminate your booking immediately with no further liability to you. You and/or your party may also be required to pay for loss and/or damage caused by your actions and you and each member of your party will be jointly and individually liable for any damage or losses caused. Full payment for any such damage or losses must be paid directly to the Supplier/Principal prior to departure. If you fail to make payment, you will be responsible for meeting any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us because of your actions together with all costs we incur in pursuing any claim against you.
We cannot be held responsible for the actions or behaviour of other guests or individuals who have no connection with your booking arrangements or with us.
22. Delays, Missed Transport Arrangements and other Travel Information
If you or any member of your party misses your flight or other transport arrangement, it is cancelled or you are subject to a delay of over 3 hours for any reason, you must contact us and the airline or other transport supplier concerned immediately.
Under EU Law, you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from the 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. If the airline does not comply with these rules, you should complaint to the Civil Aviation Authority at www.caa.co.uk/passengers. Reimbursement in such cases is the responsibility of the airline and will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday price.
The website is our responsibility, as your agent. It is not issued on behalf of, and does not commit the airlines mentioned herein or any airline whose services are used in the course of your travel arrangements.
23. Cruise Bookings
It is the customer’s responsibility to settle all of their on board accounts. Children under the age of 18 will not be carried unless accompanied by an adult over the age of 21 at the time of boarding, who accepts responsibility for their welfare, conduct and behaviour. Infants younger than 6 months at point of boarding may not be accepted on some ships, full details are provided at booking stage and we accept no liability for incorrect information that may have been provided by you. Please refer to the Supplier/Principal’s full Terms and Conditions.
24. Advance Passenger Information
A number of Governments are introducing new requirements for air carriers to provide personal information about all travellers on their aircraft to the Authorities before the aircraft leaves the UK. The data will be collected either at the airport when you check in or in some circumstances when, or after you make your booking. Accordingly, you are advised to allow extra time to check in for your flight. Where we collect this data, we will treat it in accordance with our privacy policy.
25. ABTA
We are a Member of ABTA, membership number P6628. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. We can also offer you ABTA’s scheme for the resolution of disputes, which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. If we cannot resolve your complaint, go to www.abta.com to use ABTA’s simple procedure. Further information on the Code and ABTA’s assistance in resolving disputes can be found on www.abta.com.