Terms & Conditions
When you make a booking you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party the terms of these booking conditions and holiday information pages. No binding contract will exist until we have issued a confirmation invoice.
BOOKING AND PAYMENT
When we receive the details of your booking we will call you to take payment for your booking. We require a non refundable deposit of 25% of the booking value. If the departure date is more than 8 weeks from the confirmation date. The balance must be paid 8 weeks before departure. If the balance is not received then we reserve the right to cancel your booking, retain your deposit and apply cancellation charges together with an administration charge of £20. If the departure date is within 8 weeks of the date of booking the balance must be paid in full. Once we have received payment we will send you a confirmation invoice. Please check that the details are correct and advise us immediately if there are any discrepancies. If you advise us at a later date will charge an administration fee of £20.
PRICES AND SURCHARGES
Your holiday price will be as stated on our website plus any applicable supplements or surcharges. The prices are valid for holidays departing in 2007 and are based on the exchange rates quoted in the ‘Financial Times guide to world currencies’ in relation to the Euro.
We guarantee the accommodation prices against any currency surcharges. Surcharges will only apply if in matters beyond our control including but not limited to the cost of fuel, duties, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes, or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports or airports, or the exchange rates applied to the particular package or Government taxes. If this means paying more than 10% of the holiday price, you will be entitled to cancel your holiday (within 14 days of our notification to you) with a full refund of all monies paid to us except any premium paid for insurance, amendment charges and credit card charges.
In any case, we will absorb and amount equivalent to 2% of the holiday price (excluding insurance premium paid for insurance, amendment charges and credit card charges) All increases arising after the receipt of your final balance will be absorbed by us.
YOUR FINANCIAL PROTECTION
Stowaway Travel Limited is a private limited company. We are a member of ABTA No. W244X holding ATOL No. 4356 issued by the Civil Aviation Authority which provides for your protection in the event of our insolvency.
IF WE CHANGE OR CANCEL YOUR BOOKING
It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your travel arrangements but occasionally we may have changes and we reserve the right to do so at any time if unforeseen circumstances arise. This may be to your accommodation, flight arrangements (including carrier and aircraft type) or itinerary. Most of these changes will be minor and we will advise you of them at the earliest possible date. We also reserve the right in some circumstances to cancel your holiday arrangements. For example, if the minimum number of clients required for a particular travel arrangement is not reached, we may have to cancel it. If we cancel or significantely alter an essential element of your holiday for reasons other than hostilities, political unrest or force majeure on or before the date when the payment of the balance becomes due, we will advise you as soon as reasonably possible and offer you an alternative of a comparable standard if available or refund all monies paid. If you choose an alternative which is more expensive you will pay the additional cost. If it is less expensive, we will refund the difference. In addition, in appropriate cases (on the assumption the balance has been fully paid) and where cancellation is not due to force majeure we will pay compensation on the scale below:
Period before departure which within cancellation of arrangements is notified by us:
More than 56 days Deposit only
More than 28 days 100% of cost + £10
More than 14 days 100% of cost + £30
Less than 14 days 100% of cost + £50
On the day of departure 100% of cost + £50
The compensation that we offer does not exclude you from claiming more if you are entitled to do so.
Any change we may make to your holiday may be major or minor. A change of UK departure airport (other than a London airport), a change of flight time of more than 12 hours or a change to a lower category of accommodation are all classed as major changes.
Any other changes that are not described above are deemed as minor. If we are advised of a minor change we will advise you if it is reasonably possible, however we are not under obligation to do so or will not pay compensation.
The airline and types of aircraft which are likely to be used are subject to change and we are obliged by the CAA to state that we cannot give you any certain information about the airline and type of aircraft on which you will travel.
If we have to amend or cancel accommodation arrangements where this is your only booking through Stowaway Travel, we cannot accept liability for any costs you may incur in respect of any other services including flights that you have booked independently. For any flights booked through Stowaway Travel, any amendments will not incur an administration charge and no other element will be affected.
If you have made your car hire reservation through us and have booked your flights independently, you should be aware that any change to the flight schedule will have a knock on effect on these arrangements and we will charge an administration fee of £20 to alter the timings.
We will not cancel your holiday less than 8 weeks before departure apart from reasons of force majeure or your failure to pay the balance.
Force Majeure: This means we will not pay you compensation if we have to cancel or change your travel arrangements in any way because of unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control. These include but are not limited to war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or nuclear disaster, fire and adverse weather conditions.
IF YOU CHANGE YOUR BOOKING
If you want to amend any details of your booking after it is confirmed in writing to you we will always do our best to help. Amendments must be requested or confirmed in writing by the lead passenger. All amendments are subject to availability and are charged at £20 per person, per change plus any additional charges imposed by your accommodation. If your amendment is a date change, please bear in mind that different rates may be applicable to the new dates chosen. If you have made your flight arrangements with ourselves, please note that the conditions of traditional scheduled airlines (such as British Airways) are usually non changeable and non refundable, however with low cost airlines and charter airlines (such as Ryanair and Thomas Cook Airlines) name and date changes are usually possible (subject to availability) although they will incur an amendment fee. We will pass any of these charges onto you as well as a £20 administration fee. Any amendment to a confirmed booking within 14 days of departure will be treated as a cancellation and the appropriate charges will apply.
IF YOU CANCEL YOUR BOOKING
You may cancel your booking with us at any time. We must receive notification in writing from the person who made the reservation (the lead passenger) the date of cancellation will be when we receive the instructions in writing. Please note that as we incur costs we make a cancellation charge as follows:
Our cancellation charges for accommodation are:
Period before departure within notice of cancellation has been received by us:
More than 56 days Deposit only
More than 28 days 50% of cost
More than 14 days 60% of total cost
Less than 14 days 90% of total cost
On the day of departure 100% of total cost
Any flights booked through ourselves will be charged at 100% whenever the cancellation is notified, less any charges that we may be able to recover on your behalf. Depending on the supplier this is sometimes possible although we will deduct an administration charge before we pass this onto you.
Note: If the reason for cancellation falls within the terms of your personal travel insurance you may be refunded this charge by the insurance company.
FLIGHTS
All prices quoted for flights are payable in full (there may be some exceptions to this) at the time of booking and are inclusive of airport taxes. Some airlines charge extra for services such as extra legroom, meals and extra baggage allowance which we will quote to you separately.
Any subsequent increases in taxes, security levies, environment charges and air passenger duties are beyond our control and will be charged accordingly.
Aircraft captains are legally entitled to deny boarding to any passengers presenting themselves at the aircraft who are unacceptably under the influence of drink or drugs. If a passenger is denied boarding on the outbound flight for this reason the booking will be cancelled and cancellation charges will apply.
EXCURSIONS
Please note that we do not provide excursions. Your accommodation or the tourist office may make arrangements for excursions locally on your behalf. Please note that the contract for the provision of excursions will be between yourself and the supplier of the excursion and not between you and us. As a result we have no liability whatsoever for anything that may go wrong on the excursion.
DESCRIPTIONS
Stowaway Travel believes that all statements shown on its website are both factual and correct. We have taken care and every reasonable effort to ensure that the properties, rooms/apartments and resorts are comprehensive and accurately described. As a result, we cannot be held responsible for any errors, omissions or any changes that become known to us after the description has been completed. If you have any doubts or queries about the information shown please contact us and we will do our best to clarify the information. We will endeavour to contact you should we become aware of any material changes which become known prior to departure.
We cannot be held responsible for liabilities happening outside its reasonable control such as hotel facilities, plumbing, wiring, delays of travel services, weather conditions, invasion of pests, theft and owner’s negligence.
All distances both in distance and walking time are approximate.
Other facilities at your chosen accommodation such as swimming pools, children’s clubs, air-conditioning, lifts, tennis courts are at the owner’s absolute discretion and may be closed due to maintenance or other reasons. Stowaway Travel accepts no liability for this whatsoever.
You are responsible for your accommodation and its fixtures and fittings and need to make every effort to ensure they are not damaged in any way. Any client who does not respect their accommodation or behaves in an unruly manner will risk eviction. Clients who are evicted for this reason would have to find alternative lodgings at their own expense.
EXTRAS ABROAD
It is your responsibility that you pay for extras (such as mini-bar, car parking, drinks etc) prior to leaving your accommodation. If you fail to do so, we will automatically debit your credit or debit card at current exchange rates with an administration charge of £20.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Any special requests must be specified in the additional information box at the time of booking. We happily pass this information on although we cannot guarantee the availability of your request. We will also specify any accommodation requests on your voucher to confirm that we have passed this request on.
Stowaway Travel does not guarantee that the request submitted will be provided and we cannot be held responsible if it is not possible.
Any request submitted to us after the booking is confirmed will be liable to an administration charge of £20 plus any charge in providing the request.
Occasionally, some requests require that an additional fee is to be paid locally which you will be responsible for.
COMPLAINTS
If you have a complaint during your holiday, please inform the relevant supplier (eg management of the accommodation) who will endeavour to put things right. You must address any issue at the time of the problem occurring, as the likeliness of bringing your grievance to a favourable conclusion when back home is small, if the provider agrees to investigate your complaint at all. Agreeing to these terms and conditions mean that you are responsible for advising the service provider if any problem arises first of all. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome by the supplier, contact Stowaway Travel by telephone and also confirm your complaint in writing to us whilst you are still in resort. We will do our best to help you. If there is still not a satisfactory outcome whilst you are in resort you must follow up your complaint within 28 days of your return home by writing to our Customer Services Department to our office at 71 Fore Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire. SG14 1AR. Please keep your correspondence concise and to the point.
If you fail to follow this simple procedure we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint whilst you were in resort and this may affect your rights under this contract. You are also confirming to us that the problem was not serious enough to spoil your holiday and therefore justify further investigation on your return.
WHAT HAPPENS TO COMPLAINTS
Disputes arising out of, or in connection with this contract which cannot be settled amicably may be referred to arbitration, if the customer so wishes under a special Scheme arranged by the Association of British Travel Agents and administered independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
The scheme provides for a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on the customer in respect of the costs. Full details will be provided on request or can be obtained from the ABTA website www.abta.com.
The Scheme does not apply to claims for an amount greater than £5,000 per person. There is also a limit of £25,000 per booking form. Neither does it apply to claims which are solely in respect of physical injury or illness or their consequences. The Scheme however, can deal with compensation claims which include an element of minor injury or illness subject to a limit of £1,000 on the amount the arbitrator can award per person in respect of this element.
The applied for arbitration and Statement of Claim must be received by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators within nine months of the date of return from the holiday. Outside this time limit arbitration under the Scheme may still be available if the company agrees, but the ABTA code does not require such agreement.
You may also take the option of proceeding with your complaint through court if you so wish.
OUR LIABILITY TO YOU
We accept responsibility that your travel arrangements which you book with us are supplied as described on the website and services offered are to a reasonable standard. When arranging our contracts with our accommodation and various other suppliers we take reasonable care to ensure they are operated to a high standard. If any part of you travel arrangements are not provided as promised due to the fault of our employees, agents or suppliers we will pay you the appropriate compensation if this has affected the enjoyment of your travel arrangements providing that the service was organised by us.
We accept responsibility for death, injury or illness caused by the negligent acts and/or omissions caused by our employees, agents, sub-contractors whilst acting within the scope of, or in the course of their employment in the provision of your travel arrangements. We will accordingly pay you to such damages as might have been awarded in such circumstances under English Law as above.
Important exceptions to this if yourself or a member of your party is at fault/negligent, the failure is the fault of another party unconnected with the provision of our or one of our supplier’s services and any unusual or unexpected circumstances beyond our control which we could not have anticipated even if we had taken all possible care or any event which we or the supplier of the service could not help, prevent or expect.
In respect of travel by air, sea and rail and the provision of accommodation our liability will be limited in the manner of the relevant international convention, generally Montreal Convention, Warsaw Convention, the Hague Protocol or Athens convention.
Liability for baggage while in the hands of suppliers is governed by the above conventions and we rely on the terms and limitations in these conventions. For claims for missing or damaged baggage the passenger must write and complain to the carrier as soon as possible and must comply with the rules either on the back of tickets or with the Conditions of Carriage provided by the airline.
CONDITIONS OF CARRIAGE
The contractual terms of the companies that provide the transportation for your travel arrangements will apply to this contract. These may contain terms which affect your rights to compensation. You may ask for copies of the relevant conditions of carriage from our office.
This website is our responsibility as your tour operator. 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. Please note in accordance with Air Navigation Orders, in order to qualify for infant status, a child must be under 2 years of age on the date of it’s return flight.
PERSONAL INJURY UNCONNECTED WITH YOUR BOOKED TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
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 package travel arrangements 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, benefits received under any relevant policy to ourselves. We limit the cost of our assistance to you or any party member to £5,000.
FCO (FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE ADVICE)
The Foreign and Commonwealth office provides up to date travel information to help British travellers make informed decisions about travelling abroad. For information please visit www.fco.gov.uk/en/ before you go or telephone 0870 606 0290. Alternatively you can contact ABTA’s Travel Information line on 0901 201 5050 (calls are charges at 50 pence per minute).
GENERAL INFORMATION
General information, hotel and apartment information and resort information can also be found on this website for your guidance. Please read this carefully. Your contract is made on the terms of these booking conditions, hotel and apartment information and resort information specified shall be subject to English Law and to the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.
