travel consultancy terms of business

definitions:

In these terms of business the words and expressions listed below shall have the following meaning:

Parties (a) ‘We’, ‘us’ ‘our’: is Open Sicily Limited

b) “You”, “your”, “client”: the customer(s) entering into the agreement

the contract and confirmation

The terms and conditions set out in this document together with your confirmation invoice comprise your agreement between Open Sicily Limited and all those listed on the booking on whose behalf the party leader is acting. Open Sicily is a trading name of Open Sicily Limited.

Telephone quotes are all provided subject to written confirmation.

When you book a holiday, a contract is made once we confirm your booking. You must sign a booking form at the time of making your booking, which is your commitment to pay for the whole holiday. The person signing the booking form accepts responsibility for paying for all the people on the booking and for keeping everyone in the party informed of the booking details.

Assuming your booking is confirmed, and on receipt of a completed booking form, we will send you the details of your booking and your confirmation invoice. If you do not receive a confirmation invoice within two weeks, you should contact us to make sure that your booking has been made.

It is important that you check all the holiday documentation carefully to ensure it is correct as this forms the basis of the contract. Any discrepancies should be brought to our attention within 7 days of issue otherwise the details shown on the confirmation invoice will be presumed to be correct. It is this confirmation invoice, unless any discrepancies are brought to our attention that is deemed as confirmation of your acceptance of this Booking Contract on behalf of all persons included on the booking, which then forms the basis of the contract between us.

In the event that we are unable to confirm your booking, you will be offered an alternative holiday and in this case you will be free to: (a) accept the alternative holiday offered by us, or (b) purchase another holiday at the current selling price from us, or (c) accept a full refund of all monies paid. You must notify us in writing of your choice within 7 days of our offer to you, and, failure to do so will be deemed as acceptance of the offered alternative (refer to the section “Open Sicily contact details”). If you chose to accept alternative holiday arrangements, you will be sent your confirmation invoice as quickly as possible. If you notify us of your wishes to decline, then we will refund all monies paid within 7 days.

Any monies paid in order to action a request for additional accommodation, in particular within eight weeks of departure, constitutes a commitment to proceed with the booking if your request is confirmed and such monies are non refundable unless your request cannot be fulfilled. Bookings will not be accepted unless one member of the party is eighteen years of age and is the lead name on the booking. If you wish to include any pre-booked excursions, car hire, insurance or other offers as part of your holiday booking, these should be requested at the time of booking.

holiday pricing

We reserve the right to increase the price of your holiday after you have booked, but no later than 30 days before your departure date, as a result of currency fluctuations, government action or transportation charges. In these instances we will forward an Amendment Invoice reflecting any changes made. If the increase would be 2% or less of the holiday price shown on your original invoice, we will absorb the changes and will only pass on increases that are above that level. If the subsequent increase is more than 10% of the original holiday price, then:-

1. you may cancel your holiday booking within 14 days of the Amendment Invoice date and receive a refund of all monies paid to us except any amendment charges; or

2. the increase will be considered a Major Change, as described in the section ‘changes made to your holiday by us’ and, unless you choose to cancel under paragraph 1 above, you will be entitled to the alternatives set out in this section.

The price quoted on the Amendment Invoice is guaranteed, unless you make any changes to your booking. Any further increases to our costs will be borne by us.

property descriptions

Although the information shown on our website is updated regularly, some details may have changed by the time you book your holiday so please ensure that you check all of the details of your chosen accommodation (including price) with us at the time of booking.

Open Sicily is dedicated to ensuring that the information relating to our accommodation is accurate and we are committed to regularly updating accommodation details on our website. However, due to the fact that most of our accommodation is privately owned or supplied through a third party, we cannot guarantee that changes will not occur and we cannot accept liability if this situation should arise.

Please also be aware that the standards and requirements of our holiday accommodation are applicable to the country in which they are provided and not those of the UK. Overall, these requirements and standards will not be the same as the UK and may sometimes be lower.

paying for your holiday

In order to secure a booking, a holding deposit of 30% of the total accommodation charge must be made for bookings made more than eight weeks before your scheduled departure. To book the airport transfer service, car hire or airport services, a 30% holding deposit is also required for bookings made more than eight weeks before your scheduled departure. Travel insurance booked with Open Sicily is payable in full at the time of booking and is non refundable.

Payment must be made to us for the outstanding balance shown on your final invoice at least 8 weeks before your scheduled departure or if your booking is made within this period you will have to pay the full amount immediately.

If you do not pay in full by the date shown on the final invoice we reserve the right to cancel your booking if we so wish, which will make you liable for cancellation charges as set out in the cancellation table (refer to “Changes to your booking prior to the start of holiday (by you)”. If payment for your booking is made by credit card a handling fee of 2.5% will be levied.

security deposits

Many of our property owners require a security deposit to cover against possible loss, damages, breakages or unpaid charges. This will be made in the form of a “credit card guarantee” and detailed on the holiday booking form.

financial security for you

Open Sicily Ltd is a member of the Travel Trust Association (TTA U3114). All monies paid to Open Sicily whether by credit card, cheque or bank transfer are held in a Travel Trust account until completion of your holiday. In the unlikely event that Open Sicily became insolvent prior to your holiday, your payments will be refunded in full.