Booking Conditions | Absolute Escapes

The following booking conditions form the basis of the contract between yourself and Absolutes Escapes Limited. We are a UK registered company (Number 270516) and our registered address is Dovecot Studios, 10 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1LT.

Please ensure that you read these booking conditions carefully and are familiar with them before making any payments to us and completing your booking. In these conditions “we, our and us” means Absolute Escapes Limited and “you and your” means the person or persons making the booking. No contract will exist until we confirm in writing that your deposit has been paid. If we decline to accept a booking made by you the deposit submitted with the booking form will be refunded to you in full.

All bookings made with Absolute Escapes are made subject to these Booking Conditions. When you pay your deposit you are making an offer to purchase our services or holidays, which, if accepted by us, will result in a binding contract when we issue you with a confirmation invoice.

Prices
All of our prices are stated in £ Sterling and include, where applicable, VAT at the current rate of 20%. If the rate is changed by the government, the price may alter. We will advise you of the current price of your holiday before your booking is confirmed.

Personal Details
When making a booking, the first named person on the booking agrees to the following conditions on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking:

1. He/she has read the booking conditions and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them.

2. He/she consents to our use of information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and is authorised on behalf of all persons named on the booking to disclose their personal details to us, including where applicable special categories (eg: health conditions, disabilities, dietary requirements etc). We will also ask you for a mobile number in order to contact you with urgent updates while you’re away.

3. He/she is over 18 years of age and when 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.

4. He/she accepts financial responsibility for payment of the booking on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking.

Booking Procedure
1. Please complete the Enquiry Form on our website or telephone us with your enquiry and speak to one of our travel specialists.

2. We will then provide you with a written quotation for your package by email or if you prefer, by post.

3. If you choose to accept the quotation you can confirm your booking by completing and returning our Booking Form, either online or by post. You can also call us on +44 (0)131 610 1210 with your payment details. At this stage, we’ll ask you for the essential details that we need to make the reservations for your holiday.

We will also ask that you pay a deposit (or full payment if your booking is made within 8 weeks of departure). When you make a booking with us, regardless of how this is made, you agree on behalf of all persons named on the booking that you accept our booking conditions. A booking will not be deemed to have been made until we have received the deposit.

4. Once we have received your Booking Form and deposit (or full payment) we will then make all of the reservations for your holiday (e.g. accommodation, baggage transfers, car hire, ferry transport etc.).

5. Once all of the arrangements have been made we will then send you a booking confirmation email and invoice for the amount that you have paid towards your holiday, the outstanding balance and due date. The balance of your booking is due 8 weeks prior to departure.

6. Once the final payment has been made for your holiday, we will then send your Information Pack to you with full details of your holiday. This will be sent by post 2-3 weeks prior to the start of your holiday, with a copy of all of the essential documents also sent by email. If you are departing from your home more than 3 weeks prior to the start of your holiday, we can arrange to send your pack sooner than this, or deliver it to your first night’s accommodation.

Payment
1. We accept payments by the following methods in £ Sterling only:

Bank Transfer
We prefer to receive payments by electronic bank transfer and we will provide you with our account details in your proposal. Please ensure that you include both your Booking Code (e.g. AE1234) and lead name as the reference with your payment to prevent any delay. If your bank charges you for this service we do ask you to ensure that you settle these charges directly with them.

Cheque
Please make cheques payable to “Absolute Escapes Ltd” in £ Sterling. Payments made in this way will not be deemed to have been made until the cheque has cleared in our bank account. This could take up to 7 working days, and we reserve the right to refuse payment by cheque if tendered within 2 weeks prior to the commencement of your trip.

Credit and Debit card
We accept Visa and Mastercard. Unfortunately, we do not accept payment by American Express (Amex).

2. A non-refundable deposit of 20% of the total cost of your holiday is required in order to confirm a booking.

3. Payment in full is required no later than 8 weeks prior to the commencement of your holiday. If full payment is not made by this date we reserve the right to cancel your booking and retain the deposit.

4. If a booking is made within 8 weeks prior to the commencement of your holiday then full payment is required in order to confirm your booking.

Financial Protection
We provide full financial protection for our package holidays, and your financial security is guaranteed when you book with Absolute Escapes Ltd.

The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for Absolute Escapes Ltd (membership number 5443), and in the event of our insolvency, protection is provided for non-flight packages.

ABTOT cover provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled or repatriation if transportation was included in your package. Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly with Absolute Escapes Ltd.

In the unlikely event that you require assistance whilst abroad due to our financial failure, please call our 24/7 helpline on 01702 811397 and advise you are a customer of an ABTOT protected travel company. You can access The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 here: www.legislation.gov.uk.

Further details of our membership of ABTOT can be found at www.abtot.com.

Cancellation and Refund Policy
Cancellation of a booking must be made in writing to us by the person who made the booking. As we pre-pay for all elements of our package holidays and we incur costs in cancelling your arrangements, the following cancellation charges will apply:

1. If cancellation is made more than 8 weeks prior to the commencement of your trip then we reserve the right to retain the deposit.

2. If cancellation is made less than 8 weeks prior to the commencement of your trip then we will apply the following cancellation charges:

i. For cancellation between 8 weeks and 4 weeks prior to commencement of your trip 50% of the total cost of the package.

ii. For cancellation 4 weeks prior to commencement of your trip 100% of the total cost of the package.

Changes to a booking by you
1. If you wish to make a change to a booking prior to paying for your holiday in full we will make every effort to accommodate your wishes, but it is not always possible to guarantee that changes can be made. In the event that a change is made, you will be asked to pay an administration charge of £50.00 per person, and any further cost we incur in making this alteration (for example, an increase in accommodation costs due to availability).

2. Should you wish to make a change to your booking after paying for your holiday in full, we reserve the right to treat such a change as a new booking and cancellation charges will apply.

3. Should you wish to make any further changes to your revised booking, we reserve the right to adhere to the booking conditions and/or cancellation charges that would have applied to the original booking.

Changes to a booking by us
1. It is highly unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your confirmed holiday arrangements. However, as we usually make the arrangements several months in advance, occasionally it is necessary to make changes or cancel your booking. Most changes will be insignificant, such as altering an accommodation or the time of a ferry departure, and we reserve the right to make these.

We will make every effort to ensure that you get the holiday you have booked with us and we will endeavour to ensure that your holiday is disrupted as little as possible. Where a change has been made before departure, we will notify you of this in writing.

2. If we are unable to offer an acceptable alternative in the case of cancellation we will offer an alternative holiday or offer a refund for that part of your booking. Please note that we will not be bound to make a refund in the case of inclement weather disrupting or cancelling an activity or event; in certain circumstances outwith our control it may be necessary to change your booking.

Force Majeure
We will not be liable for cancellation or delays or for our failure to provide you with your holiday arising from matters out-with our reasonable control or for events affected by “Force Majeure”. In these booking conditions, “force majeure” means any unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances beyond our control which we or the supplier of the services in question could not have avoided, even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

Such events may include but are not limited to, whether actual or threatened: natural disasters, inclement weather, acts of terrorism, trade or industrial disputes, war, riot, civil strife, epidemics or pandemics or other outbreaks of illness, fire and other situations which are outside our control.

Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend that comprehensive travel insurance is an essential part of your holiday package in order to cover you in the unfortunate event of you having to cancel your holiday with us. It is your responsibility to obtain your own travel insurance for your holiday.

Unforeseen circumstances (personal accident, family illness, loss or theft of personal possessions and/or money) can and do occur. Any refund made by us will only be in accordance with our booking conditions. Please ensure you are adequately insured to cover any losses. We will not be responsible for any loss or injury suffered by you or member of your party.

Health, Safety and Fitness
It is your responsibility to ensure that you and each member of your party are in good health and of the required level of fitness for any activity that you book as part of your holiday.

We will not be responsible if you or any member of your party are unable or are prevented from taking part in any activity that you book whether on the grounds of fitness, ability or specific requirements of the activity provider.

Events and Activities
1. If you have booked an event or activity as part of your holiday package we will include any specific terms and conditions that apply for this in your information pack. It will be your responsibility to ensure that you and each member of your party adhere to such terms and conditions.

2. It will be your responsibility to inform us immediately on receipt of such specific terms and conditions if you or any member of your party will be unable to comply with these. Please note that you and your party may be required to sign a disclaimer form prior to commencing any event or activity.

Complaints Procedure
1. In the unlikely event that you or a member of your party has a complaint, the matter should be raised in the first instance with the accommodation or service provider with whom you are dissatisfied.

2. If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction by the accommodation or service provider please write to us within 14 days of returning from your trip. We will then endeavour to resolve your complaint as soon as possible.

3. Failure to intimate a complaint to us within the time limit stated may result in us not being able to resolve your complaint.

4. If, despite our best efforts and having followed the above procedure for reporting and resolving your complaint, you feel that it has not been satisfactorily settled, we recommend that it is referred for arbitration under the ABTOT Travel Industry Arbitration Service. An Independent Arbitrator will review the documents relating to any complaint and deliver a binding decision to bring the matter to a close. A fee is payable by each party when an application for arbitration is submitted.

Details of this scheme are available from The Travel Industry Arbitration Service, administered by Dispute Settlement Services Limited: 9 Savill Road, Lindfield, West Sussex, RH16 2NY (admin@disputesettlementservices.co.uk).

This scheme cannot, however, decide in cases where the sums claimed exceed £5,000 per person or £10,000 per booking form, or not solely or mainly in respect of physical injury or illness or the consequences of such injury or illness, or solely or mainly in respect of a discrimination claim or any claim under the Equality Act.

Data Statement
The information that you provide to us regarding you and members of your party will be held by us in confidence and not released to any third party saving those providing accommodation and/or activities/events for you and your party.

Jurisdiction
These booking conditions and the Booking Form represent the entire agreement between us and may not be altered without our express written consent. The agreement between us and any dispute arising therefrom is governed by the law of Scotland and subject to the jurisdiction of the Scottish Courts.