Terms & Conditions (Startup Update)
I've been sharing my startup updates here since the beginning, from failure to progress. It has been a really slow journey due to financial limitations and other stuff. But I really appreciate those who contributed in the past!
I have revised some parts of my booking conditions and cancellation policy. I've added some things that could save me in the future. We are talking about obnoxious and fragile travelers, so I am open to suggestions, grammar corrections or any valuable thing you think I should add to make it sound more professional and finer.
I've omitted the name of the company, for now.
BOOKING CONDITIONS
Responsibility
Our guests must read the booking conditions and cancellation policy before confirming the reservation. If you made a payment to us to confirm the reservation, it means that you agreed to accept the terms and conditions stated herein. You also assume all liability during your visit here and relieve us and affiliates of all legal responsibilities including death or injury to any member of the traveling group.
We and affiliates will do everything within our control to make sure that you are safe and well during the trip. We strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance before traveling here as a preventive measure.
Payment Policy
All reservations require a minimum of 50% deposit with a maximum of 7 days after the date of booking request. This is to ensure that the tour slots, transportation, government permits, entrance tickets, hotel accommodations and other logistics are arranged and reserved in advance under the guest’s name.
Payment Options
The deposit can be made via Paypal which will incur a 5.5% Paypal fee paid by the traveler. In the event that you need to cancel your trip, cancellation fees will be assessed as outlined below under Cancellation Policy.
We accept credit card payments via Paypal. Alternative payment options are bank transfer, Western Union, Bitcoin and direct bank deposits. The guest will be responsible for paying all transfer fees on your end as well as any intermediary bank fees that may apply.
We will never have access to card information. If you are making a payment through Paypal, please make sure that it is verified and up to date.
Final Payment Terms
Final payments are due at least 1 day before tour begins with us. The remaining balance can be paid via Paypal which will incur a 5.5 % PayPal fee. However, it can also be settled here by cash (USD or Euros or local currency) once you arrive and get settled in your hotel.
CANCELLATION POLICY
If a trip is canceled for any reason, a notification of cancellation must be made in writing and sent to us. We will refund the portion of the trip cost not already advanced to suppliers. We will try our best to recover and refund the balance as promptly as possible. However, we cannot guarantee recovery of any or all of the advanced payments
At the time we receive the cancellation, the following cancellation fees will apply.
** If you cancel 8 weeks or more days before departure: Cancellation fee is 15% of the total deposit made.
** Less than 8 weeks or 2 weeks before departure: 50% of the total tour price or equal to the amount of deposit is non-refundable.
** Less than 2 weeks or 48 hours before departure: 90% of the total tour price is non-refundable.
** Less than 48 hours before departure: 100% of the total price is non-refundable.
We charge these fees because there are a lot of expenses and arrangements required to set up your tour. There are no exceptions, unfortunately, but if you need a letter for your insurance company to help recover some of the cost, we would be happy to supply one.
We will try our best to make any changes to an existing reservation just to avoid any cancellations. We are also willing to work with our partner tour operators to limit fees and secure funds if possible. All tour operators, hotels, and guides have different policies about reservation changes and some fees may apply. Guests will be responsible for any last-minute change fees.
Edit #1:
Payment Policy
All reservations require a minimum of 50% deposit within 7 days following the date of booking request.
Edit #2:
** If you cancel 8 weeks or more
daysbefore departure: Cancellation fee is 15% of the total deposit made.** Between 8 weeks and 2 weeks before departure: 50% of the total tour price or equal to the amount of deposit is non-refundable.
** Between 2 weeks and 48 hours before departure: 90% of the total tour price is non-refundable.
** Less than 48 hours before departure: 100% of the total price is non-refundable.
Suggestion:
The final payment being received upon arrival might not be a great idea if you have a tour lasting less than 3 days. It could mean that someone purchases the tour last minute, and either cancels the day-of, or doesn't pay the remaining balance of something (like a hotel) where you may have needed to put the money up for before receiving full payment.
You may want to add something where last minute bookings are paid in full (or the percentage mentioned in your cancellation policy needs to be met based on when someone books); so a person booking within 2 weeks, but more than 48 hours, of the tour requires a 90% down payment upon booking.
Also, consider adding if someone doesn't pay the balance percentage mentioned in the cancellation policy by the timeline noted in the policy, their reservation is subject to cancellation. (2weeks-must have paid 50%, 48 hours-must have paid 90%, etc.)
Wow, this is great! I gave you my 0.22 cents 100% upvote lol. Thanks for the 2 edits. I will surely apply the changes.
Yeah I am thinking about settling the remaining balance when they arrive part as for sure I would need to pay everything in full with the service providers and hotels. This part needs to be aligned with the booking policies of all the contractors.
This really makes sense. I will think about this part.
I'm glad that you liked my suggestions :) and I feel very honored by the 100% upvote! I'm happy to help with anything else, just ask away :)
Hi Diabolika,
Things were crazy this last month with a multi-country trip and the end of the school year, but I hopped on steemit today to get back in the swing of things and thought I could try and lend a hand with this post. Looks like your plans are coming along nicely!
First, I would recommend taking a look at these terms and conditions by one of the largest tour operators out there. There is a ton of wording there you can adapt to your needs and they have certainly been gone over by a lawyer, which is essential when you start formulating liability clauses.
You can't, for example, make your client liable for your actions, which "You also assume all liability during your visit " does in its current formulation, thus voiding the legality of the contract. It has to be "...all liability for your actions or the actions of your party..." for example. Legalese is a whole different animal than a simple agreement between two people, and it will be critical in the event of an accident or litigation of any kind.
You've done a good job of covering the major points, but the formulation does need some work in line with the link I included above. You may also want to go through the terms and conditions / service agreements of a few of the big tour operators before settling on a final formulation.
As another reader noted, I would rethink how exactly your refund policy works as well, it is extraordinarily generous on your part and you will almost certainly be making more work for yourself as it is now. See the policy of the first link above. Terms can be adjusted for last-minute bookings, but if you are in an exotic and distant location, many people will be planning months in advance and being stricter only makes your life easier.
In your position, I would cobble together the best Ts&Cs from established tour operators and post again. At that point, I will go through it with a fine-toothed comb. You'll sleep better at night, trust me!
Time to catch up on some other reading, hope you are well!
Yours,
CZ
You just got my 100% upvote, currently worth 20 cents lol, for this is the much-awaited comment! Thanks for sharing the link, by the way, I'm reading their terms & conditions right now. And wow, it is really long. It would be better to include a lot of escape clauses. I'll work on revising the liabilities part. I know there are a lot of things to improve on, but all are necessary to save my own A in the future.
Thank you, I really appreciate your input as always! Ok, I will wait. I would love to sleep better at night lol.
Wow nice to see that your company is accepting Bitcoin. Great. All the best to your business
Why of course!
Hoprfully one day you will also accept steem
Of course!!!
I'm not sure what kind of effort / cost it would be to use something like ShapeShift so you can accept a huge variety of crypto, but I've seen some big companies (namely Overstock.com) who use ShapeShift so they can accept at least 20 different cryptos... and I believe that the only one they hold as an asset is Bitcoin, so they're definitely converting whatever they receive into Bitcoin at the end of the day.
That is interesting, I will check anuShapeshift! I think I will start accepting Bitcoin for now.
Definitely start with what you feel the most comfortable with. the site for Shapeshift is https://shapeshift.io
Good luck with your startup and I wish you succeed!
I am looking forward how that would go and all the services you'd be offering!. Also, accepting bitcoin is way to go!
Thank you. I will probably be the first on the island lol.
I'm too tired to process words and stuff today, but I love that photo!
No need to process words lol.
Awww thanks!
You should use that one in your advertising. It's got a real tropical travel destination feel. You could tart it up to look more brochure like. I could do that for you, if not the person who took the photo (or was it you with a tripod?)
I will. And you accidentally got my 0.19 cents 100% upvote for this comment lol, well that is my payment!
Ok, if you want me to play with it, send me a memo (or link here if you want) with a link to the highest quality copy you've got of it. You don't happen to have it in raw format by chance?
I will try to send the raw format ok, just quite busy at the mo. It was the guide who took the photo by the way.
Ok, no worries. I've already had a play with the image from this thread and it's looking heaps better. It's only good for web display, as it breaks down zoomed in too close.
Wow looking so nice, the color is better!
Are you a photographer too?
This is starting to look real! Exciting! The edits done by @evolved08gsr look good. Go with them.
Thank you.
Yep I will!
P.S. I'm excited for your progress!! 👍
Thank you!
It seems that you are promoting what your company offers, and it seems very interesting, every point. Keep success for you.
Thank you!
Method of payments are pretty exciting. You accept cryptos. That's great!
Wish you all the best, @diabolika!
Awesome project... Keep it 👆