BOOKING TERMS & CONDITIONS
LODGE COACHES – Fair Trading Agreement
1. YOU PAY A DEPOSIT. When you make your booking you must complete a booking form, accepting on behalf of all your party the terms of the Fair Trading Agreement, and pay a deposit of – (a) £75.00 per person on all United Kingdom coach holidays; (b) £100.00 per person on all holidays outside the United Kingdom. All monies paid to Lodge Coaches are held by him/her on your behalf until you receive our confirmation.
2. YOU PAY THE BALANCE. The balance of the fare must be paid via the office at which you made your booking, at least eight weeks before the holiday departure date. If you book within the applicable balance due period you must pay the full holiday cost at the time of booking. If the balance is not paid in time, we reserve the right to cancel your holiday, retain your deposit, and apply cancellation charges set out in Paragraph 4 ‘If you Cancel Your Holiday.’
3. IF YOU CHANGE YOUR BOOKING. If, after our confirmation has been issued, you wish to change to another of our holidays, or change departure date, we will do our utmost to make the changes, provided that written notification is received at our offices from the person who signed the Booking Form, not later than the date on which the balance of the original holiday cost was due for payment. This must be accompanied by a payment of £20 to cover administration costs. Any alteration by you made later than the original balance date will be treated as a cancellation of the original booking and will be subject to the cancellation charge set out below. Other alterations such as the addition of requests or change of pick-up point that require a reconfirmation to be issued must be notified and accompanied by a payment of £10 to cover administration costs.
4. IF YOU CANCEL YOUR HOLIDAY. You, or any members of your party may cancel your holiday at any time provided that the cancellation is made by the person signing the booking form and is communicated to us in writing via the office at which you made your booking. As this incurs administration costs we will retain your deposit and, in addition, apply cancellation charges up to the maximum shown below:- Period before departure within which written cancellation is received. Amount of cancellation charge shown as % of holiday price prior to 55 days before departure, deposit only.
55-49 days = 30% 48-22 days = 50%
21-8 days = 70% 7-1 days = 100%
5. IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT. If you have a problem during your holiday, please inform your Tour Manager or the relevant supplier/resort representative immediately who will endeavour to put things right. If your complaint cannot be completely resolved locally, you must complete a report form which can be obtained from your Tour Manager or local representative. Please follow this up within 14 days of your return home by writing to us, Lodge Coaches, The Garage, High Easter, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 4QR giving your original booking reference number and all other relevant information. It is therefore a condition of this contract that you communicate any problem to the supplier of the services in question AND to our representative whilst in resort and obtain a written report form. If you fail to follow this simple procedure we cannot accept responsibility as we have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify the problem.
6. STATUTORY AUTHORITIES. This brochure is issued subject to applicable Acts of Parliament and Government Regulations and The Company reserved the right to modify itineraries to conform with requests from the competent authorities in the United Kingdom and any other sovereign state through which the tours run.
7. CONDITIONS OF CARRIAGE. When you travel on an aircraft, train or ship, the terms of carriage of that carrier apply and are subject to National and International conditions which may limit or exclude liability. Your contract made under the terms of the Fair Trading Agreement is subject to English (Scottish) law and jurisdiction. Some coach journeys are operated by vehicles other than those owned by Lodge Coaches and the specification may be different to that detailed in this brochure. The Public Service Vehicle (Conduct of Drivers, Conductors and Passengers) Regulations as amended in 1990, apply to all coaches throughout any holiday in the UK.
8. OTHER TERMS. On a holiday you may not:- (a) Bring a pet or any other animal (other than Guide Dogs, subject to availability of suitable seating location, in the UK and Eire only, and by arrangement, (b) Play with a radio or a cassette player on a coach. Lodge Coaches reserves the unconditional right to refuse a booking or terminate a clients holiday in the event of unreasonable conduct which in Lodge Coaches opinion is likely to cause damage, distress, danger or annoyance to other clients, employees, property or to any third party. If you are prevented from travelling or continuing your holiday by such a termination, Lodge Coaches responsibility for your holiday thereupon ceases. Full cancellation charges will apply and Lodge Coaches will be under no obligation for any refund, compensation or loss which you may incur. You are responsible for ensuring that you are at the correct departure point at the correct, and we cannot be liable for any loss or expense suffered by passengers because of their late arrival at any departure point. Excursions are included in the price of most holidays and refunds cannot be made for passengers not wishing to go on these excursions. Admission fees to buildings, grounds etc. are not included in the price of the holiday unless otherwise stated in the brochure.
9. HOLIDAY INSURANCE. It is a condition of your contract with Lodge Coaches that you should take out insurance to cover you in the event of illness, personal injury or death during the course of your holiday. Please apply for policy cover. If you have your own insurance, details should be recorded on the disclaimer form on the reverse of the booking form.
10. PASSPORT. For all Continental holidays you will require a full 10 year British Passport. If you have any doubts about your status as a resident British subject or you do not hold a full British Passport, you must check with the Embassies or Consulates of the countries to be visited to confirm the passport or visa requirements needed in your particular circumstances. We cannot accept responsibility if passengers are not in possession of the correct travel documents.
11. HEALTH. Under normal circumstances most Western European Countries do not require visitors to be vaccinated. However, we will indicate any known vaccination or other health requirements where possible for each country to be visited. If you are not sure of the health requirements of the country you are visiting, you are advised to check with your own doctor before travelling.
OUR PROMISE TO YOU
1. WE RESERVE YOUR HOLIDAY. When you or your travel agent has provisionally confirmed that we have available space on the holiday of your choice, a confirmation invoice will be forwarded to you normally with 14 days of receipt of your signed booking forma and the contract is made between us when you receive this confirmation.
2. YOUR HOLIDAY PRICE. UK Holidays. The price of your holiday is guaranteed and will not be subject to any surcharges except for those resulting from (fuel, government action including additional bonding or licensing requirements and VAT). In all cases we reserve the right to pass these amounts on in full. Holiday prices include all coach travel, hotel accommodation and meals as specified in the holiday description and VAT at the current rate where applicable. Morning coffee, afternoon tea and other refreshments are not included. Some hotels may make a small additional charge for porterage and tea or coffee served after lunch and dinner. Gratuities to the hotel staff and driver/couriers are discretionary. European Holidays. No Price Guarantee (i.e. any or all permissible elements may be surcharged). The price of your holiday is subject to surcharges on the following items: Governmental action, VAT, currency, aircraft fuel, overflying charges, airport charges and increases in scheduled air fare. Even in this case, we will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of the holiday price which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges. Only amounts in excess of this 2% will be surcharged but where a surcharge is payable there will be an administration charge of 50p per person together with an amount to cover agents commission. If this means paying more than 10% on the holiday price, you will be entitled to cancel your holiday with a full refund of all money paid except for any premium paid to us for holiday insurance and amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel because of this, you must exercise your right to do so within 14 days from the issue date printed on the invoice. As the heading suggests, this paragraph should be used where any or all of the stated elements (Governmental action etc.) may be liable to surcharge. Surcharges will not be imposed within 30 days of departure.
COUNTRY EXCHANGE RATE
Most of our tours visit countries which use the Euro. If you are unsure of the currency and/or exchange rate used on your particular holiday please contact Lodge Coaches for advice.
3. IF WE CHANGE YOUR HOLIDAY. The arrangements for your holidays in this brochure are made many months in advance and changes are sometimes unavoidable. Most of these changes may be very minor but where they are significant we will notify you as soon as is reasonably possible before your departure date. A significant change would be regarded as changes in the departure date, departure point, or resort area, reducing the quality of your main hotel (not single overnight hotels on touring holidays) or a change of tour itinerary which involves a destination being completely eliminated from the revised itinerary or reducing the specification of the coach. In the event of a significant change you may decide to: (a) continue with the holiday as amended or (b) accept an alternative holiday which we may offer to you or (c) cancel your booking. If you choose (a) or (b) we will pay you compensation on the scale below. If you choose (c) we will refund all monies paid by you, plus compensation on the scale below, no other claims for compensation or expenses will be considered. Period before departure within which a ‘significant change’ is notified to you or your travel agent:
Compensation per person: More than 42 days: Nil; 29-42 days: £5.00; 15-28 days: £10.00; 0-7 days: £20.00
4. IF WE CANCEL YOUR HOLIDAY. It is necessary for there to be a minimum number of passengers in order to operator a tour. In certain circumstances, therefore, we may have to cancel your holiday, and if this should occur we will return to you all the money you have paid to us, or offer you a suitable alternative. However, we will not cancel your holiday: (a) Immediately prior to the departure date unless you have not paid for your holiday in full: If we then cancel your holiday you will be entitled to either a comparable holiday or a full refund. (b) After the balance due date, except as a result of hostilities, political unrest or other circumstances amounting to force majeure (or other options as necessary). If we have to cancel your holiday at any time, Lodge Coaches is liable only for any monies you may have paid to Lodge Coaches at the time of cancellation and for the compensation payments as detailed in paragraph 3.
5. WHAT HAPPENS TO COMPLAINTS. All complaints that are received are thoroughly investigated and customers are kept informed at each stage of the investigation. Sometimes the investigations can take time when awaiting a response from hoteliers. We can normally agree an amicable settlement of the few serious complaints we receive, if the complaint is found to be genuine. (See: IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT: PARAGRAPH 5).
Arbitration Conditions: Disputes arising out of, or in connection with, this contract which cannot be amicably settled, may (if the customer so wishes) be referred to arbitration under a special scheme which, though devised by arrangements with the Bus and Coach Council, is administered quite independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The Scheme (details of which will be supplied on request) provides for a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on the customer in respect of costs. The Scheme does not apply to claims for an amount greater than £1,500 per person. There is also a limit of £7,500 per booking form. Neither does it apply to claims which are solely or mainly in respect of physical injury or illness or the consequences of such injury or illness. (There is a time limit of 9 months from the date of return.) Please note that correspondence received between June and September may take us longer to respond to.
6. OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO YOU. We accept responsibility for ensuring that all component parts of your holiday as described in this brochure are supplied to you to a reasonable standard and this includes Optional Excursions purchased through our employees or agents. If any such part is not provided in the advertised manner, we will pay you reasonable compensation unless the non-provision was due to circumstances which we could not predict and which were beyond our control such as adverse weather, road or traffic conditions or the matters referred to in paragraph 4 (b) above.
Optional:
(i) Please remember that some amenities (e.g. hotel lifts, swimming pools etc.) require servicing and cleaning and may not therefore be available at all times. Some services may be affected by weather conditions and their availability is entirely at the discretion of the provider of the service. Entertainment (particularly live entertainment) provided by hotels is frequently subject to demand and its nature and/or frequency may be varied if there is a lack of demand or insufficient numbers staying in the hotel.
(ii) Some excursion itineraries include the use of ferries and other forms of transport which can be affected by inclement weather, and may have to be cancelled or arrangements changes. Whenever possible a suitable alternative excursion will be offered.
(iii) The published running times of services are estimates only and we will not be liable for any loss (howsoever caused) arising from delay or failure to operate services in accordance with published timings.
7. PERSONAL INJURY (WHILST PARTICIPATING IN ARRANGEMENTS MADE BY US). Lodge Coaches has taken all reasonable and proper steps to ensure that proper arrangements have been made for all the holidays which are advertised in this brochure, including Optional Excursions offered by our employees or agents and that the suppliers of all the services are efficient, safe and reputable and that they comply with the local and national laws and regulations of the country in which they provide those services. Whilst we have no direct control over the provision of services to you by suppliers, we will pay to our clients the equivalent of such damages as they would be entitled to receive under English Law in an English Court for any personal injury to the client, including illness or death, caused by the failure to perform or the improper performance of such services by the servants or agents of ourselves or any of our suppliers contracted or sub-contracted by us to provide any part of the arrangements for your holiday as described in this brochure where such failure or improper performance is due to the fault of such person and not an event which such person could foresee or forestall even if they had taken all due care. NOTE: We will make payments as stated above provided: (a) that claims for personal injury are notified to us within 3 months of the return from holiday (b) the injured client(s) assign to Lodge Coaches any rights against a supplier or other person or party they may have relating to the claim (c) they agree to co-operate fully with us should we or our insurers wish to enforce those rights which have been assigned to us or to which we are subrogated and (d) such payment limited in the case of transport by water or air to a maximum of such sums as would be obtained under the provisions of the appropriate International Conventions.
This assignment is necessary to enable us to try and recover from suppliers any compensation we have paid to clients, and associated costs arising from personal injury to clients caused by the fault of those suppliers. If we recover more than such compensation and costs, any excess will be paid to the injured clients.
8. PERSONAL INJURY (UNCONNECTED WITH ARRANGEMENTS MADE BY US). Where appropriate and subject to our reasonable discretion, we will afford general assistance to clients who through misadventure suffer illness, personal injury or death whilst travelling on a Lodge Coaches holiday arising out of an activity which does not form part of the advertised itinerary nor part of an excursion offered through the company, and which is the responsibility of a third party.
HOLIDAY INFORMATION (NOT PART OF CONTRACT)
1. LUGGAGE. We ask you to keep luggage down to one medium sized suitcase per person, but a small hold-all can also be taken on board the coach.
2. SEAT ALLOCATION AND SPECIFICATION. Requests for a particular seat can be made on most holidays when booking, but since allocations are made on a first come first served basis, early booking is advisable. When bookings are made with us you will be offered the best seats that are available on the coach at that time. Therefore, if you do have anyone who wishes to join you at a later date, do enquire at Lodge Coaches who will check with our Reservations Department for any vacancies. There is a seating plan of the coach for each holiday, but ii is possible that on occasions, for operational reasons, a coach of different configuration may be used and we must, therefore, reserve the right to alter a seating plan and allocate seats other than those you have booked, although this will be avoided as far as possible. We shall have no liability in relation to any such change of specification. Specific seats will not be allocated on coaches which operate on feeder services between joining points and main holiday departure points, on coaches which carry out transfers to and from air and seaport or on Lodge Coaches connecting services.
3. SMOKING IS PROHIBITED ON ALL OUR COACH TOURS.
4. TRAVEL DOCUMENTS. When you have paid the balance we will either send to you or the Travel Office through which the booking was made, all the necessary labels, so that you receive them in good time before the holiday departure date. Certain documents, for example air or boat tickets, may have to be retained and your driver or courier will then issue them to you at the relevant port.
5. SPECIAL CARE FOR THE DISABLED. The holidays in this brochure have been carefully planned to include as much of interest as possible. Inevitably some of the holidays include lengthy periods of travel and some walking on sightseeing excursions. Additionally, many of the hotels will have steps to contend with and may not possess lifts, and although we will try our best to look after disabled passengers, it is important that you enter the word DISABLED in block capitals in the special requirements section of the booking form, together with a brief description of your disability. We will make every endeavour to minimise the discomfort and inconvenience, but for obvious reasons are unable to make any guarantees.
6. SPECIAL DIETS. If you require a special diet you must inform us at the time of booking with a copy of the diet. This will be notified to the hotel or hotels on your holiday but on certain holidays the hotels used are tourist class and whilst offering value for money within the price range, they may not have facilities to cope with special diets. Any extra costs incurred must be paid to the hotel by yourself before departure from the hotel.
7. GROUND FLOOR ACCOMMODATION. There is usually a limited number of ground or low floor rooms available and requests for this accommodation must be made in the ‘Special Requirements’ section of the booking form, but this type of accommodation cannot be guaranteed. If lifts are available at a hotel the facility will be shown on the holiday page.
8. SINGLE ROOMS. On any holiday there are only a limited number of single rooms. When a single room is available it may be subject to a supplementary charge and this will be shown on the brochure page.
9. ENTERTAINMENT. Some of our hotels arrange additional entertainment which could include music, dancing, film shows, bingo etc. Entertainment offered by hotels is indicated in the hotel description on the holiday page. The nature and frequency of the entertainment presented is at the discretion of the hotel and therefore not guaranteed and could be withdrawn if there is a lack of demand or insufficient numbers in the hotel.
10. PUBLICATION DATE: November 2024.
