Terms and Conditions
These terms and conditions (“the Conditions”) form part of the agreement (“the Agreement”) between Destination Management Scotland and you and is referred to in these Conditions as ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’. Before booking with us you should read the Conditions carefully.
If any of these Conditions are invalid or unenforceable the remainder will not be affected and will remain valid and enforceable.
The Agreement shall be governed in accordance with Scottish Law and you hereby agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Scottish Courts in relation to any dispute or other matter arising therefrom.
You must ensure that the full names and personal information given to us at the time of booking are accurate in all respects and match the information shown on your passport.
Any notification to be given in writing under the Conditions should be given by letter or email.
Programme Confirmation and Price and Payment structure
You will be notified at the time of booking of the price (“the Price”) of the transportation, accommodation, visits, activities and guides and other services you have booked with us (“the Programme”). We are under no obligation to give a breakdown of the costs involved in the Programme. All charges are inclusive of VAT at the rate applicable at the time of booking (or such other rate as shall apply by operation of law) unless specified otherwise.
The Price and any increase or increases thereto shall be quoted in GBP Sterling for UK Programmes. Payment should be made in GBP Sterling by bank transfer to the account details set out on the invoice. There are no fees from Destination Management Scotland for any payment method. For the avoidance of doubt, the financial commitments offered by us mean that we will not be able to reduce the Price even if the GBP Sterling value decreases after the date of booking.
The deposit (the “Deposit”) shall amount to 50% of the Price or such other amount as shall be agreed between us and should be paid at the time of booking with the balance of the Price to be paid no later than 60 days prior to arrival. By paying the Deposit you are concluding the Agreement and accepting the Conditions. If the start of the Programme is within 60 days of the date of booking, full payment will be required.
Where the Programme includes (i) bespoke experiences including but not limited to helicopter trips, private cruises or exclusive visits or (ii) tickets including but not limited to those for travel, attractions or visits, these bespoke experiences and tickets shall not be purchased until we have received from you confirmation in writing of their booking by you and payment for them received from you in full. Such payment is non-refundable.
Amendments and Cancellations
If you wish to make any amendments to the Programme after booking, you must do so in writing no later than 14 days before the start of the Programme. We will try but cannot promise to meet any request. Any amendment will be subject to (i) approval and any additional conditions imposed by our suppliers and (ii) payment by you at the time of the amendment of any additional costs.
If members of a group booking withdraw, on some occasions, there are fixed costs which mean the remaining travelling party must pay more per person.
We will charge an administration fee of £30 per person in your party where a request for an amendment is received by us 60 or more days prior to the start of your Programme and £50 per person if received less than 60 days prior to the start of your Programme. This charge is non-refundable.
As we put in place the arrangements necessary to enable us to offer the Programme many months in advance, we may occasionally have to make amendments to the Programme and reserve the right to do so at any time.
If you cancel the Programme after booking, the following charges are applicable based on the number of days before the start of the Programme on which we receive in writing your cancellation:
60 days or more: 30% of total Programme price
21-59 days: 50% of total Programme price
20 days or less or “no show”: 100% of total Programme price
Limitations of our liability to you
We accept responsibility for ensuring the proper performance of the Programme using reasonable care and skill but cannot accept responsibility where we have used such care and skill or for any non-performance caused by circumstances beyond our control or those of our suppliers or agents including but not limited to:
you or any member of your party is at fault
the failure is the fault of a third party not concerned with the provision of the Programme
Force Majeure as detailed below
acts and/or omissions of our employees, agents, sub-contractors and suppliers who have acted outwith their authority
Safety is our primary concern. If it is necessary to modify the itinerary due to weather, we will endeavour to add other sights and activities to replace those omitted.
Insurance
We cannot stress enough the importance of you taking out by the time of your booking adequate insurance against cancellation charge, unexpected curtailment of your holiday, medical expenses arising overseas, loss or damage to luggage and personal liability claims against you.
Data protection
We will not use any personal data relating to you which we hold at any time for any purpose other than in connection with the Programme.
We will not pass on such data to third parties except where necessary to provide you with the Programme unless authorised by you. In that regard, you consent to this information including but not limited to information on any disabilities or dietary requirements being supplied to our suppliers (including but not limited to hotels, staff and transport companies and any necessary public authorities).
Special requirements
If you have any special requirements (dietary, mobility or otherwise) you must inform us of these at the time of booking. Some properties, visits, experiences in the UK have very limited facilities for the disabled or travellers with limited mobility and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet your special requirements.
Force Majeure
We will not be liable for failure to comply with the Agreement to the extent that such compliance is prevented, hindered or delayed by any cause beyond our control, including but not limited to, fire, storm, explosion, flood, natural disaster, weather conditions (including but not limited to heavy rainfall, hail, snow, fog or frost), labour disputes or strikes, outbreak of war, terrorism or terrorist attack, national emergency, civil disturbance, theft, failure of utility power supplies (telecommunications, electricity, water, gas etc), Act of God and the action of any Government or Government Agency.
Miscellaneous
You are responsible for the cost of any extras (including but not limited to hotel incidentals) incurred by you to our suppliers and for any damage caused by you during the period of the Programme.
If you lose any personal items during the period of the Programme, you must obtain a written report from the police to help with any insurance claim upon your return.
In the event that you have any cause for complaint during the Programme, you must notify the provider of the service (if applicable) and ourselves without delay at the time when such complaint arises.
Our obligation following your notification to us is to investigate matters and (where appropriate) make prompt efforts to find appropriate solutions.
It is not reasonable to take no action whilst on holiday, but then to write a letter or e-mail of complaint upon return. Please remember that we will be unable to help if you only mention the issue on your return from holiday.
Destination Management Scotland Charges
Each curated itinerary is individual and a fee will be supplied to you for the work that we think it will take to arrange all aspects of the journey.
Any requests outwith this fee will be charged at the following rates.
Daily Rate; hosting rate travelling with a group — £350
Hourly rate; includes time spent amending an itinerary — £45 per hour
On call rates during a trip — £120 per day