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Booking Terms and Conditions

Travel Butlers Safari Holidays

Terms and Conditions for All Bookings Confirmed From 1 January 2014 - 31 March 2015

All bookings made by Travel Butlers are subject to the following booking conditions, which are governed by English Law and under the jurisdiction of the English Courts:

  1. Quoted Prices
  2. Deposits
  3. Financial Protection
  4. Payment Methods
  5. Tourism Levy
  6. Amendments
  7. Cancellations
  8. Surcharges
  9. Car Hire
  10. Our Commitment to You
  11. Your Responsibilities
  12. Complaints & Problems

1. Quoted Prices

Travel Butlers will quote prices in GBP Sterling (£), South African Rand (R), Namibian Dollars (N$), or US Dollars (US$) as appropriate.

Payment is accepted in all of the above currencies.

Once a booking is confirmed by either a deposit or full balance payment,  the price is fixed in the stated currency. 

Although Travel Butlers will endeavour to keep all rates published on this website as accurate as possible, any price quoted may be subject to alteration at any time and without notice due to unforeseen supplier increases. 

Prices are fixed at the time your booking is confirmed, and should a price increase come into effect after you have paid either the full balance or a deposit to secure your accommodation, Travel Butlers undertake not to pass this increase on. If the price increase happens before you have paid to secure your booking, Travel Butlers reserve the right to amend prices accordingly. This does not apply to surcharges for fuels and airport tax which are covered under clause 8. Surcharges

2. Deposits

A non-refundable deposit of 20% is normally required, but in certain circumstances Travel Butlers reserve the right to ask for a higher deposit or payment in full (please see section regarding Cancellation Fees below). The deposit must be paid by the date stipulated.

We require payment in full at the time of booking for any flights booked on your behalf by Travel Butlers.  Flights are normally booked at the lowest available cost and do not allow for cancellations or changes under the airlines standard terms - please request flexible flights when making your reservations if you think you might need to change your flight arrangements.

The balance owing must be paid no less than 8 weeks prior to the date of the first night's accommodation booked, and the balance is payable in the same currency as the deposit was paid in.

For reservations made within 8 weeks of the date of the first night's accommodation, payment in full is required upon confirmation.

If either the deposit payment or the balance payment are not made within the due time, Travel Butlers reserve the right to make any changes to the accommodation booked, or to cancel any reservations made on your behalf.

3. Financial Protection

Protected by topp ATOL Protected - ATOL 10245

 

 

The air holiday packages on this website are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is 10245, and you can confirm our ATOL certificate on the CAA website.

When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.

We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).

If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.

Total Payment Protection (topp) Policy cover:

In compliance with the UK Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 an insurance policy has been arranged with Travel & General Insurance Services Limited (tagis), to protect customers’ prepayments in the unlikely event of our financial failure and paid in respect of

  • non-flight inclusive packages commencing and returning to the UK
  • the ground handling aspects of packages where the customer is responsible for arranging travel to the destination, and
  • flight inclusive packages that commence outside of the UK, which are sold to customers outside of the UK.

offered in this brochure/literature/document/on this website (subject to the terms of the insurance policy), for:

  • a refund of such prepayments if customers have not yet travelled, or
  • making arrangements to enable the holiday to continue if customers have already travelled, or
  • repatriation of customers to the UK or their home country as may be applicable.

 

Customers’ prepayments are protected by a topp policy. 

In the unlikely event of financial failure please contact the claims helpline on 0870 0137 965. A copy of the policy is available on request.

This policy is provided by Travel & General Insurance Services Limited (tagis), registered number 02527363 and underwritten by International Insurance Company of Hannover Plc (Inter Hannover), registered number 01453123. tagis and Inter Hannover are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.


Travel Butlers Ltd are also members of SATSA (the South African equivalent of ABTA) and are covered by its bonding scheme which offers financial compensation to customers in the event of a company going out of business. Our SATSA membership number is 1339, and you can read more about SATSA and its bonding scheme on the SATSA web site.

If you book arrangements other than a package holiday from Travel Butlers Ltd (e.g. accommodation only with no transport arrangements), the financial protection under ATOL and the topp policy referred to above does not apply. Most credit card companies offer purchase protection if you pay for travel services with a credit card, and you should check this with your credit card company.

4. Payment Methods

Travel Butlers accept payment in GBP Sterling (GBP), US Dollars (USD), Euros (EUR), and South Africa Rand (ZAR).

Payment can be made as follows:

  • By credit card (MasterCard or Visa only) in GBP, USD, EUR or ZAR via our secure online server or over the phone.

  • By Visa Debit card in GBP, USD, EUR or ZAR via our secure online server or over the phone.

  • By UK-issued Maestro card in GBP.

  • By bank transfer in GBP, USD, EUR or ZAR (details on request).

  • By personal cheque in GBP Sterling only (please allow time for the cheque to clear).

Please note that the price of your holiday and the payment currency is set when the booking is initially confirmed, and this cannot be changed subsequently.

We regret that for some short notice bookings and deposits we may not be able to accept payment by bank transfer or cheque due to the time it takes the funds to clear into our account.

Travel Butlers do not charge for processing payments made by credit or debit card.

5. Tourism Levy

The accommodation reserves the right to add an additional 1% Tourism Levy onto your final bill.

6. Amendments to Your Bookings

Once your accommodation has been booked, any amendments (such as a change of date, length of stay, etc) should be taken up with Travel Butlers in the first instance, either by email or by telephone. 

Flights are normally booked at the lowest available cost and do not allow for cancellations or changes under the airlines standard terms - please request flexible flights when making your reservations if you think you might need to change your flight arrangements.

Any reduction in the number of nights or the number of people travelling will qualify as a cancellation, and that part of the accommodation being cancelled is subject to the cancellation terms given below.

Travel Butlers reserve the right to levy a £10 charge per amendment.

7. Cancellations

If you decide to cancel your bookings, please notify us by email at once.  Upon written cancellation, we will issue a refund of the money paid to Travel Butlers, less a percentage of the value of the bookings (the cancellation fee). The cancellation fee is calculated in accordance with the table below.

  • More than 8 weeks prior - 20% of the full value of the bookings being cancelled

  • 4 to 8 weeks prior - 40% of the full value of the bookings being cancelled

  • Within 4 weeks prior - 100% of the full value of the bookings being cancelled

Please note: Flights are payable in full at the time of booking and are non-refundable unless otherwise stated.

Some special offers and services may require payment in full at the time of booking, and these may also be non-refundable - you will be notified if this condition applies at the time of booking.

If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your personal travel insurance, you may be able to reclaim these charges from your insurer.

Travel Butlers reserve the right to cancel any accommodation booking, flight, or other travel service as a result of war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions or other circumstances amounting to force majeure.  Should this happen, Travel Butlers will be unable to refund any payments made. 

8. Surcharges

All airlines and transfer companies reserve the right to levy additional or increased fuel charges or airport taxes after a booking has been confirmed.  Should this happen, you will be liable for them, and as such Travel Butlers will invoice you accordingly, for immediate payment.

Travel Butlers will only pass on a surcharge if costs increase as a result of
(a) transportation costs (including fuel);
 
(b) dues, taxes or fees payable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports or airports;
 
Surcharges will not be applied:
(a) within 90 working days of the departure date for your Trip; or
 
(b) if the amount of the surcharge is less than 2% of the Trip Cost
 
If any Surcharge is greater than 9% of the total cost of your holiday, you will be entitled to cancel your booking and receive a full refund of the deposit. Travel Butlers will advise you where this is the case. Alternatively you can choose to put any monies already paid by you towards a different holiday with Travel Butlers without paying any ammendment or cancellation fees.

9. Car Hire

Travel Butlers can book your hire car in one of two ways:

Payment on return of the car
If we reserve a car for you and you are paying at the end of the rental period, then your contract is with the car rental company and no deposit payment is required to secure this reservation.  You will be required to produce your credit card and driving licence when you pick up the hire car, and all paperwork is completed then.  Your credit card will be debited by the car rental company at the end of the car hire period.

Prepayment of your hire car
If we reserve a car for you and you pay Travel Butlers in advance for the rental, then your contract is with us and we will issue you with a voucher to hand in when you collect the car. You will be required to produce your credit card and driving licence when you pick up the hire car, however you will have already prepaid for hire car and the only additional charges at the end of the rental period will be for additional items such as late return of the vehicle, returning the vehicle without a full tank of fuel, or the excess in the insurance in the event of an accident.

10. Our Commitment to You

In the event that any accommodation, flight, or travel service that we have booked on your behalf becomes unavailable for any reason whatsoever, Travel Butlers will undertake to provide an alternative of the same standard, location and cost price.  

11. Your Responsibilities

It is your personal responsibility to ensure that you have all the necessary travel documentation in your possession including a full passport, which should be valid for 6 months beyond the holiday period, any necessary visas, any required medical certificates, any vaccinations and inoculations, any airline or car hire tickets or vouchers and the like, and adequate travel insurance cover.

All airlines require the full names of passengers as stated in their passports. After air tickets have been issued, amendments will either incur a penalty charge or depending on the airline may not be allowed.  It is your responsibility to ensure that the correct details are supplied to Travel Butlers before any flights are confirmed.   

Travel Butlers will not be responsible or liable for any consequence of any nature arising from your failure to comply with such requirements. 

All accommodation is booked under the express conditions that Travel Butlers shall not be liable for or responsible to any person or entity for any death, injury, accident, loss or damage caused, or alleged to be have been caused, directly or indirectly, as a result of their staying in a guest house, hotel or lodge, or travel to and from a guest house, hotel or lodge. 

Whilst staying in any accommodation, you are asked to respect the wishes of your hosts.   Your hosts shall be entitled to charge you direct should any damage to their property occur whilst you are with them.

12. Complaints and Problems

If you have a problem or complaint with any of the accommodation that is booked through Travel Butlers, please inform Travel Butlers immediately, either by telephone or by email, and we will investigate and endeavour to advise, assist or resolve the matter as quickly as possible. 

If you do not inform us within 28 days of any incident, Travel Butlers may not be able to offer assistance.