Why should I read this page?
Because it is very important.  Out Trading Charter forms a key part of our agreement with you and forms the basis of a legally binding contract between you as the lead name making the booking, anyone else in your party and you.

When you make this booking as the lead name, you undertake that you have the authority to accept, and do accept, on behalf of your party the term of these booking conditions.  This contract is made subject to the terms of these booking conditions, which are governed by English law, and the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

These contract terms and financial guarantees will not apply to any holiday involving any type of flight; instead you will be supplied with the full booking conditions of the ATOL holder arranging your holiday.  Your booking agent will have a copy or alternatively you can request one prior to booking your holiday from Chalfont Line Holidays, 4 Providence Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 8HJ.

How and when do I make this contract with you?
We welcome you making contact with us in a number of ways.  You can write to us, phone us, email, visit our website.  Whichever way you contact us the contract is made when your confirmation booking is entered on to our reservation system.  We will send you the confirmation of your booking within seven working days.  Please check this confirmation very carefully to ensure all the information is correct and tell us, immediately of any errors.

How is my holiday’s money protected?
We subscribe to the Code of Conduct of the Bonded Coach Holidays Group (“BCHG”) of the Confederation of Passengers Transport UK.

BCHG requires a bond to be taken out to provide protection for your holiday money in the unlikely event that a Member cannot for financial reasons, carry out their obligations to their passengers.
BCHG Consumer Guarantee
The Bonded Coach Holiday Groups guarantees to bona fide customers that in the event of a failure of a bona fide Member it will:

• Whenever possible, arrange for a holiday or tour to be completed
• Where failure occurs after a holiday has begun, arrange for the customers to be returned by an appropriate means of transport to their UK areas of departure.
• If the holiday or tour cannot be completed as planned, the reimbursement of payments made by the customer to the BCHG Member, other than payments made by credit card.

For flying holidays we are bonded by the CAA and package holidays are ATOL protected.

When do I need to pay for my holiday and how much?
At the time of booking you will need to pay a deposit for each person named on the booking.  The balance must be paid before the dates listed below.

If you book within our balance due period you will need to pay the total holiday cost at the time of your booking.

If you do not pay the outstanding balance for your holiday on or before the date when it is due we may cancel your booking and you will be required to pay the cancellation charges detailed below.  The date of cancellation will normally be the date you confirm in writing that you intend to cancel or 15 days after the balance due date, whichever comes first.

Deposit £300 per person for flying and coaching holidays
Deposit £500 per person for cruises
Your balance is due 12 weeks prior to departure.

Where optional items are purchased as part of the tour package these are payable on the balance due date except where items such as theatre tickets have been specifically purchased for you in this case the cost will be payable at a separate date notified to you and will not normally be refundable unless we obtain a refundfrom the supplier we use.

Can I change my holiday arrangements?
After we have issued our booking confirmation we will do our best to accommodate any changes you may want to make but we cannot guarantee to do so.  Any changes must be notified to us in writing and signed by the person who signed the booking form.  If we are able to make the changes an amendment fee of £50 will be payable plus any additional charge for the facilities requested.  Any significant alteration after the balance due date will be treated as a cancellation of the original booking and will be subject to the cancellation charges detailed below.  A significant alteration would include a change of departure date, holiday or hotel, or number of people travelling.

Can I transfer my booking to someone else?
You can transfer your booking to someone else provided you give reasonable notice.  This person must be able to satisfy all the conditions for the holiday and a change cannot normally be made later than fourteen days prior to departure.  We will make an administration charge of £50 per person for every transfer we make plus any reasonable additional costs caused by the transfer.  You will remain responsible for ensuring that the holiday is paid for by the balance due date.

How can I cancel my holiday?
You, or any member of your party, may cancel at any time provided that the cancellation is made by the person who signed the booking form and is communicated to us in writing.  You will have to pay cancellation charges set out in the scale below to cover our estimated loss resulting from the cancellation.  If you are insured against cancellation you may be able to recover the charges from your insurers.  Your cancellation will take effect from the date when we receive your written confirmation of your cancellation.

Scale of Cancellation Charges
Period before departure within which written cancellation of holiday price is received

More than 70 days                             -                                               deposit only
Less than 70 days                             -                                               total holiday cost

What happens if you change my holiday?
The arrangements for your holiday will usually have been made many months in advance.  Sometimes changes are unavoidable and we reserve the right to make them.  Most of these changes are likely to be minor and we will do our best to keep you informed.

We will tell you before your booking is confirmed if there have any changes since the brochure was published.  If after booking and before departure, we make a significant change to your holiday you will have the option of withdrawing from the holiday without penalty or alternatively you may transfer to another holiday without paying an administration fee.  In either case we will pay compensation according to the scale set out below.

A significant change would involve a change in departure date (see note below) or departure point, location of resort or quality of hotel, (excluding singe overnight hotel on touring holidays), a change of mode when crossing the Channel, or the specification of the coach.

Alteration to departure time of more than 12 hours.  if you withdraw from the holiday because we have made a significant change or if we have to cancel your holiday for any reason other than non-payment  by you we will offer you the choice of:
A comparable replacement holiday if available.
Full refund of the money you have paid.

When we have notified you of the changes and options available, you must tell us your decision as soon as possible and within any timescale we may need to set bearing in mind the need to safeguard the holiday arrangements of other customers.

Scale of Compensation
Period before departure in which significant change is notified to you:                                                                        

Compensation will not be paid where the change is made as a result of events beyond our control including war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial disputes, fire, quarantine, epidemic or health risks, natural or nuclear disasters, port and terminal closures and/or adverse weather conditions.

You are entitled if, appropriate to be compensated by Chalfont Line Holidays for the non performance of the contract except where:
A) The package is cancelled because the number of persons who agreed to take it is less than the minimum number required, and you were informed of the cancellation in within the period indicated in the description of the package.

B) The package is cancelled by reason of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care has been exercised.

Unavoidable technical problems with transport
If, after departure, we need to make a change to a significant proportion of your holiday we will do our best to make suitable alternative arrangements at no extra cost to you.  If it proves impossible to make suitable alternative arrangements or if you have reasonable grounds for refusing the alternative offered, we will arrange transport back to your point of departure or to an alternative location that we agree to.

What is the extent of your liability?
We accept responsibility if you or any member of your party is killed or injured as a result of an activity forming part of your holiday arrangements which you booked with us before your departure, or if any part of your holiday arrangements, booked with us in the UK, it is not as described in the brochure or not of a reasonable standard; if the failure in your holiday arrangements or any death or personal injury is due to any fault on our part or that of our agents or suppliers whilst acting in the course of their employment .  we do not accept responsibility if the failure, death or personal injury is not caused by any fault of ours or of our agents or suppliers, or is caused by you or someone not connected with your holidays arrangements, or if the failure, death, or personal injury is due to unusual or unforeseen circumstances which, even with all due care, we, or our agents or suppliers, could not have anticipated or avoided.  Where you, or any member of your party, participate in an activity that involves an element of risk whilst on holiday and this has been arranged completely independently of Chalfont Line Holidays, it should be understood that participation is at the individual’s own risk and it is their own responsibility to obtain the relevant insurance.

For claims which do not involve personal injury, illness or death the most we will have to pay if we are liable to you is three times the price of the person affected paid for their holiday, not including insurance premiums and amendments changes.  We will only have to pay the maximum amount if everything has gone wrong and you have received no benefit from your holiday.

Chalfont Line Ltd do not accept any liability for any changes or delays to any form of transportation where this does not form any part of the holiday you have booked with us.

If you or any member of your party is killed, injured or becomes ill as a result of transport by ship, train or coach, any liability which we may have to pay compensation is limited in line with the Athens Convention (applies by transport by ship), the Berne Convention (applies to transport by rail), and the Geneva Convention (applies to transport by road).  You can get copies of the relevant conventions from us if you ask.  You should also note that these conventions may limit or remove the carrier’s liability to you and the amount which the carrier has to pay you.

If we make any payment to you or any member of your party for death, personal injury or illness, you will be asked to assign to us or our insurers the rights you may have to take action against the person or organisation responsible for causing the death, personal injury or illness.

Our suppliers (such as accommodation or transport providers) have their own booking condition or conditions of carriage, and these conditions are binding between you and the supplier.  Some of these conditions may limit or remove the relevant transport providers or other suppliers liability to you.  You can get copies of such conditions from our offices, or the offices of the relevant supplier. 

What do I need to do if I have a complaint?
If you have a complaint during your holiday you should tell the Tour Manager at the earliest opportunity so that they can do their utmost to resolve the problem immediately.  If they are unable to resolve the problem to your satisfaction you should complete a Holiday Report Form which is available from the Tour Manager.  You will be given a copy of this report which you should keep.  If, on your return from holiday, you remain unsatisfied you should write within 28 days to Customer Services Department,  4 Providence Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 8HJ.

In your letter you will need to quote the holiday number, departure date, and the number of the Holiday Report Form, which you completed at the time.

If you do not tell us at the earliest opportunity about a problem given rise to your complaint we cannot take steps to investigate and rectify it.   In deciding how to respond to your complaint we will take into account the date you first drew the problem to the attention of our Tour Manager. 

If I do not agree with your decision can I request arbitration?
Yes you can.  If we cannot resolve your complaint amicably you may request that the dispute is referred to an independent arbitration scheme established by the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT).   Full details of these schemes will be provided on request or you can obtain a copy from CPT.

This arbitration scheme provides a simple and inexpensive method or arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on the customer in respect of costs.  This 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.  Normally there is a time limit of 9 months from the dates of return from your holiday within which to request arbitration but in exceptional circumstances the scheme can be used beyond this date.   This scheme does not apply to claims that arise mainly in respect of physical injury or illness or the consequences of any illness or injury.

Health & Safety on the holiday
In some foreign countries, standards of infrastructure, safety and hygiene, may be lower than those to which we are accustomed to in the UK.  You should therefore exercise greater care for your own protection.  Further information can be obtained from your GP or from your travel agent who can provide you with the leaflet “Health Advice for Travellers” published by the Department of Health.  Some people may be at risk from discomfort or deep vein thrombosis (DVT) if they remain immobile for a journey for long period of time.  If you are planning to undertake a bus or coach journey than more than 3 hours you should consult  your doctor if you have ever had DVT or pulmonary embolism, a family history of clotting condition, cancer or treatment for cancer, a stroke, heart disease, or if you have had major surgery in the past 3 months.  We reserve the right to refuse any booking in the absence of a doctor’s certificate confirming that you are fit to travel. During the journey we will provide comfort stops as frequently as possible.   During this stops you are encouraged to get off the coach and walk around.   Exercise reduces any discomfort which may be caused by periods of immobility.   During any journey you should drink alcohol only in moderation, as it leads to dehydration.  

Passenger behaviour
We want all our customers to have a happy and carefree holiday.  But you must remember that you are responsible for your behaviour and the effect it may have on others.  If you or any member of your party is abusive or disruptive or behaves in a way which, in our reasonable opinion, could cause damage or injury to others or affect their enjoyment of the holiday, or which could damage property, we have the right, after reasonable consideration, to terminate your contract with us.   If this happens we will have no further obligations or liability to you.  The Tour Manager,  ship’s captain, or authorised official of other means of transport is entitled to refuse you boarding if in their reasonable opinion you are unacceptably under the influence of drink or drugs or you are being violent or disruptive.  If you are refused boarding on the outward journey we will regard it as a cancellation by you and we will apply cancellation charges according to the scale in section.   If the refusal is on the return journey we have the right to terminate the contract and we will have no further obligations or liability. 

No smoking policy
We operate a strict no smoke policy on all our coaches.  We make frequent comfort stops.  The no smoking policy of other carriers and suppliers will vary and will be supplied on request if you contact Chalfont Line Holidays.

Pick up point, itineraries, travel documents and passports
You are responsible for ensuring that you are at the correct departure point, at the correct time, with the correct documents and we cannot be held liable for any loss or expense suffered by you or your party because of an incorrect passport or late arrival at the departure point.

If you are a British citizen travelling outside the UK you must have a full UK passport valid for a minimum of 3 months after your scheduled date of return.  Non UK citizens must seek passport and Visa advice from the consulates of the countries you plan to visit prior to making a booking for one of our holidays.  The name on the passport must match the name on the ticket.  If someone in your party changes name after the booking is made you must tell us so the we can issue the ticket in a new name.

Luggage labels will be sent to you with the final invoice 12 weeks prior to departure.   Certain travel documents may have to be retained by us and your Tour Manager will then issue them to you at the relevant time.  If you lose a travel document after it has been issued to you we will require you to meet the direct cost charged by the carrier/supplier for the issue of a duplicate or replacement.

Chalfont Line Holidays reserves the right to modify itineraries to conform with requests from the competent authorities in the United Kingdom and any sovereign states through which the tour will operate. 

Included excursions are detailed on the relevant  brochure page and refunds will not be made for any excursions not taken.  Optional excursions may be booked and paid for  in resort but these will not form part of the package booked with us.

Admission fees to buildings, grounds etc are not included in the price of the holiday unless otherwise stated on the relevant brochure page. 

What happens if I am delayed?
Your travel insurance may cover you for some delays.  In addition where you are delayed for more than 6 hours in any one day we will seek to minimise any discomfort and where possible, arrange for refreshments and meals.

Do I need to take out travel insurance?
It is part of our booking conditions (contract) that clients travelling with us must hold travel insurance to cover medical and repatriation costs, personal injury, loss of baggage and cancellation charges.  You do not need to take out our travel insurance but you should have insurance, which is at least as good as or better than the insurance we offer.  If you do not have adequate insurance and require our assistance whilst on holiday, we reserve the right to reclaim from you any medical repatriation or other expenses which we may incur on your behalf which would otherwise have been met by insurers.

If you do not advise us at the time of booking that you do not want to take out our contract insurance we will automatically add the premiums for our recommended insurance to your holiday price.

What assistance will you give me if things go wrong when it is not your fault?
If you, or any member of your party, suffer death, illness or injury whilst overseas arising out of an activity which does not form part of your package travel arrangements or an excursion arranged through us in the UK, we shall add our discretion, offer advice, guidance and assistance.   Where legal action is contemplated and you want our assistance, you must obtain our written consent prior to commencement proceedings.  Our consent will be given subject to you undertaking to assign any costs, benefits received under any relevant insurance policy to ourselves.  We limit the cost of our assistance to you and any member of your party to £5,000 per party. 

Special requests
If you require a special diet please tell us when booking, or as soon as you are medically advised and send us a copy of the diet. 

We will notify the hotel or hotels on your holiday but please note that some hotels may not have facilities to cope with special diets and we cannot be held liable for their failure to do so. Where we think this is likely to happen we will tell you prior to your booking confirmation being issued so that you can exercise your right to cancel your holiday booking without charge.  Any extra costs incurred must be paid to the hotel by you prior to departure from the hotel. 

You should also detail any other requests, for example, low floor rooms, particular rooms or locations on the special request section of the booking form.  We will pass your request to the relevant supplier but this does not necessarily mean that your request will be fulfilled.  If a request can be fulfilled you may incur an extra charge payable either to us or direct to the hotel.  Please note that requests cannot be guaranteed unless we confirm on your booking confirmation that this is a guaranteed requirement. 

Single occupancy
Single occupancy is subject to a supplementary charge and this will be shown on the holiday page. 

Entertainment
Some of our hotels arrange additional entertainment.  Where this is part of the holiday, details are given on the respective holiday page.   Where it is not specified it may still be available but is at the discretion of the hotel and is not guaranteed.  It may be withdrawn if there is a lack of demand or for operational reasons. 

Drug treatment insurance
Chalfont Line Holidays accepts no responsibility whatsoever in the administration of drugs either orally or by injection.  Clients wishing our staff to administer drugs or treatment do so at their own risk. 

Wheelchairs and other equipment
Staff/agents or anybody representing CLH will not be liable for any damage caused to wheelchairs (electric or manual) or any other equipment owned or hired by the client if CLH are asked to assist by operating such equipment(e.g. wheelchair reassembly during the holiday). 

Data Protection Act
In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly and meet your requirements we, and your travel agent, need to use the information you provide such as name, address, any special need/dietary requirements etc.

We take full responsibility for ensuring that proper measures are in place to protect your information.  We must pass the information on to the relevant supplier of your travel arrangements such as hotels, transport companies etc.  The information may also be supplied to security or credit checking companies, public authorities such as customs/immigration if required by them, or as required by law.

Additionally, where your holiday is outside the European Economic Area (EEA), controls on data protection in your destination may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country.   We will not, however, pass information on to any person not responsible for part of your travel arrangements. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities of dietary/religious requirements.  If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we cannot provide your booking.  In making this booking you consent to this information been passed on to the relevant persons.

We retain your full contact details and other information in secure files and electronic storage facilities.  You are entitled to a copy of your information held by us.  If you would like to see this please contact us.   We may use this information to contact you by mail, telephone or electronic means.  We will provide you with details or other goods and services including those of selected third parties.  If you do not wish to receive the further information about products and services please write to us. 

Insurance

Chalfont Line Holidays have negotiated travel insurance.

This insurance contains certain health constraints (see insurance details on booking form).  Before a policy is issued each applicant has to answer a medical questionnaire (screening) over the telephone by calling the Travellers Healthcheck Helpline on 08451 300 210 quoting Chalfont Line Holidays.

For further details please contact our reservation department on 01895 459 540 or refer to the Chalfont Line Holidays booking form.

Please note that the travel insurance premiums published do not include any extra premiums that may be charged by the Travellers Healthcheck Helpline which will have to be paid directly to them.

As of 31 January 2012 the conditions and premiums  published  bu us are correct.  We will contact you in the event of any change.