T +44 (0) 1243 868080
F +44 (0) 1243 871667
Opening Hours
Monday - Friday
8.30am - 5.30pm
Saturday
8.30am - 4.00pm
(Exc. Bank Holidays)
OUR TRADING CHARTER WITH YOU
Coach Tours Terms & Conditions
Woods Travel Limited, Park Chambers, Park Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO21 2PX.
WHY SHOULD I READ THIS PAGE?
Because it is very important. Our 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 us.
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 terms 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.
If your holiday involves any travel by air your contract will be with Woods Holidays Limited
ATOL3631.
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.
HOW AND WHEN DO I MAKE THIS CONTRACT WITH YOU?
We welcome you making contact with us in a number of ways. You can insert the following methods – “write to us, phone us, use a nominated travel agent, email or visit our website”. Whichever way you contact us the contract is made when your booking is entered on to our reservation system and we issue a confirmation of booking. We will send you, or your agent 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, or your agent, immediately of any errors.
HOW IS MY HOLIDAY MONEY PROTECTED?
We subscribe to the Code of Conduct of the Bonded Coach Holidays Group ("BCHG") of the
Confederation of Passenger 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 Group guarantees to bona fide customers that in the event of failure
of a bona fide Member, it will:
(1) wherever possible, arrange for a holiday or tour to be completed;
(2) where failure occurs after a holiday has begun, arrange for customers to be returned by an
appropriate means of transport to their UK area of departure;
(3) if the holiday or tour cannot be completed as planned, the reimbursement of payments made
by the customer to the BCHG Member.
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 £100.00 per person.
Your balance is due 8 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 refund from the supplier we use.
There may be charges for Credit/Debit card ask at point of sale.
IF I USE AN AGENT WHO DOES MY MONEY BELONG TO?
Your agent will hold your deposit on your behalf until we issue a confirmation of your booking. The agent then forwards this money to us. The agent holds the balance you pay on our behalf until the date the balance is due. The agent will then forward to us.
CAN YOU CHANGE THE PRICE OF MY HOLIDAY AFTER YOU HAVE ISSUED THE BOOKING CONFIRMATION?
Yes we can, but only in very limited circumstances. The price of your holiday is subject to change
for an increase or decrease in any of the following costs: -
Transportation costs including fuel (including fuel tax), ferry operator fares and tolls,
embarkation or disembarkation fees at terminals.
Dues and taxes (including the rate of VAT).
Even in this case, we will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of the holiday price, which
excludes any insurance premium, 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 £5.00 together with a separate amount to cover your agent’s commission.
If this means paying more than an extra 10% on the holiday price, you will be entitled to
cancel your holiday with a full refund of all money paid. 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
revised invoice. Alternatively, you may prefer to take a comparable alternative holiday, if
available, details of which will be provided with the revised invoice. We will not surcharge you
after the date that your balance is due unless the change relates to any amount set by or payable
to a Government of a country forming part of the holiday and even then no surcharge will be
imposed less than 30 days pre-departure.
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 £25.00 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.
CAN I TRANSFER MY BOOKING TO SOMEONE ELSE?
You can transfer your booking to someone else provided you give us reasonable notice. This person must be able to satisfy all the conditions for the holiday and a change cannot normally be made later than 14 days prior to departure. We will make an administration charge of £25.00 per booking 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 via the office
at which you made your original booking. 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 either the travel agent or we receive your written
confirmation of your cancellation. You must also return any tickets or vouchers that you have
received. A reduction in room occupancy may increase the charges for the remaining
passengers by the application of supplements for low occupancy of rooms.
Scale of Cancellation Charges
Period before departure within which written cancellation of holiday price is received Amount of cancellation charge as a %
More than 42 days .........Loss of Deposit
28 - 42 days..................30% or Deposit if greater
14 - 27 days .................45%
7 - 13 days....................60%
1 - 6 days .....................100%
Departure day or later involving voluntary termination whilst on holiday.... total 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 been 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 you compensation according to the scale set out below.
A significant change would involve the planned change in departure or return time of more
than 12 hours or departure point, location of resort or quality of hotel, (excluding single overnight
hotels on touring holidays), a change of mode when crossing the Channel, or the specification
of the coach.
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; or:
• a replacement holiday of lower quality together with a refund of the price difference; or:
• a 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.
On certain holidays a minimum number of passengers is required to operate the tour. Any
cancellations will be advised 6 weeks prior to the departure of the tour.
SCALE OF COMPENSATION
We will pay you compensation for significant changes on the following scale: Period before departure in which significant change is notified to you or your agent
AMOUNT PER PERSON
More than 56 days ................Nil
28 - 55 days.........................£10
15 - 27 days.........................£15
8 - 14 days...........................£20
0 - 7 days............................£25
Rates reduced by 50% if holiday 4 days or less
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 the Woods Travel Limited for the nonperformance
of the contract except where:
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 writing within the
period indicated in the description of the package.
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 had
been exercised.
C) ‘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, 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 holiday 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 sports or any other activity that
involves an element of risk whilst on holiday and this has been arranged completely
independently of Woods Travel Limited 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 twice the price the person affected paid for their holiday (not including
insurance premiums and amendment charges). We will only have to pay this maximum amount
if everything has gone wrong and you have received no benefit from your holiday.
Woods Travel Limited 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 to 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 conditions 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 provider's or other supplier's 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 TO COMPLAIN?
If you have a complaint during your holiday you should tell the driver/representative or supplier
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 driver/representative. You will be given a copy of this
report which you should keep. If, on your return from holiday, you remain dissatisfied you should
write within 28 days to The Tours Manager, Woods Travel Limited, Park Chambers, Park Road,
Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO21 2PX.
In your letter you will need to quote your booking reference number, 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 giving 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
driver/representative or supplier.
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 this scheme will be provided on request or you can obtain a copy from CPT. This arbitration scheme provides a simple and inexpensive method of 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 £1500 per person. There is also a limit of £7500 per booking. Normally there is a time limit of 9 months from the date 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.
COACH SEATING
There is a seating plan of the coach for each holiday, but it is possible that on occasions
operational reasons will require a coach with a different configuration to be used. We
therefore reserve the right to alter a coach-seating plan and allocate seats other than those
you have booked.
Requests for particular seats can be made on most holidays when booking but because
allocations are made on a first come, first served basis you are recommended to book early. If
you know someone who may want to book later but sit near you please discuss this with the
booking clerk at the time you make your booking.
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 seaports, on air tours or any holiday taken outside mainland UK.
HEALTH & SAFETY ON HOLIDAY
In some foreign countries, standards of infrastructure, safety and hygiene may be lower than those to which we are accustomed 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 on a journey for a long period of time. If you are planning to undertake a bus or coach journey of more than 3 hours you should consult your doctor if you have ever had DVT or pulmonary embolism, a family history of clotting conditions, cancer or treatment for cancer, a stroke, heart or lung 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 these 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 their 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 coach driver/representative, 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 [How Can I Cancel my Holiday]. If the refusal is on the return journey we have the right to terminate the contract and will have no further obligations or liability to you.
NO SMOKING POLICY
We operate a strict no smoking policy on all our coaches. We make frequent comfort stops. The no smoking policy of other carriers and suppliers will vary.
PETS
We do not allow pets to taken on our holidays. Registered Assistance Dogs will normally be accommodated on UK holidays but not on overseas holidays.
PICK UP POINT, ITINERARIES, TRAVEL DOCUMENTS AND PASSPORT
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 United Kingdom you must have a full UK
passport valid for a minimum of six 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 (www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo). 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 immediately so that we can issue the ticket
in the new name.
When you have paid the balance, 8 weeks prior to departure we will send you or your booking
agent all the necessary labels so that you receive them in good time for your holiday. Certain
travel documents may have to be retained by us and your driver/courier 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.
Woods Travel Limited reserve 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 tour will operate.
Included excursions are detailed on the relevant brochure page and refunds will not be made
for any excursion 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 six 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?
Yes, you do not need to take out our insurance but you must have insurance, which is at least as good or better than the insurance we offer. If you do not advise us at the time of booking that you do not want to take out our 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 at 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 of 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 £5000 per party.
SPECIAL NEEDS
Unfortunately, many hotels overseas do not provide adequate facilities for guests with mobility
problems or who suffer from other disabilities. But whether you are planning a holiday overseas
or in the UK, please notify us before you book if you or any member of your party has special
needs or suffers from any disability.
We are keen to plan arrangements for your holiday so that special needs and requests can
be accommodated as far as possible. If you will need assistance or special facilities in the hotel,
or may have difficulties in taking part in excursions or boarding and travelling on the coach or
other means of transport you must let us know in advance. Not all the holidays in this brochure
may be suitable for you. We want you to enjoy your holiday and will try to help you select an
appropriate trip. If you need advice or further information either you or your booking agent
should contact the Customer Liaison Manager.
SPECIAL REQUESTS
If you will require a special diet please tell us before 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 requests 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.