Textile Holiday Tours

Booking Conditions

How to contact us

By telephone:	01621 869089
By email at:
In writing to:	22 Mell Road, Tollesbury, Essex CM9 8SP

We have tried to avoid legal speak and to make our booking information simple to understand and as transparent as possible. We like to think we are a fair and ethical company and will always do our best to sort out any problems, complaints or questions that you may have, just let us know what they are by contacting us.

If you have any questions relating to your booking that are not answered below, or there is something that you do not understand then please contact us.

Peace of Mind

In order to provide clients with peace of mind and comply with current legislation, Textile Holiday Tours Ltd has effected a policy with IGI Insurance Company Ltd to ensure that all clients booking with us are fully protected for their initial deposit and subsequent balance of all monies paid to Textile Holiday Tours Ltd arising from cancellation or curtailment of travel arrangements due to the insolvency of Textile Holiday Tours Ltd.

A certificate detailing this cover will be given to each client as evidence of cover. Please ensure that you have been given the appropriate certificate at the time of booking.

The insurance has been arranged under the Failsafe Package Travel Regulations Scheme which is underwritten by IGI Insurance Co Ltd and arranged through travel specialists Milsom Howard Ltd. IGI is a member of the Association of British Insurers. IGI and Milsom Howard are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Mobility

Some of the buildings we visit are unsuitable for anyone with mobility problems as the buildings are exempt from complying with disability legislation and do not have suitable access.

If you wish to discuss whether the tour would be suitable for you please contact us but the tours we are offering all have a building or buildings on the itinerary which are exempt from complying with disability legislation.

You are responsible for ensuring your fitness to undertake the tour and if you have any doubt please consult your doctor and advise us of any health problems.

Booking and paying for your tour

Payment can only be made by cheque payable to Textile Holiday Tours Limited.

1. Once you have chosen your tour, contact us as to availability by telephone on 01621 869089 or by e-mailing . Upon confirming availability your booking will be held for 7 days.
2. Your completed booking form must be sent with a cheque for 20% of the total cost of the tour.
3. The person signing the booking form warrants that he/she has the authority of all other persons included in the tour to make the booking on their behalf. On receipt of the booking form together with the required deposit we will confirm your tour and send a confirmation invoice which will advise you of the balance due.
4. A booking is not accepted until we issue an invoice. The date shown on the invoice which will be sent to you is the date of booking and it is important to check the details on the invoice when you receive it. In the event of any discrepancy please contact us immediately. Any balance shown on the invoice must be paid no later than 8 weeks before the tour date.
5. If you are booking a tour within 8 weeks of the tour date you must send a cheque for the full cost of the tour with a completed booking form.

Group bookings

A discount of 5% on the tour price can be given for a group booking of 10 or more people.

A completed booking form for a group must be sent in by a nominated person with a cheque for 20% of the total cost of the group.

The invoice, tour information, itinerary and all tickets will be sent to the nominated person who is responsible for distribution of all information and tickets. The invoice will be directed to the nominated person who is responsible for payment.

If the group number falls below 10 people by the date of final payment as shown on the invoice (which will be 8 weeks before commencement of the tour) the 5% discount will be forfeit and will be levied as a surcharge by invoice to the nominated person

If you want to change your booking

If, after your booking has been accepted, you wish to change details of your booking, we will make every effort to satisfy your requirements although we cannot guarantee to be able to do so. When a requirement has been met, an amendment fee of £30 per person will be charged and a revised invoice will be issued.

We strongly advise you to insure yourself against this risk.

Cancellation and refund policy

If you want to cancel your tour

Since most of our tours are booked well in advance, late cancellations can cost us money. That is why we need to have a scale of cancellation charges which are based on the decreasing likelihood of receiving replacement bookings as time progresses.

If you want to cancel your tour, we must be advised in writing by the person whose signature appears on the booking form either by e-mail or by letter. Cancellation will take effect from the day we receive written confirmation.

The cancellation invoice will be sent to you within 7 days and if you do not receive this please contact us immediately in order to prevent an increase in charges.

Our cancellation and refund policy is:

Period Before Tour Date Cancellation Received	% of Total Cost of the Tour Payable
84 days or more	Full refund of deposit paid
83 - 56 days	Loss of deposit paid
55 - 36 days	50% of total tour cost
35 - 22 days	75% of total tour cost
21 - 0 days	100% of total tour cost

We are obliged to implement the cancellation fees without exception and, for this reason, we require our clients to take out their own insurance to cover the risk of cancellation and we require details of your insurance when booking. Please read the section later in these conditions regarding Travel Insurance.

If we cancel or change your tour

On very rare occasions, we may be obliged to propose significant changes to the tour that you have booked due to exceptional circumstances. These could be a change of accommodation option or date or even the cancellation of the whole tour.

If we have to make any significant change or cancel your tour, we will let you know as soon as possible and will offer you the following options:

• To accept the proposed changes
• To book the same tour at a later date or an alternative tour of comparable standard.
• To cancel (or accept our cancellation) in which case you will receive a full refund of any payment that you have made to us.

These options are only available in the case of significant, not minor, changes by us.

We regret that we cannot pay any expenses or losses incurred by you as a result of any change or cancellation, nor will we pay compensation if we cancel your booking due to any failure on your part to comply with these booking conditions (e.g. paying your balance on time).

Our responsibility to you

We will accept responsibility for proven negligent acts and omissions of our employees or agents, suppliers and sub-contractors, whilst they act within the scope of their employment, in respect of claims arising as a result of death or bodily injury or illness caused to any person named in the booking form.

We do not accept responsibility or liability to any person for loss of baggage, money or other property whatsoever, nor do we accept responsibility for any loss or additional expenses caused by delay or interruption to your tour caused by delay or interruption to travel services through bad weather, civil disorder, strikes, floods, sickness or other circumstances amounting to force majeure.

Complaints

If you have cause for complaint whilst on your tour, please bring it to the immediate attention of your tour organiser, who will try to resolve the problem to your satisfaction. If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome, you should write to us within 20 days of the end of your tour. We cannot accept liability for claims reaching our office more than 20 days after the end of the tour concerned.

Travel insurance

There may be circumstances where you have to cancel or curtail your tour. This could be costly unless you are insured. We cannot accept liability for any loss, damage or injury resulting from any circumstances beyond our control.

For these reasons you should take out a travel insurance policy, including cover for trip cancellation, damage or loss of personal effects, medical and personal accident, etc. It is quite inexpensive and can save you a lot of money if anything goes wrong. It is a requirement that you have a suitable insurance policy and you must provide us with details of any policy that you may have or alternatively we can provide you with details of companies to contact to arrange suitable insurance cover.

What your tour includes

Accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis in the hotel stated for the tour.

Meals and refreshments as stated and described in the tour itinerary.

Transport to and from all the venues described in the tour itinerary.

Entrance fees to all venues described in the tour itinerary.

Tuition guide and workshop fees as described in the itinerary.

What is not included

Transport to and from the hotel base used for the tour itinerary. Your holiday tour starts and finishes at the hotel base. You are responsible for all costs involved in getting to and from the hotel at the start and finish of the tour itinerary.

Meals and refreshments not stated in the itinerary. You will have to purchase meals and refreshments on certain occasions.

Any fees or charges that are clearly itemised in the tour itineraries and stated as payable on the day.

Any discretionary tips or service charges.

Insurance. Clients are required to have suitable travel insurance and provide details of their insurance to Textile Holiday Tours when booking. Please see our section on travel insurance for details of the travel cover that we can recommend.

Further tour information

The maximum number on each tour will be 24.

Our clients are gaining entry to and seeing textiles and venues that are not always available to the general public and you will have experts at the venues to guide and talk to you.

Private refreshment and lunches have been organised wherever possible so there is no queuing or waiting in crowded areas. Special dietary requirements can be detailed when booking.

Managing Director Lorraine Traer-Clark will personally escort the tour but in the unlikely event that she is unable to fulfil this role, then a suitable replacement will escort the tour and you will be given as much notice as is possible of the change of escort.

Tour numbers 1 to 4 use Hollin Hall Hotel which is currently approximately an £8 taxi fair from Macclesfield Station. Bollington, where the hotel is based, has many places to eat within walking distance and Hollin Hall Hotel offers a bar menu or 3 course restaurant menu in the evening.

Tour number 5 uses Stonehouse Court Hotel which is currently an £8 taxi fair from Stroud Station. The hotel is outside of a town so you will need to organise transport if you wish to venture out on your free evenings.