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Payment terms
ELIGIBILITY
Persons fulfilling the criteria set by relevant provisions of law relating to foreign exchange in India and RBI Rules, whose passport is valid for at least six months subsequent to the date of departure of the tour and have been granted relevant visas to reach the point of commencement of the tour and travel throughout with the group are eligible to book on the tour.
BOOKING AMOUNT
At the time of booking you must be in possession of original passport(s) valid for travel. You are urged to read complete details of the tour, itinerary, price inclusions, exclusions, terms and conditions and the like in the brochure before filling and signing the official Booking Form. On payment of the non-refundable interest free booking amount mentioned in the Online Portal/Website you will be issued an official receipt from us. The tour cost and the booking amount mentioned in the online portal is only indicative in nature and a final tour cost and booking amount is subject to change depending upon the tour itinerary opted by the Tour participant. The Booking Form, Invoice and the Receipt shall be binding on the parties and shall constitute a contract between the parties. The interest free non-refundable booking amount paid by you will be adjusted towards the cost of the tour. Please also refer to relevant section of booking conditions for rules of forfeiture of booking amount.
All payments for the tour including booking amount should be made in favour of ‘SOTC Travel Ltd.’ when you book at SOTC Holiday World Outlets, Franchisee outlets, ASO or PSA. If you book through your own travel agent you remit just the booking amount through the Travel Agent and pay the balance amount directly to and in the name of SOTC Travel Ltd.
Payment Procedure Minimum Per Person Payment to be made by the client
For customization packages without Flights:
Payment Procedure Minimum Per Person Charges At the time of booking INR 15,000/- per person
Within 31 - 45 days prior to the date of departure 75% of the holiday cost Less than 30 & below from the date of departure 100% of the holiday cost For customization packages inclusive of Flights:
Payment Procedure Minimum Per Person Charges At the time of booking Full Payments towards Air Tickets + Defined Minimum Booking Deposit / 10% Payment Towards Land Package
Within 31 - 45 days prior to the date of departure 75% of the holiday cost Less than 30 & below from the date of departure 100% of the holiday cost Notes:
- *For Non-refundable & time-limit itineraries 100% payment is required to confirm a booking.
- All payments towards the tour cost must be made by the client to the company in accordance with the procedure and time frame mentioned herein below
- *For Air tickets being issued / blocked on time limit: Full INR component will be collected before issuance, else price will be subject to change.
- *Initial Booking deposit will be collected as per the amount mentioned or the Package Price whichever is lower
- Full payment must be made in accordance with the procedure stated above. In case of non-compliance thereto by the client, the company reserves a right to cancel the tour/booking of the client with subsequent loss of deposit and apply and recover the cancellation charges as mentioned herein
*Minimum Booking Amount to be paid within 48 hrs of paying the token amount as per Destination*
*In case FIT flight inclusive package, full amount of flight will be payable at the time of booking.**For Air tickets being issued / blocked on time limit: Full INR component to be collected before issuance,else price will be subject to change.
*For Air tickets being issued / blocked on time limit: Full INR component to be collected before issuance,else price will be subject to change.
INVOICE & BALANCE PAYMENT
Your invoice will mention the due date for payment of the balance tour cost including the foreign exchange component of the tour. Your travel documents and airline tickets can be released only after receipt of full and final payment including the foreign exchange component of the tour cost. Delay in adhering to the final date advised to you for full payment would result in the cancellation of your seat on the Tour and levy of Cancellation Charges. Hence the balance payment has to reach us as per the schedule mentioned in your Invoice or at least 45 days prior to departure of your tour whichever is earlier.
Please note: A 2% payment gateway charge will be levied on the balance payment made using credit/debit card.
SECURE YOUR BOOKING AMOUNT
You can secure your non-refundable booking amount by a paying a nominal fee of Rs. 1,500 per person. In the unlikely event of you cancelling the tour 31 days prior to the departure this scheme protects your booking amount based on the respective destinations against cancellation charges. This scheme does not cover your booking amount if the cancellation is done under 31 days prior to the departure. Secure your Booking amount scheme covers you for the following events only and documentary proof may be required by company to refund your booking amount.
• Death in the immediate family (your parents, spouse and child/children)
• Major accident to self or immediate family member (your parents, spouse and child/children)
• Major Sickness to you where travel is not permitted under medical advice
• Acts of God like Tsumani and the like
• Terrorist Activities like 9/11
• Any Travel barred guidelines to the destination country by WHO like SARS
• Any Political Turbulence in the destination country. Kindly note that visa rejection by Consulates/Embassy/Authorities is not covered under the scheme.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
It is your responsibility to hold valid travel documents such as Passport, Visa & confirmed Air ticket to be able to travel. Your passport should be valid for a period of at least 6 months from the date of travel & for Visa it is convenient & safe to have the application/s to Consulates /Embassy/ Authorities routed through us. However, for certain visas including the visas for USA and UK, you may be required to attend personal interview at your expense at the discretion of the consulate concerned.
Please check with the outlet where you book if there is sufficient time to process the visa for the departure date chosen by you. You will be required to submit along with your application a set of documents as mentioned in the documentation checklist given to you at the time of booking. The Company would not be responsible in any way for any clerical error regarding names, attachment of wrong photographs, duration, type of visa (single / multiple entry) that may occur in the consulate / embassy. Please note that as it is entirely at the discretion of the concerned Consulates / Embassy/ Authorities to grant / reject your visa and immigration clearance. We shall neither be responsible for non-granting of visa nor liable for any delay, denial or other related act/omission or for any loss, expense, damage or cost resulting therefrom. Further the company should not be held liable in case of loss of documents given by you to us in support of your visa application as the same
are forwarded by us to the concerned consulate / embassy through third parties. In such case we will make our best efforts to trace the lost documents and if still the same are not traceable we will assist you in obtaining alternative / certified copies of the thus lost documents from concerned authorities. The cost of processing these visas may or may not be included in your tour price. If you already possess the said visa/s or are doing visa/s on your own, the Company’s visa service charge will still be applicable, while only actual visa/s cost will be refunded. Further there will no refund of visa service charges in respect of visa rejections.
INTERNAL AIR TICKETS
It is mandatory to have the internal air tickets for travel within USA issued through SOTC to avails group transfers. For any additional sectors issued over & above the tour itinerary, a service charge of Rs. 2,500 per person is applicable.
URGENT VISA FEES
All your documents for processing your visas must reach us 31 days prior to your departure date. Failure to do so would attract an Urgent Visa Fees of Rs. 1,500 per person. The same is also applicable for all fresh bookings done within 31 days of departure. However, payment of Urgent Visa fee does not guarantee issuance of Visa.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
It is highly recommended and extremely important for you to be in possession of valid Overseas Travel Insurance for the duration of your tour to secure your life, health and property as may be advised by your insurance agent to cover any eventualities associated with your overseas travel including health, accidental injury, loss, liability and the like depending on your assessment of your risk potential. Insurance if any, included in the tour price may be the standard travel care insurance policy provided by a third party insurance service provider and the scope of the cover may be limited in nature, the details of which shall be provided to you at the time of confirmation of your booking. You are advised to discuss your insurance needs directly with your insurance agent before proceeding on the tour and at your own cost procure any additional cover as may be advised. Please note, Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation, please read the terms and conditions of the insurance document carefully before finalizing your desired insurance cover. Insurance coverage may be age related. Kindly get the complete details from the insurer. You will need to carry the insurance policy document with you on the tour. Please note that you would have a direct contractual relation with the insurer and the Company is only a facilitator. You shall therefore check the accuracy and correctness of the insurance policy and in case of any error or lapse report the same to the Insurer directly and get the same rectified by them, as the Company would not be responsible for the same.
BASIC TRAVEL QUOTA
As per the current guidelines of RBI, all residents holding Indian Passport are entitled to avail an amount not exceeding US$ 2, 50, 000 or its equivalent in one financial year for one or more private/leisure visits under the Basic Travel Quota (BTQ). However, the traveler cannot avail in excess of US $ 3,000 per visit or its equivalent in cash, except as specified in the exceptions provided by the RBI guidelines.
It is mandatory for you to avail the foreign exchange component of the tour cost from under your BTQ entitlement from an authorized dealer licensed to provide such services as per the guidelines issued by RBI from time to time. You shall pay the foreign exchange component of the total tour cost at the prevailing rate to the dealer along with signed BTQ form & A2 form. You can draw foreign exchange for your personal use on tour from the same authorized dealer from your balance BTQ entitlement. This is as per GOI rules & regulations. You may carry this partly in currency, partly in traveler cheques (TC) which are safer and easily encashed for a small service fee. They can also be replaced if they are stolen or lost, if you record TC numbers and retain counterfoil subject to the rules applicable.
AMENDMENTS
After the initial booking on a particular tour and relative services, in the event of any amendment you wish to make; such as change of destination, change of departure date, addition or deletion of services, change in passenger numbers or such other change you will need to make a written request and obtain an acknowledgment on the same from our sales officer. The amendments may invite further cost which will have to be borne by you. Further such requests are accepted by us subject to availability.
HANDOVER OF DOCUMENTS
After receipt of your full and final payment, you will be delivered our docket containing, Air Ticket, Travel insurance (if availed through us), Final invoice (Tour Confirmation Voucher) which lists services you are entitled to on the tour. You will be provided with a briefing sheet containing important / emergency contact details for your use. Ensure that you are carrying the above documents and your passport with all necessary visa endorsements before leaving on your tour.
AIRLINE TICKETS
Where you purchase your Air Tickets through us, the confirmations on airline and / or class of travel as requested (Economy/First/Business class etc) will be subject to availability of the same for the destinations chosen by you. Air tickets can only be delivered along with other documents provided we have received full payment including foreign currency component.
AIRLINE “CHANGE IN RESERVATION FEE”
It is absolutely necessary to have your return air seats to India confirmed prior to your departure from India. Passengers wishing to change their return reservations to India after departure will have to pay “Change in Reservation Fee” directly to the airline, subject to availability of seats in the same booking class.
TRAVELLING IN ADVANCE AND/OR RETURNING ON YOUR OWN
We are a Packaged Tour Company and hold airline seats as a group for passengers for the date of published departures from India and return reservations back to India after the tour. If you wish to travel in advance i.e. before the published departure date as mentioned in the brochure/Website or like to come back on date later than the date on which the tour ends, you are required to pay an “Airline Seat Rebooking & Reservation Fee” of Rs.10,000/- per person, per sector, per change depending on the airlines (subject to availability of seats in the same class & ticket validity). In case non-availability of seats in the same class you have booked, you are liable to pay differential cost in the class you are booked and the cost of higher class where seats are available. Further it will be your responsibility to reconfirm your return tickets at least 72 hours prior to departure time.
TRANSFER FROM ONE TOUR TO ANOTHER
Transfer from one tour to another 45 days prior to the departure will be treated as cancellation on that tour and a fresh booking on another. In these cases, Transfer Fee of Rs.10,000/- per person will apply.
PAYMENT TERMS FOR FOREX COMPONENT
1) The Forex(‘FX’) payment is a part of BTQ of the passenger.
2) The immediate family/kin, e.g. father can pay for the children; mother can pay for the children stands good. However, the person paying/cardholder should also be among the travellers.
3) If husband, wife and two children are travelling together as a family, husband’s card is acceptable.
4) The cardholder cannot use his/her card for payment of another person’s tour package.
5) The card that is swiped for payment of the tour’s foreign exchange should be of the cardholder himself/herself.
6) For packages with FX (Foreign Exchange) component only, initial deposit amount collected in INR for booking, shall be adjusted towards the balance FX component at the time of final FX payment.
7) The ROE (Rate of Exchange) for the entire FX component of the tour shall be considered as per the prevailing ROE on the day final payment is being made.
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Cancellation Policy
AMENDMENTS / CANCELLATIONS
If the Client is willing to amend or cancel his/her booking because of whatsoever reasons including death, accident, illness, or any other personal reasons including non-payment of the balance payment, the Company is liable to recover Cancellation charges from the Client:
When a Cancellation is made Charges Prior to 46 days from the date of departure Non-Refundable Booking Deposit Between 45 - 31 days from the date of departure 75% of the holiday cost Between 30 or below from the date of departure 100% of the holiday cost The above mentioned cancellation policy is applicable on total package cost
The services to be provided are booked several months in advance, cancellation of such services earmarked for a particular departure results in the Company losing money depending upon the time of cancellation to the Supplier. Therefore any cancellation of tour / services booked will attract cancellation charges as specified by the company. If you book a third party product or service, the Terms and Conditions and cancellation policy of such third party would be applicable in addition to the Company's Terms and Conditions. Any cancellation of tour / services has to be in writing clearly stating the reasons for cancellation. You expressly agree to the foregoing terms
The company reserves the right to cancel any Tour prior to the departure, without assigning any reason. In such an event, all monies paid by you will be fully refunded forthwith in Indian Rupees currency only, but no compensation will be payable. The company cannot assume responsibility for any additional cost or any fees relating to the issuance and/or cancellation of air tickets or other arrangements not done through the company.
Notes:
- The above is a general cancellation policy and the same is subject to change depending on the travel date, the destination, the package and the services booked and paid for.
- For Dynamic properties and Reconfirmed Bookings, the above Cancellation may not be applicable and could vary
- GST & TCS to be paid additional over and above the cancellation charges as per the above policy
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Terms & Conditions
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For Terms & Condition click here
Disclaimer:
Conditions apply. All advertised products, offers & prices are current at the time of communication & based on existing & often limited availability. Final Pricing & availability of offers/services may vary based on market conditions & prevailing Foreign Exchange Rates. Please confirm all relevant details with our sales staff/sotc.in/apps before making a booking. Refer to detailed terms & conditions on https://www.sotc.in/conditions
SOTC Travel Limited - Booking Terms & Conditions
SOTC Travel Limited (Formerly SOTC Travel Private Limited) is marketing and / or co-ordinating package tours (hereinafter for sake of brevity referred to as “Tours”) under its brand name SOTC.
DEFINITION
You / Client / Customer / Tour Participant: means the person/s in whose name and/or on whose behalf the booking is made and/or whose name is on the Booking Form and invoice.
We / Company: means SOTC Travel Limited (Formerly SOTC Travel Private Limited). Infant / Child: An ‘Infant’ means a person below the age of two years, and a ‘Child’ means a person from the age of two and below the age of twelve years.
Independent Contractor: means supplier of any infrastructural facility and shall include hotel managements, airlines, caterers, restaurants, places of entertainment like theme parks, museums, and the like, railway, ferry, cruise, coach or any other person or organization selected by the Company to render services to the Tour Participant.
Company’s tours are sold subject to the following Terms and Conditions, as well as ‘How To Book Your Tour’ rules and the contract between the Company and the Tour Participant shall be governed by the same. No person including the employee/s and the agent/s of the Company even in writing has the authority to alter, amend, modify or waive any stipulation, representation, term or condition set forth in this document. Also assurance of any service or facility given by any employee/ agent of the Company, which is contrary to what is set forth in the brochure/Website/website, price grid, and invoice, shall not be binding on the Company under any circumstance whatsoever.
All tours are subject to prevailing laws, rules of RBI/GOI.
Rights of admission to the tour expressly reserved.
WEBSITE / BROCHURE ACCURACY
We strive to make the contents of the brochure/Website as accurate as possible and print it much ahead of actual travel period. It describes services/amenities that are available under normal circumstances. However events, circumstances and factors beyond our control like traffic, bad weather, fairs, festivals, strikes, change of management/closure of hotels/restaurants, over booking of hotels/flights, cancellation/ re-routing/rescheduling of flights, rail or roadways, closure of / restricted entry at a place of sightseeing can affect the availability of services and necessitate change of routes/ itineraries. It may even necessitate stay in hotels in alternate city/ies or away from the one mentioned in the brochure/Website. While every effort is made to maintain our services and follow the itinerary in the brochure/Website, in few unavoidable instances we reserve the right to alter, amend, change or modify the Tour Package, Itineraries, Tour Schedule, Travel Plan, Sightseeing and the like . Where we come to know of the changes/events sufficiently in advance we will notify you during booking or prior to departure. Otherwise our tour manager or local representative will inform you of the changes on the spot and we solicit your full co-operation in accepting such circumstantial changes. Therefore no grievance regarding any itinerary/service change which we are constrained to make, will be entertained from the Tour Participant during or after the tour.
SCOPE OF ACTIVITY
The Company is a travel and holiday organizer. We do not own/control/operate any Airline, Cruise lines, Railways, Coach Company, Hotel or any other independent contractor or service provider in relation with services mentioned in this brochure/Website. Though we select all the ingredients, independent contractors, service providers for your holiday with due care we cannot assume responsibility for delay, deficiency or default if any in the services of such independent contractors, service providers, their management or staff leading to any injury/death/loss/damage to property or any such eventuality which do not fall within the scope of our normal selection and inspection process whilst engaging them. We are also not responsible for delay or deficiency in services of all independent contractors/service providers that may be borne out of any act or actions of co-traveler, co-our participant which may result in Tour Participant not availing some or all services on the tour as per brochure/Website.
HOTEL
Hotels selected for each tour is set out in the brochure/Website. As you will be outdoors most of the time sightseeing we select hotels which are comfortable whilst keeping cost down. We take extra care to select hotel locations in either the city centre or away from it depending on the tour journey and availability. Hotels do not have air conditioner or fan due to favorable weather condition. As hotel rooms are smaller we recommend maximum 3 persons in a room for your own comfort. Triple rooms are usually no larger than twin rooms, and the third bed is often a rollaway cot put in a twin bedded room for the night.
CHILD ACCOMMODATION (UNDER 12 YRS)
It is expressly stated and it be understood that any child below 12 years paying the special ‘without bed’ rate will not be provided bed in the hotel under any circumstance. In case the Tour Participant on his own makes a change in rooming while on tour the Company will not be bound to refund or pay compensation towards such change/s. If any such change in rooming by the Tour Participant attracts additional charge he/she shall be bound to directly pay the same directly to the hotel concerned.
MEALS
Breakfast / lunch / dinner wherever provided on tour is on pre-set menus. The meal type is clearly indicated in the brochure/Website. Unlike an airline, we cannot process request for special meal or specific diet. However if Tour Participant intimates this while booking and if it is feasible we will try to provide them. We however, reserve our right to change the meal arrangement where circumstances compel us to do so. Where meal/s are missed by Tour Participant at his/her own will or due to late/non arrival at announced meal timing no compensation for such missed meal/s is claimable.
COACH/SEATING
We use air-conditioned / air-cooled luxury coaches. We find it fair to enforce daily seat rotation in the coach and hence do not allot seat number. On Europe tours the daily travel time by coach is roughly 8 hours under normal conditions. Coaches are equipped with emergency washroom for use strictly in emergency since we provide frequent comfort stops during the journey.
BAGGAGE
Tour Participants traveling by air will be subject to the airline restrictions/limitation on baggage weight/size/pieces. It is currently 20 kg per person on Economy Class for all destinations except on flights to USA and Canada where a person is permitted to carry 2 pieces of checked-in baggage and one hand bag.
All baggage and personal effects are at all times and in all circumstances the responsibility of the Tour Participant and Company shall not be liable for their loss by airline/cruise/coach or any other carrier whilst on the tour.
Tour Participants are advised to carry valuables on their person at all times. Wherever Safe Deposit Lockers are available you are advised to avail this facility in safeguarding valuables. In hotels/locations without this facility you should take all the necessary precaution in protecting your valuables. Company or any of the carriers used or its representative/s will not be responsible for loss of valuables or for making good such loss.
TIPPING
Tipping is customary in all parts of the world for services rendered. Your tour manager / briefing sheet will guide you in this regard.
HEALTH AND INSURANCE
Tour Participant is bound to inform the Company during booking of the tour if he/she has a medical condition that may affect his/her ability to enjoy and pursue the tour arrangements fully as per the itinerary mentioned in the brochure/Website. The Company reserves the right where ever warranted to insist on medical fitness certificate any time prior to departure.
It is highly recommended that the Tour Participants acquire adequate insurance cover to secure their life, health and property as may be advised by your insurance agent to cover any eventualities associated with your overseas travel including health, accidental injury, loss, liability and the like depending on your assessment of your risk potential. Insurance if any, included in the tour price may be the standard travel care insurance policy provided by a third party insurance service provider and the scope of the cover may be limited in nature, the details of which shall be provided to you at the time of confirmation of your booking. The Tour Participants are advised to discuss your insurance needs directly with your insurance agent before proceeding on the tour and at your own cost procure any additional cover as may be advised. Please note, Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation, please read the terms and conditions of the insurance document carefully before finalizing your desired insurance cover.
Please note that the Tour Participant would have a direct contractual relation with the insurer and the Company is only a facilitator. Tour Participant shall therefore check the accuracy and correctness of the insurance policy and in case of any error or lapse report the same to the Insurer directly and get the same rectified by them, as the Company would not be responsible for the same.
VISA
All Tour Participants should hold valid travel documents viz. Passport and visas for travel. It will be the Tour Participant’s responsibility to apply for visa with complete set of documents required by the embassy/consulate within the stipulated period as advised by the Company. In the event the visa application made by Tour Participant or by the Company on his/her behalf is rejected by the consulate due to either inadequate supporting documents or for whatever reason or where the visa could not be processed due to late submission of application by the Tour Participant the Company shall not be liable for the eventuality and lead to forfeiture of booking amount paid and no claim whatsoever shall be entertained for the same. All cost, charges in respect of the said visa application shall be borne by the Tour Participant. Visa fees are non-refundable under any circumstances whatsoever.
However due to rejection of visa or non-processing of visa application due to any circumstances if the Tour Participant is unable to travel on the tour originally booked he/she shall have the option to postpone the tour to another available date or change to any other tour by paying transfer charge.
The Company would not be responsible in any way in case of any clerical error regarding name, attachment of wrong photograph, duration and type of visa (single / multiple entry) occurring on passport, refusal of an entry visa and delays in grant or refusal of an entry visa.
Where passport is required to be mailed for visa / POE to different cities, Company would mail them by reputed courier. In case of transmission delays or loss of passport arising out of such transmission Company would not be responsible to compensate the Tour Participant for any consequence/s thereof.
Further the Company should not be held liable in case of loss of documents given by you in support of your visa application to the concerned consulate / embassy.
The position in respect of cancellation of Tour by the Tour Participant due to non-availability of travel documents would not change only by virtue of the Tour Participant having lost such documents.
MINIMUM PARTICIPATION
Tours specified in the Brochure/Website are subject to minimum participation of paying Participants. If the participation is below the minimum prescribed, the Company reserves the right to amend, amalgamate, alter, vary, or cancel a Tour without incurring any liability to pay any compensation. If Company decides to operate the tour with participation below the minimum stipulated the Company reserves the right to collect additional pro-rata amount.
Declaration by the Client
“You agree to unconditionally abide, adhere and comply solely at your costs and expenses to all laws, rules, notifications, Travel advisories, guidelines, directives and communications issued from time to time by all or any Governments, Authorities, Ministries, Departments, Local Bodies in India or Abroad, related to your tour to the foreign destination and/or on your return from the tour to your home destination in India or Abroad including but not limited to Covid-19 Protocols on quarantine, vaccinations etc. or in connection with any other Pandemic, epidemic, disease, condition etc., which may be communicated by all or any Governments, Authorities, Ministries, Departments, Local Bodies in India or Abroad with or without notice at any point of time whether at the commencement of the tour, during the tour and/or on the completion of the tour, as the case may be”.
AMENDMENTS
In the event of Company exercising its right to amend/alter any tour/holiday advertised in brochure/Website subsequent to booking of the same by the Tour Participant, such Tour Participant shall have the option either to a) Continue with the tour or holiday as amended or altered or b) Accept any alternate tour or holiday which the Company may offer. In either case Company will not be liable to refund or compensate the Tour Participant for any consequential loss, damage or additional cost. In the event that the Company is unable to conduct a particular tour for whatever reason and the Tour Participant is not exercising any of the above two options then it shall at its own discretion refund whatever amount collected towards the total cost of the tour without any interest after deducting actual expenses incurred on the services like visa charges, travel insurance, retention charges of the overseas suppliers and the like. The Tour Participant will not be entitled to raise any grievance in respect of the same.
ITINERARY CHANGE
We may often operate more than one coach per departure date. For the comfort and convenience of our Tour Participants we may reverse the direction or slightly amend the itinerary which will be advised either at the start of the tour or on tour. In the event any Tour Participant misses part / whole of the sightseeing tour or any such tour due to delay / indisposition or any other reason whatsoever on his part, then he will not be entitled to claim any refund.
CONDITIONS OF TRAVEL
The Tour Participant will have to strictly follow the Tour Program and return to India as per the validity of the air ticket. Those Tour Participants not travelling with the group throughout the Tour shall under no circumstances be entitled to any refund. It shall be noted that for all purposes, it shall be the responsibility of the Tour Participant to reach the place of commencement of the Tour and register with the representative of the Company at the appointed place, date and time. The Company is not responsible or liable if the Tour Participant does not reach the place of commencement of the Tour on time or if prior to his departure he loses his travel documents and / or baggage. In such a case, his booking will be treated as cancellation as in NO SHOW.
Tour Participant shall not behave in a manner which may cause distress or annoyance to co-tour participants or co-travellers or which may endanger or damage property of the Company, co-tour participants, co-travellers or any other/s.
Each of the booking conditions shall be severable from the other and if any provision be invalid, illegal or unenforceable the remaining provisions shall nevertheless have full force and effect.
TOUR PRICE
The prices quoted in the brochure/Website are calculated based on rates prevailing at the time of printing the brochure/Website. The Company reserves the right to amend before the date of departure any tour price published in the brochure/Website and accordingly recover applicable surcharges to make up for foreign currency fluctuations, changes in the various cross rate of exchange, fuel costs, interest rate on holiday loans and the like . All such increases in price must be paid for in full before departure by the Tour Participant
REGISTRATION
Tour Participant is supplied the tour brochure/Website narrating the tour details. The tour participant or his Travel agent by signing the booking form accepts the booking conditions mentioned overleaf and the contents under ‘How to book’ section, not only on his behalf but on behalf of the all the Tour Participants mentioned in the booking form. In cases where only travel agent signs the booking form for and on behalf of the tour participant/s it shall be deemed to have been signed under due authority of the tour participant/s mentioned in the form. In cases where Tour Participants belong to more than one family under one form it shall be signed by head of each family. Signing of the booking form and payment receipt issued for payment made towards part consideration of the tour shall be a legally binding contract between the parties. The signing of the booking form shall mean acceptance by the Tour Participant in totality of the terms and conditions contained herein. The Company reserves the right to decline to book any person/s as tour participant/s for any tour without assigning any reason whatsoever.
There is no contract between the Company and the Tour Participant until the Company has received the specified non-refundable interest free booking amount. The full payment must be received in accordance with the procedure laid down in the brochure/Website in the “How to book” Section. If not paid in accordance with the payment schedule the company reserves the right to cancel the booking with consequent forfeiture of booking amount and apply scale of cancellation charges as mentioned in the brochure/Website. Any payment made to the Tour participant’s travel agent by the Tour Participant would not constitute payment to the Company until the same is remitted to the account of the Company.
The Company reserves the right at any time and/or for any reason whatsoever to a) Terminate the contract after acceptance of booking amount but prior to the commencement of tour. In the event, the Company terminates the contract; it may refund the booking amount to the Tour Participant without payment of any interest thereon after deducting actual expenses incurred on the booking like visa charges, travel insurance, retention charges of overseas suppliers and the like b) Amend, alter, vary or withdraw any tour, holiday, excursion or facility it has advertised or published or to substitute an independent contractor of similar class if it is deemed advisable or necessary. In either case, the Company shall not be liable towards any consequential damage, loss or extra cost suffered by the Tour Participant or to pay any compensation to Tour Participant.
It is hereby declared that the immunities provided under this contract shall be available to the Company’s Managers, including Tour Managers, Employees, Servants and Agents but not to the Independent Contractors selected by the Company.
FORFEITURE OF BOOKING AMOUNT
The Company shall be within its rights to forfeit the non-refundable interest free booking amount paid by Tour Participant along with the completed booking form for confirmation of the seat(s) on the booked tour and also to recover scale of cancellation charges set out in the ‘How To Book’ section of the brochure/Website a) In the event the Tour Participant either cancels the booking or fails to adhere to the tour payment schedule set-out in the documentation check list handed over to the Tour Participant after booking b) In the event his/her visa of any country(ies) is not granted or c) In the event Tour Participant is unable to travel on the tour booked due to any reason whatsoever, including medical grounds. Forfeiture of booking amount will also be governed by the rules of “secure your booking amount” scheme.
REFUND
The Company reserves the right to determine the quantum of refund payable in case of cancellation or amendment of a Tour due to Force Majeure or Vis Majeure. Such refund would be based on various factors like the number of participants, the cancellation policies of suppliers like hoteliers, coach operators and the like. and the decision of the Company on the quantum of refund shall be final and binding on the Tour Participants.
In case the Company exercises its discretion to alter, amend or cancel any tour advertised in the Brochure/Website and the Tour Participant who has registered for such tour exercising the option to continue with the tour as altered or amended, or to accept any alternate tour which the Company may offer, the Company shall not be liable for any compensation, damage, additional expense or consequential loss suffered by him/her or to pay any amount as refund to the Tour Participant.
Even in case of a Tour for which the payment was made in Foreign Currency if any, with or without part payment in Indian Rupees the said refund shall be made only in Indian Rupees at prevailing rate on date of refund as per existing Rules and Regulations.
Refund (if any) for amendments and/or cancellation will be paid directly by cheque to Tour Participants by the company. It would take 45 days to process refund and 60 days if tickets are already issued.
There shall be no refund if the Tour Participant fails to join the Group at the commencement of the Tour, or joins the Group late or leaves the Group before culmination of the Tour. If the Tour Participant along with his family is compelled to discontinue the tour due to any reason such as illness, death, loss of passport, no claim shall be entertained for refund of unutilized services.
There shall be no refund if the Tour Participants does not or cannot utilize any service included in cost of tour like meals, rooms, excursions and the like nor can any refund be made for lost, mislaid or destroyed travel tickets or vouchers.
CANCELLATION
As we book services in advance and are bound to honour the payment commitments to service providers, cancellation of services earmarked for a particular departure results in the Company losing money depending upon the time of communication of cancellation to the supplier. Therefore any cancellation of tour booking by Tour Participant will attract cancellation charges as specified by the Company.
In the event of the Tour Participant cancelling a third party tour/services booked through the Company, the Terms and Conditions of such other Tour Operator, including their payment schedule, cancellation, refund and the like . shall be applicable, in addition to Company’s cancellation rules.
Tour participant should intimate in writing citing reason for cancellation. If the Booking Form has been signed by one or more persons for themselves and for others mentioned in the form, communication signed by such signatories would be treated as valid communication for cancellation of all such persons mentioned in the form. The computation of the period of notice of cancellation shall commence only from the time the written request reached the Company at its sales outlet during office hours.
LIABILITY
Company shall under no circumstance whatsoever be liable to the Tour Participant or his co-traveller for: 1) Personal injury, sickness, accident, loss, death, delay, discomfort, increased expense, consequential loss and/or damage on account of theft howsoever caused. 2) Temporary or permanent loss/damage to baggage/personal effects howsoever caused. In this condition the expression “howsoever caused” includes willful negligence on the part of any person. 3) Loss of baggage by the Airline/Cruise line/Surface transportation. 4) Failure on the part of airline to accommodate Tour Participant/s despite having confirmed tickets. 5) Airline not allowing Tour Participant to board the flight for reasons beyond the control of the Company. 6) Damage or loss caused due to reasons beyond the control of the Company (Force Majeure Vis Majeure). 7) Refusal to grant Visa by the consulate / embassy.
No liability on the part of the Company arising in any way out of this contract in respect of any tour, holiday, excursion facility shall exceed the total amount paid or agreed to be paid for the same and shall in no case include any consequential loss or additional expense whatsoever.
COMPLAINTS:
If the Tour Participant has any complaint in respect of services of any independent contractor, he/she shall immediately notify the same in writing to the independent contractor and hand over copy thereof to the Tour Manager in order to enable the Company to take up the matter with the independent contractor.
Any claim or complaint by the Tour Participant must be notified to the Company in writing within 28 calendar days of the end of the Tour. No complaint or claim notified after this period will be entertained and the Company shall not incur any liability in respect thereof.
JURISDICTION
For all claims, disputes of whatsoever nature relating to the tours marketed / coordinated by SOTC Travel Limited (Formerly SOTC Travel Private Limited) the courts, forums and tribunals in Mumbai alone shall have exclusive jurisdiction.
OTHER TERMS
1) There is no Contract between the Company and the Client until the company has received the initial deposit as stated in the clause regarding ‘payments’
2) The company has the right at any time and for any reason:
• To terminate this contract after acceptance of deposit but prior to the Commencement of Tour without assigning any reason whatsoever. In the event, the company terminates this contract, the company shall refund the amount paid by the client without payment of any interest.
• To amend, alter, vary or withdraw any tour, holiday, excursion airline, flight routing or facility or discounts / concessions it has advertised or published or to substitute an Independent Contractor of similar class if it is deemed advisable or necessary. In either case, the company shall not be liable for any damage, additional expense, or consequential loss suffered by the clients or for any compensation claims made.
• To use alternate cruise liner, cabin category it has advertised or published or to substitute a cruise of similar class if it is deemed advisable or necessary. In either case, the company shall not be liable for any damage, additional expense, or consequential loss suffered by the clients or for any compensation claims made.
3) No person other than the company, in writing, has the authority to vary, add, amplify or waive any stipulation, representation, term or condition in the brochure.
4) In the event of the company exercising its rights to amend or alter any of the services as mentioned in the itinerary, after such tour or holiday has been booked, the client shall have the right:
A) To continue with the tour or holiday as amended or altered or,
B) To accept any alternative tour or holiday which the company may offer. In either of these above cases, the client shall not be entitled to, or the company shall not be liable to the client for any damage, additional expense, consequential loss suffered by him or to pay any amount as refund.
C) To cancel the tour, in which event the cancellation charges as stated herein shall apply and the client will be liable to pay to the company such charges.
5) The company shall in no circumstances whatsoever be liable to the client for:
A) Any death, personal injury, sickness, accident, loss, delay, discomfort, increased expenses, consequential loss and / or damage or any misadventure howsoever caused.
B) Any act, omission, default of Independent Contractor or other person or be any servant or agent, employed by them who may be engaged or concerned in the provision of accommodation, refreshment, carriage facilities or service for the client or for any person travelling with him howsoever caused.
C) The temporary or permanent loss of or damage to baggage or personal effects howsoever caused.
6) a) If the client has any complaint in respect of the services provided by any of the Independent Contractors, the client shall immediately notify the same in writing to the Independent Contractor and a copy thereof should be handed over to the Tour Manager of the company in order to enable the company to take up the matter with the Independent Contractor so that in future other clients do not face the same difficulty.
Any claim or complaint by the client must be notified to the company in writing within 7 days of the end of this holiday tour. No claim notified to this company beyond this period will be entertained and the company shall incur no liability whatsoever in respect thereof.
7) The tour is subject to RBI / GOI rules & regulations. Part of the tour cost will be paid in EURO / USD / AUD / GBP / NZD / CHF / SGD etc out of your BTQ.
8) Client hereby expressly consents and authorizes the Company to share his/her or his/her family/group information or data to any Supplier, Independent Contractor or third party for the purpose of providing services to the Client. The Client’s aforesaid consent and authority also extends to all such third party products, items and offers including sim cards which the Company may offer for free along with the Tour package and which is not being separately sold to the Client.
The said products, items and offers being free would be availed by the Client at the Tour cost without requiring the Client to pay any price towards the same. The use of the products, items and offers and related after sales services shall be the responsibility of all such third party Manufacturer or Service provider and the same shall be subject to the terms of Use of such third party manufacturer or service provider. The Client may in his/her own discretion avail or refuse to avail the products, items and offers.
The Company does not guarantee or warranty that the products, items and offers offered to the Client along with the Tour package shall be of a superior quality or that it shall meet the expectation of the Client or that the performance of the products, items and offers shall be satisfactory. These products, items and offers are offered by the Company to the Client on “AS IS”, “WHERE IS” and “HOW IS” basis, free of cost to the Client without any liability, risk or responsibility on the part of the Company.
9) The Client confirms that with regard to the booking, the address of the Client as mentioned in the Booking Form/ e-booking form is accurate and complete in all aspects, and the said address will be used by us for determining the “location of the Client” for the purposes of levy of GST.
10) TCS on Purchase of Overseas Tour Program Package: Tax Collection at Source (“TCS”) at the rate of 5% on Overseas tour program package up to INR 10 lakh and 20% beyond INR 10 lakhs per individual payer per annum shall be levied under section 206C(1G)(b) of the Income Tax Act on Overseas tour program package services. Declaration specifying the amount utilised on Overseas tour program package by each payer needs to be furnished as per the format provided by SOTC Trave Ltd. The TCS collected will be reflected in the 26AS of the passenger who has paid for the Overseas tour program package.
Disclaimer Note for Non-refund of TCS: In the event of cancellation of services and refund of amount for tours booked in the previous financial year, Tax collected at source under section 206C(1G)(b) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 shall not be refunded. The non-refunded TCS will be reflected in the 26AS of the passenger in whose name invoice is raised for claiming Income Tax credit.
TCS on Standalone Hotel and Rail Services: If LRS limit of INR 10 lakhs is utilised during the current year, then TCS as applicable will be levied on standalone services.
TCS Compliance: In compliance of provisions of Section 139AA for “Inoperative PAN”, I/ we confirm that I/we have linked my/our Aadhar Number with my/our PAN, wherever applicable.
11) We value and respect our staff members, vendor(s), representative(s), employee(s) and tour manager(s) who work tirelessly to make your tour memorable and successful. You are requested to co-operate and support our staff, vendor(s), representative(s), employee(s) and tour manager(s) at all times during the tour and more particularly during exigencies and trying times, when our staff, vendor(s), representative(s), employee(s) and tour manager(s) would work hard to restore normalcy. During such times, we look forward to your understanding, patience and support to come out of the impasse. We have a zero tolerance policy against any abusive behaviour, wrong doing, misconduct and violence towards our staff, vendor(s), representative(s), employee(s) and tour manager(s) on tour. Any such action, omission, commission, wrong doing, misconduct, violence and abusive behaviour by you, towards our staff, vendor(s), representative(s), employee(s) and tour manager(s) shall be dealt with seriously leading to immediate disembarking/offloading of the Client from the tour including initiating appropriate legal proceedings against the Client at his/her cost and consequences, in accordance with the applicable law.
BASIC TRAVEL QUOTA
As per the current guidelines of RBI, all residents holding Indian Passport are entitled to avail an amount not exceeding US$ 2, 50, 000 or its equivalent in one financial year for one or more private/leisure visits under the Basic Travel Quota (BTQ). However, the traveler cannot avail in excess of US $ 3,000 per visit or its equivalent in cash, except as specified in the exceptions provided by the RBI guidelines.
It is mandatory for you to avail the foreign exchange component of the tour cost from under your BTQ entitlement from an authorized dealer licensed to provide such services as per the guidelines issued by RBI from time to time. You shall pay the foreign exchange component of the total tour cost at the prevailing rate to the dealer along with signed BTQ form & A2 form. You can draw foreign exchange for your personal use on tour from the same authorized dealer from your balance BTQ entitlement. This is as per GOI rules & regulations. You may carry this partly in currency, partly in traveler cheques (TC) which are safer and easily encashed for a small service fee. They can also be replaced if they are stolen or lost, if you record TC numbers and retain counterfoil subject to the rules applicable.
The receipt of money issued by SOTC is subject to the amount being irrevocably credited and realised in SOTC’s Bank Account.
In case of online transfer/electronic payment of monies to the designated SOTC Bank Account, I/We undertake to irrevocably credit and realise the monies due in SOTC’s Bank account and not issue any instructions to my/our Banker or cause to do any act, deed, or thing in furtherance of reversing, debiting, nullifying or recovering the due credit made to SOTC’s Bank Account. I/We further undertake and confirm that I/we shall be bound to pay the money towards the tour cost to SOTC if the same is reversed, debited, nullified or recovered from SOTC’s Bank Account due to any Technical Snag, system error / internet issues or for any reason whatsoever. I/We shall voluntarily make good the loss caused to SOTC due to such reversal, debit, nullity, recovery of monies from SOTC’s Bank account without waiting for any official intimation from SOTC to the said effect. I/We do hereby indemnify and keep indemnified SOTC from all claims, demands, liabilities, expenses and losses arising due to any and/or all reversal, debit, nullity, recovery of monies from SOTC’s Bank account .due to any technical snag, system error, internet issues or for any reason whatsoever, without any objection, demur or protest.
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