Terms and Conditions
Introducction
1. TurkeyTourismCenter.com Tourism Pty Ltd is a Class A licensed travel agent, registered as a Member of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies. TurkeyTourismCenter.com also trades as Turkey Travel Center.
2. These Booking Conditions apply to the person making the booking (‘the customer’) and all other persons on whose behalf the booking is made.
3. These terms and conditions apply to all bookings made through TurkeyTourismCenter.com. A deposit paid for a tour provided by TurkeyTourismCenter.com is taken to be an acceptance of these terms and conditions.
4. TurkeyTourismCenter.com acts as agents on behalf of all of the suppliers (including airlines, tour and cruise operators, car hirers and accommodation providers) in your booking.
5. The customer is contracting with TURKEYTOURISMCENTER.COM for the provision of certain services. In almost all cases, the services will be provided by 3rd party suppliers including airlines, hotels, tour operators, museums and historical sites. Any terms and conditions applied by those suppliers to their customers also apply to your booking. Copies of those terms and conditions are available upon request.
6. These booking conditions govern the customer’s relationship with TurkeyTourismCenter.com. Should a supplier be unable to provide one of the services contracted for, TurkeyTourismCenter.com will provide an alternate and equivalent service, or else provide a refund for that service or portion of the itinerary.
7. Any customer making a booking must be at least 18 years of age and must be authorised to make the booking on behalf of the members of the party.
Definitions
8. Within these terms and conditions, the following words have these meanings:
a) The customer – a person or persons who pays TurkeyTourismCenter.com for the provision of travel services, hotel accommodation, car rental, airfares, tours or other services.
b) The tour – any package of services provided by TurkeyTourismCenter.com as agent for its suppliers.
c) The tour commencement – the date on which the first TurkeyTourismCenter.com service is to be provided. Typically this will be an airport transfer on arrival in Turkey, though it may be another service which is first to be provided.
d) Suppliers – 3rd parties including but not limited to airlines, hotels, museums, historical sites, gullet operators, cruise operators, tour operators, transfer companies and guides which provide tourism services to TurkeyTourismCenter.com customers.
The Contract
9. After we have received the customer’s deposit or full payment (if applicable) and we have issued a receipt, a contract will exist between the customer and TurkeyTourismCenter.com, effective from the date printed on the receipt. The terms and conditions of each supplier in the booking with will also apply to the customer’s booking. Once the contract(s) is made, the airlines, accommodation provider and any other supplier is responsible for providing the customer with what the customer has booked.
Agency
10. TurkeyTourismCenter.com acts as a travel agent. We arrange travel services and sell travel related products on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, tour and cruise operators, car hirers and accommodation providers. In doing so TurkeyTourismCenter.com gives no warranty nor makes any representation regarding the services to be supplied or the products purchased by the customer. The customer’s booking will be subject to the terms and conditions applied by the provider of the service or products. The customer accepts that if the travel services or products are not supplied in accordance with the booking, the remedy lies with the service provider and not TurkeyTourismCenter.com.
11. TurkeyTourismCenter.com undertakes to try to resolve all disputes and issues at first instance. TurkeyTourismCenter.com undertakes to represent services provided by others accurately and reasonably. TurkeyTourismCenter.com undertakes to act in good faith and attempt to find alternatives if a supplier cannot or will not supply the contracted service. However, TurkeyTourismCenter.com will not be liable for failures on the part of suppliers or any loss or damage suffered as a consequences of the provision of services by third party suppliers.
Prices
12. Every effort is made to ensure that the prices quoted to you are correct; however TurkeyTourismCenter.com acts only as an agent and relies on information provided to us from the suppliers of the travel services and products. TurkeyTourismCenter.com undertakes to bring to customers’ attention any change in price made prior to the customer completing their booking and paying the balance of the price.
Airfares Conditions
13. Many airfares are subject to strict conditions regarding amendments, cancellations and refunds. If TurkeyTourismCenter.com is required to re-issue a ticket due to the provision of inaccurate or unclear information, the customer will be required to pay for the re-issue. This may amount to the purchase of a new full fare ticket. The customer is responsible for providing their name (and all names of all people travelling in their party) as it appears in their passports, and undertakes to take care to provide passport numbers with accuracy.
14. If TurkeyTourismCenter.com is required to re-issue a ticket due to its own error, TurkeyTourismCenter.com will bear the full cost of such re-issue.
Airline Taxes & Fuel Surcharges
15. All airfares are subject to taxes and charges levied by the relevant governments and the airlines themselves. From time to time, governments increase airport taxes and levies and airlines impose fuel surcharges without notice. TurkeyTourismCenter.com will endeavour to notify the customer of such charges in advance but reserves the right to pass on fuel and tax increases levied by governments and/or airlines, without notice.
Airline E-Tickets
16. All domestic Turkish airlines and most international airlines now issue electronic tickets called e tickets, rather than paper tickets. The customer will be provided with details of their flight booking and a reference number. The customer may not receive any other documentation confirming flights. All passengers travelling on an e ticket will be required to produce photo identification at check in.
Airline Schedules & Cancellations
17. The airline on which the customer is booked may change its departure time or cancel a flight. TURKEYTOURİSMCENTER.COM will notify customers of changed departure times where possible, and endeavour to re- organise other arrangements to ensure customers meet scheduled departures. However, TurkeyTourismCenter.com has no liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of an airline delaying or cancelling flights.
Payment Term
18. TurkeyTourismCenter.com requires 30% of total tour fees to be paid on booking to secure the booking.
19. TurkeyTourismCenter.com requires the balance of all tour fees to be paid in full, at least 21 days prior to the tour commencing, unless otherwise agreed.
20. Failure by the customer to pay the balance of tour fees at least 21 days prior to the tour commencing may result in TurkeyTourismCenter.com cancelling the booking and retaining the deposit.
21. If any tour fees remain outstanding at the commencement of the tour, TurkeyTourismCenter.com retains the right to cancel day tours, transfers, night shows or other services until all tour fees are paid in full.
22. TurkeyTourismCenter.com accepts payment by Visa Card, Mastercard or international bank transfer. TurkeyTourismCenter.com cannot accept Visa debit cards, American Express or Diners Club cards.
23. TurkeyTourismCenter.com will issue a formal receipt to Reispass (by email) upon receipt of any funds by international transfer, or on advice that a credit card transaction was successful.
24. Bank fees incurred as a consequence of international bank transfer are the responsibility of the customer. Occasionally, a customer sends an amount of money by international transfer, but their bank uses and intermediary bank to transmit the funds to TurkeyTourismCenter.com’s bank accounts. Often, such intermediary banks will impose their own transaction fees without notice. In such cases, the customer is liable to make up any shortfall in the tour fees received by TurkeyTourismCenter.com unless agreed otherwise.
25. TurkeyTourismCenter.com undertakes not to pass on credit card transaction fees, except as specified below.
26. TurkeyTourismCenter.com requires one deposit payment and one balance payment, unless the booking is madeless than 21 days before the tour commences. In that case, TurkeyTourismCenter.com requires the full tour fee to be paid in one transaction. If customers split deposit payments and balance payments between multiple credit cards or a combination of credit cards and international transfers, TurkeyTourismCenter.com reserves the right to charge transaction fees.
Agents' Commissions
27. TurkeyTourismCenter.com may contract with another travel agency (‘commissioning agency’) for the provision of services to their customers. In this case, TurkeyTourismCenter.com will be responsible for the provision of those services via its suppliers to the customer, who will travel and enjoy the tourist service.
28. TurkeyTourismCenter.com will advise the commissioning agency of the price of the tours, and what percentage of this price the commissioning agency may retain. The commissioning agency may charge their customer tour fees greater than the price advised by TurkeyTourismCenter.com, but should not charge the customer tour fees less than the price advised by TurkeyTourismCenter.com.
Cancellation Fees
29. A booking may be comprised of tours, hotel reservations, transfers, flights, cruise cabins, gulet charter, and/or optional extra activities including, but not limited to, hot air balloon tours, horse riding tours, jeep tours, cooking classes, walking tours and Turkish bath experiences.
30. All arrangements made under one four-digit ‘Booking ID’ constitute one ‘booking,’ regardless of whether separate invoices have been issues to different passengers within the booking, or different payments have been received from different passengers within the booking, or slightly different arrangements have been made for various passengers within the booking.
31. Cancellation by one passenger within a booking may result in TurkeyTourismCenter.com reasonably concluding that the entire booking has been cancelled. Where passengers were to share a private tour guide, private vehicle rental, hotel room, gulet charter, cabin charter on a gulet cruise or private transfer greater than 3 hours; and where one of those passengers cancels his or her booking; TurkeyTourismCenter.com will necessarily conclude that all passengers in the booking have cancelled their booking. This may have the consequence of all passengers forfeiting some or all of their tour fees consistent with the following terms.
32. If the customer cancels their booking for any reason, they may incur a cancellation charge. The amount of this charge will vary depending on when the cancellation is made.
a) If the booking is cancelled by the customer prior to payment of deposit deposit, no fees are payable.
b) If the booking is cancelled by the customer after payment of deposit, but more than 21 days prior to the tour commencing, the customer only forfeits the deposit (or 30% of total tour fees.)
c) If the booking is cancelled by the customer fewer than 21 days prior to the tour commencing, but greater than 7 days before the tour commences, the customer forfeits 75% of the total tour fees.
d) If the booking is cancelled by the customer 7 or fewer days prior to the tour commencing, the customer forfeits all tour fees.
Amendments
33. Amendments to a tour, initiated by the customer after the payment of a deposit, may attract an amendment fee. Amendments requiring changes to bookings for hotels, tours, flights, cruises, charters, vehicle rentals and/or transfers on three or more days of an itinerary will ordinarily be charged a EUR100 amendment fee.
34. Amendments requiring changes to bookings for hotels, tours, flights, cruises, charters, vehicle rentals and/or transfers on five or more days of an itinerary may be regarded as a full or partial cancellation of a tour and result in forfeit of the deposit or a greater percentage of tour fees consistent with the cancellation provisions above.
35. Costs incurred by TurkeyTourismCenter.com as a result of amendments (such as non-refundable airfares which are cancelled, or cancellation fees imposed by hotels or tour operators) will also be passed on to the customer. The customer will be advised of the aggregate of such costs and given the opportunity to decide whether to continue with the amendment. Agreement to continue with the amendment is taken as agreement to accept the advised amendment costs (as well as any amendment fees.)
Liabilities
36. TurkeyTourismCenter.com bears no liability or responsibility for tours cancelled due to illness, injury or death of a customer or close relative or partner of a customer or any other personal matter. TurkeyTourismCenter.com bears no responsibility or liability for tours cancelled due to natural disaster, terrorism, environmental catastrophe or changed governmental travel advisories.
37. As TurkeyTourismCenter.com is only acting as an agent, it bears no liability in respect of the supply of any element of a booking, including any liability for illness, personal injury, death or loss of any kind, delay and inconvenience caused directly or indirectly by any provider of travel services or products or by other third parties unless caused by TurkeyTourismCenter.com’s negligence. Any claim for damages for injury, illness, loss or death must be brought against the relevant supplier of the travel services or products.
38. TurkeyTourismCenter.com bears no liability if a customer is unable to enjoy services provided due to them being incarcerated or detained by governmental authorities or refused entry to Turkey or any other country where services were to be provided.
39. Nothing in these terms and conditions shall be read as excluding, restricting or modifying rights under relevant Turkish legislation.
40. TurkeyTourismCenter.com warrants to act in good faith to procure services from suppliers which use safe vehicles, aircraft and sea-going vessels. TurkeyTourismCenter.com warrants to procure services only from fully licensed guides and tour operators. TurkeyTourismCenter.com undertakes to only contract with suppliers it reasonably believes take care to protect the health and safety of their customers.
41. TurkeyTourismCenter.com undertakes to provide a mobile phone contact for a fluent Turkish/English speaker, available 24 hours per day while the customer is in Turkey, to assist in resolving emergencies or unexpected contingencies.
42. TurkeyTourismCenter.com strongly advises customers to take out their own comprehensive travel insurance policies, providing coverage for property loss and/or damage, medical expenses and repatriation back to the home country in the case of injury, illness or death. TurkeyTourismCenter.com advises customers to take at such a policy at the time of paying a deposit, as the policy should also cover loss of deposit and cancellation fees.
Inclusions & Exclusions
43. Generally, inclusions and exclusions are to be determined by the individual contract between TurkeyTourismCenter.com and each customer, on an individual basis. The contract is contained largely in the itinerary attached to each booking, together with these terms and conditions.
44. If an itinerary is silent as to whether an item is included or not, the following generally applies.
45. TurkeyTourismCenter.com tours generally include:a) Tolls, traffic fines incurred by professional drivers, fuel, parking feesb) Regular buffet breakfast at each hotel during the hours usually provided.c) Gratuities or tips for driver and/or guide which are optional but customary.d) One arrival transfer and one departure transfer between hotel and airport.
46. TurkeyTourismCenter.com tours generally exclude:
a) Special breakfast provided very early for customers with early departure from hotel.
b) Late checkout for customers who will not be picked up from the hotel until late on their final day at that hotel.
c) Turkish visa fees.
d) International airfares (unless specified in the itinerary.
e) Mini bar charges, phone calls, laundry, meals other than those described in the itinerary.
f) Drinks with meals.
g) Charges incurred due to damage to the hotel or tour vehicles.
h) Shopping
i) Travel insurance except as required under Turkish law.
j) Additional arrival or departure transfers between airport and hotel for customers in one party who are arriving or departing on different flights.
Force Majeure
47. TurkeyTourismCenter.com shall not be liable for any loss or damage incurred as a consequence of TurkeyTourismCenter.com or any of the suppliers being unable to perform their obligations under the cusomters’ contract(s) due to unusual or unforeseeable circumstances (a “force majeure event”) beyond the control of the party affected by the force majeure event.
48. In the event of a force majeure event, TurkeyTourismCenter.com may, at its sole discretion, assist the customer to make alternative travel arrangements or to provide a partial refund for services not provided.
Passport & Visas
49. It is the customer’s own responsibility to ensure they have a valid passport at the time of travelling. Such a passport should have validity for 6 months beyond the planned date of return to the home country.
50. It is the cusomter’s responsibility to ensure that they hold all necessary visas and permits.
Special Needs or Requirements
51. Customers with chronic illness, reduced mobility, physical or intellectual disability or other special needs should advise these prior to booking their tour with TurkeyTourismCenter.com. TurkeyTourismCenter.com will advise whether or not such special needs and requirements can be accommodated and may recommend a modified itinerary. TurkeyTourismCenter.com may impose surcharges for meeting additional needs of customers such as particular vehicles with easy access, hotel rooms with wheelchair access or wide hallways or special assistant guides.
52. TurkeyTourismCenter.com reserves the right to refuse to provide services to a customer with special needs where it is unable to accommodate those needs or where it would not be safe to do so.
53. Special dietary requirements should be advised more than 21 days prior to the tour commencing. TurkeyTourismCenter.com will endeavour to see that suppliers provide safe meal options for passengers with allergies or food intolerances, but cannot guarantee safe meals in the case of all allergies.
Disputes
54. TurkeyTourismCenter.com requests that dissatisfaction with services is reported by email to the individual TurkeyTourismCenter.com travel agent with whom the customer communicated prior to the tour, or by calling the 24 hour emergency contact by mobile phone. Customers are requested to wait until office hours if the matter is not critical. TurkeyTourismCenter.com shall attempt to resolve the matter immediately and will act in good faith in trying to meet customers needs in accordance with the contact. If the customer remains dissatisfied, they must write TurkeyTourismCenter.com within 28 days from the end of the tour. Failure to notify dissatisfaction at the time it occurs may mean TurkeyTourismCenter.com is unable to resolve the dispute after the customer returns home.
Data Protection & Privacy
55. In order to process your booking, TURKEYTOURİSMCENTER.COM needs to pass your details to the relevant suppliers. TurkeyTourismCenter.com will take all reasonable precautions to ensure the security of that information.
56. TurkeyTourismCenter.com is required to retain credit card information for seven years from the date of the charge to the card. TurkeyTourismCenter.com undertakes to store credit card information securely, whether in locked cupboards or secure electronic information systems.
56a – By making an enquiry online, you automatically agree to receive information from us. This is in the form of reply emails, quotations, pricing, newsletters and marketing material.
Coverning Law
57. Your contract with TurkeyTourismCenter.com is governed by the laws of Turkey. Customers agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of Turkey to determine any dispute pertaining to the contract.