These booking conditions set out the terms on which you contract with The AB Sports or any of its subsidiary companies. It is important you are aware of the conditions together with the information we send out in connection with your tour. These conditions not only set out important commitments by us but also our obligations to our clients and customers.
PLEASE NOTE: Travel insurance to cover your whole party is compulsory for all bookings made and it is a condition of us accepting your booking that you have made adequate insurance provision to cover your party. You should refer to “Our responsibility to you” clause below.
Booking Stage:
To make a booking contact us with your recommended dates and we will arrange your flights for you. We will require full names as per your passport to make the reservation for you. Please note The AB Sports will not accept liability and responsibility for incorrect names given. Please
To secure the booking a deposit is required unless otherwise stated. This would confirm your booking, in addition, we require you to sign the Terms and Conditions form that will be sent to you at the booking stage, to confirm you have read and understood our Terms and Conditions. Deposits are non-refundable and if you do not pay your balance when it is due, The AB Sports will treat your booking as cancelled and charge a cancellation fee in addition to the deposit already paid. The remaining balance is required 8 weeks prior to your departure. The AB Sports will then release your tickets 2 weeks prior to your departure, which will be sent directly to you or via The AB Sports first class post, please note that this is at your own risk. There is an opportunity to arrange additional insurance against loss in the post at an additional expense.
Late Booking:
If you book within 8 weeks of departure full payment will be required at the time of booking. Tickets will be sent to you by first class post. However, if you book within a week of travel, The AB Sports will be able to arrange for you to collect your tickets at the airport, subject to the charges levied by the airline concerned and any additional costs incurred by The AB Sports being paid. They will advise of any charges at the time of booking.
Alteration or Cancellation by you:
If you need to cancel a confirmed booking you must contact us in writing. To cover the cost of administration and the possibility that The AB Sports will be charged full cancellation charges by the airline concerned, The AB Sports have to charge a cancellation price. If you have purchased insurance you may be able to claim for the charges imposed. The cancellation charges are based on the number of day’s notice before departure that you advise us of the cancellation. Contact The AB Sports support team who will advise you of the cancellation charges. For alterations, which will be made where possible The AB Sports will impose a £25.00 admin fee unless otherwise stated.
Before You Book:
Choosing your tour: We hope that The AB Sports tours will live up to your expectations so it is very important that you choose the right tour for you. Our staff are always happy to offer advice on tours but this can only be accepted as an informed opinion. If you are unsure about the suitability of a destination or hotel etc, you must seek additional information, which can be obtained from libraries, tourist offices, internet sites, etc.
Hotel gradings: We categorise all hotels as three, four or five star class to give a general guide. However, standards can vary between hotels of the same class. For example, city hotels, which often cater for business as well as leisure travellers, may well have generally higher standards than a beach resort hotel where the whole atmosphere will tend to be more relaxed. It is important to consider carefully the individual hotel descriptions and the right location for you and your touring party.
Booking a room for early arrival or late departure: Generally, hotel rooms will be available between 12 PM and 2 PM and are to be vacated between 10 AM and 12 PM, irrespective of your arrival or departure times, unless we have stated otherwise. Should you wish your room to be ready prior to noon on your day of arrival or available afternoon for an afternoon or evening departure, it is possible to reserve the room at the time of booking at a cost no greater than the extra night price quoted on the literature pages.
Passports/Visas/Health:
- You will need a full 10-year passport to travel to the destinations we feature in our promotional literature.
- All passports need to be valid for 6 months after your departure.
- Some destinations also require visas depending on the passport holder’s nationality.
- You should contact your doctor or a specialist vaccination centre for details of any health measures you will need to take prior to departure.
If you are disabled:
We are happy to give you advice and to assist you in choosing a tour that will meet your requirements. However, because of the nature of destinations, many lack even the simplest facilities such as ramps for wheelchairs, lifts etc. Therefore in order for us to assist you appropriately, at the time of booking please provide us with full details in writing regarding your disability and any special requirements as a result of this.
Booking Confirmation and Payments:
When you (the tour leader) wish to confirm a tour booking you will need to accept the Booking Confirmation that we send to you and make your deposit payment (as indicated on your quotation). Deposits are non-refundable, but where possible deposit payments will be transferred to a replacement if a player is injured or unable to travel. When you make a booking you are confirming that you understand and have accepted on behalf of yourself, and all members of your party, the details contained in the Booking Confirmation, which forms part of our booking conditions. You will be sent all travel documentation and will be responsible for completing and returning this to us as well as ensuring tour payments are made by the due dates shown on the Booking Confirmation. We do not accept payments from individuals who come together to form a group.
Payment terms: A 25% non-refundable deposit must be paid at the time of booking. A 50% interim payment may then be required with the remaining 25% balance due 8 weeks before the date of travel. If you book within 8 weeks of departure you must pay the full price at the time of booking. You may pay by bank transfer or with Paypal (additional charges might be applied). If for any reason we do not receive the balance on the due date, we reserve the right to cancel your booking and levy a cancellation charge as though there had been a cancellation in accordance with clause mentioned below.
Reservations:
We will make the necessary reservations and your deposit is accepted as part payment of the agreed costs of the booking and credited to your account. We will raise an invoice detailing the travel services you have booked and would ask you to check this very carefully and advise us immediately if any discrepancies are found. A contract exists between us from the date shown on your invoice. If you, or any individual members of your tour party or group, decide to cancel the booking upon receipt of our invoice you will need to consult the clause “Cancelling a Booking” of these Terms.
Travel Insurance:
As a condition of booking, you are required to take out adequate travel insurance for yourself and those for whom you are booking. This needs to include cover for sports injuries for sports participants. It is a condition of us accepting your booking that you have made adequate insurance provision to cover your party. Travel Insurance should be in place from the date the booking is confirmed and deposit is paid.
We strongly recommend you are adequately insured, The AB Sports will not accept responsibility or liability for you not being insured.
Changes to Bookings:
Changes can be made up to 10 weeks prior to your departure subject to availability and any extra costs incurred. If you want to make any changes within 10 weeks of your departure date these may be treated as a cancellation of the original booking, and cancellation charges as detailed in
Cancelling a Booking:
A cancellation must be made in writing and sent by the tour leader. The cancellation will take effect from the day the written cancellation is received by the company; written cancellations by email are acceptable. All payments up until that date, (deposit, interim and final balance) once made are non-refundable upon receipt.
Changes to your Booking by us before your departure:
We plan the arrangements for our tours many months in advance and occasionally we may have to make changes to confirmed arrangements. We sometimes use the services of independent suppliers such as airlines, hotels and ground agents over whom we have no direct control. We reserve the right to make changes at any time and should the change significantly alter the nature of the tour you have booked (major change), and the revised arrangements are not acceptable to you, we will refund all monies paid. In all cases, except where the major change arises due to FORCE MAJEURE we will offer an alternative or appropriate compensation or refund. An example of a MAJOR CHANGE would be a delayed departure of more than 24 hours. A MINOR change would be a change of airline, change of accommodation to another of the same standard, delay of
FORCE MAJEURE means any event which we could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Force Majeure covers events such as, but not limited to, technical or maintenance problems with transport, changes imposed by rescheduling or cancellation of flights by an airline or main charterer, the alteration of the airline or aircraft type war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, natural disaster, industrial dispute, disease, industrial or nuclear disaster, bad weather, fire, cancellation of sporting fixtures or a featured tournament and all similar events beyond our control. In the case of Force
Whilst we provide every assistance within our capabilities, we hold no responsibility for inconvenience or loss caused by strikes, weather, increase in accommodation rates, terrorist activities, war, technical problems with transportation or alteration in scheduled services. Nor can we be held responsible for the temporary closure of any hotel facilities, compensation for personal injury while on tour, or for the cancellation of your tour.
Cancellation of your Booking by us:
We reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel your tour for any reason. For example, if the numbers in your tour party do not reach a level that would be economical for us to operate a tour. In this event we will return to you all monies you have paid (less deposits paid on your behalf), or offer you an alternative tour of comparable standard, although if the alternative offered is at additional cost, the difference will be payable by you. However we will not cancel your tour within 56 days of departure unless it is for reasons of Force Majeure.
Fixtures and Fixture Cancellations:
We endeavour to ensure the suitability of all fixtures that we arrange for you and although we take every step to ensure last minute cancellations do not occur, in a small number of cases this may happen. Unless a cancelled fixture is the only match on tour and has been cancelled for reasons other than force majeure, we cannot be held responsible and it will be considered a minor change. Should we be forced to change your itinerary due to the availability of suitable fixtures following a change of circumstances with our hosts, we reserve the right to make changes as we see necessary.
The AB ’s Sports cannot be responsible for matches being cancelled due to weather conditions or injuries to the teams. The AB Sports will endeavour to reschedule matches where possible.
Tour Prices and Price Changes:
The price quoted to you is based on the currency exchange rate at the time of quotation. We reserve the right to correct errors quoted at any time prior to confirmation of your holiday. The price of your holiday is subject to surcharges at any time due to currency fluctuations, tax increases, fuel surcharges, scheduled airfare changes and government action. You will be notified of any increase in price due to these circumstances. During the decision period, we will try to hold quoted prices steady but until the tour itinerary and numbers are confirmed by way of a paid deposit, elements of the tour are naturally subject to change.
Once the tour is confirmed and the deposit is paid, we guarantee that the cost of your tour will not change, except in the following circumstances where surcharges may apply, government action, airport charges (including fuel) and increases in scheduled air fares. We promise to manage all foreign exchange risk on your behalf and ensure that we have allowed for any increases due to inflation in our calculations. Only in the case of very long-dated tours (6 months in the future or more) might it be necessary to have a re-pricing point but the timing and nature of this would be pre-agreed by both parties at the original time of booking, for example, to coincide with the time when your flights come into range, which is usually 11 months before departure. Please note that your tour cost is based on the numbers travelling in the group when the booking is made. If numbers subsequently increase/decrease your tour price will be recalculated based on the revised numbers & the new price will be based on the prices that apply on the day the change is notified to us. The UK government is planning to replace Air Passenger Duty with a new Emissions Tax known as Aviation Duty. Final details are not yet known so at present all quotes are based around the current system. Should costs increase as a result of the change we reserve the right to adjust the prices shown to reflect these changes.
Tours that are more than 12 months in advance, at the time of booking are subject to the movement of flight prices. At the time of the quotation stage, The AB Sports will advise that flight costs are based on projected pricing and have been calculated using the current year pricing structure. The AB Sports cannot, therefore, be held responsible or accountable for any increases in flight prices, all Cancellation Charges will remain in effect. However if your team decide to cancel due to a dramatic increase in flight prices, on confirmation of the exact flight cost, deposit payments will be non-refundable, however, The AB Sports will endeavour to refund other payments where possible.
Transferring Bookings to another party:
If you are unable to travel, in certain circumstances, it may be possible to transfer your booking to another party. However the arrangements will need to remain the same, and will only be allowed if all suppliers agree to the change and are prepared to accept the transfer. In cases where a transfer is allowed, if there is a charge from suppliers e.g. airlines these will need to be paid by you.
Your Behaviour:
If, in the opinion of our company representative/escort/tour manager, your behaviour or the behaviour of anyone in your touring party is such that it is likely to cause distress, damage, danger or annoyance to our customers, employees, property or to any third party, we reserve the right to terminate all arrangements immediately without refund.
All guests are required to leave their accommodation and all fixtures and fittings and effects in good order and should inform The AB Sports or the local representative of any damage, or its contents during residence.
Hosting:
We do not have control over the organisation of your hosted accommodation and work through our appointed ground agents to provide you with this service. We always endeavour to work with clubs/schools that have provided this service previously and all efforts are made to match players up with suitable hosts. It is your responsibility to notify us if you feel the hosting offered is unsatisfactory.
Complaints Procedure:
In the unlikely event of there being something not to your liking whilst you are on tour, you must tell your The AB Sports Tour representative or our appointed agent (preferably in writing) immediately who will try to solve the problem there and then. Unless there is a valid reason why your complaint is not reported in this manner, we will not consider ourselves liable in respect of those complaints. If the problem cannot be resolved in the resort, you must send us a written complaint to reach us within 28 days of the end of your tour in order that we can investigate fully. We will not accept liability for any claims received outside this period. We certainly hope that we can settle any complaints amicably.
If you have a complaint or any problems whilst on tour, it is the tour manager’s responsibility to inform the local representatives of The AB Sports as soon as possible, so that remedial action can be taken. If the local representative is not available or is not able to resolve the matter, the guest should then contact The AB Sports at the UK Office within 48 hours of the problem arising. TheAB Sports will endeavour to do everything possible to assist their clients. Complaints should be sent in writing to the office within 2 weeks of departure. If guests do not follow this complaints procedure, thereby depriving The AB Sports of the opportunity to investigate and rectify the problem, the company cannot accept any responsibility for any claim.
In the event that any dispute of difference shall arise between the guest and The AB Sports, which is not resolved speedily and amicably between both parties, the matter in dispute shall be resolved by arbitration in the local destination in accordance with the relevant law’s applicable to that destination.
Our responsibility to you:
- Nothing in this agreement shall limit or exclude our liability for: (i) death or personal injury caused by our negligence; (ii) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation or wilful default.
- Where we organise a sports tour for you, you acknowledge that we do this as a facilitator and an introducer and that we use reasonable endeavours to select appropriate and safe venues in suitable countries and to introduce you to appropriate opposing teams. You acknowledge that for these purposes we have undertaken basic checks but have not undertaken a detailed assessment of the appropriateness or suitability of the country, the venue or the team and we have no involvement beyond this. Further, you acknowledge that participation in sporting activities carries risk of death or personal injury and that, save where caused by our negligence, we do not accept liability for death or personal injury arising out of or in connection with participation in a sporting activity whether due to the playing conditions, venue, the teams or otherwise. You must assess on each occasion whether you, those with whom you are travelling or are in your travelling party and/or those for whom you are responsible, should participate in a sporting activity and this is your decision alone. For the purposes of this clause “participate” includes training, practice, supervision or control and “sporting activity” includes but is not limited to cricket, football, netball, hockey, rugby, athletics, aerial or equestrian activity. We recommend you obtain appropriate insurance cover.
- Subject to paragraphs (a) and (b) in this clause and save where applicable law states otherwise, all other liability to us arising out of or in connection with this contract is limited to the amount you have paid us over the last 12 months.
Law:
All contracts with The AB Sports are made subject to these booking conditions and are subject to English law and the jurisdiction of the English Courts or, if your booking was made in Scotland, to Scottish law and jurisdiction. Note, if any part of these terms and conditions is found to be invalid or unenforceable, then the remainder of these booking conditions will not be affected but will remain valid and enforceable.
Data Protection:
In order to book your tour, we are required to pass on certain information such as your name, passport details, address, dietary requirements to suppliers of your travel arrangements such as hotels, airlines and transport companies. We apply appropriate security measures to protect your data. However, if you are travelling to a country outside the European Economic Area controls on your data protection may not be as strict. We will only pass sensitive data to people responsible for your travel arrangements. When you make this booking you consent to this information being passed to the relevant people. We can supply a copy of the information held by us if you require.