Financial Security
Your contract will be with Best Served Holidays Ltd, holders of Air Travel Organisers' Licence (ATOL) 6810, which protects you financially. Reservation Procedure
Our holidays can be booked direct via the internet on www.best-served.co.uk, by contacting a local ABTA travel agent or by contacting us direct by email; sales@best-served.co.uk. At the time of reservation we require a deposit of £100 per person (a few of our products may require a higher deposit, this will be advised at the time of booking) and the appropriate insurance premium.
Please read our full booking Terms and Condititons.
Booking form
The contract between you and the Company will be created once we despatch an email confirmation. Any insurance policy purchased from us will become effective from this date. Our written confirmation includes an invoice for the balance payment due, which must be checked carefully. All amendments and cancellations received after this date will be subject to our standard amendment and cancellation charges. Our responsibility is to provide you with the holiday as confirmed, but this may not include any special requests which we will endeavour to provide but which we cannot guarantee.
Please download our booking form.
Prices and surcharges
We reserve the right to change our prices at any time. However, once your holiday is confirmed and you have accepted any price changes included on the confirmation invoice, the price of your travel arrangements is subject to surcharges only on the following items for increases; transportation costs e.g. fuel, scheduled airfares and any other airline surcharges which are part of the contract between airlines (and their agents) and the tour operator / organiser. Government action such as increases in VAT or any other Government imposed increases, currency in relation to adverse exchange rate variations. Even in this case, we will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of the holiday price which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges. Only amounts in excess of this 2% will be surcharged, but where a surcharge is payable there will be an administration charge of £1 (one pound) per person together with an amount to cover agent's commission. If this means paying more than 10% on the holiday price, you will be entitled to cancel your holiday with a full refund of all monies paid except for any premium paid to us for holiday insurance and amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel because of this, you must exercise your right to do so within 14 days from the issue date printed on the surcharge invoice.
What the price includes
For each holiday we have clearly stated what is provided. Prices also include the basic hotel gratuity or service charge plus any accommodation or sales tax. The rate of exchange utilised to calculate costings is taken from the Financial Times for the appropriate period.
Not included
- Transport between your home and your departure airport
- Transfer of persons and luggage to and from hotels, airports etc except where stated.
- Tour Conductor, apart from where specified, holidays offered are for independent travellers and no guide or tour conductor will be provided.
- Fully comprehensive travel insurance which is not refundable.
- Visa fees.
- Supplementary airport departure taxes.
Payment
Any outstanding balance must be paid no later than 8 weeks prior to departure. Bookings made within 8 weeks of departure must be paid in full at the time of reservation. No further reminder will be sent and should the balance remain unpaid by this time we reserve the right to cancel your booking and to make cancellation charges at the rates shown below. No tickets or travel documents will be released until full settlement has been made. Any money paid by you to your travel agent in respect of the holiday is held by the travel agent on your behalf until the written confirmation is sent. Thereafter, any money held by the travel agent in respect of such bookings, is held on behalf of Best Served Holidays Ltd Ltd. Payments - by cheque, debit or credit cards, should be made payable to Best Served Holidays Ltd Ltd. Payment by credit card will incur a surcharge of 3%.
Visas & Passports
A valid 10 year passport is required for travel to all countries featured. Children need their own passport. Visas are not required for entry to any of the countries we feature for British or Irish passport holders. For other passport holders, it remains your responsibility to check if visas are needed and to make the necessary visa applications and to comply with any rules or regulations governing entry to relevant countries. If the necessary visas are not obtained resulting in your cancellation, charges in accordance with the scale set out below will apply. We will not accept liability or consider a refund in cases where you are unable to travel due to an invalid or mislaid visa or passport.
Changes made by you
If you wish to change details on your booking, write to us as soon as possible. If we can accept the change, there will be an administration charge of not less than £20 per person (£35 per person if it is also necessary to re-issue travel documents) dependent on the work involved. Changing dates, number travelling or holiday type are major changes which we may have to treat as cancellations, and will be subject to the cancellation charges as set out below. In the event of a name change, we will allow this providing no travel documents have been issued or at least 1 month prior to departure. In this case our administration charge will apply as stated above. On holidays where we have entered into a contract with an overseas tour operator and airlines, no changes can be made without incurring cancellation charges. Certain airfares are subject to different amendment charges, in which case you will be informed at the time of booking. It remains your responsibility to re-apply and pay for new visas, if applicable.
If you cancel
Cancellation must be made in writing by the person who originally made the booking and sent to Best Served Holidays Ltd Ltd. Cancellation will be effective on the date we receive it. We suggest recorded delivery for your own protection. A cancellation fee will be charged dependent on the period before departure date in which your letter is received. It is expressed as a percentage of the total holiday cost. This compensates us for the cost of the processing your booking, advertising your holiday for sale, and reflects the risk that the holiday may remain unsold. Certain air fares are subject to different cancellation charges, in which case you will be informed at the time of booking. Visa fees and insurance premiums are non refundable. Cancellation under certain circumstances is covered by the travel insurance we offer, in which case you can recover cancellation charges through them. The insurance premium is not part of the holiday price and is not recoverable.
| Days prior to departure | % of total price forfeit | |
| Written cancellation received | ||
| Over 56 days | deposit only | |
| 55-29 days | 50% | |
| 28-15 days | 80% | |
| Within 14 days | 100% |
If the Client is prevented from travelling on an aircraft, cruise ship or train, because in the view of the person in authority (e.g. police, customs, pilot) the Client appears unfit to travel due to drug or alcohol intoxication or for any other reason and is likely to cause discomfort and distress to other passengers, our responsibility for the Clients' journey or holidays, including any return flight, ceases. Full cancellation charges will apply and no refunds will be given. We will not consider any compensation or costs that the Client may then incur as a result of alternative arrangements having to be made.
We reserve the right to terminate the holiday arrangements of any Client whose behaviour is such that it is likely in our view to cause danger, damage or distress to the employees or property of Best Served Holidays Ltd Ltd or any third party.
Changes or Cancellations by Best Served Holidays Ltd
The arrangements for holidays are made many months in advance and occasionally we may have to alter the tour as advertised. We reserve absolute discretion to make these amendments when deemed necessary. In the rare event that we have to make a major change or cancel your holiday, we will inform you as soon as possible. In that event you have the following options;
- if a change, accept the change
- to cancel, and receive a full refund of all monies paid (except insurance premiums)
- choose an alternative holiday, subject to availability
If the reason for change or cancellation is completely outside our control, or that of our suppliers, i.e. force majeure, caused by such events as war or threat of war, riots or civil strife, natural or nuclear disasters, fire or adverse weather conditions, then the options above are the limit of our liability.
Should it be necessary to cancel or make material alterations for reasons other than force majeure within 8 weeks of departure, the options above shall apply and reasonable compensation made increasing the nearer to date of departure.
We do not operate nor own any of the services provided by transportation companies by air or sea, bookings are made and subject to international agreements and the conditions of carriage of such carriers including changes to schedules, equipment, technical problems or delays at points of departure. The airlines, aircraft types and destination airports are indicated on the website, and subject to similar conditions and we will be happy to confirm these details upon request.
Our Liability
Most of the accommodation and transport are provided by independent contractors. We do not exclude or limit our liability to you for any loss or damage sustained by you as a result of the acts and/or omissions of our employees, agents sub-contractors, or suppliers. We also accept responsibility should the services we are obliged to provide prove deficient or are not of a reasonable standard. If negligence on the part of our staff, agents suppliers, or their employees result in illness, injury or death of you or any of your party we accept full liability. The exceptions are airlines or carriers by sea which are subject to international conventions which limit liability.
Complaints
If you have a complaint during your holiday, you must inform our local agent or supplier in order that steps can be taken to rectify the problem on the spot. If the complaint cannot be resolved there, a report must be completed together with comments and signature from that agent or supplier. Should you wish to follow up the complaint a copy of this report should be sent to us not later than 28 days after the end of your holiday, amplified by a covering letter stating your preferred options. We will not consider any claims received outside this period. We will always do our best to resolve any complaints. If, however, we cannot amicably resolve any dispute arising from a complaint, then you are entitled to take advantage of a Scheme of Arbitration devised by the Association of British Travel Agents and administered by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The scheme provides for a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents along with restricted liability on the customer in respect of costs. The scheme does not apply to claims for an amount greater than £1500 per person or £7500 per booking or to claims which are solely or mainly in respect of physical injury or illness or the consequence of such injury or illness. Redress under the scheme requires written notice requesting arbitration to be made within 9 months of the scheduled date of return from holiday.
This contract is made on the terms of these booking conditions which are governed by English law and subject to the jurisdiction of the English courts only.