We advise you to read these Terms & Conditions as they clear up questions that sometimes crop up before holidays start, or when plans have to change.
Firstly please note that H R & C Dalrymple trade as Ballantrae Holiday Cottages and together with the information included in your Booking Confirmation these terms and conditions are your contract with ‘Ballantrae Holiday Cottages′. We have tried to keep them as simple as possible but some detail is necessary to cover all eventualities!
In these booking conditions ‘you’ and ‘your’ means all people named on the booking form (including anyone who is added or replaced at a later date). ‘We’, ‘us and ‘our means Ballantrae Holiday Cottages.
MAKING A BOOKING
All bookings depend on the property being available. You as the person in charge of the party (the party leader) must be at least 18 years old at the time of booking. All other members of the party must authorise you to make the booking and agree that the booking will be governed by these conditions. You are responsible for making all payments due to us.
As long as the property is available and we have received all relevant payments, we will give you written confirmation (see below) as soon as reasonably possible. This confirmation will show your booking details and the amount you still owe for the booking. Your binding contract with us will begin when we issue the written confirmation. We will give you written confirmation either by post or by email.
When you submit a booking via our online reservation system you will receive an automatically generated booking summary by email to the email address you provide in the booking form. This does not form a contract between us. A contract shall only arise when your booking is subsequently confirmed in writing via a letter of confirmation sent to you by post or email.
We have the right to refuse any booking before we send you your written confirmation. If we do this, we will tell you in writing and promptly refund any money that you have paid us. In this case we will not have any legal responsibility to you.
As soon as you receive your confirmation, you must check the details carefully. If anything is incorrect, you should tell us immediately.
PAYMENT
Please note that we only accept payment in pounds sterling.
For bookings made more than 8 weeks in advance, you should pay the deposit amount due by debit/credit card, bank transfer or by sending us a cheque. We must then receive the rest of the money owed no less than 8 weeks before the start of your trip.
For bookings made less than 8 weeks before the start of the trip we must receive full payment when you make the booking.
For bookings made less than 2 weeks before the start of the trip payment cannot be made by cheque and must be by debit/credit card or bank transfer.
Please note that payments made by debit/credit card will appear on your statement as H R & C Dalrymple.
If any payment is not received on time, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you, in which case the cancellation charges in Condition 5 will apply.
If any cheque is dishonoured, we reserve the right to charge £20 to cover our administration costs.
If a payment has been made in error please contact emma@ballantraeholidaycottages.com – refunds are at managers discretion.
SPECIAL REQUESTS
If you have a special request please clearly note it on your booking form or if after booking, make it in writing as soon as possible. If we are able to comply with your special request we will confirm this in writing. Unless we have agreed in writing that we are able to comply with your special request, failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part.
THE PROPERTY
You and all members of your party agree to keep the property clean and tidy, to leave the property in a similar condition to how you found it and behave in a way at all times while at the property which does not break any law. You and all members of your party also agree not to use the property for any illegal or commercial purpose.
You are responsible for the actual costs of any breakage or damage in or to the property – along with any extra costs that may result – which are caused by you or any members of your party. We can ask for an extra payment from you to cover any related costs. We can refuse to allow you into the property or ask you to leave if we reasonably believe you or any member of your party to be behaving illegally, or that any damage is likely to be caused, has been caused or is being caused by the behaviour of you or any member of your property.
You must not allow more people than the website states to stay in the property and you cannot significantly change the number of adults or children during your stay (e.g. if you book for two adults and two children you cannot arrive with four adults). If you do any of these things we can refuse to hand over the property to you or can repossess it. If we do this we will treat this as you cancelling the booking and you will receive no refund and we are not legally responsible for you as a result of this situation.
You must allow us (or our representative, including workmen) access to the property at any reasonable time during your stay. You would get notice of this if it was needed (except in an emergency or if a problem needs sorting out quickly and you cannot be contacted in time. In these situations, we can enter the property at any time without giving you notice).
Dogs are allowed to stay (when additional supplement has been paid) in the property. However they are not allowed on beds or furniture and must be kept under control in the garden. You are responsible for the actual costs of any damage caused by your dogs to the property or gardens.
If the property is left in a dirty condition then an extra cleaning charge of £100 will be levied.
CANCELLATION BY YOU OF YOUR HOLIDAY
If you wish to cancel or amend all or any part of your booking you should advise us in writing as soon as possible by e-mail or recorded letter, and request confirmation by us that we have received it. Changes or cancellations can only be accepted if made by the person who signed the original booking form. Any new person added to the booking will be deemed to have signed the original booking form.
We will try and accommodate all amendments, but in order to cover our costs of booking and risk of not re-selling the holiday, the following scale of cancellation charges is applicable. The cancellation charges are based upon a % charge of your total holiday cost and range from loss of deposit to full cost of the holiday.
Period before scheduled departure within which written notification of cancellation is received by us:
More than 8 weeks Deposit
4 weeks to 8 weeks 50%
14 days to 4 weeks 75%
Less than 14 days 100%
You may, depending on the reason for cancellation, be able to reclaim these cancellation charges (less any applicable excess) under the terms of your travel insurance policy.
Covid-19
If you are unable to travel because of Covid-19 restrictions either in the country where you live or Scotland then as a small family business we would be happy to transfer any monies paid to another holiday later in the year or indeed the following year. As a worst case scenario we would be prepared to offer a refund.
CANCELLATION BY US OF YOUR ACCOMMODATION
We do not expect to have to make any changes to your booking however in extreme situations bookings may have to be changed or cancelled. We have the right to do this and will contact you as soon as is reasonably practical to explain what has happened.
CHANGES BY YOU TO YOUR HOLIDAY
We will always try and accommodate changes made by you to your holiday. These changes should be advised in writing but we cannot guarantee we will be able to satisfy your requirements, especially if they are close to the date of your holiday.
CHANGES BY US TO YOUR HOLIDAY
Though this is extremely unlikely, and we will at all times endeavour to satisfy our customers requirements, nevertheless, because of changing or unpredictable circumstances, we must reserve the right to make alterations to accommodation and services both before and after any booking has been confirmed. In the event of a change we will inform you as soon as possible.
EVENTS BEYOND OUR CONTROL
We regret we cannot accept liability, make any refunds or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligations is prevented or affected by reason of circumstances amounting to ‘Force Majeure’. Circumstances amounting to ‘Force Majeure’ include any event which we, or the supplier of the service(s) in question, could not, even with all due care, foresee or forestall such as (by way of example and not by way of limitation) war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, acts of God, adverse weather conditions and all similar events outside our control.
PASSPORTS & VISA’S
It is expected that all guests will have the necessary documentation to travel and we cannot accept any responsibility if any member of the party is unable to travel due to loss of or incorrect, inaccurate or inappropriate documentation.
If you, or any member of your party, are not a British citizen or hold a non-British passport, you must check passport and visa requirements with the embassy or consulate of the country or countries through which you are planning to travel. We cannot accept any liability if you are refused entry into the UK due to failure on your part to carry the correct passport, visa or other documents required by any airline or authority. If this results in your party being unable to travel then the cancellation charges laid out in Condition 5 will apply.
INSURANCE
We recommend that you, and all members of your party, have adequate insurance for your holiday.
CHANGES IN COSTS
Once your booking is confirmed we guarantee that the cost of your accommodation will not change. This guarantee by us not to change accommodation prices does not cover changes made by you or members of your party that may add to the cost of your holiday.
WEBSITE
We have taken great care in the printing & production of our website and accompanying literature but regret that we cannot be held responsible for circumstances outside of our control such as public holidays, religious festivals, adverse weather conditions, nor guarantee the working of equipment such as televisions, telephones, etc. If any change becomes apparent which we believe will materially affect the enjoyment of your holiday then we will notify the party leader immediately it is brought to our attention and if within our control try and rectify the situation as quickly as possible.
Please note that all distances, costs and timings are approximate and we cannot be held responsible for them.
COMPLAINTS
We take all complaints very seriously and will deal with them personally. If you have any complaint about your accommodation or our services, then please raise them with us as soon as possible. In reality, most complaints can be dealt with quickly and efficiently. If you are still not satisfied, or wish to complain after your holiday, then please write to us by e-mail or letter within 28 days of your holiday. We cannot accept liability in respect of any claims not notified to ourselves in accordance with this clause.
DISABILITIES & MEDICAL PROBLEMS
If you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability that may affect your booking, please tell us before you confirm your booking and give us full details in writing as early as possible before you travel. If we feel unable to properly meet that person’s particular needs, we can refuse or cancel your booking.
OUR LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY TO YOU
We cannot be held responsible for noise or disturbance which comes from beyond the boundaries of the property. We cannot be held responsible for the breakdown of mechanical equipment such a pumps and boilers nor for the failure of public utilities such as water, gas and electricity.
We accept no liability for any accident, personal injury or suffering arising for any reason either within the accommodation, during travel to and from the accommodation, or during activities you may take part in whilst on holiday. You are strongly advised to ensure that you are adequately insured both for personal injury and material loss/damage. Your personal belongings are not covered by any insurance we hold.
You must accept full responsibility for any damage or loss caused by you or any member of your party. This includes the full payment for any such damage or loss, which must be made at the time to us or the third party concerned. If you fail to do so, you must indemnify us against any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us as a result of your actions.