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THIS CONTRACT INCLUDES VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION. PLEASE READ IT IN ITS ENTIRETY. THE PARTICIPANT (S) ACKNOWLEDGE
RECEIVING AND AGREEING TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AS SET FORTH BELOW COVERING THE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS AS MADE BY
TRAVEL-ITALY.COM/GROUP TRAVEL ENTERPRISES, INC. (HEREAFTER REFERRED TO AS GTE, INC.), 2400 BLUFF CREEK DRIVE; COLUMBIA,
MISSOURI 65201.
Booking and Deposit
For villa or apartment rentals, a 30% deposit is required at the time of booking to confirm the reservation. For certain properties, there is also a
US$30 booking fee in additional to the rental price. Bookings made within 91 days of the arrival date at the rental property will require a
full prepayment at the time of booking. Along with the initial deposit, official reservation confirmation requires the signed copies of this Terms and
Conditions Statement as well as the Booking Form to be forwarded to our office at 2400 Bluff Creek Drive. It is
advisable to forward these documents by fax to 573-256-2435. If the client is making the reservation through a retail
travel agent, please forward the Terms and Conditions and Booking Form to the travel agent, who in turn will forward the
same to our office as above. The booking can only be confirmed when the Terms and Conditions and Booking Form are
received in our office.
Final Payment
Final payment is due 90 days from the arrival date at the rental property. If the initial deposit was made by
credit
card, the final payment will then be charged to the same card without notice, no sooner than 90 days from the arrival
date at the rental property. If the client has rented more than one property, the final payment for both properties
will be due for each property 90 days before the arrival date at the first property rented. If final payment cannot be
charged to the same credit card by, or is not received within 85 days of the arrival date at the property in question, GTE, Inc. reserves the right to cancel
the reservation with penalties applied as described in the "Changes and Cancellations" paragraph below.
Changes and Cancellations
Should the client for whatever reason cancel the booking, he/she will have the right to repayment of all money paid
minus cancellation charges. Cancellation is affected only when written notification is received by GTE, Inc. or in the
event of non-payment of balances, when GTE, Inc. issues notice of non-receipt of payment to the client. If cancellation
notice is received during a time when the GTE, Inc. offices are closed, receipt will be considered the opening time of
the next business day. It is advisable to contact GTE, Inc. by telephone, in every case, to confirm receipt of the
cancellation notice.
Cancellation charges are based on the total rental payments and are calculated from the normal Saturday arrival date of
the rental period in question. Cancellation penalties are strict, and therefore GTE, Inc. and its suppliers highly
recommend trip cancellation insurance. Trip cancellation insurance is available from a local retail travel agent or a
variety of sources on-line.
Cancellation penalties apply as follows:
- Booking request date to 92 days prior arrival date: 30% of letting price
- 91 days - 31 days prior arrival date: 50% of letting price
- 30 days - 17 days prior arrival date: 90% of letting price
- 16 days - 0 days prior arrival date or "no shows" 100% of letting price
Changes to booking dates, or villas, will constitute a cancellation of the booking and a new confirmation will be
required. In these cases normal cancellation penalties are applicable. However, GTE Inc. will attempt to mitigate
losses from cancellations, and will, if possible, reduce cancellation charges as it sees fit on a case by case basis.
When using American Express cards, refunds are subject to a 3% discount recovery fee of the amount refunded in addition to the cancellation fee
explained above.
Alteration and Cancellation by GTE, Inc.
Although it is highly unlikely that changes will ever have to be made to confirmed arrangements, it does occasionally
happen, and clients will be advised at the earliest possible dates. If for any reason beyond the control of GTE, Inc.
it is impossible to provide the client with the property he/she booked, GTE Inc. reserves the right to transfer the
client to a different but similar property. If the cost of the similar property is less than the booked property, the
client will receive a refund for the difference of the rental prices. If, however, the cost of the similar property is
greater, then, upon the acceptance of the client, the difference must be paid by the client. However, if this is not
possible or the client does not wish to be transferred, the booking will be cancelled without penalty and all deposits
refunded to the client. GTE, Inc. shall not be liable for any cancellation charges for travel arrangements imposed by
other companies or airlines.
If the alteration and cancellation must be made after the initiation of the rental (after arrival of the client), the
client acknowledges that GTE, Inc.'s liability for damages will be limited to the amount of unused rental calculated on
a pro rata basis of days unused.
Arrival Time
Clients, unless previously arranged with the property owner, must arrive at the designated time. Normally the time
period for the arrival meeting is Saturday in the late afternoon. Exact arrival meeting time will be designated on the
rental voucher. Should the usual arrival time not be possible, the client should contact GTE, Inc.'s United States
office at least 3 days in advance to arrange an alternative meeting time. Local representatives will do their utmost to
accommodate out of hours requests, however, the company and owners of properties cannot accept any responsibility for
damages or other consequences of late arrivals.
In the event that the property cannot be found, or if the owner does not show up at the property, please refer to the
material provided with the travel documentation (ie. travel voucher, etc.). A representative will give the client
further instructions. It is important to keep and follow these instructions precisely.
In the event that the owner cannot be found or if the client fails to arrive within the time period stipulated and has
not communicated the delay, the owner, the owner's representative, and GTE, Inc. decline all responsibility. The owner,
or the owner's representative who will be obliged to make an unplanned visit to the property may ask the client for
reimbursement of his expenses.
In the event that the clients should meet the representative at a neutral location and be escorted to the property, all
expenses for transport of people, luggage and goods from the meeting point to the property are to be paid by the client.
The rental voucher provided is not transferable and must be presented to the property owner or the owner's
representative at the time of arrival. Conduct unbecoming at the villa (including destruction of property, poor
hygiene, excessive noise, etc.) also represents a possible basis for termination of the rental agreement, and offenders
may be asked to leave the property thereby forfeiting any money paid. Any concerns should be addressed to GTE, Inc.'s
United States office prior to departing for the property. GTE, Inc. will do their utmost to find a viable solution.
GTE, Inc. cannot be held responsible for any damages in the event that the agreement has been breached and the owner has
exercised their rights.
Security Deposit
When the client arrives and takes possession of the keys to the property, the client will be required to pay the
security deposit (in cash euro) at that time. The amount of the deposit will be specified on the booking voucher.
The security deposit is intended to cover any damages and breakages over and above day-to-day usage. It will be
refunded entirely at departure time (less amounts for any additional costs not included in the letting price as listed
on the voucher) on the condition that the property and its contents do not display any immediate signs of having been
damaged. GTE, Inc. declines all responsibility in the case of dispute between the client and the owner regarding the
deposit.
The owner or his representative may refuse access to the property if the deposit is not handed over at the time of
arrival.
Number of Person/Replacements - Pets
Only those persons stipulated on the booking form and whose presence have been registered with the authorities may use
the property. The number of persons (adults and children) must not exceed the number of sleeping places indicated in the
catalogue except in the case of infants (less than 2 years old) for whom the client brings a traveling cot and the
necessary linen. Some exceptions are stated in the sales material. Any replacement during the letting period is
forbidden if not previously agreed with GTE, Inc.. The client is obliged to advise GTE, Inc. at the time of booking if
he/she is bringing any pets and the client should communicate the numbers and sizes of said pets. All pets must be
supervised by the client within the communal areas of the accommodation.
Order/Cleaning/Maintenance/Heating
The properties will be handed over clean and tidy and in good working order. The client is obliged to hand over to the
owner or the owner's representative the amount due, in euro, as shown in the voucher, for the cleaning of the property.
This amount does not however include the cleaning of the kitchen facilities (dirty dishes, etc.) nor the removal of
rubbish which are the client's responsibility. If this has not been done, the owner or his representative is obliged to
charge additional expense in addition to the amount due. Given the situation regarding energy supply and the laws
currently in force in Italy, the use of heating (when it can be switched on and off, temperature, etc.) is controlled by
regulations which vary from region to region. As an indication, heating appliances may be switched on only between
November and April.
The owner or the owner's representative have, if necessary, free access to the property for indispensable maintenance
purposes (garden, swimming-pool, etc.).
Departure Time
It is a good idea to arrange the departure meeting time with the property owner, or the owner's representative, at the
arrival meeting. Normally the departure meeting will take place on Saturday morning. At the departure meeting, the
owner or the owner's represenative will inspect the premises and asses any damages as well as deduct any amounts from
the security deposit for extra items as listed in the voucher, returning the difference.
Should the client decide to leave the property prematurely, the owner or the owner's representative is authorized to
refund the deposit to the client by post (less any eventual deduction as stated above) only after having checked the
inventory and the property in question. GTE, Inc. declines all responsibility in the case of dispute between the client
and the owner regarding the deposit.
Complaints
The properties offered by GTE, Inc. and its suppliers are not official tourist structures but private houses. Being
such, they do not have standards or categories recognized internationally, rather they reflect, in their architecture
and furnishings, the local traditions and personal taste of the owner. On their part GTE, Inc. and its suppliers have
been careful to choose such properties using a minimum and maximum quality range within which it maintains that most
every individual can be satisfied. GTE, Inc. and its suppliers cannot exclude, however, the possibility that differences
from what the client is used to in their home country may result in minor inconveniences that - being connected with the
particular characteristics of the architecture and the traditions of the area - cannot be accepted as complaints.
GTE, Inc. and/or its suppliers visit and check each property offered on a regular basis. The descriptions in any
promotional material are believed to be accurate and have been written in good faith. GTE, Inc. and its suppliers work
closely with the owners of the properties to ensure that the promotional material is kept up to date as much as
possible. However, GTE, Inc. and its suppliers decline all responsibility for any modifications made by the owners
without their knowledge, unless there is impossibility of a total or partial fulfillment of the contract and the client
is not interested in a partial fulfillment of the contract. In the event of any problems, the client is encouraged to
follow the procedure issued in the documentation provided with the booking documents and that is specific to the
supplier of the particular property. The client undertakes to give GTE, Inc. and its suppliers the necessary time to
solve the problem in question. Any person who leaves the holiday home prematurely without any explicit authorization by
GTE, Inc. and its suppliers and without having followed the required procedure, will forfeit any right to an eventual
refund of the letting cost, unless they have a legal right to cancel it. In this same case, no complaint presented upon
the return of the holidays will be taken into consideration, nor can the complaint give rise to any indemnity. To
obtain a copy of the complaint procedure instructions for the supplier of your prospective property please contact GTE,
Inc.
Although GTE, Inc. and its suppliers will do their best to rectify and solve any problems as soon as possible, no legal
responsibility to compensate the client for any personal injury, death, loss or damage of personal contents inside the
villa can be accepted by GTE Inc. and/or its suppliers.
Responsibility
GTE, Inc. sometimes arranges for certain services and accommodations offered in connection with your trip with other
suppliers. GTE, Inc., its agents, suppliers, servants and employees, and your Travel Agent shall not be liable for any
claims, actions, cause of action, injuries, damages, loss, delays, or expenses arising out of or resulting from any of
the following: any act or omission of any third-party contractor supplying services on your trip, including but not
limited to transportation, hotel, food, or sightseeing services; quarantine; strikes; force majeure; the failure of
aircraft, watercraft, or any other means of transportation to arrive or depart as scheduled; disturbances; acts of
terrorism; government restrictions or regulations; discontinuance or change in transit or hotel control. Any claim
against GTE, Inc. must be presented in writing within thirty (30) days of the date of your return flight, and GTE, Inc.
is expressly not liable for any claim presented after said thirty-day period. Any litigation against Group Travel
Enterprises, Inc. must be brought only in Missouri. And any claim against a supplier used in conjunction with your
travel arrangements must be brought in the home province or region of the supplier. We offer refunds and alternate
travel arrangements under this contract with express understanding that the acceptance of any refund or alternate travel
arrangements by you waive any additional claims of remedies. By executing this contract you specifically acknowledge
and consent to all conditions set forth in this contract, as well as the contracts of any suppliers used in conjunction
with your travel arrangements. GTE, Inc. would be happy to provide the Terms & Conditions and Policy & Procedure
manuals for any supplier it contracts in conjunction with your travel arrangements. If supplier material is desired,
please contact GTE, Inc. before you agree to these terms and conditions.
All correspondence and communications regarding these Terms & Conditions should be directed to over villa department at
Group Travel Enterprises, Inc., 2400 Bluff Creek Drive, Columbia, Missouri 65201.
Acceptance of Terms and Conditions
Clients acknowledge that by signing the booking form provided, they agree to be bound by the provisions contained herein
as well as those of the direct supplier of their rental property. In addition, the client acknowledges he/she has read,
understands and agrees to all the conditions of this contract and that of the direct supplier of his/her rental
property.
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