Booking Terms & Conditions
DEFINITIONS:
Bailey Chinnery Photography shall mean Valda Bailey and Doug Chinnery
The Client: shall mean the person or persons listed on the invoice as the person booking the tour or workshop and anyone they are booking on behalf of
The Fee; shall mean the fee listed on the invoice for the purpose of the Client(s) attending the workshop or tour (including any applicable taxes should they apply)
The Dates; shall mean the dates listed on the invoice and workshop of tour website listing in respect of the commencement and termination of the workshop or tour
The Deposit; shall mean the sum listed on the invoice
The Invoice; shall mean the document sent to the client(s) indicating payment required for the workshop or tour
The Workshop or Tour; shall mean any place, event or location together with such details as may be recorded on the invoice and web page to include accommodation, tuition from Bailey Chinnery Photography and other services or extras as described during the dates outlined.
AGREEMENT:
The invoice and these Terms and Conditions shall form the entire agreement between the parties save for any variations agreed in accordance with these Terms and Conditions and no variation or modification shall be effective unless accepted by Bailey Chinnery Photography in writing.
Deposit
A Deposit is required when the client books a Tour or Workshop in order to reserve a place on the requested dates. The Deposit will apply towards the Fee payable for the Workshop requested by the Client and is non-refundable. The place on the Workshop or Tour is not secure until the Deposit is received. Bailey Chinnery Photography reserve the right not to accept any booking without giving a reason.
The Client has the right to cancel their booking at any time and without giving a reason, within fifteen days of making the booking and all monies paid will be refunded in full.
Payments
The balance of the Fee must be paid for or on behalf of the Client no later than 60 days prior to the dates. The Client shall always remain the persons liable to Bailey Chinnery Photography for the Fee on behalf of the Client. Any bank or PayPal charges incurred due to returned cheques will be debited to the Client and payable in addition to the Fee.
Cancellation
In the event of the Client cancelling their place on the workshop or tour, Bailey Chinnery Photography reserve the right to charge a cancellation fee in accordance with the following scale:
Deposits are non-refundable. However, at the discretion of Bailey Chinnery Photography, The Deposit may be returned if an alternative booking can be secured according to the following scale.
* 30% of the Deposit will be retained if cancellation takes place more than 120 days prior to the Dates of the workshop or tour if a substitute booking is secured.
* 60% of the Deposit will be retained if cancellation takes place between 120 and 60 days prior to the Dates of the workshop or tour if a substitute booking is secured.
* 100% of the Deposit will be retained if cancellation takes place less than 60 days prior to the Dates of the workshop or tour regardless of whether a substitute booking is secured.
*100% of the Fee and deposit will be retained if cancellation takes place within 28 days of the workshop or tour regardless of whether a substitute booking is secured.
In the event of the Client cancelling their place on the workshop or tour and then at some subsequent time Bailey Chinnery Photography cancel the tour or workshop for any reason, the Client will not be entitled to a refund of the Deposit. At the point the Client cancels their place on the workshop or tour they terminate the contract between themselves and Bailey Chinnery Photography.
Coverage
Bailey Chinnery Photography cannot be held responsible for the lack of photographic coverage caused by any restrictions in force by officials or organisations of any location where the Workshop or Tour is due to take place. Bailey Chinnery does not guarantee any specific location or photograph, although every effort will be made to deliver the Workshop or Tour as described on the website and tour notes.
Travel and Accommodation
The Fee does not cover any costs associated with the Workshop or Tour beyond accommodation, transport (as provided by Bailey Chinnery Photography) and all photographic tuition during the Workshop or Tour. All other costs and expenses associated with attending the Workshop or Tour are the responsibility of the Client.
Force Majeure Whilst every care is taken to provide the Tour or Workshop on the Dates, it is subject to alteration or cancellation by Bailey Chinnery Photography owing to any cause beyond its reasonable control, i.e. act of God, fire, war, road closure, illness etc.
Cancellation by Bailey Chinnery Photography
In the event of cancellation by Bailey Chinnery Photography, Bailey Chinnery Photography’s liability shall be limited to a full refund of any sums paid by the Client in respect of the Workshop or Tour. A rearrangement onto a future Tour or Workshop can be arranged free of charge. Bailey Chinnery Photography will not be responsible for any further costs, losses, claims or actions howsoever arising, and the Client hereby indemnifies Bailey Chinnery Photography against same.
Illness and Non-Attendance
Bailey Chinnery Photography will use all reasonable endeavours to ensure that the named photographers will be available to lead the Tour or Workshop; however, in the unlikely event that one cannot attend, an alternative replacement leader will be sought. If this is not possible the Workshop or Tour may still be able to proceed with a single leader and without reduction in Fee.
Client Responsibility
It is the responsibility of the Client to possess a valid passport (if required) and all visas, permits and certificates, including medical certificates required for the Workshop or Tour. All advice or notes given by Bailey Chinnery Photography on such is given in good faith. It is the responsibility of the Client to arrive on time, to be healthy enough to complete the tour and come with the appropriate clothing, footwear and equipment.
The full cost of all Covid-19 tests required for travel by any government or authority is the responsibility of the client and must be completed in due time and appropriate certificates and documents carried.
The full costs of any quarantine accommodation, living expenses of any type or disrupted travel due to Covid-19 measures or illness caused by Covid-19 or any other illness, sickness or unforeseen occurrence at any time and to any member of the tour or workshop party is the responsibility of the client.
The client agrees not to travel if they feel unwell or are displaying any Covid-19 symptoms at the time of the tour or have been in contact with anyone who has been tested positive for Covid-19 in the fourteen days before the tour.
The client agrees to follow all Covid-19 protection measures put in place by Bailey Chinnery or by local and national authorities and organisations.
Governing Law
This agreement shall in all respects be governed by the law of England and Wales and the parties hereto submit to this jurisdiction.
Insurance
The Client is hereby advised to take out a suitable insurance policy to cover for any expenses, losses, claims or actions of any kind arising in connection with but without limitation to both cancellation by either party and force majeure affecting the Workshop or Tour or any event or matter relating to or dependent upon the Workshop or Tour.
Liability
Bailey Chinnery Photography do not accept any liability for personal injury, accidents or losses of any kind whatsoever, and however caused, during the course of the Workshop or Tour and the Client hereby indemnifies Bailey Chinnery Photography against any claims, costs, losses or demands howsoever arising in this respect.
Declaration
In booking and paying a Deposit for a Workshop or Tour with Bailey Chinnery Photography the Client hereby agrees and confirms that they have read and understood the content, meaning and effect of these Terms and Conditions and acknowledge that they have been afforded the opportunity of seeking their own separate and independent legal advice prior to paying the Deposit indicating their complete acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
Updated 09.08.22
COVID POLICY:
LATEST UPDATE 15.2.23
It was probably only ever a case of 'when' not 'if' and indeed the unthinkable has happened. Doug and I have just returned from leading a 12 day tour around Morocco whilst having to deal with a Covid outbreak.
The good news is, we coped. The group remained stoical and good humoured and the sun continued to shine for us all. Thankfully nobody got seriously ill and the experience has given us the opportunity to reflect on how best to manage the situation should it arise again.
'Patient zero' was a client who flew in from the US. Around the 4th day of the tour, she started to feel unwell. She tested overnight, was found to be positive and she sent us a message informing us immediately.
She and her husband (who was travelling with her) withdrew from the tour at that point. The remainder of the group travelled to our next location the following day, as planned, while they remained behind. They discussed rejoining the tour as soon as they tested negative but in fact they subsequently decided to return to the US. Both were fully vaccinated and boosted; neither had had Covid before. Their cases appeared to be relatively mild.
Despite their quick action, they had been travelling in a minibus with us and subsequently one other person in the group tested positive, along with both Doug and myself. Truly the worst possible scenario. As we were still travelling around, we hired separate transport for the three of us, we masked up, kept our distance outside and we ate at a table well apart from the rest of the group. At the time of writing there are no legal obligations to isolate in Morocco.
The tour did carry on as planned - teaching was delivered at a distance and everyone was very understanding as we did our best to limp along as best we could.
Having witnessed the havoc that an outbreak can wreak on a group tour, we have put together some notes, detailing what will be required of you, should you contract Covid whilst on one of our tours. And also, what you can expect from us.
I hope it goes without saying that this is in no way a blame game and we have to rely on the integrity of people to speak up if they feel unwell.
If you develop Covid symptoms, we will ask that you immediately test. If that test is negative, we will suggest that you wear a mask and keep testing until symptoms disappear.
If you test positive then you will be required to withdraw from the group. If the tour has a varied itinerary, you will need to arrange your own transport if you wish to continue along the route. We will help you all we can with logistics but you will need to claim on your insurance for extra costs incurred. You will also be required to eat away from the group and comply with the requirements of the country we are visiting.
Should you decide you wish to return home, then we will also help you as much as we are able - as will Elaine. Again, the costs must be borne by you. It is for this reason we strongly urge you to take out travel insurance.
If you decide to remain on the tour, you can rejoin the group as soon as you are able to provide us with a negative test result.
The same conditions will apply if either of the people leading the tour test positive.
We we travel with a supply of masks, hand sanitiser and lateral flow tests but we strongly advise you to bring your own. Similarly if you feel you are in a vulnerable group, you may wish to investigate the possibility of getting a supply of Paxlovid from your doctor. I do not know if they prescribe such medication 'in case' but it may well be worth enquiring as it has been show to shorten the duration of the illness. When our client got sick in Morocco we were on the edge of the Sahara Desert - about seven hours away from a pharmacy who might hold a supply of such drugs.
Since returning home, a couple more people in the group have, regrettably, also tested positive.
The situation is far from ideal - of course, we have choices; we can either choose to stay at home or we can continue to travel and deal with any possible consequences. The experience in Morocco has had a big impact on both Doug and me and despite not being responsible for the outbreak, we both feel very bad about the way things unfolded. We will do everything in our power to stop it happening again. However, this is the world we are now living in, and if we wish to continue to travel, we need to accept that this remains a possibility.
All we can do is assure you that we take every preventative measure we can and hope that as time goes on, the danger of Covid recedes.
Thank you.
UPDATE 27.05.20
The UK government (on whose advice we have to base our terms and conditions as a UK based company) has recently dropped the requirement for people who are travelling to the UK who are double jabbed to have a negative Covid test prior to arrival. They are soon (at the time of this writing) planning to drop the requirement in law to self-isolate if an individual catches Covid-19 - effectively treating the virus like any other flu like infection.
As a result of this decision, we will no longer require participants on UK based tours and workshops to take a lateral flow test prior to joining the group. For those joining tours outside of the UK, a test will only be required if it is also required by your airline, your government or the government of the country to which we are travelling.
The UK government has also changed the law on wearing masks in public and they are no longer a requirement on Public Transport, although some transport authorities continue to make it a requirement.
During this period of conflicting advice and situations on mask wearing we will make a decision on each tour as respects whether wearing masks in the tour vehicles will be a requirement. This will be based on the local laws, the covid situation locally and the feelings of the group. Experience is already teaching us that many joining tours are initially nervous about being in close contact with each other after so long in relative isolation, but as we spend time together as a group this feeling subsides as we acclimatise to socialising once again and so many stop feeling the need to wear masks as assiduously when together. If in any doubt we will err on the side of wearing masks in the vehicles.
We have also completed an in-depth risk assessment for running tours and workshops during the current Covid-19 situation.
Needless to say we will only be visiting hotels, cafes, restaurants and other venues which are practising Covid-19 safe procedures.
We will be researching every destination as the tour or workshop approaches regarding the current Covid situation and UK Government advice on travel. We will keep all those booked on the trip advised and give as much help and guidance as we possibly can. However, ultimately, the decision to travel is yours if the tour goes ahead. You cannot assume that our decision to go ahead and travel means it is necessarily the right thing for you. You must take into account your own health, the risks and the advice of your own government agencies.
The UK Governments latest advice and information on the Covid-19 Coronavirus outbreak
The latest Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice on travel (search by country)
World Health Organisation (WHO) situation reports - updated daily
General advice for travellers during the outbreak of Covid-19
Information regarding travel insurance implications from the Association of British Insurers
The NHS advice on how to wash hands properly
The NHS page on the Covid-19 virus