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	How to Book Additional ChargesSpecial Events & FestivalsHotel OverbookingCancellations Cancellation Fees AmendmentsCustomer Complaints Villas & ApartmentsValidityPricing in our BrochureAccommodation Rooms Travelling with ChildrenTransfers and daily excursionsTravel documentsFairsRefund application Responsibility Travelling with Children For a PDF of our conditions - click here		Conditions 2009 How to Book A non refundable deposit of $150 per person must be paid within 7 days of confirmation to secure you booking. Final payment is due 6 weeks prior to departure, however in some cases full payment may be required in advance. Bookings are accepted with the understanding that the request is definitive and the booking cannot be cancelled nor amended without communication. This must be submitted to SIT - ITALIAN TRAVEL SPECIALISTS in writing. WE DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY CANCEL, THEREFORE CANCELLATIONS THAT ARE NOT SUBMITTED IN WRITING WILL RESULT IN PENALTY FEES. Additional Charges A minimum booking of $500 is required in order to place a booking with SIT. Bookings less than the required amount will incur a $30 booking fee. Late Bookings When the date of departure is within 14 days, full payment will be due immediately. A late booking fee of $30 will be charged. Please plan your itinerary carefully before requesting a reservation. Credit Card Payments A surcharge on the value of the total invoice will be charged to your credit card. Mastercard & Visa 1.5%, American Express 3% Courier Fees Courier service required for the delivery of documents will be charged to the booking. Special Events and Festivals Bookings which run over special events or certain periods may incur higher prices and cancellation fees. Special price conditions may apply for late bookings. In such cases Southern Italian Tours may have to charge a rate which is not published in this brochure and will inform the client of any price modification upon confirmation. Hotel Overbooking In case of hotel overbooking, clients will be relocated to another hotel of the same category, at no additional cost or refund. Cancellation All cancellations for hotels or other services must be made in Australia, through Southern Italian Tours. No responsibility can be taken for any hotel or other services cancelled directly by the client or directly by the client's travel consultant, regardless of whether written proof is given. Cancellation Fees: General cancellation before commencement - - Outside 45 days, a minimum fee of $100 per person will apply - 45 to 30 days, 30% of total amount will apply - 30 to 15 days, 50% of total amount will apply - 15 to 7 days, 75% of total amount will apply - 7 days and 'no show', no refund Villas, Apartments, and Tours - - cancellation prior to arrival 15% from the date of commencement, up to 60 days prior to rental. - 25% from 59 to 45 days prior commencement - 50% from 44 to 31 days prior commencement - 100% 30 days prior to rental commencement If you fail to check-in at the designated hotel on the day booked with Southern Italian Tours, a 100% 'No show' fee will be charged. Amendments We will allow one amendment free of charge to an existing booking. Any subsequent amendments with an exception to daily excursions and transfers will require a $30 amendment fee. Customer Complaints If you have an issue with any of the services booked whilst you are in Italy, you must contact the local operator documented for you on your itinerary/vouchers. SIT ITALIAN TRAVEL SPECIALISTS will not accept any responsibility nor consider any refunds unless this procedure has been followed. Villas & Apartments Our Villas are mostly 7 days and valid from Saturday to Saturday. Our Art city Apartments require a min 3 days stay. Deposit: Upon booking we require a 30% non refundable deposit for all Villas and Apartments to secure the booking. Security Deposit: A security deposit will apply and will be determined on the property booked at the time of reservation. This fee is to be paid locally in Euro and will be refunded unless extra charges are required. Key Collection: Details of key collection will be issued with the documentation once final payment is received. Extra charges to be paid direct There may be extra charges to be paid direct. These may include, but are not limited to, the following items Villas - daily cleaning, final cleaning, telephone, heating, A/C, security deposit in local currency, and extra weekly linen, security deposit. Hotels - minibar, meals, phone, rollaway beds, cots, child’s breakfast, parking, internet etc. Car Hire - petrol, personal accident insurance, airport surcharges, one-way drop off fees, accessories, additional driver, local and national government charges Tours - entrance fees Validity Arrangements are valid, unless superseded or otherwise indicated, from 01 January 2009 to 31 December 2009. Pricing in our Brochure Due to the current financial crisis and the extreme weakness in the Australian dollar we have printed our brochure based on “FROM” rates. Consequently the prices in our brochure are only an indication and may not be current at the time of booking. QUOTES will only be valid for 1 day and the rates are subject to change at the time of booking. The holiday prices shown are in Australian dollars and are calculated on exchange rates using bank selling rates as at 30 Nov 2008. Where exchange rates fluctuate more than a 2.5%, or any other increase in the price of service which are beyond Southern Italian Tours control, we reserve the right to adjust the price accordingly, regardless of the payment status. Once a booking is placed with Southern Italian Tours, this becomes an acceptance of our booking conditions. These prices have been set to cover the cost of research communication, itinerary preparation, reservation fees paid to our overseas associates, invoices, documentation, production and distribution, bank charges, currency transfers and remunerations to travel agents. Whilst every effort is made to set the prices at competitive levels, we cannot always guarantee that a similar product may or may not be available at a lower price if booked direct. Please be aware that receipt of your deposit signifies acceptance of our products and our prices, all our prices are subject to alteration or season changes at any time due to changes by principal /currency. However, once full payment for your reservation has been received and confirmed, we will guarantee the product at purchase price. Similarly, no refunds will be given should the cost be reduced due to alteration of exchange rates. Accommodation Accommodation standards throughout Italy vary. The grading of hotels, by local tourist authorities, differs greatly from one hotel to another. Our hotels have been carefully chosen by our operators in Italy for their location & price. In our opinion the difference between the Australian grading system and that in Italy varies by one star. Therefore an Italian 3 star hotel may only be the equivalent of an Australian 2 star hotel. The photos, descriptions and map locations are to be used as an indication and guide only. Rooms Room pricing is based on a standard room, unless otherwise indicated. There are no guarantees of views. If you wish to upgrade your room to a sea view or scenic room, where possible, it should be requested at the time of the booking, and an extra supplement will be incurred. The bedding configuration is based on double rooms or twin rooms. Specific bedding requirements should be requested at the time of the booking. However there are no guarantees that your request will be fulfilled due to hotel limitation on room types. Single rooms are generally very small. If you require a bigger room then you must request a DUS room (Double Use Single) when placing your booking. A triple room is usually considered to be a twin or double room with an additional rollaway bed, or sofa bed. Confirmation of this will be made once the booking is confirmed. Travelling with Children Generally most hotels offer a child policy. Children 0-2 usually stay free when sharing a bed with parents. From 2-12 yrs there is a percentage reduction for the addition of a 3rd or 4th bed., usually a rollaway bed. Adding a third or 4th bed does not mean that you are allocated a bigger room. Refer to triple and quad room rates. Transfers and daily excursions Southern Italian tours offer an extensive range of daily excursions and transfers throughout Italy. These service can only be booked in conjunction with accommodation. Tours, daily excursions and transfers are provided by motor coach, minibus or a private car. Tour escorts and local licensed guides are included in the service. Entrance fees are to be paid locally unless otherwise stipulated. The tour companies have the right to alter the itineraries as they see fit, without notice. Travel documents It is your responsibility to ensure all passports and visas are in order. All travel documents (including hotel vouchers) should be handled by the passenger with utmost care. Please check your voucher before leaving the country to make sure dates and services correspond with itinerary required. Lost or destroyed travel documents cannot be replaced or refunded for any other accommodation, service, museum, exhibit or sightseeing tour tickets. Fairs During fairs higher rates apply. Fair dates can change without notice, and where a booking falls under the higher fair rate an extra charge will be incurred for the room. Refund application A written application for refunds is required, supported by the documents, no later than ONE MONTH after the date of service. In order to verify a refund claim, all relevant documentation may need to be sent to Southern Italian Tours overseas operators, therefore the issuing of refunds may take up to 6 weeks. No refunds will be granted for sightseeing or tours not utilised unless cancelled by the tour operator. Responsibility Southern Italian Tours and or its associate companies or agents, give notice that they act as a booking agent only for the persons or companies providing or offering the means of travel, conveyance, transport, accommodation, or other services and all receipts, tickets, vouchers, coupons or exchange orders are issued subject to the terms and conditions under which transportation and other services are provided. They shall not be liable for any injury, damage loss, accident, delay or irregularity that may be caused to person or property however caused or arising, during any tour under its management sponsorship, procurement or otherwise, notwithstanding that the principal may be a foreign company, corporation or person. So far as Southern Italian Tours and or its associated companies and agents shall not be acting as agent for the person making the booking, it is the responsibility of the passenger to ensure that he or she is in possession of the proper travel documents and that they are in compliance with the current government and transport companies' regulations. The right is reserved to modify the itinerary in any way considered necessary or desirable or to change a reservation, and/or means of conveyance, without notice and for any reason whatsoever and without allowance or refund but the extra cost, if any, resulting there from must be paid by the passenger. The right is also reserved to cancel or withdraw any tour, or any booking made for a passenger, or to decline to accept or retain any person as a member of a tour, for any reason whatsoever. No refund can be made in respect of accommodation and meals not utilised and under no circumstances can refunds be undertaken. The transportation companies or firms shall be exempt from all liability in respect of any detention, delay loss, damage, sickness or injury however, and by whoever caused and or whatever kind occurring of or to the passenger at any time when the passenger is not onboard a carrier or conveyance used or operated by the transportation companies or firms. Passage contracts in use by the concerned shall constitute the sole contract between the transportation companies or firms and the purchaser of these tours and/or passengers. All fares are subject to change without notice. The issuance and acceptance of receipts, tickets, vouchers, coupons or exchange orders shall be deemed as consent to the above conditions. Insurance Southern Italian Tours recommends everyone undertaking travel insure themselves against medical expenses, personal accident loss of deposit and cancellation fees, and also protect their baggage against any damage or loss.