Terms & Conditions
Short version:
20% or full payment (if less than 30 days) is required to confirm charter(s). Cancellation made 30+ days prior to the charter date is 100% refundable but subject to a $100US cancellation fee. Cancellation made 14 days prior to the trip date is 50% refundable. All cancellations made less than 14 days are non-refundable. All cancellations must be made in writing. No one can predict the weather, so if we have to cancel due to weather or a fault of our own, we will try our best to reschedule the charter. If not, there is a full refund.
Your contract with GoFish Belize:
To secure a booking online with GoFish Belize (the ‘Company’) requires 20% of the total if the charter date is more than 30 days away. Full payment is required if the charter date is less than 30 days away. Clients booking by telephone, facsimile, web, or e-mail will be deemed to have read and accepted the Booking Conditions set out below. THEREFORE, PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY. A booking is accepted and becomes legally binding only from the date when the Company has confirmed its acceptance in writing and issued a confirmation invoice. It is at this point that a contract between the Company and you (the ’Client’) comes into existence. The Contract is between the Company and the Client, being all persons named on the booking form traveling or intending to travel with the Company. The person signing the booking form (which incorporates these conditions) warrants that he/she has full authority to do so on behalf of all persons whose names appear on the booking form (the ’Party’), and confirms that all such persons are fully aware of and accept these conditions. However, for the avoidance of doubt, that person’s signature confirms his or her responsibility for all payment due in respect of all persons within the Party. No agent or employee of the Company other than a director has the authority to vary or omit any of these conditions or promise any discount or refund.
Changes by the client:
Any changes to the original booking must be confirmed in writing by the person signing the booking form and must be accompanied by an administration fee of $100US per booking in addition to any further costs that the Company may incur. Whilst every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate changes and additional requests, their availability cannot be guaranteed. A change of departure date must be requested in writing by the person signing the booking form and must be accompanied by the above administration fee, unless the request is within 30 days of departure in which case cancellation fees will be applied as detailed (below). To reiterate, these charges are in addition to any further charges made by our appointed agent/suppliers, whereby you would incur charges levied by this third party.
Cancellation by the Client:
The Client may cancel the booking at any time provided that the cancellation is communicated to the Company in writing. Cancellation charges will be applied as shown below calculated from the day when the Company receives written notice. The more notice that the Company receives, the less the Company will charge the Client. Cancellation charges apply as follows:
30 days or more – $100USD administration fee:
29- 14 days – 50% of total cost refundable
13 – day of charter- 100% of total cost non-refundable
If the reason for cancellation is covered by the Client’s travel insurance policy, the Client may be able to reclaim these charges.
Changes by GoFish Belize:
The Company’s aim is to operate all tours as advertised but by entering into the Contract the Client accepts that it may prove necessary or advisable to vary or modify a tour itinerary or its contents due to prevailing local conditions or any other reason. The Company reserves the right at any time to cancel or change any of the facilities, services or prices described in our brochure or website (fuel costs, dues, taxes, and exchange rates) and to substitute alternative arrangements of comparable monetary value or charge a supplement locally if alternative arrangements cannot be made, without compensation to the Client and accepts no liability to the Client whatsoever for costs or loss of enjoyment as a result of these changes. Where a major change is made prior to departure the Client will have the choice of either: (i) accepting another tour of equivalent or superior standard; or (ii) a choice of specified travel arrangements of a lower standard to those previously booked together with a refund of the difference in price; or (iii) canceling the tour and obtaining a full refund. ‘The definition of “major change” is a change that is reasonably required but will depend on the individual tour and circumstances.’
Cancellation by GoFish Belize:
The Company reserves the right to cancel a tour in any circumstances but will not cancel a tour less than 30 days before charter, except for weather conditions or the Client’s failure to pay the final balance. Unless the Client fails to pay the final balance, the Company will, upon cancellation, return all monies paid excluding administration fees or offer an alternative tour of comparable standard.
Surcharges:
The Company reserves the right to increase the tour cost to take account of the following: government action, currency exchange rates, transportation costs (including the cost of fuel) and local taxes. If the surcharge results in an increase of more than 10% of the tour cost, the Company must notify the Client as quickly as possible in order to enable him to take appropriate decisions, and the Client may then cancel the booking within 7 days of being notified of the surcharge and obtain a full refund. Should he decide to cancel for this reason, he must exercise his right to do so within 14 days from the issue date printed on his final invoice. No surcharge will be imposed within 30 days of departure.
Behavior:
It is the Clients’ responsibility to ensure that he and the members of his Party do not behave in a way which causes offense or danger to others or which risks damage to property belonging to others. In such circumstances all suppliers and the Company have the right to terminate arrangements made on the Clients’ behalf, in which case the Company’s responsibility to the Client ceases immediately. Therefore, the Company will not be liable for any refunds, payment of compensation or reimbursement of any cost or expenses incurred as a result. Further, the Client will be liable to reimburse the Company for any expenses whatsoever that it incurs as a result of such behavior.
Age, Fitness and Participation:
All Clients are expected to satisfy themselves prior to booking that they are fit and able to complete the itinerary of their chosen tour as described in the Company’s brochures. No unaccompanied minors (i.e. those under 18 years of age) can be accepted on tours operated by the Company, however anyone under the age of 18 may travel provided that they are accompanied by a parent or a guardian who accepts full responsibility for them and subject, in all cases, to the ultimate discretion of the Company. Clients agree to accept the authority and decisions of the Company’s employees, tour leaders, and agents whilst on tour with the Company. If in the opinion of such person, the health or conduct of a Client before or after the departure appears likely to endanger the safe, comfortable or happy progress of the tour, the Client may be excluded from all or part of the tour, in which case all monies paid will be forfeited and the Company will not be liable to pay any compensation whatsoever to such Client.
Local Laws:
All participants in tours operated by the Company are expected to obey the laws and regulations of Belize and any failure to do so will relieve the Company of all obligations that it may otherwise have under the Contract.
Illness or Disability:
Anyone suffering from illness or disability or undergoing treatment for any physical or medical condition must declare the true nature of such condition at the time of booking and make arrangements for the provision of any medication or other treatment required during the tour. Failure to make such disclosure will constitute a breach of these Booking Conditions and may result in such persons being excluded from the tour in which case all monies paid will be forfeited and the Company will not be liable to pay any compensation whatsoever.
Complaints:
If the Client has a complaint about any of the tour arrangements, the Client must bring it to the attention of the tour leader or other representative of the Company at the time so that they may use their reasonable endeavors to rectify the situation. Failure to complain at the time will affect the Client’s ability to claim compensation from the Company. Should the problem remain unsolved a complaint must be made in writing to the Company within a reasonable period of not more than (we suggest 1months) after the completion of the tour. Should the parties fail to resolve the matter, either party may refer it to our Belize Tourism Board (BTB) for arbitration.
Responsibility of GoFish Belize:
The tours operated or supplied by the Company have been designed to provide participants with an exposure to the true nature of the environment visited and therefore involve an element of potential risk and exposure to potential hazards. All bookings are accepted on the understanding that the Client appreciates such risks and hazards and that they undertake all tours at their own volition. Where the Client suffers death, personal injury or any other loss whatsoever as a result of an activity forming part of the tour arrangements booked with the Company, the Company shall only accept responsibility if the death, personal injury or loss was caused by the negligent acts and/or omissions of the Company’s employees, officers, agents, suppliers or sub-contractors. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company shall not be liable for such death, personal injury or any other loss suffered whatsoever if there has been no fault on the part of the Company or its partners, or if the cause was the fault of the Client or due to the actions of someone unconnected with the tour arrangements or due to circumstances which neither the Company nor its partners could have reasonably anticipated or avoided. All boats used by Company are fully insured by the each boat’s captain and they have accident insurance for passengers. As such, the Client i) accepts that for charters in Belize, any claims relating to accidents while on-board their boats need to be addressed directly with their boats captain, and ii) indemnifies the Company against any and all claims related to such accidents incurred on their boat.
Special Requests:
If the Client has any special requests, he should inform the Company at the time of booking. The Company and its suppliers will try to meet such requests but, as these do not form part of the Contract, the Company does not guarantee to do so, including for pre-bookable seats. If the Company confirms that a special request has been noted or passed to the supplier or refers to it on the confirmation invoice or elsewhere, this is not a guarantee to meet it. The Client will not be specifically notified if a special request cannot be met. The Company does not accept bookings, which are conditional on the fulfillment of any special request.
Privacy Policy:
In order to process your booking, GoFish Belize need to collect certain personal details from you. These details will usually include the names and addresses of party members, credit/debit or other payment details and special requirements such as those relating to any disability or medical condition that may affect your charter arrangements. We take full responsibility for ensuring that proper security measures are in place to protect your information.
We must pass some information on to the relevant suppliers of your charter arrangements. GoFish Belize will only deal with the personal details you give to GoFish Belize as set out above unless you agree otherwise. We may make contact with you or members of your party by post, e-mail, or telephone for the purposes set out. We will also use your information to inform you of offers in the future or to send you brochures. If you do not wish to receive such approaches in the future then please let us know as soon as possible by telephone, letter or e-mail us at info@gofishbelize.com. If we do contact you by e-mail about our new brochures or special offers, you will also be able to unsubscribe yourself from our database at this time.
Entire Agreement:
The Contract constituted by the Company’s acceptance of the Client’s booking subject to these Booking Conditions shall constitute the entire agreement between the Client and the Company in relation to the relevant booking, and shall exclude all other terms and conditions (except for the relevant suppliers’ conditions and any applicable international conventions) and shall supersede all prior or contemporaneous communication or information provided.
