GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Those who book a service through ARISTO TOURS are bound to be with the following as this constitutes full acceptance of these general terms and conditions by both our company and our esteemed clients/guests.

01-Our Tours and Rates
02-The Validity of the Prices
03-Guaranteed (Seat-In-Coach) Tours Policy
04-Minimum Person Requirement / Single Occupancy
05-The Sequence of the Visits
06-Luggage Allowance
07-Exclusions on Our Services
08-Booking Requirements
09-Children Policy
10-Smoking Policy
11-Payments
12-Changes
13-Pick Up / Drop-off Issues
14-Availability Issues
15-Early Check-In/Out Requirements
16-Airport Arrival Issues
17-Missed Connected Flights
18-Air Tickets
19-Hotel Rates
20-Passport and Visas
21-Right to Refuse
22-Lost and Left Items
23-Responsibility
24-Cancellation Policy
25-Services for the Handicapped People
26-Closures
27-Complimentary Airport Transfer Services by the Hotels
28-Unused Services
29-Baby Seat Availability
30-The Disputes
31-Copyright


01-Our Tours and Rates:

On our price lists the rates mentioned are "regular / seat-in-coach" tours. Due to the fact that our regular tours can be booked until the very last moment we can never give you the exact number of the tour participants when asked in advance.

All the tax included rates are valid exclusively for those except Turkish citizens and are given in American Dollar and valid between 01.01.2010 - 31.12.2010. USD effective selling rate of the Turkish Central Bank on the tour commencement day is taken into consideration on our invoices.

All the tour rates include guidance in English. However, upon request our tours can be conducted also in Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and so on. For private tours and language options contact us at aristo@aristotours.com Besides, air-conditioned transportation and admission fees as specified on the itinerary, if otherwise noted, are also included in the price of the tour. Depending on the situation we can use a guide who can also drive at the same time or a separate guide and a chauffeur. Aristo Tours reserves the right to make decision in this respect without informing the other parties.

All the vehicles in our fleet have the compulsory seat insurance.

The included meals on our tours are identified by letter codes in the tour descriptions as shown below. (However, all of our "private tours" are exclusive of lunch).

(B) = Breakfast, (L) = Lunch, (D) = Dinner

On our tours, no breakfast on the first day and no dinner on the last day are served unless otherwise noted.

Daily tours' rates do not include airport pick-up and drop-off fees while two day or longer ones cover pick-ups and drop-offs from/at the airports. (However, no surcharge for the private tours except the in-city tours)

Timing given for the daily tours are approximate ones and they are all subject to change. Pick-up times may vary depending on the number of the participants and hotel locations.

For all the accommodation included tours for the third person in triple share there will be 10 % discount from per person in double rates.

02-The Validity of the Prices:

All of the rates and the prices are valid between January 1st. to December 31st. 2010. While all care has been taken to ensure that all the quoted prices are correct, circumstances beyond the control of Aristo Tours may necessitate a change in the prices quoted. Aristo Tours reserves the right to adjust the price of any travel arrangements at any time due to the increases in the cost of airfares, tours, exchange rate fluctuations, fuel surcharges, value added tax, etc. However, the quoted prices are guaranteed upon the receipt of full payment. Any further taxes to be imposed by the government further to the release of this Terms and Conditions may also cause the rates to change. When the updated tariff is released the previous versions expire.

All the specific quotes/proposals submitted by our company are valid for 45 days after the release date. Such proposals will be considered void unless converted into a reservation within this 45 days period.

03-Guaranteed (Seat-in-Coach) Tours Policy:

Our guarantee is given only for the bookings requested until 45 days prior to the commencement of the services for the tours with accommodation and 21 days for the daily tours. However, we will still do our best to carry out all the requirements even if they are forwarded to us at the last moment. Therefore, all the last minute booking requests forwarded prior to the service commencement date must be confirmed by us.

Guaranteed departures are valid in case the guests join the tour on the very first day of the tour. Demands for joining these tours at a different date and location need to be confirmed by us and a private rate will be applied if there is no other participant on these tours. However, except for the guaranteed departures, after the confirmation of the tour by Aristo Tours, if other participants cancel the tour and consequently if there is no enough number of people to run the regular tour then Aristo Tours keeps the right to cancel the arrangements for the clients who will join the tour at a different stage rather than the original commencement date or to charge on private basis.

Aristo Tours also keeps the right to cooperate with some other travel companies which have similar tours, if a necessity arises.

04-Minimum Person Requirement:

There is no minimum person requirement on our guaranteed departure tours. However, the tours with accommodation must be booked 45 days prior to the commencement of the tour services. Daily excursions, on the other hand, must be booked 21 days prior to the commencement of the tour services. Yet, we will still do our best to carry out all the requirements even if they are forwerded to us at the last moment.

05-The Sequence of the Visits :

06- Luggage Allowance :

Every participant on our tours is allowed maximum 2 bags weighing no more than 30 kg ( 66 pounds ). Extra luggage can be accepted only when there is enough space on our vehicles. However, if there is no sufficient space for the third bag Aristo Tours keeps the right to refuse the extra luggage.

07-Exclusions on Our Services:

Our rates do not include passport and visa charges, travel and medical health insurance (Travel and medical health insurance can also be purchased from Aristo Tours if not purchased from the country of origin), excess baggage, all items not specifically mentioned as being included, and all items of personal nature such as laundry, telephone and other communication costs, all the beverages also including bottled water, tea and coffee, meals not detailed in the itinerary, and gratuities. Tips to the guides and drivers are customary and are left to the discretion of the guests.

08-Booking Requirements:

We will sincerely appreciate whether a non-smoking room and a twin bedded or a French bed room are preferred is advised at the time of the initial booking. Although rare, depending on the late booking some hotels may overlook these details. Despite the fact that we will do our best to accommodate our guests accordingly we do not assume responsibility about these problems since some hotels may not offer such conveniences.

09-Children Policy:

In all of our tours even if these tours are daily tours, in terms of children traveling with their parents, for the first child if the room is shared 0-6 years free of charge and 6-12 years are subject to 50% discount with or without bed. For the second child, if the room is shared with the parents 0-6 years free of charge and 6-12 years are subject to 50% discount with or without bed.

10-Smoking Policy:

Smoking is strictly prohibited on the tour vehicles. However, frequent stops are made so that smoking breaks may be taken outside the vehicles.

11-Payments:

All the payments should be received in 45 days prior to the service commencement date through one of the options stated below. Aristo Tours has the right to cancel the tour if the payment is not done 45 days before the departure date. No services are rendered unless full payment is received prior to the service commencement date and no responsibility is assumed against the traveler.

The payments can be made through the following methods:

1- Wire transfer to one of our account numbers the details of which can be obtained on request.

All bank charges and fees need to be debited to the sender.

2- By a credit card through VISA, MasterCard or American Express. You may be billed in Turkish Lira at the current exchange rate and therefore the USD amount you authorize might be slightly different than quoted by you on your credit card statement report due to fluctuations on the currency rates and the conversion commissions that may be charged by your bank.

USD effective selling rate of the Central Bank on the tour commencement day is taken into consideration on our invoices. The pre-payments made in Turkish Lira should also reflect the USD effective selling rate of the Central Bank on the payment date.

12-Changes

First change on the requested services is free. However, for each additional change made to the original booking, a service fee of $20 per service will be charged. The related change fees incurred by the hotels and airlines will also be additionally charged.

Last minutes changes just prior to the service commencement date or at the time of implementation stage cause a lot of problems and extra expenses for us. However, we always do our best to assist to our esteemed clients to comply with their last minute requests. Any extra costs for such requests should be settled right away while any refunds can only be worked out 15 days after the conclusion of the tour mentioned.

13-Pick Up / Drop-off Issues:

As for the tour packages, Day 1 stands for the starting day of the tour from the country of origin and Day 2 signifies the arrival day of the passenger. On Day 2, as long as we are informed about the arrival details (flight/cruise) of the client by either him/herself or by his/her travel agent, complementary transfer from the airport or the pier is always provided. Day 3, on the other hand, stands for the commencement of the trip and each client would be informed about the exact time of the departure by our staff. Complementary transfer is also provided according to the return details of the passenger only on the last day of the tour. Clients who book accommodatıon by their own before Day 2 and after the last day of the tour as an extended stay are not provided complementary transfer.

For daily excursions, as a general practice, pick up time on the excursıon commencement day is between 08:00 - 09.30 at the airports, piers in Kusadasi and Istanbul and at the city centered hotels. Drop off time, on the other hand, is between 16:30 - 17:00 unless otherwise noted.

14-Availability Issues:

We are asked from time to time whether there is any avaliability on a certain date at a certain hotel. Unless we make reservation with regards to this request availability can never be guaranteed. However, if we are paid in advance we can provide requested rooms at the selected hotels. If the payment is not done 7 days in advance we may not be able to provide the requested rooming. The rooms can be imminent to any others right away. Therefore, we strongly recommend to ask for reservation to guarantee the room otherwise the availability at that moment does not guarantee the room even for the requests to be made in the following few hours.

15-Early Check-In/Out Requirements:

The hotels cannot confirm this until the very last moment as this opportunity is possible only in cases when the hotels are not fully booked on the night prior to check in date. Therefore it is not possible for us to confirm this well in advance and should be checked through the hotel at the time of arrival.
However, most of the hotels will be helpful on this issue as long as they are convenient while a few of them will ask for extra payment for early check in. For your information, the general check-in and check-out times at the hotels are 14.00 respectively.

16-Airport Arrival Issues:

Due to the delays emerging from lost luggage problems in the planes or passport problems at the Customs, Aristo Tours cannot be held responsible and the guests can be waited up to maximum 20 minutes on the regular tours.

All the visa formalities at the arrived airports should be processed by our guests on their own since our staff is not allowed to access this point. In case of a lost luggage problem upon arrival our guests are recommended to do the necessary paper work at the Customs and inform our staff about the case.

As our transfer staff is not allowed to the point beyond the Customs our guests are supposed to deal with the luggage handling on their own. Once they proceed to the terminal meeting point they will be assisted properly.
While our team is already waiting at the airport, some guests may have difficulties from time to time in meeting them on arrival to the airports due to the extreme crowd despite their names are written on the boards that are held by our staff and also due to the early landings of the planes. If the guests take a taxi to their hotel without extensively looking for our staff and calling our office promptly no refund will be given in case our staff is still at the airport. For the delayed flights our staff can wait up to maximum 2 hours. For further delays our guests are expected to take a taxi to their hotel without any refund from our side. However, if we are informed about the delays in advance then the transfer service will be amended accordingly.

17-Missed Connected Flights:

If the guests miss the connected domestic flights due to the late arrival of the international ones no responsibility is taken and all the extra costs are charged from the guests. Therefore short connection intervals between the international and domestic flights are at the risk of our guests.

18-Air Tickets:

We do not take any responsibility for the air tickets that are not issued by Aristo Tours and any reconfirmations or follow-ups should directly be handled by the guests themselves. We are not responsible for the flight changes/cancellations incurred by the airlines.

We always consider the original departure schedule that is advised to us by our contacts. If the final departure details are different than what is given to us and we are not informed in this regard on timely manner we do not take responsibility for any inconvenience that may emerge on the airport transfer services.

19-Hotel Rates:

We give the utmost care to provide our colleagues with the most updated and current hotel rates list. However, on some certain periods like New Year's Eve, Religious and National Festivals, Conventions, International Competitions, Special Anniversaries, etc. almost all the hotels apply surcharge. Therefore, Aristo Tours keeps the right to revise the quoted hotel rates list at the time of booking. However, once the bookings are confirmed with their specific rates, no further charges are applied. Some of the selected hotels on our tour itinarires may not be avaliable on similar periods of the year. In such cases we give the utmosts care to provide similar hotels.

20-Passport and Visas:

All the participants must have a valid passport for at least three (3) months with the appropriate tourist visa for the destination and/or transit country. It is the responsibility of the passengers to have the necessary documentation in their possession before travelling. Consult the appropriate consulate(s) for information on passport requirements. If the participant is unable to be on the trip or its part due to the absence of the documents required, he/she is obliged to cover any costs involved at his/her own expense.

21-Right to Refuse:

We reserve the right, upon reasonable grounds, to refuse any passenger any part of the tour services, the right to decline to accept or retain any person as a tour participant, should such person's health, mental or physical condition (or the person's general conduct) impede the operation of the tour and/or the rights, welfare or enjoyment of other tour participants. In such cases, our (or our agents') responsibility, if any, will be limited to the refund of costs for any unused tour services.

22-Lost and Left Items:

Aristo Tours assumes no responsibility for the lost and left items at the time of the tours. However, if anything is returned to us by the hotels and the other related parties we can ship these items on to the required addresses. Then, the full shipment fee is charged by us prior to the shipment of the item. For the credit card payments, a convenience fee of 2.5% of the shipment fee is added on to the total charge. We regretfully do not accept payments on the destination.

23-Responsibility:

Aristo Tours cannot be responsible for any damage or injury to participants while touring - unless the shortcoming is caused by our company.

24-Cancellation Policy:

The notice of cancellations by participants should be given in writing, and all such cancellations will be effective on the date the written notification is received.

In the event of cancellation by a participant sharing the same accommodation, the rate charged to the remaining participant will have to be increased to the "Single Occupancy" rate, unless we can arrange for a Shared Accommodation.

Cancellation fees / charges are agreed to be "Liquidated Damages", and not a penalty. Deposit towards a tour constitutes full acceptance of these "General Terms & Conditions" and to the Cancellation Policy.

The Cancellation Fees, in addition to any applicable Airline Penalties, are as follows:

· If a booking is cancelled more than 30 days prior to the scheduled departure, full payment (less $25 per person cancellation processing fee) shall be refunded upon receipt of the cancellation notice.

· If cancelled 21 to 30 days prior to departure, the cancellation fee shall be 10% of the total cost

· If cancelled 11 to 20 days prior to departure, the cancellation fee shall be 25% of the total cost

· If cancelled 2 to 10 days prior to departure, or thereafter, the cancellation fee shall be 50% of the total cost

· Since tour rates are based on group participation / or minimum person requirements, NO REFUNDS can be made for any services or any part of the program not used, for the cancellations made within the last 48 hours prior to the service commencement date.

· Some hotels may also charge cancellation fee for the bookings cancelled within the last 30-45 days prior to the check-in date. If such a remark is noted on our confirmation sheet this hotel fee will also be charged in full regardless what is standing above.

· If the cancellations are made due to the obligatory reasons like force-majeure situations beyond the control of the participants our company can be flexible on this issue as to charge only the expenses imposed on to us by the third parties or may waive any of the cancellation charges depending on the situation.

25-Services for Handicapped People:

Aristo Tours is a handicapped friendly travel company and carries out specific private services for the handicapped people. However, we do not offer regular/seat-in-coach services as such tours are carried out in a speedy tempo and with limited space availability due to the participation of many other guests.

26-Closures:

The museums and historical sites under the control of the Ministry of Culture are closed during the first morning of the public holidays while shopping malls and other stores can be closed during the entire official holiday. The museums like Green Mausoleum in Bursa that are governed by the other institutions rather than the Ministry of Culture and some historical shopping malls like Grand Bazaar and Egyptian Spice Bazaar are closed during the whole public holiday period. Below are the official holiday dates that are current for the year 2010.

Please note that we take no responsibility for any kind of inconvenience that may emerge due to the closures.

01 January -New Year's Day
23 April - National Independence & Children's Day
19 May - Youth Sports Day
30 August - Victory Day
09-11 September - Ramadan Feast
29 October - Republic Day
16-19 November - Feast of Sacrifice

Beyond these specific closures the routine closure days are denoted at the related itinerary to avoid any potential problem in this respect.

27-Complimentary Airport Transfers by the Hotels:

Some hotels may claim to provide free transfer services on arrival. However, most of these transfer services are valid with the much higher Rack/Internet rates of the hotels and are not applicable with the reservations required from us as our contract prices are generally lower than those released by the hotels.

28-Unused Services:

Since tour rates are based on group participation NO REFUNDS can be made for any services or any part of the program not used, after the start of the tour.

29-Baby Seat Availability:

Travelling with a baby is a great fun for the families and therefore we, as Aristo Tours, are available to supply you with a baby seat on our services commencing in Istanbul , Ankara, Izmir and Cappadocia free of charge (this is an extra charge on the rental car services supplied by the rental car companies though). However, there may be extra charges at the other locations. Baby seat request should be made 7 days prior to the service commencement date as otherwise such an extra service cannot be guaranteed.

30-The Disputes:

Should the tour participants have any complaints about any of the tour arrangements, these should be immediately brought to the attention of us, in order to remedy the problem momentarily. Furthermore, any such complaints about our tours must be submitted to us in writing, within 21 days after the completion of the services.

As Aristo Tours we do not handle any visa issues. Visa handling companies should directly be contacted for such cases.

Neither does Aristo Tours accept any liability for lost, stolen or damaged personal property (including money), losses or expenses due to delay or changes in schedules, hotel overbooking or defaults, sickness, epidemics, weather conditions, strikes, war, quarantine, force major, or any other causes beyond the direct control of Aristo Tours, nor carriers' or hotel owners' liability is governed by applicable laws or international conventions. In such cases all additional expenses have to be covered by the participant. If participant arrives too late at the port of embarkation and the ship has sailed then all consequences and costs that may occur will be borne by the participant.

31-Copyright:

All rights of this terms and conditions are reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this tariff may be reproduced, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, stored in retrieval system, recording or otherwise, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of Aristo Tours.