Terms & Conditions

Please carefully read these Booking Conditions as they form the basis for the Travel Office accepting all bookings.

General information

• All rates are nett, in Australian dollar currency and include Australian Goods and Services Tax (GST) calculated at the current rate of 10% (subject to change).
• Rates for hotel, motel, studio and one-bedroom accommodation are based on up to two (2) persons sharing existing bedding unless indicated otherwise. Rates for two-bedroom apartments are based on up to four (4) persons sharing existing bedding unless indicated otherwise and three-bedroom apartment rates are based on up to six (6) persons sharing existing bedding unless indicated otherwise. Additional charges apply for extra persons and extra beds.
• Rates listed are room only. Meals are not included unless indicated otherwise.
• A minimum three-night stay applies to all accommodation properties unless indicated otherwise. The three-night stay can be made up of any three consecutive nights within the period 8 – 18 October 2009. A minimum five-day or seven-day stay applies to campervan vehicles, dependent on the vehicle type.
• Accommodation rates are per room/apartment per night and apply to the period 8-18 October. Weeknight rates are applicable Sunday through Thursday; Weekend rates are applicable Friday and Saturday.
• A maximum of five rooms are available for purchase online. Please Contact us for assistance if you would like to book more than five rooms.
• Accommodation descriptions and facilities have been provided by the individual properties and are subject to change without notice.
• Distances from your selected accommodation to various locations have been provided as a guide only.
• Hotel room photographs are representative only and actual rooms may vary from those shown.
• The rating of accommodation is based on various factors, which are generally accepted as indicative of a certain class, however, we do not guarantee the standard, class, or fitness for purpose of that accommodation or service.

Day Tours

• All prices are per person.
• Name changes are permissible up until 24 hours prior to each tour departure.
• Most tours operate subject to a minimum number of passengers. Should minimum passenger numbers not be reached on any individual tour, an alternative tour or a complete refund will be provided.
• Certain tours have limited space, which will be allocated strictly in order of receipt of bookings.

Pre & Post Tours

• All prices are per person.
• Pre & Post Tours do not include items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls and mini bar.
• Certain tours operate subject to a minimum number of passengers. Should minimum passenger numbers not be reached, an alternative tour or a complete refund will be provided.
• Pre and Post Tours do not include international or domestic airfares. We recommend you book your connecting flights immediately upon confirmation of touring to ensure seats on the most direct flight. Whilst all effort will be made to assist you with your arrangements, the Sydney World Masters Games Travel Office accepts no responsibility for the failure to secure flights, nor any liability should these flights be delayed or cancelled.

General information

Thrifty Rental Vehicles

All renters must be aged 21+ at the commencement of the rental. An age surcharge applies per day to drivers aged 21 to 24 inclusive. Thrifty recognises all current non-provisional and non-probationary Australian drivers licenses and current overseas licenses. The required driver’s license must be in English with photo and produced at the commencement of the rental. Should the license be in another language or have no photo, an International Driving Permit must accompany it.

'Basic Daily' and 'All Inclusive' rental car rates apply to each 24-hour period (or part thereof) commencing from the pick up time. The following additional fees and charges apply to the 'Basic Daily' rate and are payable on collection of the vehicle. These fees and charges have been included in the 'All Inclusive' rate:

• Vehicle Registration Recovery Fee (VRRF): A daily surcharge applied to all rentals toward the cost of registration and compulsory third party insurance. Currently AU$4.94 excluding GST for Sydney rentals.
• Premium Location Surcharge (PLS): A levy applied for rentals commencing at some airport and premium city locations. The Sydney Airport PLS is 16% on all rental charges with the exception of fuels costs.
• All rental charges (except PLS) are subject to an Administration Recovery Fee of 3% for all states.
• All taxes, surcharges, fees & levies are subject to change without notice.

One Way Rentals:

Available on request, fees apply and must be paid direct to Thrifty on vehicle collection.

Rental Extensions:

Local daily rate at the time of pick up applies. Payment will be required by credit card.

Traffic Infringements:

The renter must pay the fine and accepts all responsibility for traffic infringements incurred during the rental agreement period. An administration fee of AU$50.00 is payable per infringement.

Driving Restrictions:

All non 4WD vehicles are not permitted to travel on unsealed roads.

Security Bond

Thrifty require a deposit of between AU$385 & AU$1100 upon collection of your vehicle to cover additional charges i.e. fuel, additional kilometres and liability waiver. This deposit is to be paid by any internationally recognised credit card. CASH DEPOSITS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. An imprint of the credit card, and the deposit, will be taken on pick up of the vehicle. The credit card must be in the name of the authorised renter.

Loss or Damage Cover (Not Including Northern Territory)

• Liability Fee & Standard Cover (SC):
  A liability fee is payable for ANY loss or damage regardless of cause/fault. The liability fee is payable for each separate incident of damage. For cars and buses in Sydney metropolitan locations, the Loss or Damage Liability Fee (SC) is AU$2750. All Thrifty vehicles have Standard Cover, which indemnifies the Thrifty Hirer, and Authorised Driver for damage caused to the Thrifty vehicle and third party property. Standard Cover is included in the daily rate.
• Single Vehicle Accident Liability Fee:
  A single vehicle accident (SVA) is an incident in which: (a) no other motor vehicle is involved (e.g. rollovers, collisions with trees etc); (b) another motor vehicle is involved but: - (i) that other motor vehicle or its driver has not been identified to us; or (ii) at the time of the incident the other vehicle was stationary. A SVA Liability Fee of AU$1650.00 applies in addition to the Loss or Damage Liability Fee.
• Premium Protection (PP):
  Premium Protection includes Standard Loss or Damage Cover and reduces the standard liability fee. The Single Vehicle Accident Liability Fee is removed for metro locations (always applies for country & remote locations). Accidental damage to tyres & front windscreen is covered (not included for 4WD vehicles) and also includes Personal Accident Insurance for the driver. Currently, the PP Fee is AU $25.00 per day. In Sydney metropolitan locations, the Reduced Liability Fee for cars is AU$385.00 and buses is AU$550.00.

Campervans/RV's

A summary of conditions has been listed below, for full terms and conditions applicable to all Campervan/RV rentals, it is important to review the Campervan Booking Conditions.

A full (non-probationary) resident country driver’s licence must be presented at the time of rental for each nominated driver. If the licence is not in English format, an international driver’s licence is also required. Drivers must be 21 years of age or over. A medical certificate stating that the customer is fit to drive the vehicle they have booked for the duration of the hire is required for drivers over the age of 75.

Campervan daily rates apply to each calendar day (or part thereof) of your rental. The daily rental rate includes standard protection, this requires you to leave a AU$7,500 security deposit, which is debited to your credit card upon vehicle collection. This amount is held as the excess and is refundable provided the vehicle is returned on time, to the correct location, undamaged, with a clean interior and with full fuel tanks (fuel being petrol or diesel) and gas bottle. Please carefully read the Campervan Booking Conditions for important information on ‘exclusions’, whereby all insurance cover will be made void.

Options to reduce the excess:

Excess Reduction Option 1:

If this option is taken, the security deposit is reduced to AU$2,500. The AU$2,500 is debited to the hirer’s credit card when the vehicle is collected. Excess Reduction Option 1 is charged at AU$20.00 per day for 2WD and AU$25.00 per day for 4WD.

Excess Reduction Option 2:

If this option is taken, the security deposit is reduced to AU$220 for 2WD vehicles or $AU440 for 4WD vehicles. The AU$220/$440 is taken as an imprint to the hirer’s credit card when the vehicle is collected. An imprint simply records a figure against the hirers credit card of AU$220/$440 which will be debited if required. Excess Reduction Option 2 is charged at AU$38.00 per day for 2WD and AU$47.00 per day for 4WD.

No Worries Cover:

This option extends the cover available with Excess Reduction 2 and includes cover for accidental damage to the overhead and underbody sections of the vehicle. With 4WD hires, it also reduces the excess to NIL. The No Worries Cover Option is a one off fee of AU$50 per hire for 2WD vehicles and AU$120 for 4WD vehicles. The No Worries Cover Option is only available when Excess Reduction 2 has been purchased.

Britz Bonus Pack

The Britz Bonus Pack for 2WD campervan rentals is AU$53 per day (maximum charge of AU$2650 per rental) in addition to the daily vehicle rate. The Britz Bonus Pack for 4WD campervan rentals is AU$65 per day (maximum charge of AU$3250 per rental) in addition to the daily vehicle rate.

Britz Bonus Pack Inclusions:

• Excess Reduction Option 2*
• No Worries Cover (PCO2)*
• 2.5% Stamp Duty and Administration Fee*
• 1 x linen and bedding kit per person*
• Extra driver fees*
• Pre-Purchase Gas (PGO)*
• Picnic table and chairs (chairs per person travelling)
• 1 x child or booster seat if required*
• 4WD Outback Safety Kit (included in 4WD campervan rentals only)*

Terms of payment

Accommodation, Thrifty Car Rental & Campervan Rental

A non refundable deposit payment of AU$150.00 per item is required to secure your booking. The balance of payment is required on/before Monday 6 July 2009.

Day Tours

Full payment is required at the time of booking to secure your tour.

Pre & Post Tours

A non refundable deposit payment of AU$200.00 per person, per tour is required to secure your booking. The balance of payment is required on/before Monday 31 August 2009. We will contact you in advance of this date to confirm amounts payable and procedures for final payment.

For bookings made after Monday 31 August 2009, full payment is required at the time of booking.

The Sydney World Masters Games Travel Office will contact you in advance of the final payment date to confirm amounts payable and procedures for payment. From Monday 31 August 2009, full payment will be required at time of booking.

If deposits and payments are not received by the due date, reservations will be automatically re-allocated without notice.

Cancellation

All cancellations must be in writing to the Sydney World Masters Games Travel Office.

Accommodation, Thrifty Car Rental, Campervan Rental, Pre & Post Tours

Deposit payments will be forfeited for each item cancelled. After Monday 6 July and up to Monday 3 August 2009, any cancellation will incur a cancellation fee equal to fifty percent (50%). From Monday 3 August 2009, any cancellation (including no-shows) will incur a cancellation fee equal to one hundred per cent (100%).

Day Tours

Day Tours are non-refundable. Name changes are permissible up until 24 hours prior to each tour departure. Name changes are permissible up until 24 hours prior to each tour departure.

Pre & Post Tours

All cancellations must be in writing to the Games Travel Office. Fifty percent (50%) of deposit payments will be forfeited for each tour cancelled prior to Monday 31 August 2008. After Monday 31 August 2008, any cancellation (including no-shows) will be subject to cancellation fees equal to one hundred percent (100%) of full tour cost. Travel Insurance is recommended.

Methods of payment

All payments must be made in Australian Dollars (AUD), payment in any other currency will not be accepted. For bookings within Australia the Travel Office accepts payment either by credit card or BPAY. For bookings outside of Australia the Travel Office accepts credit card only.

BPAY

If you select BPAY as your preferred method of payment, once your booking has been completed you will receive an email from the Travel Office with details of the Travel Office Biller Code and your individual BPAY payment reference number. This information can then be used to make your payment via telephone or internet banking. Payment via BPAY must be received within 24 hours of making your reservation, otherwise your booking will auto-cancel. A fee of AU$1.10 per booking applies. Please call your bank, credit union or building society if you are unsure how to use BPAY.

Credit card

Credit card fees apply as follows: Visa/MasterCard 1.5% of the amount due to be paid, American Express 3.42% of the amount due to be paid, Diners Club 2.8% of the amount due to be paid.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is available through The Sydney World Masters Games Travel Office. Please Contact us for more information.

Important Visa Information

Most travellers will require a visa for entry into Australia. Please check with your airline, travel agent or nearest Australian Consulate, as immigration laws are strict.

Hotel Information

Check-in time at most properties is 2:00pm, rooms may not be ready prior to this time for immediate occupancy upon arrival. It is possible to ensure immediate availability by paying the extra day’s tariff, booking rooms for the night before arrival. Check-out time at most hotels is 10:00am however, this alters amongst the various properties. Rooms still occupied after the designated checkout time may incur charges, to be confirmed upon request.

Consumer Protection

General Travel Group Pty Ltd, trading as Event Travel Office, holds a Travel Agents Licence (NSW 2TA 001930 / VIC 32096.), is a member of the Travel Compensation Fund (“TCF”) and is a member of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (“AFTA”).

Law Of Contract

These Booking Conditions are governed by the laws of Australia and any action arising under them or in any way connected with the travel arrangements may be bought only in a court in Australia, subject to any law which is expressly inconsistent with this.

Conditions of Responsibility

General Travel Group Pty Ltd and/or their subsidiary and/or associated companies, give notice that all final travel documentation, tickets and coupons issued by them, or on their behalf are supplied as agents, and all arrangements for hotel accommodation, entry tickets, transport and conveyance are supplied upon the express conditions that they are not liable for any injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, sickness howsoever caused or occurring to persons or to property. General Travel Group Pty. Ltd. and/or the subsidiary and/or associated companies accepts no responsibility for loss or additional expenses for any failure to perform or delay if that failure or delay is due to anything beyond their reasonable control. Should there be any disruptions or delays to any service to be provided it will be the responsibility of the passenger to contact General Travel Group Pty Ltd or the Agent/Operator with whom the next service is to be carried out to prevent any no-show or non-arrival charges. General Travel Group Pty Ltd and/or their subsidiary and/or associated companies give notice that if passengers are attending an event that the event tickets will be subject to Conditions of Entry and Conditions of Sale. These conditions are available by contacting General Travel Group Pty Ltd, 2/4 Princes Street, Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3207. Tel (03) 9676 2122 Fax: (03) 9645 6985 Email: events@gtaus.com.au. This clause does not exclude or limit the application of any statutory provision where to do so would contravene that statute or cause any part of this clause to be void. General Travel Group Pty. Ltd. and/or the subsidiary and/or associated companies excludes all implied conditions and warranties except any implied condition or warranty the exclusion of which would contravene any statutory provision or cause any part of this clause to be void. General Travel Group Pty. Ltd. and/or the subsidiary and/or associated companies liability is limited, where it is liable, to refunding the price of the service or product.