OUTrips booking terms and conditions

BY BOOKING with OUT you are confirming you have read and agreed to the terms and conditions below:

This information relates to trips organised by the OU Trips Club.

• These events are an OU staff and research student benefit.
• We have a limited number of places on each trip.
• Our trip bookers and committee are all volunteers

Can I attend OU Trips?

Everyone who is linked to The Open University (such as staff, retired staff and research students) is entitled to join OU Trips social events.

Have we got your interest? Here's how to find out more

Watch this website – we update this site regularly to ensure that new trips are advertised here first and on our Facebook page.

Get yourself signed up to the Club-OUTrips-List mailing list.

How to sign up to the Club-OUTrips-List list

By joining the Club-OUTrips-List email list you will receive regular emails regarding day trips and longer trips organised by OU Trips.

Go to http://mail-lists.open.ac.uk

You may need to put in your OUCU and password if not already logged onto the Intranet

Click the OU staff button - or - if you're not OU Staff, enter an email address and submit.

Find club-outrips-list in either the subscribed lists (this means you are already a member) or in the other lists menu, and hit the subscribe key.

Please note all changes to this system take 24 hours to process.

Should you experience any difficulty, please email outrips@open.ac.uk and we will be happy to do this for you.

You can unsubscribe by following the link and clicking unsubscribe at any time

Price categories

The OUTrips Club Social trips and events normally have 2 prices categories:

• Adult (this includes retired OU Staff , homeworker, AL’s and Research Students, friends and family)
• Child rate

You will be asked to state which categories you want when you book.

How many tickets can I request?

There are a certain number of places available on each trip.

As our trips and events are staff benefits, and they are often oversubscribed, we are now limiting the number of guest tickets, one staff member can apply for.

For each group of tickets there must be at least one OU linked person.

You can request 4 guest tickets per staff member attending (so 2 staff members can bring 8 guests, etc.). This does not include child tickets – these are still unrestricted in number.

If you want to book for more guest tickets, please do let us know in the booking form and if there is space we will try and accommodate you, however only 4 places will be allocated if the trip is oversubscribed.

I want to come on a trip, what do I need to do now?

You need to do the following:

• Read the Terms and Conditions on this page
• Go to the booking form link on the individual trip page
• Complete the booking form - by submitting this form you confirm you have read and accepted these terms and condition.
• If the form asks for any other information, please let us know e.g. dietary requirements/am/pm/room type preference

IMPORTANT: DEADLINE INFORMATION

When a trip is advertised on the website there are 3 important deadlines:

BOOKING NOW OPEN DEADLINE is the date and time at which the booking for the trip will be open.

BOOKING CLOSING DEADLINE is the date when you need to have requested your places by (normally around 2 weeks after the trip goes on sale.)

If you need to change or cancel your request please ensure this is done before 12 noon on the BOOKING CLOSING DEADLINE, otherwise you will be responsible for paying for your places. We will have confirmed your places with our suppliers so they cannot be cancelled.

OU Trips does not have ANY reserves to cover unpaid places. It will be down to you to try and resell them on the intranet. If there is a waiting list we can pass on this information.

PAYMENT DEADLINE we need your payment by BACS by this date.

Where possible, this will be just after payday.

You will get 1 payment reminder

See below for non-payment and if you are away.

In exceptional circumstances please do contact the outrips@open.ac.uk.

Allocation of places

Places are allocated on a first come-first served basis.

When do I know if I have been allocated places?

You will receive an email confirming that you have been allocated places and confirming the BOOKING CLOSING DEADLINE and a 2nd email requesting payment on this BOOKING DEADLINE confirming the final price and the FINAL PAYMENT DEADLINE.

If you have not been allocated tickets for this trip you will also receive an email on the booking deadline, and we will operate a waitlist. We will ask you if you are happy to pass your details onto people if they have to cancel.

One of my group has a medical condition, and needs additional assistance

Please make us aware in your booking email as soon as possible; we will do our best to accommodate you. Unfortunately, our local coach companies do not offer coaches with special access.

We have a number of people who attend our trips with collapsible wheelchairs, please be aware that the person must be able to transfer onto the coach (usually 3 or 4 steps) with assistance from their family or friends on the trip. Due to H&S requirements we are not allowed to help.

Please note that the wearing of seatbelts is also compulsory by law.

How do I cancel or change my request?

If you need to cancel your request, please email outrips@open.ac.uk as soon as possible - this must be before 12 noon on the BOOKING DEADLINE (see the date on the website or your confirmation email).

After the payment request email has been sent you will NOT be able to cancel your places as the price is calculated on the total number of places sold. You will have to pay for the tickets and try and resell them. Sorry! We don’t have any reserves to cover places that are not paid for.

In exceptional circumstances please contact the outrips@open.ac.uk

I'm going on holiday close to the deadline date

Payment will be requested on or just after booking deadline, if you are going to be away, please contact us before you go at outrips@open.ac.uk with your trip in the subject line and let us know, so we can arrange payment.

If you are away and we have to pay before your return (and we don't know) you may lose your places.

How and when do I pay for an event?

Payments can only be made by BACS transfer (Online banking).

You can make your payment by BACS, telephone banking or go into your branch and give them the details. HOWEVER YOU MUST USE THE PAYMENT REFERENCE GIVEN IN YOUR EMAIL or we cannot allocate your payment to your booking.

There is normally a 2-3 week period before the Payment Deadline (which is shown on the website) - which is the last date we can accept payment.

You will get 1 reminder email, and we'll need your payment by the PAYMENT DEADLINE.

INSURANCE

Do I need travel insurance for UK trips?

UK-based holiday doesn’t mean automatic protection from simple things such as loss, theft or cancellations because you’re staying in the same country.

But I have home contents insurance?

If you have contents insurance, this will cover all of your belongings when they are in your home from loss, damage or theft. (even accidental damage is not included as standard).

However, once these items are out of the house, they won't be covered unless you also have 'personal possessions' cover.

If you're relying on your contents insurance remember this only covers your belongings and won't pay out if you need to cancel the holiday for any reason, cut it short or if you need emergency travel expenses.

It’s your choice but please remember OU Trips do not provide any insurance cover on our trips.

Travel Insurance for OVERSEAS TRIPS

By booking places on an OU Trips overseas visit you are confirming that you have INSURANCE from the date of booking. If due to medical condition or accident you are unable to attend the trip you will still need to make the full payment or find someone to take your place. If you are covered you will be able to claim on your insurance.

Non-payment

Please be aware: We will have already confirmed and paid for the places with our suppliers and we cannot accept non-payment of booked places. We do not have funds to cover your unwanted places!

You are responsible for the full outstanding payment or find someone to take your place.

With this in mind, non-payment will result in the following action being taken.

1. There will be an exclusion from all OU trips for 1 year.
   
2. Should non-payment be repeated for a 2nd time, a permanent exclusion will be issued. This can only be reversed at the OU Trips Committee’s discretion.

We are aware that there are, on occasion’s exceptional circumstances. Should this be the case during any of the above stages, please submit this in writing to the OU Trips email. This will be presented to OU Trips Committee for their consideration.

Cancellation of Events

If the OU Trips has to cancel an event, we will give you as much notice as possible, and offer an alternative date or a refund, as appropriate.

If the venue cancels an event, the OU Trips will seek to rebook and offer attendees another date.

Overseas trips, by accepting a place on the trip, you are confirming that you have appropriate travel insurance in place should delays or cancellations take place. You will need to provide the OU Trips with details of this policy when you are paying for the deposit of your trip.

If the coach breaks down, the coach company will aim to provide a new coach as soon as possible.

In case of Inclement weather; if the trip is running, then we are unable to offer refunds.

If weather prevents the coach from collecting us at the OU, then we will look to reschedule or offer refunds, as appropriate.

Complaints

If you have a complaint, please contact the outrips@open.ac.uk in the first instance, for further investigation.

Equal Opportunities and Accessibility

The OU Trips strives to promote Equal Opportunities and Accessibility for all on our trips, wherever we can. Unfortunately, our coach company currently does not offer coaches with special access.

We can organise special dietary and accessibility requirements at events, when they have been requested in advance.

Please advise us as soon as you can if you require any additional requirements when booking our trips. Please note: Some venues are set up to be more accessible than others.

Bullying and Harassment

The following is an excerpt from the OU Code of Conduct for staff.

‘All Open University staff have the right to work in an environment which is free from bullying and harassment. The University is committed to providing a workplace in which all employees are given the dignity and respect to which they are entitled. The University has a legal responsibility to ensure the health and safety of staff and a working environment which is free from unlawful discrimination.’

‘Everyone has a responsibility to respect the feelings and sensibilities of others in the workplace, and to behave in a way which does not cause offence. In some instances individuals may be genuinely unaware that their behaviour is causing offence, but it is the duty of each individual to be sensitive to the impact their conduct may have on colleagues.’

OU Trips will not tolerate abuse or rude behaviour to our organisers or guests on our trips.

We reserve the right to cancel trip places or remove people from trips who behave in this way.

Getting in touch and anything else?

The OU Trips committee volunteer their time to identify, and organise the trips and arrange your bookings.

If you need to contact someone regarding an OUT Club trip, please email the OUTrips@open.ac.uk mailbox putting the title of the trip in the subject line and the person in charge of the trip will respond. Please don’t expect immediate responses, the volunteer will be in touch when they are able to do so. We cannot accept contact direct with the volunteers (by personal email, phone calls or visits to our desks) as this interrupts our OU work and other members of staff in our offices. Each trip is allocated to a different booker, and we do not know the status of the other trips.

We are not the OU CLUB

The OU CLUB office will NOT be able to help you and will just redirect to the OUTrips email address.