Terms and conditions
Terms and Conditions of Services
Please read the Volunteering Experiences Terms and Conditions of Service carefully before submitting your online application.
By submitting your application, you certify that you agree to the following Terms and Conditions:
Our terms
1. These terms.
1.1. What these terms cover. These are the terms and conditions on which we supply services to you.
1.2. Why you should read them. Please read these terms carefully before you submit your application to us. These terms tell you who we are, how we will provide services to you, how you and we may change or end the contract, what to do if there is a problem and other important information. If you think that there is a mistake in these terms, please contact us to discuss.
2. Information about us and how to contact us.
2.1. Who we are. We are SRGL Ltd. t/a VOLUNTEERING EXPERIENCES a company registered in England and Wales. Our company registration number is 12297935 and our registered office is at Suite 1, 5th Floor, City Reach, 5 Greenwich View Place, London E14 9NN. “Volunteering Experiences”, “SRGL Ltd”, “us”, “we”, “our”, refer to SRGL Ltd.
2.2. How to contact us. You can contact us by telephoning our customer service team at 0034 652 597 294 or by writing to us at infovolunteeringexperiences.com.
2.3. How we may contact you. If we have to contact you, we will do so by telephone or by writing to you at the email address or postal address you provided to us in your application.
2.4. «Writing» includes emails. When we use the words «writing» or «written» in these terms, this includes emails.
3. Our contract with you.
3.1. How we will accept your application. Our acceptance of your application for a program booking will take place when we email you to accept it, at which point a contract will come into existence between you and us.
3.2. If we cannot accept your application. We reserve the right to reject a program application. If we are unable to accept your application, we will inform you of this in writing, without having to provide a reason for our decision, and will not charge you for the services. This might be because of unexpected limits on our resources which we could not reasonably plan for, because we have identified an error in the price or description of the service, because we are unable to meet a program you have specified or because your participation in a program interferes with the ordinary course of the program at any stage. We may also decide not to accept your application if any of the reasons set out at paragraph 10.3. apply. In such event, your Application Fee (as defined at paragraph 12.5.) would not be refunded.
3.3. Your application number. We will assign an application number to your application and tell you what it is when we accept your application. It will help us if you can tell us the application number whenever you contact us about your application.
4. Our services.
4.1. Our organisation connects volunteers with our partners in the host countries and acts as the support that the volunteers need before, during and after their trip. Before the program start date, our services consist in providing our clients with orientation, guidance, help them with any questions they may have with respect to visas, flights and travel insurance, and providing them with information about the home country, the program and our local partners. The program start date will be set out in the application. At this point we will provide our clients with accommodation, some meals and transport from and to their accommodation / program location. We offer a range of volunteering programs and internships as more fully described on our website at www.volunteeringexperiences.com. References to “services” and “program” mean the services provided by us to you under these terms and conditions.
5. Your rights to make changes.
5.1. If you wish to make a change to the services you have applied for please contact us. You are allowed to make changes to your choice of program, dates applied and/or country as many times as you want until 30 days before the start date of the chosen program. We will let you know if the change is possible. If it is possible, we will let you know about any changes to the price of the service or anything else which would be necessary as a result of your requested change and ask you to confirm whether you wish to go ahead with the change. If we cannot make the change or the consequences of making the change are unacceptable to you, you may want to end the contract (see clause 8. Your rights to end the contract).
5.2. A charge of £ 5065 $60 € is applicable for each change until 30 days before the start date of your chosen program.
5.3. Changes between 30 – 15 days before your chosen program start date are subject to availability. We will try to adjust your changes, but our partner organisations may or may not approve it. A charge of £ 100130 $120 € is applicable for each change between 30 and 15 days before the program start date. Changes within 15 days of your program start date are not available.
6. Our rights to make changes.
6.1.
Our rights to make changes. We may change the service:
- to reflect changes in relevant laws and regulatory requirements; and
- to implement minor technical adjustments and improvements. These changes will not affect your use of the services.
7. Providing the services.
7.1. When we will provide the services. During the application process we will let you know when your program start date is confirmed. Once your application process is completed we will start providing our services to you. The completion date for the services is as told to you during the application process.
7.2. We are not responsible for delays or cancellations of services outside our control. If our supply of the services is delayed by an event outside our control then we will contact you as soon as possible to let you know and we will take steps to minimise the effect of the delay. We are not responsible for any climatic phenomena (for example – earthquake, floods, typhoon, cyclone, tsunami etc.) and/or any other circumstances that are beyond our control and that may cause any change or cancellation. We shall be exempt from liability towards you for any claims related to cancellation and/or change in any time that are a result of force majeure strikes, disturbance of public peace, fire, inundation, weather conditions, civil revolt, war, acts of terrorism, military operations, invasions, rebellion, pandemics, volcanic eruption, disease, robbery, theft, boycott, arrests, technical malfunctions, or any similar event caused by a force majeure. If your program is cancelled by us due to any of the reasons above your Application Fee (as defined at paragraph 12.5.) would not be refunded under such circumstances.
7.3. What will happen if you do not give required information to us. We may need certain information from you so that we can supply the services to you, for example, a Police Clearance Certificate, a health certificate, information about personal preferences, flight number, insurance documents, emergency contact details, academic qualifications, work experience, citizenship, travel plans or passport number. We will contact you in writing to ask for this information. If you do not give us this information within a reasonable time of us asking for it, or if you give us incomplete or incorrect information, we may either end the contract (and clause 10.2. will apply) or make an additional charge of a reasonable sum to compensate us for any extra work that is required as a result. We will not be responsible for supplying the services late or not supplying any part of them if this is caused by you not giving us the information, we need within a reasonable time of us asking for it.
7.4. We may suspend supply of the services if you do not pay. If you do not pay us for the services when you are supposed to and you still do not make payment within 7 days of us reminding you that payment is due, we may suspend supply of the services until you have paid us the outstanding amounts. We will contact you to tell you we are suspending supply of the services. We will not suspend the services where you dispute the unpaid invoice (see clause 12.8.). We will not charge you for the services during the period for which they are suspended. As well as suspending the services we can also charge you interest on your overdue payments (see clause 12.7.).
8. Your rights to end the contract.
8.1.
You can always end your contract with us. Your rights when you end the contract will depend on what you have bought, whether there is anything wrong with it, how we are performing and when you decide to end the contract:
- If what you have bought is misdescribed you may have a legal right to end the contract (or to get a service re-performed or to get some or all of your money back), see clause 11.;
- If you want to end the contract because of something we have done or have told you we are going to do, see clause 8.2.;
- If you have just changed your mind about the service, see clause 8.4.. You may be able to get a refund if you are within the “cooling-off period”, but this may be subject to exceptions and deductions;
- In all other cases (if we are not at fault and there is no right to change your mind), see clause 8.3..
8.2.
Ending the contract because of something we have done or are going to do. If you are ending a contract for a reason set out at (a) to (b) below the contract will end immediately and we will refund you in full for any services which have not been provided and you may also be entitled to compensation. The reasons are:
- we have told you about an error in the price or description of the service you have applied for and you do not wish to proceed; or
- you have a legal right to end the contract because of something we have done wrong.
8.3. Ending the contract where we are not at fault and there is no right to change your mind. Even if we are not at fault and you do not have a right to change your mind, you can still end the contract before it is completed, but you may have to pay us compensation. If you want to end a contract before it is completed where we are not at fault and there is no right to change your mind, just contact us to let us know. The contract will end immediately and we will refund any sums paid by you for services not provided but we may deduct from that refund a sum equivalent to the Application Fee or any admin charges set out in clause 8.6. as is reasonable as compensation for the net costs we will incur as a result of your ending the contract.
8.4. Exercising your right to change your mind (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013). The “cooling-off” period (i.e. your legal right to change your mind within 14 days and receive a refund) under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, does not apply to our services which include the supply of accommodation, transport of goods, vehicle rental services, catering or services related to leisure activities (section 28(1)(h) of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013). In this case our cancellation policy at paragraph 8.6. shall apply. For the purposes of paragraphs 8.3. and 8.4. our services will be deemed provided and/or completed when we pay for a program booking with one of our partners following your application.
8.5. How long do I have to change my mind? We require any cancellation requests to be sent to us by email at least 30 days before your program start date. We incur a lot of charges in order to provide suitable program to you. The date of cancellation shall be considered as the date in which the written cancellation notice is received in our email inbox.
8.6.
Our cancellation policy for all programs is:
- If you cancel 45 days or more before your program start date – 70% refund of the program fee and refund of the Application Fee (as defined at paragraph 12.5.) (less £ 5065 $60 € admin charges);
- If you cancel between 45 – 30 days before program start date – 50% refund of the program fee (less £ 5065 $60 € admin charges); there is no refund of the Application Fee;
- If you cancel between 30 – 20 days before program start date: up to a maximum of 20% refund of the program fee, under approval of local partners (less £ 100130 $120 € admin charges); there is no refund of the Application Fee;
- If you cancel within 20 days of your program start date: there is no refund of the program fee and no refund of the Application Fee;
- Cancellation after the program start date: there is no refund of the program fee and no refund of the Application Fee.For the avoidance of doubt, if you cancel within 45 days or more before your program start date, a charge of £ 5065 $60 € administration will be charged in any event, for each cancellation.
9. How to end the contract with us (including if you have changed your mind).
9.1.
Tell us you want to end the contract or inform us that you have changed your mind. To end the contract with us or inform us of your cancellation, please let us know by doing one of the following:
- Phone or email. Call customer services on 0034 652 597 294 or email us at infovolunteeringexperiences.com. You can fill the cancellation form and send it to us or simply write to us providing your name, home address, details of the application and, where available, your phone number and email address.
- Online. Complete the form Contact us on our website www.volunteeringexperiences.com.
- We will confirm your end of contract or cancellation within 7 working days of your notification in accordance with this paragraph.
9.2. How we will refund you. In the event of termination of contract or cancellation, return payment (if any) will be made by the same method you used for payment, excluding any fees incurred for bank transactions. In addition, we may make deductions from the price, as described below.
9.3. Deductions from refunds if you are exercising your right to change your mind. If you are exercising your right to change your mind, we may deduct from any refund an amount for the supply of the service for the period for which it was supplied, ending with the time when you told us you had changed your mind. The amount will be in proportion to what has been supplied, in comparison with the full coverage of the contract.
9.4. When your refund will be made. We will make any refunds due to you as soon as possible. If you are exercising your right to change your mind, then your refund will be made within 30 days of your telling us you have changed your mind.
10. Our rights to end the contract.
10.1.
We may end the contract if you break it. We may end the contract for a service/program at any time by writing to you if:
- you do not make any payment to us when it is due and you still do not make payment within 7 days of us reminding you that payment is due; or
- you do not, within a reasonable time of us asking for it, provide us with information that is necessary for us to provide the services, for example, police checks, vaccination records, medical checks, insurance documents information, emergency contact details, academic qualifications, flight number or previous travel plans.
10.2. You must compensate us if you break the contract. If we end the contract in the situations set out in clause 10.1. we will refund any money you have paid in advance for services we have not provided, but we may deduct or charge you a sum equivalent to the Application Fee or any admin charges set out in clause 8.6. as is reasonable as compensation for the net costs we will incur as a result of your breaking the contract.
10.3. Reasons we may terminate the contract. We may have to terminate your participation in a program and this contract if a criminal background check or reference check reveals that you are not suitable to work with children, for any reason that may put children at risk, in accordance with our Child Protection Policy, if you fail to supply or you supply inadequate (in our reasonable opinion) vaccination records or any other medical checks or if you do not provide us with enough information to provide you with our services. In such event, your Application Fee (as defined at paragraph 12.5.) would not be refunded.
11. If there is a problem with the services.
11.1. How to tell us about problems. If you have any questions or complaints about the service, please contact us. You can telephone our customer service team at 0034 652 597 294 or write to us at infovolunteeringexperiences.com.
Summary of your legal rights. We are under a legal duty to supply services that are in conformity with this contract. See the box below for a summary of your key legal rights in relation to the services. Nothing in these terms will affect your legal rights.
Summary of your key legal rights
This is a summary of your key legal rights. These are subject to certain exceptions. For detailed information please visit the Citizens Advice website www.adviceguide.org.uk or call 0044 (0) 3454 040 506.
If your purchase services, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says:
- You can ask us to repeat or fix a service if it’s not carried out with reasonable care and skill, or get some money back if we can’t fix it.
- If you haven’t agreed a price beforehand, what you’re asked to pay must be reasonable.
- If you haven’t agreed a time beforehand, it must be carried out within a reasonable time.
See also Exercising your right to change your mind (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013).
12. Price and payment.
12.1. Where to find the price for the services. The price of the services/programs will be the price indicated on the application pages when you submit your application. We take all reasonable care to ensure that the price of the program advised to you is correct. However please see clause 12.3. for what happens if we discover an error in the price of the program.
12.2. We will pass on changes in the rate of VAT. If the rate of VAT changes between your application date and the date we supply the services, we will adjust the rate of VAT that you pay, unless you have already paid for the services in full before the change in the rate of VAT takes effect.
12.3. What happens if we got the price wrong. It is always possible that, despite our best efforts, some of the services/programs we sell may be incorrectly priced. We will normally check prices before accepting your application so that, where the service’s correct price at your application date is less than our stated price at your application date, we will charge the lower amount. If the service’s correct price at your application date is higher than the price stated to you, we will contact you for your instructions before we accept your application.
12.4. We can amend our prices. We reserve the right to change the program price anytime without any prior information.
12.5. Application Fee / Deposit. An application fee of £ 150175 €195 $ (the Application Fee), as stated on our website, is required immediately upon acceptance by us of your application under paragraph 3.1. above.
12.6. When you must pay and how you must pay. We accept payment with all debit and credit cards accepted by Stripe. You can find more information here Stripe Payment Options. You must make full payment of the services/program price no less than 45 days in advance of your program start date. If we receive your application less than 45 days prior to your program start date, you must make full payment of the services/program price before the date set out in the invoice sent to you by us (the due date). We will invoice you at least a week before the due date. Failure to transfer the balance payment by the due date gives us the right to cancel your program. Under these circumstances, refunds, if any, will be given in accordance with the cancellation policy at paragraph 8.6..
12.7. We can charge interest if you pay late. If you do not make any payment to us by the due date, we may charge interest to you on the overdue amount at the rate of 4% a year above the base lending rate of Bank of England from time to time. This interest shall accrue on a daily basis from the due date until the date of actual payment of the overdue amount, whether before or after judgment. You must pay us interest together with any overdue amount.
12.8. What to do if you think an invoice is wrong. If you think an invoice is wrong, please contact us promptly to let us know. You will not have to pay any interest until the dispute is resolved. Once the dispute is resolved we will charge you interest on correctly invoiced sums from the original due date.
13. Travel.
13.1. We do not arrange flights or make any travel arrangements to your program location. It is your own responsibility to arrange your own air fares and travel to the program location. We are not liable for monetary losses and/or additional losses that are caused due to changes or cancellations and/or due to delays relating to your travel arrangements.
13.2. We provide advice and pre departure information to you, however it is your responsibility to obtain all necessary travel documents, such as visa, work permits etc. Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months from the date of program completion and departure and you are responsible for ensuring your travel documents are complete and up to date for your travel. We cannot accept the responsibility if entry is denied to a country due to incorrect visa, travel documents or any other reason.
14. Travel Insurance.
14.1. Travel insurance is compulsory for all participants of Volunteering Experiences. All participants need to buy full comprehensive medical insurance for their time of stay in our programs.
14.2. We do not arrange insurance. It is your sole responsibility to purchase your own travel and medical insurance. We provide only advise and will not take any responsibility towards claims or disputes with the insurance provider.
15. Legal disclaimer, limitations and exclusions of liability.
15.1. You acknowledge that volunteering requires a degree of flexibility, and understands that the itinerary, accommodation, and modes of transport are subject to change without prior notice due to local circumstances. We shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by you which may include, without limitation, changes in accommodation, changes in your program by our local partners, flight and train delays and cancellations, hotel cancellations, taxi and pick-up cancellations, etc.
15.2. You acknowledge that we contract with a network of locally-based partners, companies, government agencies, charity groups and individuals throughout the country/s, to assist in hosting the volunteers locally during their placements. To the best of our knowledge, these third parties are qualified to perform the duties they are contracted to perform. However, we will not be held liable for any injury, damage, loss, delay or irregularity that may occur due to the behaviors of these third parties.
15.3. You agree to irrevocably release, discharge, and agree not to sue release from any actions, suits, liability, claims, or other causes of action of any nature, known or unknown, which may hereafter arise from any cause whatsoever including, without limitation, those arising from your placement on a program.
15.4. We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors; for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; for breach of your legal rights in relation to the services as summarised at clause 11.1..
16. Indemnity.
16.1. You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless and the local host organization from any and all liability arising directly or indirectly out of, or in connection with, your travel, temporary residence in your chosen destination, and the undertaking of volunteering, work or tourism activities.
17.
Personal Risks.
You acknowledge and accept the responsibilities and risks associated with your agreement to travel to, temporarily live in and work or provide volunteer services in a developing country. Such travel and volunteer work can be often hazardous and involves a certain degree of risk, inherently dangerous activities and personal perils to the volunteer, both foreseen and unforeseen, all of which are fully accepted by and solely assumed by the volunteer. Therefore, we, including any and all of our employees, managers, directors, shareholders, host families and host country partner organizations are not liable, to the maximum extent of the law, for any loss or harm the volunteer or associates may suffer, including but not limited to loss caused by:
- Personal injury (other than as provided under paragraph 15.4.)
- Accommodation
- Transportation
- Safety
- Hygiene
- Civil Unrest
- Dangers associated with wild or other animals
- Religious Activities
- High Altitude
- Food
- Water
- Accidents of any type
- Emotional injury
- Death
- Illness or disease
- Terrorist attack, civil war, civil commotion or riots, war, threat of or preparation for war, armed conflict, imposition of sanctions, embargo, or breaking off of diplomatic relations, arrests, military operations
- Damage to or loss of property
- Accident or illness in remote regions without means of rapid evacuation or availability of medical supplies and facilities
- Adequacy of medical attention once provided
- Hospitalization and medical expenditures
- Damage to luggage
- Natural phenomena (flood, drought, earthquake or other natural disaster), weather, and force majeure
- Technical malfunctions
- Nuclear, chemical or biological contamination or sonic boom
- Any law or any action taken by a government or public authority, including without limitation imposing an export or import restriction, quota or prohibition, or failing to grant a necessary licence or consent
- Collapse of buildings, fire, explosion or accident
- Any labour or trade dispute, strikes, industrial action or lockouts
- Non-performance by suppliers or subcontractors
- Interruption or failure of utility service
18. How we may use your personal information .
18.1. How we may use your personal information. We will only use your personal information as set out in our Privacy Policy.
18.2. We can use your photos and written feedback while at the project to post on our website www.volunteeringexperiences.com. We might use such material for marketing/promotion in form of brochure / emails or on any of its websites. We also use photos and material from our partners and affiliations abroad and we are not responsible for claims arising towards that material / photos / content. This includes photos and videos posted on our Facebook page, Instagram and other social media network sites.
19.
Code of Conduct.
You agree that you would abide by the rules and regulations set out by our partner organizations in the home country. If we or our in-country partners find your behaviour unsatisfactory due to drugs, alcohol, stress, abuse or a medical condition, our program would be terminated under the following conditions:
- If you do not respect our Child Protection Policy.
- If we find that you are engaged in any illegal activities or convicted of any criminal activities before or during the project period.
- If it is believed that any of your action or behaviour is threatening or unacceptable to the society or anyone involved with the project based on the judgment of the project staff and/or the in-country coordinator.
- Any information provided by you to us during the time of enrolment is incorrect.
- If you are found taking drugs or using such material while in the project.
- If you are found to be engaged in sexual behaviour while your stay in the host family.
- If you do not observe the Code of Conduct in your host country.
In case the agreement is terminated due to any of the above reasons or reasons relating to the above, you will not be entitled to any refund from us.
20. Other important terms.
20.1. We may transfer this agreement to someone else. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms to another organisation. Nobody else has any rights under this contract. This contract is between you and us. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of its terms.
20.2. If a court finds part of this contract illegal, the rest will continue in force. Each of the paragraphs of these terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.
20.3. Even if we delay in enforcing this contract, we can still enforce it later. If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under these terms, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of your breaking this contract, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date. For example, if you miss a payment and we do not chase you but we continue to provide the services, we can still require you to make the payment at a later date.
20.4. Which laws apply to this contract and where you may bring legal proceedings. These terms are governed by English law and the Courts of England and Wales shall have the exclusive jurisdiction to decide on any disputes between us.
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