Terms and General conditions

1. Application of the terms and conditions and object of the contract

These “Terms and conditions applicable to travel and language courses organized by Ziegler & Partner GmbH” (hereinafter “these terms”) apply to travel packages and individual arrangements offered by Ziegler & Partner GmbH. If Ziegler & Partner GmbH acts as an intermediary for a third party for some services, such as air travel or car rental, these services are subject to the terms and conditions of the third party.

Ziegler & Partner GmbH organizes travel packages and language courses in Russia. Ziegler & Partner GmbH is committed to provide all the services corresponding to the information and descriptions included in its brochures or on its website as well as in the offer made by Ziegler & Partner GmbH and based on the package selected by the participant. The Articles 6 and 8 are reserved.

2. Conclusion of the contract and reservation

The contract is concluded between Ziegler & Partner GmbH and the customer once the registration either written on paper or by email, by phone or made during a personal interview, has been accepted by Ziegler & Partner GmbH. The registration must be received by Ziegler & Partner GmbH not later than 15 days prior to the departure or to the beginning of the course.

If the registration has not been received in the time set, additional fees may be charged on the basis of an estimate. The reservation is guaranteed once the payment of a deposit has reached the bank account of Ziegler & Partner GmbH or once confirmation of this payment (copy of the transfer order) has been received by Ziegler & Partner GmbH. In order to guarantee the reservation, the deposit has to be paid as soon as the registration has been confirmed and not later than 15 days after reception of the offer made by Ziegler & Partner GmbH based on the package selected by the participant. If the booking has been made less than 15 days before departure or the beginning of the course, the deposit is due immediately. Reservations for places in group tours or guided tours are processed on a policy of “first come – first served” (the defining moment is the payment of the deposit). It is therefore recommended to book in advance.

3. Payment:

The balance still owed after payment of the deposit must be paid no later than 15 days before departure or the beginning of the course or as soon as all the services have been confirmed. If the booking has been made less than 15 days before departure or the beginning of the course, the full price is immediately due for payment. Any reservation will be automatically cancelled if the deposit or the full payment has not been made on the due date. Application fees of CHF 100.00 will be, from case to case, billed to the customer, as well as possible compensation for the services already partially provided.

4. Complaints:

If the trip or the course is not consistent with the description appearing in the brochure or on the website of Ziegler & Partner GmbH or if they present any further deficiency, the customer must contact the head of the institution or department concerned to enable him to solve the problem. If the customer is still unsatisfied, he must contact the local office of Ziegler & Partner GmbH which will do everything in its power to help him. If the customer is still unsatisfied, he will have to manifest his dissatisfaction within 10 days following his return.

5. Responsibility:

Ziegler & Partner GmbH is responsible for the proper execution of the trip and/or the course. Missing services will be reimbursed within the limits of these terms. The amount reimbursed is limited to the price paid for the trip. The responsibility of Ziegler & Partner GmbH is not involved for any changes of program resulting from delayed flights, strikes, decisions of the public authority, delays caused by others, public disorder or any event of force majeure.

5.1 Physical injury :

Ziegler & Partner GmbH is liable for personal injury due to its negligence or to failure on his or his subsidiaries’ part provided that, in the latter case, the customer transfers to Ziegler & Partner GmbH his claims for damages. In cases involving a means of transport, the amount of claims for damages is limited to the amounts set by international agreements or by national laws applicable to the case. Ziegler & Partner GmbH is not liable for damages due to the negligence or to the acts of the customer or of a third party not acting as a contractual auxiliary of Ziegler & Partner GmbH, or in cases of force majeure or other unforeseen or uncontrollable events. In all cases, only the direct damage, to the explicit excluding lost profits, can be claimed.

5.2 Material damage:

Ziegler & Partner GmbH is liable for any material damage attributable to him or to one of his auxiliaries as long as the customer has not already been compensated in a different way and as long as he transfers to Ziegler & Partner GmbH his claims for damages against the perpetrator of the damage. The amount of compensation is limited to twice the price paid for the trip. In cases involving a means of transport, the amount of claims for damages is limited to the amounts set by international agreements or by national laws applicable to the case. Ziegler & Partner GmbH is not responsible for the loss of personal belongings, cash, etc., or for the loss, theft, damage or misuse of a credit card or of another means of payment. Ziegler & Partner GmbH is not liable for damages due to the negligence or acts of the customer or a third party not acting as a contractual auxiliary of Ziegler & Partner GmbH, or, in addition, in case of force majeure or other unforeseen or uncontrollable events. In all cases, only the direct damage, excluding explicitly lost profits, can be claimed.

Demands must be submitted in writing not later than 30 days after the date of the end of the trip. Demands submitted after this deadline will be considered invalid and will not be taken into account. All claims for compensation are null and void one year after the end of the trip. Ziegler & Partner GmbH assumes no responsibility for events that occurred in the country of destination, such as reservations, excursions and activities performed directly on site and not arranged by Ziegler & Partner GmbH.

6. Guarantees:

Ziegler & Partner GmbH is a member of the Guarantee Fund of the Swiss travel industry and guarantees customers the security of the sums paid for the booking of the trip. The customer will find additional information on www.reisegarantie.ch.

7. Modification and Cancellation:

7.1 Change in the price:

Should the number of participants expected for a trip or a course not be reached, Ziegler & Partner GmbH reserves the right to adjust the price of certain services accordingly or undertakes to provide a service of an equivalent value (for example: provide an individual course of an equivalent value to the amount paid by the customer, in the place of a group course). If the difference exceeds 10% of the full price of the agreed package, the customer has the right, within five days after the receipt of the notification by Ziegler & Partner GmbH, to terminate the contract without any cost. In this case, notice of the termination must be sent to Ziegler & Partner GmbH by registered mail or by email with acknowledgment of receipt.

7.2 Modification of the program

If the customer wishes to change certain agreed services, he must inform Ziegler & Partner GmbH by registered mail or by email with acknowledgment of receipt, stating the reasons for this change. For any change of program required by the customer outside the cancellation period (article 7.4), application fees of CHF 100.00 may be charged to the customer. For same changes within the cancellation period, an additional amount may be charged. The terms and conditions and the rates of airlines or other companies concerned apply in case of changes or modifications of tickets, booking or any other travel documents. After the establishment of the travel documents, the changes that are needed before departure are considered as a cancellation within the meaning of these terms if the documents are to be reissued. Airline tickets are personal documents and cannot be transferred to a third party, unless otherwise stated in the terms and conditions of the company issuing the tickets.

7.3 Cancellation by Ziegler & Partner GmbH

Ziegler & Partner GmbH reserves the right to cancel a reservation on justified grounds or when the required minimum number of participants expected for a trip or a course is not reached. The cancellation will take place no later than seven days prior to departure or the beginning of the course. Payments to Ziegler & Partner GmbH by registrants are in this case fully reimbursed. Any claim to further compensation is excluded. If Ziegler & Partner GmbH is obliged to cancel all or any part of the trip due to force majeure, acts of public authority or strikes, Ziegler & Partner GmbH is entitled to deduct from the amount that will be reimbursed to the customer all the expenses already engaged and the services already paid by the company.

7.4 Cancellation by the customer

Any cancellation by the customer must be made in writing and sent to Ziegler & Partner GmbH by registered mail or email with acknowledgment of receipt. Up to 30 days before departure or the beginning of the course, the customer will have to pay application fees of CHF 100.00. In case of cancellation within 30 days prior to the departure or the beginning of the course, the customer shall pay, in addition to that amount, the following sum as a percentage of the full price of the package : – 29-15 days before departure or the beginning of the course: 30%; – 14-8 days before departure or the beginning of the course: 50%; – 7-1 days before departure or the beginning of the course: 80%; – day of departure or of the beginning of the course: 100%; – after departure or the beginning of the course: 100%.

The effective date for the determination of the cost of cancellation is the date of receipt of the cancellation message by Ziegler & Partner GmbH. Cases of early returns, shortened stays and/or shortened courses are considered as cancellations within the meaning of these terms and shall not be entitled to the reimbursement of the missed services.

Registration fees for the courses, payment in advance in order to confirm the booking of the accommodation and the application fees shall not be refunded under any circumstances.

For stays and/or courses of over 8 weeks, in case of interruption of the stay and/or the course by the customer after departure and/or after the beginning of the course, Ziegler & Partner GmbH is committed to do its best to reimburse the customer for the cancelled services, provided that the cancellation has been communicated to Ziegler & Partner GmbH at the latest three weeks before the date of termination of the stay and/or the course. The cancellation must be addressed to Ziegler & Partner GmbH by registered mail or email with acknowledgment of receipt. On request of Ziegler & Partner GmbH to the competent authorities, visas and/or other residence authorizations issued to the participant on the basis of documents provided by Ziegler & Partner GmbH or its partners under the contract will be cancelled.

Cancellation before departure not only generates costs for Ziegler & Partner GmbH, but for all third parties involved, notably airlines and transportation companies and other operators, which will also demand cancellation fees. These costs will be charged to the customer in addition either directly or via Ziegler & Partner GmbH. The cancellation fees must be paid within 8 days.

In case of cancellation of any flight reservation made on behalf of Ziegler & Partner GmbH, the strict conditions of cancellation of the airline company with which the reservation was made will apply. Printed tickets can only be cancelled with important charges. We therefore recommend our customers the conclusion of a trip cancellation insurance.

8. Insurances
It is up to the customer to insure against cancellation, illness and accidents. Insurance against the risk of illness and accidents abroad and ensuring repatriation to the country of domicile is mandatory.

9. Data security

Ziegler & Partner GmbH undertakes to treat the customer’s personal data confidentially and in accordance with the rules of good faith. Only data necessary to the execution of the contract will be processed, and this only to the necessary extent. By accepting these terms, the customer concurs in the transmission of its data in Switzerland or abroad (especially in Russia or Ukraine) to third parties if necessary for the execution of the contract (for example for the reservation of certain services included in the package selected by the customer). The customer acknowledges that the data transmitted abroad may not always benefit from a protection equivalent to that under Swiss law. The customer benefits at all times from a right of access, rectification, portability and erasure of his data or limiting their treatment.

10. Delivery of travel documents

Train or airline tickets and other travel documents will be provided to passengers – before departure, but after payment – by mail, electronically or from hand to hand, if necessary directly on the place of departure.

11. Passport, visa and vaccines

The customer is personally responsible for the validity of his passport, visa, customs documents, currency and required vaccines.

Ziegler & Partner GmbH can handle the request for the entry visa. This service is not free and a fee will be charged by Ziegler & Partner GmbH for each visa requested (these in addition to the official fees for obtaining Visa). Ziegler & Partner GmbH is not liable in the sense of the article 15 paragraph 1, letter c of the Federal Act on package tours about the possible consequences and costs caused by the late delivery or the refusal of a visa or the delivery of an incorrect visa, such events being neither predictable nor preventable by Ziegler & Partner GmbH.

12. The Ombudsman of the Swiss Travel

Before any judicial procedure, the customer is required to consult the independent ombudsman of the Swiss travel industry.

For any problem arising between the customer and Ziegler & Partner GmbH, the Ombudsman will try to find a balanced and fair arrangement. The Ombudsman’s address is: Ombudsman of the Swiss Travel, PO Box, 8038 Zurich, E-Mail: info@ombudsman-touristik.ch.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

The contractual relationship between the customer and Ziegler & Partner GmbH are exclusively subject to Swiss law. The place of jurisdiction shall be at the registered office of Ziegler & Partner GmbH.