tour policy
As a potential and actual tour participant, we highly recommend you read through the following information. All tour participants are REQUIRED to abide by the rules described therein.
RESERVATIONS AND DEPOSITS:
A deposit of $300 per person – or the first month’s payment in a payment plan – is required in order to hold a reservation on the tour. Confirmation will be sent after the deposit has been received. Deposits and all payments may be made by check, debit/credit card (VISA, MasterCard, AmEx, and Discover), or bank transfer. This money will be held in a Trust Account as required by California Law. Agreement to the terms and conditions on this page is also required, and agreement is confirmed by checking the properly marked box upon sign up.
FINAL PAYMENT: Final payment must be paid in full BY THE DEADLINE, unless your payment plan states otherwise. The deadline is stated on each tour page, also known as the “Sign-Up Deadline”.
FULL PAYMENT: All payments must be made in full before tour departure. This includes the tour itself, along with any extra flights, options, or services arranged before the tour. We cannot accept anyone on the tour with an open balance.
PRICING: In accordance with USDOT regulations, all prices include all taxes and fees.
CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS:
Cancellation and refund requests must be submitted to PacSet promptly and directly via email at info@pacsettours.com. Refund requests submitted via any other method WILL NOT BE HONORED.
The following charges will apply based on when PacSet Tours receives the cancellation with respect to the date of departure (all fees are per person):
120+ Days before tour: full refund
120-91 Days before tour: minus $300 from amount paid
90-61 Days/ 90 Days until deadline: minus $500 from amount paid
60 Days and Less / or after the signup deadline, whichever comes first: No refunds – no exceptions.
We will try to work with the issues that surround cancellations, but please understand that such fees are necessary to fulfill obligations to the airlines, keep prices low and not adversely affect the experience for other tour guests. Refunds are subject to a handling fee of $20 or 3.5% of total (whichever is greater).
Effective 2/14/2014: If payment was made by credit/debit card within the last 120 days of the refund request, the refund will be returned the same way. Otherwise, all refunds will be issued by check unless you are not a resident of the US. Travel insurance is also available to protect against sudden or necessary cancellations.
DEPOSIT TRANSFERS
Should an offer be made by PacSet Tours Inc. to transfer your funds to another tour, this offer is only valid for 30 days. If there is no response after 30 days, the offer will be canceled.
ROOM SHARING: All rooms on tours, unless otherwise specified, are double occupancy. If you are traveling alone, you will be given the option to pay extra for a single room supplement, be matched by PacSet staff via a roommate survey. If you do not specify which option you prefer, you will automatically be matched at random with another tour participant.
MEDICATIONS: If you use medications involving a syringe (epi-pen, insulin, etc.) or you use a CPAP machine, you will need to apply for an import certificate (“Yakkan Shoumei”) before entering Japan. Likewise, if you will be bringing any limited narcotics (morphine, codeine, oxycodone, pethidine, hydrocodone) into Japan, you will need to apply for permission. PacSet can supply you with all the forms you’ll need for these purposes; just ask.
Finally: import of any hard drugs, cannabis (marijuana), ephedrine, or pseudo-ephedrine (found in the old version of Sudafed and other over-the-counter sinus medicines) is prohibited in all cases. PacSet does NOT accept responsibility for care of your medicines and cannot be held liable if you are denied entry into Japan.
Travel Insurance: We recommend purchasing travel insurance. You may purchase them through Travel Guard or through a different site.
PAYMENT PLAN: If payments are more than 15 days late and you do not notify PacSet of the delay by phone or e-mail, an overdue payment fee of 10% the payment amount (amount of the single payment, not the whole tour) will be charged. Customers that opt for the payment plan and stop making payments WITHOUT notifying PacSet or formally requesting a refund for a tour that is confirmed will not receive a refund of their deposit, even if a deposit refund is available under the general PacSet refund terms.
VISAS: PacSet will assist in obtaining required visas and in providing links to the necessary applications for guests traveling with the tour. Visa applications are the responsibility of the participant. PLEASE NOTE: Participants with US, Canadian and Mexican passports do NOT need a visa to visit Japan.
BAGGAGE: Baggage shipping service is available on most tours. Please check tour page for availability and restrictions on checked-size bags. Each person is responsible for carrying and managing their own luggage, and for checking airline regulations. Please be aware that most Japanese trains and buses have VERY limited luggage space, and that most participants will want to send any large baggage to the airport ahead of time if the are staying for extra tours/tour extensions.
PARTICIPATION: For the benefit of everyone in your tour group, PacSet reserves the right to accept or reject any person as a tour participant, and to remove from the tour any participant whose conduct or health detracts from the enjoyment of the other participants. DISRUPTING THE TOUR AND/OR NEGATIVELY AFFECTING THE ENJOYMENT OF THE TOUR FOR OTHER GUESTS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Guests that engage in such behavior WILL be removed from the tour and will NOT be entitled to a refund or compensation of any kind.
ELIGIBILITY: Tours require participants to be in good health. Step climbing and walking on cobblestone streets are common on most programs and wheelchair access can be tricky, so please notify PacSet if you have any health conditions that may impact your participation in the tours. Any disability or condition requiring special attention must be reported to PacSet at the time of booking; PacSet cannot guarantee that any accommodations will be made for any conditions that are not reported.
INSURANCE: Travelers are strongly urged to purchase insurance for protection against loss, cancellation, medical and other emergencies. Insurance applications will be provided for travelers. Tour participation is “AT RISK”, meaning that YOU are responsible for your own insurance. PacSet will NOT be held responsible for illness, injury, or death while participating in tour activities.
NOT INCLUDED: Most tours do not include fees for meals and personal expenses (shopping, miscellaneous purchases, etc.).
TCRC DISCLOSURES – California: This business is a participant in the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation. You, the passenger, may request reimbursement from TCRC if you are owed a refund of more than $50 for transportation or travel services, which was not refunded in a timely manner by a seller of travel who was registered and participating in the TCRC at the time of sale. The maximum amount, which may be paid by the TCRC to any one passenger, is the total amount paid on behalf of the passenger to the seller of travel, not to exceed $15,000. A claim must be submitted to the TCRC within six months after the scheduled completion date of travel. A claim must include sufficient information and documentation to prove your claim and a $35 processing fee. You must agree to waive your right to other civil remedies against a registered participating seller of travel for matters arising out of a sale for which you file a claim with the TCRC, if you were located in California at the time of the sale. You may request a claim form by writing to: Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation P.O. Box 6001, Larkspur, CA 94977-6001 or by faxing a request to: (415) 927-7698. Out of State: This transaction is “not covered” by the California Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation.
ITINERARIES: Deviations to the planned itineraries shown in published sources may occur, even though every effort will be made to keep them as they are presented. In case it is necessary to substitute sightseeing, due to unforeseen circumstances, we will do all possible to provide excursions that are most similar to the original schedule, and there will be no refunds for such itinerary changes. In addition, we reserve the right to substitute hotels as necessary and any such change will not result in eligibility for refund.
TOUR CONTENT AND ADJUSTMENTS: All tours run by PacSet are designed with flexibility in mind. Free time is usually available, and shopping stops are planned in a way that allows for guests to separate from the group and explore on their own. Tour guests are welcome to deviate from the planned tour activities and go elsewhere. If a guest chooses to skip a day of the itinerary but wants help planning their alternative activity, they MUST contact PacSet in advance to arrange such activities. In these cases, the following rules apply:
1. All additional arrangements and information requests are subject to additional charges. Small requests (directions, maps) are complimentary within reason.
2. PacSet is entitled to reject any request which is unfeasible, unworkable due to time constraints, or could pose a threat to the structure of the main tour.
3. PacSet is not responsible – and CANNOT be held liable – for the quality and/or integrity of ANY non-tour activities.
4. Any personal tour additions or extensions that involve a change in flight times MUST be made to PacSet BEFORE the deadline for the tour — no exceptions
5. In the case that a guest decides they cannot attend a tour due to PacSet’s inability to fulfill a special request or deviation from the scheduled tour, all standard refund policies remain in effect. All guests who leave a tour for these reasons are not entitled to any refunds, special treatment, or compensation. Furthermore, any discounts used (if any) in the purchase of said tour will be forfeited regardless of the date of cancellation.
6. In the case that anyone’s alternative activities or tour deviations affect the overall tour and/or the enjoyment of other tour guests, PacSet will put the needs of the tour first in every case. If, in the process of organizing their own alternative activity, any guest ends up affecting the enjoyment of the tour for other guests and/or attempts to keep the guide(s) from their duties (“hijacking”), PacSet reserves the right to discipline the offending guest(s), up to and including REMOVING THEM FROM THE TOUR. In this case, the removed participant is not entitled to a refund of any kind and forfeits the right to take legal action against PacSet or any of its partner companies or suppliers.
RESOLUTIONS AND DISPUTES: In the event legal or equitable action is initiated concerning a PacSet Tours Inc. program, the exclusive venue of such action will be solely in the state, county and city of PacSet’s principal place of business.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND LIABILITY: PacSet Tours Inc. is the Tour Operator responsible for arranging and providing all the services and accommodations offered in connection with these tours. The Tour Operator acts on behalf of Independent travel suppliers associated with the tours, such as airlines, hotels, and bus companies. Accordingly, participant(s) agree to seek remedies directly with the suppliers and not to hold the Tour Operator liable for any loss, injury, delay, or expense which results directly or indirectly from any action or omission, whether negligent or otherwise, of any entity providing goods and services for the trip. Participants also agree not to hold the Tour Operator liable for circumstances beyond its control (e.g. force majeure, acts of god, earthquakes, natural disasters, flight and rail delays, etc.). Participant(s) acknowledge that neither the Tour Operator, nor its agents have made any representations or promises with respect to the tours described herein, except as expressly set forth in the Tour Operator’s brochure, unless such agreement is in writing and signed by an officer of the Tour Operator. At any time, the Tour Operator may decline, for any reason, any person as a Tour Participant on a trip (or option) where upon the Tour Operator’s only obligation shall be to refund to that person the portion of payment allocatable to the unused services.
CST#2107554-40