Terms and conditions – Packages

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
These general terms and conditions govern the relationship between Svenska Turistföreningen (hereunder denoted “STF”) and any person who has entered into an agreement with STF, either directly or through a third party, as specified in the booking confirmation. The agreement concerns the package (courses, themed weeks, activities and guided tours that contain elements other than accommodation) that you have booked and purchased through the STF website.

Who is responsible?
The responsible organiser is Svenska Turistföreningen (STF), P.O. Box 17251, SE-104 62 Stockholm, Sweden. Telephone +46 8 463 2100, organisation registration number 0556415-4259. STF is responsible for the packages that are booked through its website. Special terms may apply to travel using public transport, and these may differ from STF’s terms. STF is responsible for ensuring that you are informed of our terms and conditions, but we are not responsible for the terms and conditions or regulations of other suppliers. STF is responsible also that you are informed about significant changes that affect your booking with STF.

When does my booking become binding?
The booking becomes binding for both STF and you as soon as STF has confirmed the booking.

What, when and to whom should I pay?
You pay the price that has been published for the booking. The timing and recipient of the payment are specified in the Special Terms and Conditions.

STF Membership
The membership fee is not refundable.

Payment by card
Payment can be made by Visa or MasterCard. The complete amount is to be paid when making the booking.

Security
“3 D Secure” (Verified by Visa & Mastercard SecureCode) “3 D Secure” is a security measure which Visa & Mastercard have agreed on to verify the identity of the cardholder in e-commerce transactions. We have fully integrated this technology in our systems. This means that when it is applied, it sends off an instant question about whether there is a code for the card, where the answer is no in the majority of cases. If, however, the card has a 3 D Secure code, the purchaser will be transferred to the card issuing bank to enter his or her personal code to continue the transaction.

To cancel your booking:
Log in with your user name and password on this link. These are given on the confirmation that you have received by e-mail. Cancellations will also be confirmed by e-mail. See also the cancellation terms. Reimbursements of amounts paid will be made to your credit card within 3-7 days.

What are the rules concerning cancellation?
Log in using the username and password you have been given. These are specified in the booking confirmation that was sent to you by e-mail. Cancellation is also confirmed by e-mail. Repayment to the account from which payment was made will take place 3-7 bank days, and the date of the transaction will be given as the original booking date.

Click here to be taken to the cancellation page.

What if I just want to change something?
It is not possible to changes bookings that have been made. You must cancel the complete booking and make a new one, if you want to change any details. You should be aware, however, that cancellation is subject to the cancellation rules stated in the booking confirmation. Please contact the facility before cancelling, in order to check whether we are able to satisfy your new wishes. Contact details for all facilities can be found on the STF website: www.svenskaturistforeningen.se/en.

But what if something serious happens?
You can protect yourself from cancellation fees relating to a package, arrangement or course at any of our facilities by purchasing cancellation insurance. More information is given under “Special terms and conditions”. Cancellation insurance (for a package or course) allows you to cancel without charge before arrival if any of the following occurs:

A. Death, disease or serious accident, affecting you, husband/wife, partner, your parents, the parents of your husband/wife/partner, children, brothers or sisters, or co-travellers
B. Call up for military service or service in the civil defence forces
C. A serious event beyond your control, such as an extensive fire or flood in your home, of such a nature that it would be unreasonable to require you to maintain your booking.

You must be able to document the event by a certificate from a doctor, an official body or an insurance company. Certificates that are received more than 7 days after the date of cancellation will not be considered. The fee for cancellation insurance will not be repaid.

What happens if something goes wrong, or if I am not satisfied?
If we, as suppliers, are not able to deliver what you have ordered as agreed and if we cannot offer an equivalent alternative, you have the right to cancel and receive full repayment, reduced by the value of any parts of the booking that you have used. If you have a complaint, please present it as soon as possible, together with any claim for compensation. Any problems that arise during the visit should be reported immediately, in order for them to be corrected. You should initially report any problems to the reception personnel, cabin manager, or corresponding person. If you have not requested that any problems you experience be corrected during the visit and in this way given the facility or manager the chance of correcting them, you cannot request compensation afterwards. If you remain dissatisfied with the compensation/refund that you have received, this should be stated in writing within 60 days of departure. STF cannot be held responsible if transport that is part of the booking is cancelled at short notice.

Cancellation of events
The organiser has the right to cancel an arrangement or package up to 14 days before departure if, for example, the number of participants does not satisfy the specified minimum. The organiser will in this case inform the participant in writing that the package has been cancelled, and attempt to offer an alternative arrangement, where possible.

Other unforeseen circumstances may also arise, and if all or part of your booking cannot be supplied as specified in the booking confirmation, and if no alternative arrangement can be offered that you consider to be equivalent, then you have the right to cancel. You will then receive the money you have paid, reduced by the value of any parts of the booking that you have used.

What happens if the organiser and I cannot reach an agreement?
Contact us directly if you have any complaints. If we cannot reach an agreement, you can then contact the National Board for Consumer Complaints (ARN). This board consists of an independent chairperson and representatives for tour organisers and consumers. The address of the board: P.O. Box 174, SE-101 23 Stockholm, Sweden.

Our responsibilities as organiser are to ensure that:
• You receive a written confirmation of your booking
• You receive documents and other information well in advance
• The services purchased agree with the description. We are not responsible for promises that the owner or a contact person may have given you without our knowledge. (If you have agreed on something that is not included in the organiser’s agreement, make sure that it is documented in writing by the owner or a contact person.)
• You are informed of all significant changes that affect your booking.

What are my responsibilities?
• You must check the booking confirmation as soon as you receive it. Any errors must be pointed out immediately. Additional services offered by booking personnel that you consider important must be noted in the travel documents for these services to be valid.
• You must follow the rules and instructions relating to the journey you have booked. This information will be supplied with the booking confirmation.

Your personal details are protected according to the Personal Data Act (PUL)
Your address and contact details are stored in our own database. Your details will only e used by STF to provide you with information, travel tips and offers from STF and our cooperation partners. The information will not be released to any other party. You can at any time access your details by contacting us by e-mail, info@stfturist.se, or by letter to Svenska Turistföreningen, Box 17251, 104 62 Stockholm.

SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Minimum age for booking
You must be at least 18 years old to make a booking or enter into an agreement with us. In special cases, however, the minimum age is 16, in which case a signed declaration from your parent or guardian is required.
Note that some of our facilities have a minimum age limit of 22. At least two members of a group must be 18 or older, unless a higher age limit is specified in the information about the facility. Proof of age must be presented on arrival. If you do not fulfil the age conditions, you will not be granted entry to the facility. It is your responsibility as guest to contact the facility that you wish to visit, to check whether the manager is willing to accept you if you are under 18 or under 22.

Prices
The prices stated are the prices for members of STF, and non-members will pay a higher price. You can pay the extra fee when booking certain packages, while you must pay it on arrival for other packages. The magnitude of the extra fee differs between packages. The best way of avoiding the extra fee is to become a member. You will be supporting the association and helping us to improve, enabling us to offer more activities and better accommodation.

You can join at any of our hostel, hotels, mountain stations or mountain cabins.

Payment conditions
Full payment is made at the time of booking. When booking, give the credit card number from which you want the payment to be debited. We will send a confirmation by e-mail when the payment has been completed. All prices are shown and debited in Swedish krona (SEK).

Booking confirmation
A booking confirmation will be sent to you by e-mail when you have booked. Check that it agrees with your booking. The booking confirmation will contain your username and password, and you should keep these in a safe place, since you will need them if you later want to cancel.

Cancellation Aurora Watching Package at Abisko
Cancellations can be made up to 7 days (168 hours) before arrival. After this time, no reimbursements of amounts paid will be made.

Cancellation insurance
Cancellation insurance can only be taken out when you are booking arrangements at certain of our facilities. The cancellation insurance is personal, and can be used only by the person who has taken it out. A certificate from a doctor, insurance company or official body must be presented when claiming the cancellation insurance. If you must cancel less than 30 days before the planned arrival, and can present such a certificate, the complete price will be repaid, less the cost of the cancellation insurance. The certificate should be sent directly to the facility. The price of cancellation insurance ranges from SEK 150 to SEK 250 per person, depending on the package booked.

Cancellation fees
The following cancellation fees apply in cases where cancellation insurance has not been taken out or is not valid:

For cancellation more than 30 days before planned arrival, the customer is to pay 5% of the package price.

For cancellation 30-15 days before planned arrival, the customer is to pay 25% of the package price.

For cancellation 14-8 days before planned arrival, the customer is to pay 50% of the package price.

No refund will be paid for cancellation fewer than 8 days before planned arrival.

Force majeur
If it is impossible for the customer to reach the facility due to extreme weather or other unforeseen circumstances in the mountain environment, the customer has the right to make an alternative booking at a different STF facility, for the corresponding value. The customer also has the right to cancel the package and receive a full refund.

The refund will be paid after a written request has been received by the relevant STF facility. The request should contain information about the nature of the circumstances, the time at which they were discovered, and the account number to which the refund is to be paid, or corresponding information.

In cases in which it is impossible to carry out the package activities for reasons beyond the control of the organiser, that it is not reasonable to expect the organiser to have considered these when entering into the agreement, and whose consequences it is not reasonable to expect the organiser to have been able to avoid or overcome, the organiser will not be liable to any claims for compensation or other penalty. This is true also in cases in which cancellation is a result of a person commissioned by the organiser, or a factor that has arisen at an earlier stage.

We reserve the right to make changes as a consequence of new legislation or price changes that lie outside of our control.