1. RESERVATION AND DEPOSIT. The booking form must be completed and signed by you. The deposit to enable GAC to confirm your booking should accompany your booking form.
Reservations will only be confirmed after GAC receives written confirmation of your booking. Should the deposit not be received within 7 days of receipt of your Booking Form,
any reservations made in respect of the Smart Law programme will be automatically cancelled.
Smart Law, Course Beijing PRC / Deposit $AUD 500.00, $CAD 506.00, GBP 212.00,
$NZD 575.00. $USD 387.00.
All reservations are subject to availability at the time of booking. Spaces are definitely limited.
2. BALANCE OF PAYMENT. The balance of payment is due 35 days prior to departure. If, for any reason, the balance of
payment is not received by the due date, GAC reserves the right to treat such failure to pay the balance as a cancellation
and to apply the appropriate cancellation charges. GAC accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever in respect of any
payment made by you to any third party. The balance payment is only made when it is actually received.
3. CANCELLATION OR REFUND. The following cancellation fees or refunds shall apply if, for any reason, the client
cancels participation in a Smart Law Course after booking. All cancellation terms are specified on a per person basis.
a. COURSE PACKAGE: LECTURE FEES / HOTEL / IN CHINA ARRANGEMENTS.
Up to 36 days prior to departure, forfeiture of the deposit.
Between 8 and 35 days prior to departure, 50% of the total cost
Between 7 and 0 days prior to departure, no refund will be made.
In addition to the above, the following will also apply
b. INTERNATIONAL AIR PORTION.
Cancellation fees imposed will be subject to the airline Tariff Regulations for the international air portion of any flight.
c. CHINA ENTRY/EXIT TRANSPORTATION.
Cancellation of confirmed charter flight bookings or train/bus/boat bookings will incur a cancellation fee of 100% of the applicable fare.
4. AMENDMENT OF CONFIRMED RESERVATIONS. Up to 36 days prior to departure, any amendment made to a
confirmed reservation will incur a fee of $US50 per change. Within 35 days prior to departure, any amendment to
confirmed air travel arrangements will incur a fee of $USD100 per change. Both these fees are in addition to any charges
levied by ground operators, airlines, hotels or other service provider. An amendment constitutes any change to an
existing booking and does not include transfer to another GAC course date. In the case of transfer to another GAC programme, the applicable cancellation fees will apply.
5. LATE BOOKINGS. Reservations made within 14 to 8 days prior to departure will incur a non-refundable Late Booking
Fee of $US50 per file, whether the reservation can be confirmed or not. Full payment for the Smart Law Programme tour
arrangements with the Late Booking Fee must be received within 48 hours of the booking. No reservation will be
processed until the applicable payment is received. Failure to comply with these terms of payment will result in the automatic cancellation of the reservation request.
In the event that the reservation cannot be confirmed, the Late Booking Fee of $US50 will be retained, but the balance of monies will be refunded.
6. SMART LAW PROGRAMME PRICE. Prices are based on tariffs and rates of exchange current as at 01 January 2004 .
In the event of major fluctuations in currency exchange rates, service providers tariffs, fuel prices, accommodation rates
and other service provider tariffs, any alteration to the advertised price will be brought to the attention of client in a timely
manner. Minor fluctuations can be absorbed; however, in the event of major variance in the US dollar, GAC reserves the
right to adjust the price at any time up to and including the date of departure, even after receipt of the balance payment from the client.
7. Although GAC will endeavour to ensure that the Smart Law programme is as advertised, an express condition of
making reservation is the acceptance by the client that itineraries and schedules, lecturers, stated accommodation,
sightseeing, visitation programmes, and modes of transportation as specified in the document and/or supplied in
pre-departure information are subject to change without prior notice. Beijing University lecturers, air travel, ground
transport, hotel accommodation, Helen Wong Tours and all other services are provided by independent operators, and all
bookings are subject to the terms, conditions and limitations of carriers, hotels and other service providers, including
availability of Beijing University Law School lecturers on the days outlined
If for any reason, GAC is forced to cancel a Smart Law programme, clients will be offered an alternative programme date.
Should the alternative be unsuitable to the client, all monies paid in respect of the original programme will be refunded in full.
An alternative programme date or a refund of monies offered or paid in the event of a programme change or cancellation
is in full satisfaction of any claim for loss of perceived benefit resulting from the change or cancellation.
Unforeseen circumstances such as force majeure, adverse weather conditions, airline flight reschedules, health
problems, hotel overbooking, revised government regulations, technical faults with transportation and road conditions
may have a subsequent effect on the content and schedule of the programme after commencement. Any decision made
in respect the itinerary due to any of the above, or similar, circumstances is at the discretion of the service provider. GAC
shall not be liable for any claim whatsoever arising from such events which affect the schedule and the content of the programme.
8. GROUP DEPARTURES. The quoted price is for group programme packages based on a minimum number of fifteen
people travelling together and staying in accommodation as stated. Should the minimum number of persons not be
attained, GAC reserves the right to cancel, amend or recost the Smart Law programme. Twin share accommodation is available at a reduced cost.
9. ITEMS NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR TOUR PACKAGE. The tour programme price quoted excludes not specifically
referred to in the programme description including, but not limited to, pre-travel documentation, travel insurance, airport
construction taxes, excess baggage charges, porterage in China, meals (unless specified) and interstate/intrastate travel
arrangements to or from home town and departure city; items of a personal nature such as laundry, dry cleaning,
beverages, personal accident and medical expenses; incidental expenses, taxis where not part of the programme, telephone and telecommunication charges.
10. TRAVEL DOCUMENTS. All clients must be in possession of a valid passport and necessary visa at the time of
commencement of travel. All such documentation is the sole responsibility of the client. GAC accepts no responsibility or
liability whatsoever for the failure of clients to obtain appropriate documentation.
11. TRAVEL INSURANCE. It is highly recommended that clients purchase travel insurance at the time of reservation to
cover against various contingencies, such as loss of deposit and/or fare through cancellation, loss or damage to
baggage, loss of money and/or travel documents, medical expenses, curtailment charges, personal accident and personal liability whilst overseas.
12. HEALTH REQUIREMENTS. The Department of Health or medical practitioners will be able to assist with current health requirements and recommendations.
13. BAGGAGE REGULATIONS & ALLOWANCE. In accordance with the International Airline Regulations, the free
baggage allowance for economy class passengers is 20kgs, plus limited cabin luggage. Excess baggage charges are
the sole responsibility of the client. Regulations in China specify that all suitcases must have a locking device attached.
Failure to follow this regulation may result in refusal by airport staff to load suitcases onto the aircraft.
14. PROCEDURE FOR LODGING COMPLAINTS/CLAIMS. Should the client feel that a valid complaint or claim should be
lodged with GAC or its service providers, the client hereby agrees to the following procedures and terms.
a. Should the client feel that a failure in performance of GAC or its service providers has occurred, the client
agrees to immediately inform the local service provider. At this time, the local service provider will endeavour
to promptly resolve the matter of complaint and inform GAC of the specific circumstances. Should the local
service provider be unable to assist or be unavailable, the client agrees to contact GAC Beijing by telephone or facsimile.
b. In the event of claim for compensation, the client agrees to inform GAC in writing within 30 days of the date
of programme completion. Relevant receipts and substantiating evidence, must be attached to the letter of claim.
c. GAC will not be liable for any claims made later than 30 days after the date of programme completion.
15. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. Except to the extent that law imposes a non-executable liability.
i. All bookings for the Smart Law Programme as outlined in this document are accepted subject to the
conditions of carriage and other conditions imposed by service providers used in the programme.
ii. In compiling this document GAC has used information supplied to it by the service providers. GAC has
endeavoured to ensure that the information contained in this document is correct at the time of compiling,
January 2004. However, GAC accepts no responsibility or liability in respect of such information. GAC does
not accept any liability for any loss, damage, inconvenience, delay, injury, irregularity, accident, expense or
negligence due to inaccuracy or misdescription howsoever caused by or arising out of provision of services or failure to provide services.
iii. GAC accepts no responsibility for any negligence, loss, damage, omission, accident, deletion, diversion or theft in regard to luggage or any personal belongings whatsoever.
iv. GAC will be exempt from all liability in respect of any event, negligent act, omission, death, accident, injury,
sickness, irregularity, loss or damage whatsoever, howsoever and by whomsoever caused.
v. The client acknowledges and agrees that he or she shall have no claim or cause of action against GAC
should any carrier, hotelier or pother service provider provide services which differ in any way from those
specified in this document or as outlined in any pre-departure information. GAC accepts no responsibility for
losses or additional expenses due to delay in the provision of services by service providers howsoever those
delays are caused. Neither does GAC accept responsibility for changes to or the withdrawal of services by the service providers.
vi. GAC makes all booking and travel arrangements on your behalf on the express understanding that
accommodation, travel arrangements and tours in China are solely under the control of China tourism bodies
authorized by the China National Tourism Administration. GAC is not liable for any act, omission, or default
on the part of the operator, its servants, agents or contractors, or by any authorized entity.
Beijing University, Queensland Law Society, Singapore Airlines and Helen Wong Tours do not by virtue of
endorsement of this document represent themselves as having any legal relationship with any company, person or entity.
16. LAW OF CONTRACT. Any contract arising with the client shall be governed by the laws of the People's Republic of
China and any legal action arising there from shall be litigated only in the appropriate court having jurisdiction in that country.
17. DOCUMENT VALIDITY. The Smart Law Programmes referred to in this document are valid from January 2004 to February 2007, subject to the provisions of Paragraph 6.
IMPORTANT:
A different world, new experiences…
By choosing to travel to a destination such as China,
you are seeking an experience of people and places quite different to those you find at home. This brings with it an obvious need for an open-minded
approach, a sense of adventure, tolerance and an awareness that, perhaps, some aspects of a tour may need to be altered to suit prevailing conditions.
Days can be quite strenuous, filled with sightseeing walking and at times early morning flights. Things
don't always run smoothly and occasionally conditions may be frustrating, but equally rewards are great for those with a
genuine spirit of enquiry. Remember this is not a journey of comparison but an opportunity for discovery. With thanks to Helen Wong Tours.
