Conditions of Booking for an IBM Retirees Club Event

Diary of Events

The Committee hold a Planning Meeting every year to develop a diary of events for the following year. This list is published towards the end of the year in the form of a printed card, as an Appendix to the newsletter and also as a link at the end of the Newsletter. It is not possible to put dates and details against all events and there will sometimes be new events which may be included as circumstances offer.

The purpose of the diary is give members an overview of what is planned allow them to put the relevant dates in their diaries. Any changes being notified via the Newsletter.

Announcement

The main announcement about the event is made in the Newsletter, normally two months before the event takes place. Sometimes it may be felt appropriate to "pre-announce" an event several months in advance. This will normally be an abbreviated version of the main announcement and will act as a vehicle to get the date of the event into members' diaries or to gauge the level of interest.

Booking Forms

Booking forms are normally issued at the time of the main announcement as a link from the main body of the Newsletter.

No booking will be confirmed until the completed booking form together with the appropriate payment is received by the organiser.

The appropriate payment may be the full payment or, in some cases, an initial deposit. E-mail bookings will not be accepted.  

Please note that cheques may be banked as soon as it has been established that the event will take place.  If the event is cancelled for any reason, then cheqies will be returned to the members who have booked for the event.

Acknowledgment of booking will be sent to the member's email address. If acknowledgment by normal mail is preferred a self addressed stamped envelope must be enclosed with the booking form.

The booking form will normally request the following information:-

1. Names of member and first guest, together with any second guests. Note that some events will be restricted to member and first guest only.
2. Member's IBM personnel number
3. Member's contact information, i.e. telephone number and email address.
4. Details of current travel insurance if you are not going to use the agent’s insurance, i.e. name of company, policy number and their emergency contact number.
5. Car make, colour and registration number. This is required by Security for cars parked at IBM Warwick.
6. Menu choices (for events which include a meal).
7. Membership of National Trust; English Heritage; or other relevant membership for which additional discounts may be obtained.

It will also include:

7. Organiser's address, telephone number and email address.
8. Cost of event. This will be either a request for the full amount or for a deposit followed up at a later date by a request for the remaining amount.
9. The emergency telephone number for the organiser to allow members a contact point in case of problems on the day.  

A form cannot cover all eventualities and not all of this information will be required for every event.

Car Parking At IBM Warwick

Many of our events start from IBM Warwick and members will see words such as "coach will depart from the top car park at........". This refers to the first car park on the left when you enter the site from the Birmingham Road entrance. You will be asked on the booking form for your car registration number as this is required by Security.

Travel Insurance

All participants in IBM Retirees Club events must have appropriate travel insurance and it is very likely to be a condition of booking laid down by the company providing the travel package. Because insurance policies vary widely in the cover that they offer, it is important to check your policy carefully to ensure that it will meet all requirements, e.g. minimum number of days away.

European Health Insurance Card - EHIC

This card superseded the Form E111 and is the only valid document since December 2005. It is recommended that all members have the EHIC card as it may also be a condition of your travel insurance company. Don’t forget that the EHIC has an expiry date and should be renewed in good time prior to the relevant event.

Refunds

If a member is unable or does not wish to attend an event for any reason then the following guidelines will apply:-

1. Where a block booking has been made for a coach or other transport, then a refund will not be made.
2. If a block booking has been made for events where tickets have been purchased, such as theatre or other similar event then no refund will be made. (Sometimes in the case of block bookings, to make a refund would increase the cost per head of the event.)
3. Where a booking has been made but the establishment only charges for those who actually attend, then a refund may be made. However, if a specific choice of menu has been made it will usually charged.

Notwithstanding the above, a refund may be made if the booking can be re-sold to another member, although any reasonable expenses may be deducted by the Club. If the Club is unable make any refunds, the member should approach their insurance company with an appropriate claim.

Tipping and Gratuities

The organiser may, at his/her discretion, give a gratuity to an establishment or individual which will be considered as part of the cost of the event (e.g. a hotel, restaurant or an individual such as a tour guide or coach driver). This should be clear in the original announcement but does not preclude any individual member from tipping, for example with tour guides and coach drivers.

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