Terms of Use

This website is a platform for general tourist information and for the purchase of tourism goods and services. The mere fact of accessing this web page implies knowledge and acceptance without reservation of the following terms and conditions. Thus, by entering and using lochnessbus.com, you have consented to these terms of use which take effect immediately. If you do not agree with the following terms and conditions please do not use or visit lochnessbus.com:

• Generally speaking, the relationships between lochnessbus.com and our customers and users derived from the hiring/purchase of products and services contained in our website are subject to EU legislation.
• The content, business operations, products and services included on our website are not intended or designed to those people residing in a jurisdiction where these contents are not approved or authorized.
• Any cases of dispute and/or the resolution of conflicts shall be governed by the legislation in effect in the UK and any dispute shall be submitted to the courts and tribunals of this territory, irrespective of the possibility to attend out of court procedures for conflict resolution.
• Access to our website is the sole responsibility of the user and does not imply any kind of commercial relationship between lochnessbus.com and the user.
• Access and browsing this website implies acceptance and knowledge of the legal warnings, conditions of use, general terms and conditions of purchase, cookies and privacy policy contained in it.
• lochnessbus.com wishes to make it clear to users that the content of this website are aimed at an audience of over 16 years old. If you are under the age of 16 years you must have the authorization of your parents or legal guardian in order to continue using our website.

1. Updates and modifications of information

The information contained on our website is valid on the date of its last update (1st September 2019). We reserve the right to update, modify or delete the information on this website, including the right to limit or deny access to any user.

Users may not alter, change, modify, or adapt any part of this website at any time. However, we reserve the right to, at any time, make any changes or modifications that we deem convenient and may do so at any time and without prior notice.

Furthermore, we reserve the right to update the general terms and conditions at any time. Such changes and modifications will not affect contracts already concluded between lochnessbus.com and our users or customers, without prejudice to the modifications which may be established by mutual agreement and in the case of fortuitous event of force majeure.

2. Content

Lochnessbus.com is the direct provider of the tourism services displayed on this website. Consequently, the information provided about each product and service, such as photographs or videos, contained within this website is true and accurate and of which we take responsibility. We make every possible effort to prevent and avoid any errors in the content that may appear on this website; However, we do not guarantee or take responsibility for any consequences that could be derived from errors in the content provided by third parties that may appear on this website.

lochnessbus.com does not take responsibility in any way for those contents, commercial activities, products and services included that may be visualised by means of electronic connections (links) directly or indirectly through this website. The presence of links on this website, unless expressly otherwise stated, has a merely informative purpose and under no circumstances does it mean a suggestion, invitation or recommendation for them. These links do not represent any type of relationship between lochnessbus.com and the private individuals or companies that own the websites and those that may access it via these links. lochnessbus.com reserves the right to remove unilaterally and at any given time the links which appear on its website.

Lochnessbus.com assumes no responsibility for the content of any forum or debate in cyberspace (chat), bulletins or transmissions of any type, that are linked to this website and will fully cooperate, if required to do so by the relevant authorities or by order of the courts, in identifying the person or persons responsible for the content which violates the law.

Lochnessbus.com excludes all responsibility which may arise from the transmission of information between users. Liability for statements published in this website lies exclusively with those who make them. Any type of transmission of data which users may make through this website or via other points of access controlled by lochnessbus.com, which may infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties and whose content is threatening, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, or the transmission of any other type of material which constitutes or incites a conduct which may be considered a criminal offence is prohibited.

lochnessbus.com reserves the right to prevent or inhibit access to the website of any internet user who introduces in this website any content contrary to legal or moral standards, reserving the right to take whatever legal actions considered appropriate to prevent this type of behaviour.

lochnessbus.com excludes liability should minors access and use this website and its content. It is the responsibility of the parents or legal guardians to take an active role in supervising the online activity of their children and/or install parental control tools in order to avoid access to materials and content that is not appropriate for minors, as well as avoiding personal data being sent without previous authorisation from a parent or guardian.

3. Browsing, access and security

Access and browsing of this website implies the acceptance and knowledge of the legal warnings, conditions and terms of use within it. lochnessbus.com makes every effort to ensure that browsing takes place in the best possible conditions and prevent damage of any type that could occur during browsing.

This website has been designed to support the most common web browsers on the Internet (Microsoft web browsers, Google web browsers, Apple web browsers, Android web browsers, Mozilla web browsers). However, we are not responsible for any damage, of any type, that may be caused to users by the use of browsers or versions other than those for which this website has been designed.

lochnessbus.com accepts no responsibility for nor guarantees that access to this website will not be interrupted or that it is error free, provided that such occurrences or errors come from external sources. Neither does it accept responsibility for or guarantee that the software that can be accessed through this website is error free by cause of third parties. Likewise, in no case shall lochnessbus.com accept responsibility for loss or damage of any type caused by the access and use of this website, provided it comes from external sources. Neither does it accept responsibility for damage that may occur due to inappropriate use of this website.

4. Intellectual and industrial property

This website, the contents and services within it, including but not limited to, photographs, images, texts, logos, designs, brands, commercial names and data that are included in this website are protected by Intellectual Property Law. Thus, this website and its contents may not be exploited, reproduced, distributed, modified, communicated publicly, transferred or transformed. Access to this website and its content does not grant users any intellectual property rights whatsoever to its users in any way. The content of this website may only be downloaded to users’ terminals for private, non-commercial use; hence it will not be able to be used, reproduced, distributed, modified, publicly communicated, transferred, transformed, or the content of this website used for commercial or public purposes.

lochnessbus.com does not transfer property or ownership of its software to users. It retains all industrial and intellectual property rights including the software. Users transferring software from this website to their terminal may not take it apart, even for study purposes, nor decompile it, nor translate the original source code or its language to another code or language.

lochnessbus.com only authorises the use of the contents of this website for information and service subject to acknowledgement or reference to the source, the user taking sole responsibility for the misuse of it. lochnessbus.com reserves the option of taking legal action against those users who violate or infringe these intellectual and industrial property rights.

5. Technical information

lochnessbus.com shall not be held responsible for any damage or cost whatsoever which may arise out of interferences, omissions, interruptions, computer viruses, telephone breakdown, operational disruptions or disconnections of this electronic system, due to causes unrelated to lochnessbus.com; delays or blockage in the aforementioned electronic system caused by deficiencies or overloads in the telephone lines or overloading of the data processing centre, the Internet system or other electronic systems, as well as damages that could be caused by third parties by means of illegal interference out of our control.

Purchasing conditions

1. Scope of application

All acquisitions of products and services are to be carried out exclusively in accordance with these terms and conditions. These general terms and conditions will be applied to and are valid for all future business operations without need for further express agreement.

On making an order, the client agrees to all terms and conditions set out in the contract of sale or purchase with lochnessbus.com. lochnessbus.com offers the trade of its products and services in the European Union. However, if interested in receiving an item or service outside of the territory of the European Union the user should get in touch with lochnessbus.com using the contact forms available on this website or by sending an email to [email protected], we will consider requests and get in touch with an answer.

lochnessbus.com has the right to modify these general terms and conditions, the latest version of these terms and conditions may be consulted at any time on this website.

2. Communication with the customer

On placing an order, the customer should provide a valid email address and ensure that it is functional from the first moment of placing the order until the order process is complete. The customer should remember to check their spam filter settings by their email provider and make sure that they have received an email from lochnessbus.com. This email address may be used in future orders unless the customer is to modify it, requests to change or rectify it. Messages of lochnessbus.com which are sent by email to the customer’s indicated email address are presumed to be received by the customer after their dispatch. lochnessbus.com is only responsible for transmission errors if their cause is based on the sphere of lochnessbus.com. The customer has the option to provide proof of not having received a message due to causes beyond the control of the customer. lochnessbus.com is not obliged to notify the customer of errors, flaws or ineffectiveness of their email account. However, the customer is permitted to provide evidence that it would have been technically possible and reasonable to receive the message.

3. Contract

Reservations with airline companies and other service providers are subject to the terms and conditions and limitations imposed by such companies and service providers.

The customer should take into account that some of these services may limit or exclude liability in the case of death, injury, loss or damage to luggage and delays. While lochnessbus.com does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage that occur as a result of such actions or as a result of any act or omission of any of these third parties, it will provide the customer with adequate assistance to help with the resolution of any reasonable dispute.

The agreements for any of the accommodation that is referred to on this website or on our leaflets are provided by the independent third party accommodation providers. These agreements are subject to the terms and conditions and limitations of the responsibility imposed by these providers and the contracts will be directly made between the customer and the third party accommodation provider.  All agreements will be made independently from lochnessbus.com regardless of any help or assistance that we may provide with such agreements.

lochnessbus.com will spare no effort to guarantee precision of its leaflets at the time of print. We do not accept responsibility for any printing errors, typographical errors or errors that occur due to unforeseen circumstances.

With the acquisition of any product or service made by the customer, in the event that a different email address is given (for example, when products or services are bought on behalf of or for another person), these circumstances do not affect the perfection of the contract. If the customer acts on behalf of another person the contract is only binding to this person when there is clear evidence provided to lochnessbus.com, and when it has been explicitly agreed to in writing by  lochnessbus.com and a contract made with this person. In all other cases, providing a different email address should not affect a contract being made with the customer.

Travel insurance is not included in the ticket price. lochnessbus.com recommends that the customer takes out travel insurance before the trip to cover cancellations, medical costs, personal accidents, luggage, travel money and civil liability. lochnessbus.com reserves the right to terminate any contracted services in the event of the customer not having adequate travel insurance. lochnessbus.com accepts, therefore, no liability in any form in the event of loss or damage to luggage or other types of personal belongings, as well as, civil liability for physical/bodily damage or death, unless otherwise understood within the law.

The packages shown on our leaflets or on our website are valid until they are cancelled or replaced. lochnessbus.com reserves the possibility to make changes to the prices, itineraries and routes. Any changes will be communicated to the customer before the contract is concluded.

4. Acquisition

Reserving a trip or tour on our website is straightforward. All you need to do is select the tour you’d like to purchase, the number of participants and the date directly from our calendar. Next, you should follow the reservation process until all of the payment steps have been completed. You will then receive an email confirmation (remember to check your spam folder).

You can check it out in our tutorial on how to book on our website. (https://lochnessbus.com/how-to-book/)

If you have any queries, contact our team by sending us an email to [email protected] or by calling us on 0044 131 629 0189. Our customer service  business hours are Monday to Sunday from 9am until 3pm all year round.

Before purchasing any of our guided tours the customer should be aware of the following:

• On purchasing any service, the customer is in agreement with our description of each one of the tours, trips or visits.
• The company permits the right of admission to any of our tours. lochnessbus.com reserves the right to make any passenger abandon the tour at any point if it considers that the passenger’s behaviour, mode of action, health or any other serious reasons may cause danger or inconvenience to other travellers or may spoil the success of the tour or the normal development of it.
• The company may make timetable modifications, itinerary changes and cancellations of tours up to 4 hours before they start.
• Given the nature of the service, the company is not responsible if any of the tours guides arrive late to the meeting point due to delays in public transport or public transport connection services or any other reasons outside of the control of the company that may change or cause delay the guided tour. In the event of a delay or postponement of a tour we will try to meet the individual needs of our customers within our abilities.
• We are not responsible for the carelessness of our customers during the tour, for example, crossing a road while the lights are on red.
• Neither are we responsible for any damage that our customers may suffer during our tours. We may only be held responsible as far as our civil responsibility enables us.
• lochnessbus.com may not be held responsible for any modifications made due to adverse weather conditions in which case the company may change the itinerary of the tour.
• The company is not responsible for the events that occur by accident or force majeure, weather or events occurring before or during the course of the tour that prevent, delay or otherwise impede the implementation of all or part of the services committed in the undertaking in accordance with the company.
• The reservation of the purchased tour is valid only on the specified date.
• It is not necessary to print the email confirmation, it may be shown on arrival on a mobile phone or tablet.
• The ticket can only be used by the person named on the confirmation. Under no circumstances, may a different person use the ticket. The ticket (email confirmation) must be shown to a lochnessbus.com representative upon demand along with some form of official identification or passport.
• City tours are suitable for children (unless otherwise stated for a specific tour).
• Day trips are not suitable for children under four years old.
• The policies and services for those with reduced mobility will vary depending on the type of assistance that is requested. Please indicate specific needs in the observations section during the reservation process.
• In general, unless otherwise stated, the tours include a free tour guide.
• Tours will be made in vehicles of 8, 16, 19, 29, 39 or 55 seats, according to demand. All of our vehicles are equipped with the latest safety  and comfort features.
• For logistical reasons, the tour may be conducted by sharing a vehicle with the same service given in a different language. In such cases, the customer will be provided with an accessory to follow the guide in his or her own language.
• Everything that is included in the tour can be found in detail on our website.
• Smoking is strictly prohibited in our vehicles.
• In the event that the timetable of a tour should vary the customer will be notified with sufficient time.
• It is the customer’s obligation to respect and obey the laws and regulations of the country of visit, including border control and currency restrictions. In the event of non-compliance of these obligations the customer may be requested, by the lochnessbus.com representatives, to return their ticket which will then be cancelled and no refund given.
• The client must always be at the meeting point 15 minutes before the departure time of the tour. We are not responsible if the client does not arrive at the meeting point at the indicated time and misses the tour. In this case, no refunds or date changes will be made. It will also not be possible to catch up with the tour at another stop. The booking will be considered lost. In case the client wishes to hire any service, a new reservation will be made for the full amount to be paid by the client.
• The company is not responsible for any customer who does not arrive at the meeting point on time and will not refund the payments made by the customer.
• The frequently asked questions (FAQs) section on this website may help resolve any doubts and queries you may have in order for you to be able to make the right decision in regards to your trip or tour. However, the information included in the FAQs section is for guidance only and, under no circumstances, does it override these terms and conditions. If you have any queries regarding any of these aspects we recommend you contact us via the links provided on this website.

The majority of our trips leave from the same meeting point: 190 High street, Edinburgh (on the Royal Mile).

We have other services where the meeting point is located in:

• Edinburgh Hop on Hop Off – Sightseeing tour: Waverley Bridge Bus stop.
• Scottish dinner and show: The Stables at Prestonfield, Prestonfield Road, EH16 5UT
• Private tours: It will be arranged before tour departure.
• Mary King’s Close – The underground city; High Street, 2 Warristons Close, EH1 1PG

5. Prices, payment methods and billing

All of the prices of the products through our website include VAT and any other taxes that may apply.

Payments may be made in euros, dollars or pounds on our website. Simply select the preferred currency in the top right hand corner of the page.

If you decide to pay over the telephone or in person in our office then payments may only be made in pounds.

The payment process has appropriate security measures in place and works on a secure server using the SSL protocol (Secure Socket Layer). The secure server establishes a connection transferring algorithmically coded data at a speed of 256 bits, which is only readable for the customer’s computer and this website. Accordingly, using the SSL protocol ensures that:

• The customer communicates their data only to the lochnessbus.com server centre and not to any other destination attempting to pass itself off as such.
• The data is coded when travelling between the customer and our server centre, preventing possible readings or manipulation by third parties.

In general, the customer promises to make payment at the time the reservation is made and confirmed with the exception of those products in which a payment for only part of the total price is required at the time of making the reservation with the rest to be paid upon arrival to Scotland. In such products this payment option will be clearly expressed during the reservation process.

The ticket or proof of purchase that corresponds to the reservation will be sent immediately after confirming the order. If it has been lost, a duplicate can be requested by contacting us via the links provided on this website.

The customer should notify lochnessbus.com of any incorrect or fraudulent charges made to the credit card used for these purchases, by means of email or telephone, as quickly as possible in order for us to be able to take  necessary action.

Any price increase will be communicated to our agents and will, therefore, be modified as quickly as possible in leaflets, press and publicity.

lochnessbus.com reserves the right to lower their prices in any of their tours or visits, therefore, the final prices will always be confirmed before the customer makes their reservation.

lochnessbus.com reserves the right to modify or cancel any itinerary due to causes outside the company’s control, either in whole or in part. In such cases it will be substituted for another itinerary of equal value or, in the event that it isn’t possible to do another route, a full or partial refund of the cost of the tour or visit will be made in accordance with our criteria.

If access to any part of the country were to be prohibited or restricted due to causes outside of the company’s control, the customer would have the right to claim for a refund in the event that the tour or visit could not be made. The percentage of the refund would be calculated according to the amount of time that had already been spent on the tour and the amount of time that was left to spend on that tour.

lochnessbus.com reserves the right to change the model and capacity of its vehicles in all of our trips at any time.

6. Formalisation, changes and cancellation of purchases and responsibilities

Once the reservation process has been completed, our system will automatically display the reservation number. You will then receive an email confirmation to the email address provided during the reservations process. Please note that although in most cases the reservation confirmation will be immediate they can sometimes take up to 24 hours. In the case that the confirmation email is not received within 24 hours of the booking being made, please contact our team by sending an email to [email protected] or by calling 0044 131 629 0189. Our customer service business hours are from Monday to Sunday from 7am to 9pm all year round.

Once the order has been placed, i.e. the general terms and conditions of purchase and the confirmation of the reservation process have been accepted, the confirmation will be made as follows:

• For all trips that include accommodation: The reservation will be confirmed as soon as we provide you with the name of the accommodation where you will stay and the total payment has been made.
• For all trips that do not include accommodation: You will receive an email confirmation from [email protected] as soon as the payment for the reservation has been made.

LochNessBus.com will accept order cancellations under the conditions indicated below. To make the cancellation you must request it through the forms available on this website or by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

For all those excursions that do not involve accommodation:

• Free cancellation within 24 hours of completion. There will be no compensation for cancellations within 24 hours prior to completion.
• For those services not specified in our brochures or on our website, special conditions will apply and will be confirmed at the time of booking.

For all those excursions that involve accommodation:

• 3-day tour: the free cancellation period of the reservation will be up to a maximum of 10 days before the tour departs.
• Self-Drive: the free cancellation period of the reservation will be up to a maximum of 15 days before the rental car pick up.

For the following activities, cancellation is NOT allowed:

• Edinburgh Hop on Hop Off – Sightseeing tour.
• Scottish dinner and show.
• Tickets to attractions and monuments.
• Mary King’s Close – The underground city.

In case the service cancellation is covered by the client’s insurance policy, the client may make a claim under this procedure.

If, after your reservation has been confirmed, you wish to change it for another departure date or for another LochNessBus.com tour, you can do so with a minimum notice of 24 hours before departure. In the event that your request is made with a notice period of less than 24 hours, LochNessBus.com is not responsible for not being able to provide you with a response or the requested modification in time. This management will be carried out without administrative charges.

Withdrawal

The user may not exercise the right of withdrawal, as this is a service related to leisure activities and as it deals with contracts that include the delivery of services of accommodation, transport, food and drink or leisure, and on making an agreement with the company when the contract is concluded to provide these services on a specific date or within a specific time scale.

To cancel a reservation, the customer should send an email to [email protected], specifying their personal information and expressing their wish to cancel or modify this reservation.

Reservations for each of the tours and day trips can be cancelled or modified free of charge within the aforementioned time-scales. However, the cancellation or modification of reservations could incur a cost or financial penalisation to the customer, in accordance with the conditions and aforementioned time-scales, they will depend on the type of tour purchased and if it includes accommodation.

Special conditions for multi-day tours

For multi-day tours there is the following luggage limitation:

• One day tours: one carry-on suitcase (cabin size) + one small bag or backpack per person.
• Isle of Skye and Highlands 3-day tour: one carry-on suitcase (cabin size) + one small bag or backpack per person.

7. Financial Security Statement

The combination of travel services offered to you is a package within the meaning of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.

Therefore, you will benefit from all rights applying to packages; TA Scotland LTD (LochNessBus.com) will be fully responsible for the proper performance of the package as a whole.

Additionally, as required by law, TA Scotland LTD (LochNessBus.com) have protection in place to refund your payments and, where transport is included in the package, to ensure your repatriation in the event that they become insolvent. TA Scotland LTD (LochNessBus.com) are members of the Bonded Coach Holiday Group, overseen by The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited. This is a government approved consumer protection scheme. This ensures that in relation to the coach package holidays described in this brochure (or website) that a Bond, which may be called upon in the unlikely event of the members Insolvency, protects the clients’ monies. Clients are recommended to inspect the current membership certificate at our registered office or alternatively go to www.bch-uk.org or telephone 0207 7065 5316 to confirm current membership.

Your attention is also drawn to the Bonded Coach Holiday Group Trading Charter that will apply to these coach package holidays.

Details of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 can be found at The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)

8. Claims

If the client considers that his rights as a consumer are violated or not attended, he can file a claim with the competent body. At the same time, the resolution of claims between us and users is possible through consumer arbitration.