TERMS & CONDITIONS

1.These conditions govern the hiring of a vessel through The Boat Hire Company (referred to as BHC) on the date and for the period specified on the invoice/agreement. It is the hirer’s responsibility to supply each of The Passengers with a copy of these terms and conditions.
2. These conditions supersede all previous conditions and shall apply to all hiring’s of the vessel and may only be altered with the written consent of BHC.
3. No booking can be confirmed until full pre-payment has been received, indicating your acceptance of these Terms and Conditions (unless otherwise stated).  All bookings with agreed prices will be confirmed to the Hirer by BHC.  Failure to pay the deposit will result in BHC cancelling the booking. 
4. Any person named on the booking shall be considered the Hirer.  Where two or more persons are named they shall each be considered the Hirer and shall be jointly and severally liable under these conditions.  Should personnel change within a corporate booking it will be deemed that the “Company” is the Hirer. 
5. If the Hirer has cause to cancel the charter, the full deposit is non refundable unless by prior agreement with BHC. A cancellation received within 72 hours before the date will also incur the liability of catering and entertainment costs. 

6. If adverse weather or river conditions prevent the cruise from taking place as scheduled, BHC will inform The Hirer as soon as possible and offer an alternative date and/or time. If an alternative date and/or time cannot be agreed, BHC will refund The Hirer in full minus any costs incurred by BHC. Any decision to re-schedule a cruise because of bad weather is at the complete discretion of BHC, not The Hirer.

7. BHC will not be liable to The Hirer where the performance of any of our obligations under this agreement is prevented or restricted by any cause or circumstance beyond our reasonable control. This includes events such as but not limited to severe weather, river conditions, mechanical breakdown, and any actions of third parties not employed by BHC. The maximum liability for any damages will be limited to the total fee paid for the cruise package. If The Hirer is a business, BHC accept no liability for any loss of profit or turnover that The Hirer may incur as a consequence of failure by BHC to perform any of our obligations under this agreement. Nothing in these Terms of Business shall limit or exclude any liability that cannot, under English law, be excluded. Nothing in this section or elsewhere in our Terms and Conditions affects your statutory legal rights.

8. Neither BHC nor any of its employees or agents shall be liable for any injury, damage, loss, illness, accident or delay to persons embarked or their possessions howsoever caused, whether sustained on board the vessel or whilst embarking/ disembarking, save insofar as it results from their proven negligence. Passengers use vessels, steps, gangplanks, open decks, handrails, landing stages etc. at their own risk.

9. The nature of the charter shall be notified to BHC at the time of the booking and BHC may, at its absolute discretion and without giving any reason, may refuse to let the vessel to the Hirer. 
10. Nothing shall be affixed to any part of the vessel by any means whatsoever without prior written consent of BHC. 

11. Passengers are permitted to bring their own food or drink on board by prior arrangement with BHC.

12. Please note when catering is provided by BHC or our suppliers, we cannot guarantee that menus are completely free of allergens such as nuts. We reserve the right to increase menu prices in line with seasonal fluctuations of ingredients. Should this be necessary, we will inform you in writing with as much notice as possible.

13. The Boat is equipped with a sound system for passengers to use. In accordance with the Environment Agency bylaws, no music can be played while waiting to enter or passing through a lock.

14. If the Hirer has any comments during the charter, a representative from BHC or the Captain will be happy to discuss this with the Hirer.  Any complaints must be notified to the Captain, and then restated in writing to the office no later than 3 days after the Hire. Failure to comply with this request will indemnify the Company from the payment of any compensation. 
15. During the hire, the vessel will remain under complete control of the Captain and the crew.  If for weather, safety concerns or other reasons the Captain considers it necessary to vary the scheduled trip, his decision will be final. Should the skipper consider the behaviour of any person onboard to be putting themselves, others or the boat in danger, they will be asked to disembark, and the cruise may be cut short.
16. There are rare occasions where BHC reserves the right to substitute or replace a vessel, without requiring permission from the Hirer.  BHC undertakes to replace only with a boat of equally or better standard and that it will meet the number of passengers as stipulated by the client. No additional charge will be incurred by the client. 
17. The Hirer shall be liable for any loss or damage to the vessel or its equipment of fittings caused by the Hirer or any person in their party.  Any glass, cutlery or crockery broken or removed from the vessel will be charged to the Hirer at cost price.  In certain circumstances BHC reserves the right to demand a security deposit which will be refundable, less the cost of any breakages or losses, after completion of the charter. 
18. A cleaning charge may be levied on occasions where guests do not respect our property to cover mainly carpets and upholstery unduly soiled during a charter period. 
19. If the Hirer brings onboard any item(s), these will remain the Hirer’s responsibility.  This also applies to anything left behind; BHC cannot be held responsible for any lost possessions. 

20. No third party contractor will be permitted to operate on board, without first providing a written risk assessment and copy of public liability insurance with cover to the value of £2 million.

21. Parents are responsible for the safety and behaviour of their children. Buoyancy Aids will be available for children under the age of 12 by prior arrangement with BHC. In the interests of safety, it is strongly recommended that all children wear buoyancy aids and are accompanied by an adult at all times.
22. All quotations are guaranteed for 60 days.