Terms & Conditions Of Service, Refunds, Cancellation etc.

Tours are operated by the Eat This! Tours, in The Country Of Georgia, hereafter referred to as ‘the Company’. Persons hiring the services of the company are hereafter referred to as ‘the Client’.

Last updated August 14th 2023. This policy is binding for all bookings for which the booking was made on or after this date. Bookings made before this date will be judged on a case by case basis depending on what the conditions were at the time of booking.

Definitions

Scheduled Tour – These include all tours with bookable dates on the website (instant reservation tours).

Custom Tour – These include all custom tour planning services, on-demand and private tour booking services. Essentially, any tour which you cannot book using the instant reservation options on the website.

Prices

Published prices are based on costs at the time of publication. We reserve the right to change published prices at any time before your booking is made. We reserve the right to increase the cost of your booking if the Government imposes new taxes or increases existing taxes, or fuel charges increase by more than 10% since your time of booking. We will inform you of any increases.

If booking a custom tour, or paying in cash, we will mainly quote in local currency GEL. The final payment amount is relative to the local currency GEL. So if you receive a USD/EUR quote, the final amount may change if the local currency fluctuates. In other words, all quotes and final payment amounts are calculated in GEL and the USD/EUR amount is for your information and convenience only, not a final set price. The only final price is in GEL.

The USD/EUR currency converted amount may change up until you make the final payment, based on the fluctuations of the GEL exchange rate. We may add a currency conversion fee, on top of the exchange rate, if you choose to pay in a currency other than GEL. PayPal has the highest fees, so we typically suggest payment by bank transfer. We’ll provide full details for payments when required.

Payments

On 1 and 2-day scheduled tours of 7 or less persons, a fixed per person deposit fee is required. Final payment is made upon commencement of the tour, or sometimes in advance.

On all custom (1 day or more) and multi day tours (3 days or more), a non-refundable deposit of 20%, but not less than 250 GEL, must be made and a confirmation issued by the Company before any binding contract exists. Once we receive your deposit we can invoice you for the remainder of the tour cost and that can be paid upon commencement of the tour, or in advance, depending on the type of tour.

For larger group and multi day tours, full payment may be required in advance. We’ll let you know.

Under all circumstances of tour bookings or other services, if you do not pay your balance by the agreed time, the Company reserves the right to cancel your booking or pursue any unpaid monies.

Client Cancellation Policy

Payment for the tour is a fundamental part of the tour’s income and contributes to the overall cost of equipment, running costs, staffing, administration, etc. As the Company will have incurred much of its admin costs before the tour starts, we need to impose cancellation charges to cover these costs. As well as to pay vendors who were booked but lost the booking at the last minute, including guides who could have taken other bookings but now will be without the work that was originally booked.

More than 14 days before departure – full refund (scheduled tours only), 20% of total tour cost in the case of custom tours.
More than 7, up to 14 days before departure – Deposit payment (in the case of scheduled tours), 20% of total tour cost in the case of custom tours.
7 or fewer days before departure – in all cases 50% of tour cost. For scheduled tours if other people book your places on the tour we will only keep the deposit payment instead of charging 50%.
36 hours before tour start time & no show – 100% of tour cost.
For “Real Rtveli” Harvest Tours, please see additional conditions below.

Our company policy is to be flexible to customer needs but we also can’t take a financial loss, or penalize our staff, guides and vendors, when cancellations are by the client. We are able to provide any required invoice so you can claim the money back on your travel insurance.

Custom tours may be subject to alternative cancellation terms, which will be communicated to applicable Clients at the time of booking if they differ from above. If not communicated, the above policy is in force.

All cancellations must be made through the booking platform where you booked. If booking directly by email, then cancellation must be made by email. Or cancellation by WhatsApp to our main business number +995 511105991 is also possible.

Once the tour has started, no refund for any unused portion or part of the tour or services to be provided will be given. If you want to make any changes to the tour, or depart the tour early, such alteration or departure will be entirely at your own expense and liability. You will also need to communicate in writing to the Company your reason for leaving the tour.

Tour Postponement / Substitution

In the case that you still want to continue with the tour, but on a different day or to switch to an alternative tour (substitution), transference of funds is possible under certain circumstances only and rebooking fees may apply.

More than 14 days before departure – For scheduled tours any deposit or relevant funds paid can be transferred to a new date. For custom tours a rebooking fee of 10% to cover increased admin costs and your non-refundable deposit can be transferred to the new date(s).
14 or fewer days before departure – for scheduled tours your deposit may be forfeit and you can simply rebook any future date at full price. If others book your space on the tour you postponed, your deposit can be used against a future tour instead of being forfeit. For custom tours a rebooking fee of 10% of total tour cost is charged, in addition a fee of up to 50% of the total tour cost may be charged to cover cancellation penalties imposed by guides or vendors – we genuinely do try to be flexible on these fees but we don’t want anyone to be out of pocket.
36 hours before tour start time & no show – up to 100% of tour cost is charged, depending on cancellation penalties imposed by guides or vendors. These vary depending on the vendor and how many days your tour was. We will fairly assess the situation and transfer any funds we can that are left, after covering costs, to your new booking. A 10% rebooking fee will be charged.

Please note that substitution/postponement is possible only once under these terms. Requests for a second substitution/postponement, after rebooking has already taken place, will result in up to 100% of the full tour cost being charged. It is the right of the Company to refuse any additional rebooking at that time.

Real Rtveli Harvest Tours – Special Conditions

We can’t control the weather and we can’t take on all the financial risk in case of poor weather conditions. But we have developed a very fair system to account for unpredictable conditions, and you can choose for yourself at each stage of the booking process if you will move to the next stage. NOTE: REAL RTVELI CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY DIFFERS FROM OUR REGULAR TOURS.

Initial booking. We only take a 100 GEL per person deposit. If you choose to cancel, the deposit is lost. Full, final payment is made on the day of the tour. Please don’t just cancel because it “looks like rain” the winemaker has the final say on the weather conditions, and if they decide to harvest and you canceled, there is no refund. Deposit can be returned if canceling at least 14 days prior to the expected departure date.
If the harvest date changes due to weather, or because the winemaker is not happy with the grape sugar level (also affected by weather), then the real harvest date may change. There are 3 options:
- 1. Same date: We may switch to a winey in another area that is harvesting on the same day you booked. The length of the trip will remain approximately the same, if not, we’ll inform you and you can choose from the other 2 options. If this operates and you choose not to attend, you lose your deposit.
- 2. OR Same Date: We will place you on a harvest simulation tour (if 4 or more people want the simulation rather than changing dates). See more information above. If the simulation cannot run, we will provide a full refund. If this simulation operates and you choose not to attend, you lose your deposit.
- 3. NEW Date: You can switch to whichever new date the winemaker selects (it may be the next day! We never know) or you can transfer to a different harvest tour on a different date (if space is available). If we move to a new date and that Real Rtveli also does not operate again due to weather, the above 3 options will apply again.
If you cancel due to illness, flight cancelation etc. Please recoup lost payments via your traveli insurance.
If the harvest date is canceled by Eat This! Tours, and not by the winery / weather then you have two options:
- 1. Switch to an alternate harvest tour date or simulation date or any other tour (prices may be higher than Rtveli for our non-Rtveli tours, and you’d need to pay the difference).
- 2. Full refund.

Please note that these Real Rtveli tours are incredibly complex to coordinate compared to regular tours. Our small team puts a lot of time into making these work but we cannot guarantee weather and grape sugar levels. Our commitment is for everyone to leave happy and to have had a harvest experience, even if it is not the exact one they had hoped for. Please set your expectations that you will have a really fun harvest experience, but that it may not be the exact one you booked.

Considering this, please be as flexible as possible and try to take the alternate tour options rather than insist on a refund. We’d appreciate it! If your dates are very inflexible you should consider booking a scheduled and fixed date Rtveli simulation that is not weather dependent.

Cancellation by the Company

We reserve the right to cancel the contract between us for any reason prior to your payment of the full price of the trip. In this case, we will refund in full any amount that you have already paid us. After you have paid in full, we will only cancel the contract if circumstances beyond our control make it unavoidable.

Such circumstances include, but are not limited to, civil or political unrest, terrorism, natural disaster, or other force majeure circumstance. In the unlikely event that such circumstances arise, we will contact you immediately and offer you the choice of equivalent services or a full refund of all monies paid. No additional compensation will be paid over and above the total sum received from you.

Alteration of Itineraries

It is unlikely that the Company will have to make changes to your tour. However, we may occasionally have to make changes either before or after you have booked. Due to working with very small independent wineries and food suppliers, occasionally winemakers may not be available in person and we may change itineraries, or attend certain places meeting with different people than our usual pictured/listed itineraries.

Most changes will be minor, and the Company will advise you of very minor changes on the day, if needed. Larger changes you will be notified of in advance if and when it is deemed necessary. The Company reserves the right to alter the itinerary after departure, without paying compensation, if it is in your interest to do so. Furthermore, the Company will not pay compensation if it is forced to cancel or in any way change the tour while you are on tour due to force majeure, such as war, riots, civil strike, disease outbreak, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions, or other material external circumstances beyond the Company’s control.

Travel Insurance

The Company is not responsible for unforeseen circumstances such as flight or train delays or cancellations; the failure of embassies or consulates to issue visas; the inaccessibility of certain tourist attractions or destinations due to the actions of government bodies; the actions or services of accommodation and other facilities visited during the tour; or incidents such as injury, illness, or loss of personal belongings.

Therefore, travel insurance is expected for all Clients. At the time of booking, each Client should arrange his or her own insurance with a reputable insurer, with protection for the full duration of the tour, to cover personal injury, medical expenses, repatriation expenses, loss of luggage, and the expenses associated with cancellation or curtailment of a tour.

If you become ill, all hospital expenses, doctor fees, and repatriation costs are your responsibility and the Company shall not be liable for any refund of the tour cost.

Choosing not to buy your own travel insurance is done so at your own risk and the company shall not be liable in any way for any expenses falling upon the client. Any disputes or claims between the client and vendors or sub-contractors of the company will be handled directly between those parties, and the company will not be liable to mediate or become financially responsible for said disputes or claims.

Minors On The Tour

A minor is considered as a person under the age of 18. Minors must be accompanied on tours by a parent or guardian. The parent or guardian of the minor must take responsibility for the actions of minors at all times. Alcohol will not be provided to minors unless by express permission and in the presence of the parent or guardian. We ask that the parent or guardian acts with restraint when allowing the minor to taste any alcohol so as not to allow them to drink enough to become drunk.

If you want to take a tour with a minor (as parent or guardian) you should book a private tour. For our scheduled/shared tours we would only accept a minor (with parent/guardian) in the event that all other guests had explicitly agreed. Teenagers aged 13 to 18 can attend shared tours under full supervision of a parent/guardian and explicit agreement of the parent/guardian that the minor can attend, agreement by other unconnected guests on the tour is not required for ages 13 to 18.

The Company takes no responsibility for the welfare of minors on shared tours, this responsibility falls to the parent/guardian.

Drunkenness on tours

Alcohol is an integral part of many of our tours. Drunkenness is permitted only to a point where the actions of the client do not adversely affect other members of the group. It is the responsibility of the company to assess if the behavior of any client has become unacceptable and is causing offense or danger to themselves or others.

Parents or guardians who are responsible for minors during a trip, drink at there own risk and the company will take no financial or legal responsibility for the minors whose parents are incapable of caring for them. Though, of course, the company will do there best to make sure minors are safe at all times but ultimate responsibility for their care always belongs to the parent or guardian.

Vomiting in the vehicle of the company will incur a fee of $60 USD.