Services, Products, Prices and 'How to Book'
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We always find that 'terms and conditions' appear to be totally restrictive, and it is necessary to have such things for the protection of all, and to give a basis to work with. We are always open to discussion when things go wrong (and at some point they will - as described by that universal rule which also governs the tangling of neatly coiled hosepipes, string, extention leads etc!)
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Terms and Conditions
1. Trial-a-Bite does not arrange transport for your party. It is your responsibility to arrange your party’s transport.
2. If you hire a mini bus or coach to transport your party please let us know, as we have to arrange for a barrier to be opened to allow entry of larger vehicles (larger than a people carrier) to some sites.
3. A 50% deposit is required with all bookings.
4. Deposits are not returnable if you cancel the tour with less than 7 working days notice, in writing. If we cancel the tour the deposit will be refunded in full. If the tour in cancelled, by you, with more than 7 working days notice then 50% of the deposit will be returned, less any costs already incurred.
5. The balance of the fee is payable 7 working days before the date of departure. If the balance is not paid we reserve the right to retain the deposit.
6. If you hire field kits (hard hat, goggles, hammer, chisel, hand lens) for your party, the fees and deposit are payable at the time of booking.
7. Although we are insured, we recommend that you take out additional insurances for your party.
8. That you have read, and agreed to comply with all the points covered in “Things You Need to Know Before you book”.
9. It is your responsibility to ensure that the members of your party are physically capable of coping with the tour.
10. Please ensure that any members of your party, that require medications such as Ventalin etc have a sufficient supply with them and that they can self administer.
11. Please ensure that all members of your party are conversant with the clothing guidelines.
12. To comply with insurances please pass on copies of the fieldwork code to all members of your party (you may print these off from the website).
13. Please follow the codes for collecting as detailed on the website and the fieldwork code.
14. Trial – Bite and its agents cannot be responsible for the loss or damage to any possessions or property belonging or hired to you or your party no matter how caused.
12. We operate a zero tolerance to abuse policy. Any abuse of our staff either verbal or physical could cause the tour to be cancelled immediately, with no return of funds or reduction in charges. We reserve the right to involve the police, if we decide the incident is serious enough. If you have a complaint, please contact us.
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Payments for any service or purchase
We accept payment by cheque, company cheque or postal order. Please do not send cash by post. Unfortunately we cannot process payment by cards, at this time. We will supply you with our postal address when you order from us
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Pricing
Please note:
1. Maximum group size is twenty (including children and concessions).
2. Group discount. For groups larger than 10 people. Must be booked as one trip.
3. Special rates for Schools and other educational establishments.
4. As we are a small, new company, we are obliged to operate a minimum price policy In order for tours to be financially viable for us. Please contact us for the minimum price we charge.
Special Excursions. As tours of this nature are tailored to your needs, pricing is on a per trip basis and will be discussed directly with you.
We are flexible - if your tour or party falls outside the above stipulations we will be happy to discuss your needs
Equipment Hire
If you do not have your own field kit, we can supply some field kits on a per trip basis. Our kit has all the necessary items for general trips and fossil hunting expeditions. The kit consists of; 1 hammer, 1 bolster, 1 pair safety glasses, 1 hard hat, 1 hand lens, specimen bags and a kit bag to carry them in. Please note that we do not charge for the specimen bags in your kit .
Tour Prices
You would normally expect a list of options with prices attached. However it would be a long and complicated list as each tour destination is priced individually and other factors such as group size, field kits etc also come into play. In light of experience we have found it much easier for all parties if the ask us for a quote. Please feel free to contact us for a 'no obligation' quote.
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How to book a tour
1. Firstly choose a venue and date/tide time that suits you and your party. If you are unsure, please contact us to discuss the various options that are open to you.
2. Contact us by email, phone or text with the information listed, below:
Contact details (person booking the tour): Mr/Mrs/Ms First Name(s) , Postal address, Tel. No: Mobile & Land line, E-mail (if you have one)
Tour details: Tour Title & Date of tour.
Party details: Total No. in party , Number of the party who are under 16 or concessions
Equipment hire: Number of field Kits required:
3. We will contact you with a total costing for you tour.
4. On recipt of you deposit (or full cost of your tour) your booking will be secure
5. We will contact you to confirm the booking and finalise details such as where we will meet etc.
Guarantee of Confidentiality
We will not pass on any information relating to, or details of you or your party to any third party at all, for any reason. Any details supplied by you, to us, are used ONLY in conjuction with your booking and for no other reason.
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Services
We offer a range of supplimentary services to compliment the tours, to make your experience as satisfying as we can. These services range from a cataloguing and identification service to equipment supply and publications.
Please read on for details.
Cataloguing and identification service
We offer a rock and fossil specimen identification and cataloguing service, for academic and private collections. The cost of identifying and cataloguing your collection depends on how large your collection is, and this of course influences the time it will take to complete the task.
Specimens in your collection will be numbered with a code individual to your establishment, so that they may be cross-referenced to the catalogue.
Where possible a description each specimen will include:
· Mineralogy
· Place of origin
· Approximate age
· Marker fossils
· Any diagnostic features
For our customers we offer a free identification service (only for one or two specimens at a time - please, not your whole collection!). We cannot accept your specimen, so please do not post it to us. However you may photograh your specimen (do not forget to place something in the photo that will act as a scale (10p piece, ruler etc.) and email the image to us, along with any additional information you may have, that may help us such as where it was collected from, rock in which it was found (if known) etc, and we will do our best to identify it for you.
Publications
We have some 'in house' publications. These were written to accompany our tours. However, with the exception of the 'work book' series, they will be suitable for general reading. The series are a little limited at present, but will expand in conjucnction with the number of tours we offer. These publications are printed to order, thus please allow a little lead time when ordering.
Work Books
This series is written with a particular theme and goal in mind. Pupils are lead from making easy observations and noting down facts at the first sites to making their own observations and inferences at the last. The books intoduce pupils to the scientific method and how to make their own observations - a skill that will stand them in good stead throughout their scientific career (whether at school or beyond!). The work books have been differentiated for mainstream and gifted and talented pupils.
Teachers Resource Booklets
These 'teachers sheets' are designed to act as an 'aide memoir' to the rocks, fossils and their names (and how to spell them). These are also intended to help the teacher in any follow-up projects inspired by the tour, that may be undertaken in the classroom.