Terms of Use Privacy Policy Terms of Travel Refund Policy
WEBSITE TERMS OF USE
This Internet website (www.gecotravel.com, the "Website") is provided by Global Eco Travel, LLC (operating its travel services as "Geco Travel"). Global Eco Travel, LLC is registered and licensed to conduct business in the U.S. state of Michigan.
Agreement to Terms
As our visitor and customer, your access to, and use of, the Website is subject to the following terms and all applicable laws and regulations in both the user's jurisdiction and the U.S. State of Michigan. By accessing and using the Website, you accept, without limitation or qualification, the provisions outlined in this document (collectively deemed the "Terms of Use" hereafter) and acknowledge that any other agreements between you and Geco Travel are superseded with respect to this subject matter. If you do not agree and accept these Terms of Use without limitation or qualification, you must exit the Website immediately, not download/use the files herein, and neither subscribe nor agree to purchase to any offerings, services, or notifications provided.
Limitations of Use
The information and materials available on this Website are provided for general informational purposes. You may use this Website solely for the purpose of researching, learning about, and/or purchasing Geco Travel services and products. You may not use, reproduce or distribute the text, graphics, downloads, tools or any other content on this Website without explicit consent from Geco Travel for any commercial, organizational, or any other purpose not specifically outlined in this agreement.
Privacy
All personal data transmitted to the Website by e-mail or otherwise will be used by Geco Travel in accordance with the Privacy Policy. Any other non-sensitive communication or material you transmit to the Website, such as questions, comments, suggestions or the like, will be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary unless stated otherwise in the Privacy Policy.
Disclaimer of Warranties
All content provided on the website is subject to change without prior notice and is provided to you "as is" without any warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. Please note that some jurisdictions may not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so some of the above exclusions may not apply to you. Without limiting the foregoing, Geco Travel neither warrants nor guarantees that your use of any Content will not infringe the rights of any third parties nor that the Content will be accurate, complete or up-to-date. Additionally, with reference to any discussions, chats, postings, transmissions, bulletin boards, and the like that may be on the Website, Geco Travel assumes no responsibility or liability arising from any infringing, threatening, false, misleading, abusive, harassing, libelous, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, scandalous, inflammatory, pornographic, or profane material or any material that could constitute or encourage conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any law, contained in any such locations on the Website.
Exclusion of Liability
YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. NEITHER GECO TRAVEL, NOR ANY OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, PARTNERS, MEMBERS, NOR ANY OF ITS AGENTS OR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN CREATING, PRODUCING, OR DELIVERING THE WEBSITE OR ITS CONTENT, ARE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OF THIS WEBSITE OR CONTENT WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY SUCH DAMAGES. Please note that some jurisdictions may not allow the exclusion of certain damages, so some of the above exclusions may not apply to you.
Third Party Disclaimer
Geco Travel may provide hyperlinks to third party websites or other resources solely for your convenience. Geco Travel does not control, and is not responsible for, the content or privacy policies on, or the security of, such sites. Without limiting the foregoing, Geco Travel specifically disclaims any responsibility if such sites:
Neither does Geco Travel endorse the content, or any products or services available, on such sites. If you visit such sites or establish a link to such sites or the Website, you do so at your own risk and without the permission of Geco Travel.
Copyright
Any information downloaded by you from this Website, including, without limitation, any files, media, images, text, and other electronic data (collectively referred to as the "Content") is licensed to you for personal and private use by Geco Travel. Downloading the Content does not transfer title/ownership to the Content, or any intellectual property rights therein, to you. You may not redistribute or sell the content.
This Website may contain copyrighted materials, animations, photographs, images, videos, footage, text, music, and sounds (collectively referred to as "Marks") which is owned by Geco Travel and/or its licensors. It is illegal to duplicate, download or distribute any Content from this Website except for your personal and private use. You may not use photos or images of people or identifiable entities in any manner that suggests the endorsement or association of any product or service or in connection with any pornographic or immoral materials.
If you believe that content appearing on the Website constitutes copyright infringement of another party's rights, please contact us at info@gecotravel.com.
Revisions to the Terms
Geco Travel may at any time, and without notice, revise this Terms of Use by updating this posting. You are bound by any such revisions and should therefore periodically visit this page to review the current Terms of Use as it is continually amended.
Laws and Jurisdictions
These Terms of Use and your use of the Website are governed by the laws of the U.S. State of Michigan, without regard to its choice of law provisions. The courts of general jurisdiction, located within Washtenaw County, Michigan, USA, will have exclusive jurisdiction over any and all disputes arising out of, relating to or concerning these Terms of Use and/or the Website or in which these Terms of Use and/or the Website are a material fact.
Updated: August 5, 2009.
PRIVACY POLICY
Global Eco Travel, LLC ("we, us, our") recognizes the importance of protecting the privacy of our customers. All individuals who visit, interact with, and transact business on GecoTravel.com (the "Website") are entitled to certain rights and disclosures as to how their personal information is collected and used.
Any information that we collect from our customers and visitors is expressly for our use and will not be freely sold, exchanged, bartered, or otherwise shared with any entities, public or private. It is not our policy to sell or otherwise provide access to such information to unaffiliated third parties without the explicit consent of our customers. In no uncertain terms, if you deny us permission to release your personal information to any organization in any capacity, then we will dutifully respect your request, no questions asked.
From time to time we may collect certain information about our users, which shall be used for a number of tasks. Listed below are two scenarios describing when we may record and keep customer data.
Users who visit the Website with the intention to read or download information from our pages are subject to having anonymous data collected concerning usage statistics. From these users, we may assemble and save only the following information:
Individuals who send us e-mail containing personal information related to an inquiry or transaction status, sign our guestbook, or request email publications may have specific information retrieved. Any information that we collect in this way is used only for the purposes of responding to you and addressing the issues that you have raised. Any sensitive and personally identifiable information, including social security numbers, bank account numbers, and credit card numbers are highly discouraged from being sent via e-mail messages or as attachments, regardless of the circumstance. Any such information sent in this fashion will be automatically deleted and you will be directed as to the proper channel to accomplish your request. If you decide to unsubscribe from any of our publications or newsletters, your information provided for such services will be promptly deleted in a secure manner.
Any information that we collect is done so as part of our business practices in order to identify anonymous demographic information relative to users who access our Website. This includes assessing the number of users accessing various sections of our Website, gauging visitor volume, helping us determine what content and business concepts are working for us and our visitors, determining technical design features and specifications, and improving system performance. We also may use such information to assist us in adapting new marketing strategies and advertising effectiveness. Software programs may be instituted to create summary statistics, which we draw upon for the above purposes.
As a security measure to ensure a pleasant and secure experience for our customers, we may utilize software to monitor traffic on our Website. This software also enables us to identify unauthorized upload attempts, malicious access to our Website, and other attempts to cause damage to our Website operations.
Updated: August 5, 2009.
TERMS OF TRAVEL
Waiver of Liability
We want you to have an exciting and stimulating trip. But above all, we want to ensure that your vacation is a safe and positive experience. Again, we thank you for choosing our business and we'll do what we can to accommodate your needs. By deciding to purchase one of our packages, you consent to the terms outlined below.
Waiver of Liability for Inherent Risks and Dangers
The customer ("Participant") understands that there are certain dangers, hazards, and risks inherent in international travel and the activities included in the vacation packages ("Packages") being offered for purchase through Geco Travel, which can include serious or even mortal injuries and property damage, and that Geco Travel cannot and does not assume responsibility for any such personal injuries or property damage.
Disclaimer of Geco Travel's Responsibility
- The Participant understands that Geco Travel acts as an agent for authorized third parties providing services for the Participant in Costa Rica only, and not with the transportation carriers, hotels, or other suppliers of services connected with the Packages. The Participant further understands and agrees that Geco Travel is:
- not responsible or liable for any injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or other irregularity which may be caused by the defect of any vehicle or the negligence or default of any company or person engaged in providing or performing any of the services involved in this Package;
- not responsible for losses or expenses due to sickness, weather, strikes, hostilities, wars, natural disasters, or other such causes; and
- not responsible for any disruption of travel arrangements prepared with individual airlines, or any consequential expenses that may be incurred as a result.
- Geco Travel shall not be liable under any circumstances with respect to any subject matter of the engagement between the Participant and Geco Travel for any incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages (including, without limitation, loss of revenue or loss of profits or lost business), even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Potential Travel and Accommodation Problems
- The Participant acknowledges and agrees to accept all responsibility for loss or additional expenses due to delays or other changes in the means of transportation, services, illness, weather, strikes, or other unforeseen causes. The Participant consents that Geco Travel assumes no liability whatsoever for any loss, damage, destruction, or theft to Participant's luggage or personal belongings, and that Participant has retained adequate insurance or has sufficient funds to replace such belongings and will hold Geco Travel harmless.
- The Participant also acknowledges and understands that in the event he/she/they becomes separated from any group, fails to meet a departing bus, airplane, or train, or becomes sick or injured, the Participant will bear all responsibility to seek out, contact, and reach the group and communicate with a designated Provider coordinator at its next available destination, and that Participant shall bear all costs associated with rejoining any group at its next scheduled destination.
Assumption of the Risks Involved
- The Participant has, as advised by Geco Travel, reviewed the U.S. Consular Affairs Information Sheets and Travel Warnings contained on the U.S. Department of State Consular Affairs Internet homepage and the Travelers' Health section of the Centers for Disease Control's website, and by those means, are duly informed of any such risks posed to them by traveling to Costa Rica. The Participant hereby assumes, knowingly and voluntarily, each of these risks and all the other risks that could arise out of or occur during his/her travel to, from, or around Costa Rica.
- Fully understanding the dangers, hazards, and risks of such activities, and in consideration of being permitted to take part in the Packages, the Participant, on behalf of the Participant's family, heirs, assigns and personal representative(s), agrees to assume all the risks and responsibilities surrounding the Participant's participation in the Packages, the transportation involved, and in any independent research or activities undertaken as an adjunct thereto, and in advance releases, waives, and forever discharges Geco Travel, its Members, Project Coordinators and any agents (collectively the "Releasees"), from and against any and all liability for any harm, injury, damage, claims, demands, actions, causes of action, costs, and expenses of any nature whatsoever which the Participant may have or which may hereafter accrue to the Participant, arising out of or related to any loss, damage, or injury, including but not limited to suffering and death, that may be sustained by the Participant or by any property belonging to the Participant, whether caused by the negligence or carelessness of the Releasees, or otherwise, while in, on, upon, or in transit to or from Costa Rica where the Packages or any adjunct to the Packages occurs or is being conducted.
- It is the Participant's express knowledge and intent that this waiver of liability and shall bind the members of the Participant's family, if the Participant is alive, and the Participant's family, estate, heirs, administrators, personal representatives, or assigns, if Participant is deceased, and shall be deemed as a release, waiver, discharge, and covenant not to sue the above-named Releasees. The Participant agrees to hold harmless and indemnify Releasees from any claim by the Participant or the Participant's family arising out of the Participant's participation in the Package.
Acknowledgment of Agreement
- In entering this engagement, the Participant acknowledges that he/she has been fully informed of the contents of this waiver of liability by reading it before consenting to it. Additionally, by selecting the checkmark box on the Website's reserve trip form page, this act constitutes a formal agreement to the above provisions and is conducted by the Participant's own free act and will. Such act also confirms that no oral misrepresentations, statements, or inducements, apart from the foregoing written statement, have been made.
- The Participant agrees that, should any provision or aspect of this agreement be found to be unenforceable, all remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
- Should there be any dispute concerning the Participant's participation in the Packages that would require adjudication by a court of law, such adjudication will occur in the courts of, and be determined by the laws of, the State of Michigan.
- The Participant acknowledges that these terms represent his/her complete understanding with Geco Travel concerning Geco Travel's responsibility and liability for his/her participation in the program, and that these terms supersede any previous or contemporaneous understanding he/she may have had with Geco Travel on the subject, whether written or oral, and cannot be changed or amended in any way without written concurrence by both parties.
- In no uncertain terms, the Participant is at least eighteen (18) years of age and fully competent in their faculties to sign and be bound to this Waiver of Liability.
- The Participant is aware of all applicable personal medical needs, and has arranged for adequate hospitalization insurance to meet any and all needs for payment of hospital costs while undertaking the Packages. The Participant agrees that Geco Travel is not responsible for any of Participant's medical or medication needs, that the Participant assumes all risk and responsibility therefore, and that if Participant is required to be hospitalized while in Costa Rica or in the United States during the term of the Packages, Geco Travel does not assume any risk, and the Participant explicitly releases Geco Travel for all legal responsibility for payment of such costs.
Force Majeure
- Neither party shall be liable in damages or have the right to terminate the engagement for any delay or default in performing hereunder if such delay or default is caused by conditions beyond its control including, but not limited to Acts of God, Government restrictions (including the denial or cancellation of any export or other necessary license), wars, insurrections and/or any other cause beyond the reasonable control of the party whose performance is affected.
- Geco Travel shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance under to the extent said failures or delays are proximately caused by causes beyond that Geco Travel's reasonable control and occurring without its fault or negligence, including, without limitation, failure of suppliers, subcontractors, and carriers, or party to substantially meet its performance obligations under the Engagement, provided that, as a condition to the claim of non-liability, the party experiencing the difficulty shall give the other prompt written notice, with full details following the occurrence of the cause relied upon.
Incidentals
Insurance Coverage
The Participant agrees that it is his/her responsibility to determine whether they have adequate health and injury coverage and to obtain any additional insurance coverage that may be necessary for the events they plan on taking part in. The Participant is aware that travel insurance is a strongly urged policy to have, as it is designed to protect at least partially against unforeseen trip expenses and certain perils encountered. The Participant also agrees that they were informed of such coverage during the reservation process, regardless of their final decision to purchase such.
Consent
The Participant agrees that in addition to their understanding and consent of this agreement, they are physically capable of traveling and participating in the scheduled activities, and is cognizant of the rigors that such activities may entail. The Participant further consents that they will abide by all given safety rules and requirements provided by the staff coordinating all activities and maintain a safe atmosphere for their fellow travelers to the best of their abilities. This statement is entered into under the Participant's own free will. Consummating this agreement shall bind the Participant to its provisions, along with their heirs, successors, and assigns.
Updated: August 18, 2009.
Refund Policy
Effective September 1, 2009
We understand that unexpected events and circumstances sometimes arise that can adversely affect your travel plans. Because of this, we've instituted clear guidelines as to how we would initiate a refund of your initial deposit or full payment.
All refund requests must be submitted in writing, either via postal mail or e-mail confirmation from the e-mail address used in reserving the trip. The date we receive your request for a refund, which is either determined by the arrival date of your email or the postmarked date of your handwritten request, will dictate which of the procedures below will be applied to your refund status.
| Days | Amount Refunded |
|---|---|
| 30 days or more before departure | Full refund, less a $125 cancellation charge |
| 29 to 21 days | 65% refund |
| 20 to 11 days | 45% refund |
| 10 days or fewer | No refund |
The cancellation charge is a necessary cost required to offset ancillary fees levied for reservations booked at lodgings and trip activities. Upon processing a refund request, a confirmation message acknowledging your refund will be sent to you via e-mail. All funds will be disbursed in the format they were transferred to Geco Travel within 10 days of confirmation. In addition to obtaining travel insurance for your trip, Geco Travel advises you to consider purchasing cancellation insurance to safeguard against unforeseen situations that may cause any inconvenience.
The timetable above holds true regardless of when you book your trip and the departure date planned. In the event that you are unable to attend your scheduled trip, you may "swap" your reservation to another individual who may embark on the programmed trip in your place for a $25 fee. In order to do this, the traveler receiving your reservation must also agree and sign the Terms of Travel prior to transfer approval by Geco Travel. The transfer-of-reservation charge is in addition to fees incurred from your airline for requesting a name change to your flight ticket.
In the event that we are unable to fulfill your trip, Geco Travel will issue you a full refund of the trip package price. All monies paid to Geco Travel will be reimbursed in the manner that they were submitted. Please allow 5 to 10 business days for your account to be credited. This policy will be valid through the day of your departure. Refunds exclude airfare. Once trip packages commence, Geco Travel will not be liable for delays, cancellations, or obstructions that may occur as a result of local conditions and circumstances.
Geco Travel cannot assume responsibility for expenses related to your trip but not governed under our trip packages. This includes additional tour activities purchased outside of your confirmed itinerary prior to departure, alternate lodging accommodations not sanctioned by Geco Travel, individual or personal arrangements made without prior consent of Geco Travel, and other non-refundable purchases. Any separate financial transactions made with other parties in Costa Rica prior to trip cancellations that are not duly regulated by Geco Travel or its operators is subject to the return and refund policies of said third party. Additionally, Geco Travel assumes no role in facilitating or offering refunds for airfare purchased. Please consult with your specific airline carrier for information concerning their refund policies.
Updated: October 13, 2009.
