Policy on Cancellation Refunds
1. Only the Executive Committee is able to authorise a refund. Refunds are not automatic and each case shall be considered on its merits and minuted.
2. All cancellations shall be subject to a minimum £10 cancellation charge per person except in the cases of Paragraphs 3 & 5.
3. A full refund without deduction should be made if something the Club has done has caused the cancellation e.g.
a. The Club has cancelled the trip
b. A material error by the Club or its Officers (e.g. incorrect date published in the brochure) which misled the member making the booking.
c. The Club makes a significant change to the trip after members have booked.
4. Where a member has cancelled, whether due to circumstances beyond their control or for their own reasons, the Committee shall consider a refund (less a cancellation charge) only to the extent that the Club has mitigated its costs.
5. Cancellation charges will be waived in cases of death or terminal illness of one of the people booked on the trip.
Additional Explanation.
Administering trips involves a considerable amount of work for the (unpaid) members of the Club Committee. For many years the practice on cancellation was that, as a minimum, deposits were not refundable. When deposits for trips and events costing under £50 were dropped, the Committee decided that the charge for cancellation should be £10 which was usually the previous deposit amount.
At the 2017 AGM it was suggested by a member that the AGM should have agreed the cancellation charge.
Rule 9 of the Club states that “The Executive Committee's duty shall be to manage the affairs of the Club in order to ensure fulfilment of the Club's purposes…” This obviously includes the financial affairs of the Club. Rule 9 goes on to say “The decision of the Executive Committee upon any matter affecting the Club shall be final and binding on the members.” In other words, it does not have to refer every decision to the AGM.
The Executive Committee points out that the only fee mentioned in the rules which requires AGM approval is the annual subscription. It believes therefore that the very modest cancellation charge is neither unreasonable, nor does it need to be approved by the AGM.