Terms Of Use
This document outlines the terms of use of Hello Maldives Pvt. Ltd., (Hello Maldives Holidays) of Maldives (“hellomaldives.com”, “us”, “we” or “our”). When using the website and/or completing a reservation through hellomaldives.com Maldives, you acknowledge and agree to have read, understood, and agreed to the terms and conditions set out below (including the privacy statement).
Some definitions of the words we use:
Agent: “Hello Maldives Holidays” will act as the agent on the operator’s behalf, offering marketing and reservation services to the operator for an agreed commission rate.
Best Price Guarantee: This is the guarantee that “Hello Maldives Holidays” gives guests to ensure they pay the lowest price possible for their liveaboard diving or adventure cruise holiday in Maldives.
Cancellation fee: The amount charged to the guest in case a reservation is canceled by the guest.
Booking Voucher: The electronic voucher that is sent to the guest and to the operator to confirm a reservation.
Force Majeure Event: An event that is beyond the control of the operator or the agent, such as natural disasters, political unrest, criminal attacks, etc.
Guest: The people going on a trip offered by the operator, including, if applicable, the person who is making the reservation.
Operator: The entity that offers liveaboard diving trips, liveaboard adventure cruises, or other products offered through the agent. The operator receives the guests and the money minus the commission for those trips.
Price: The amount of money shown to the guest on the website when making a reservation.
Product: A liveaboard diving trip, a liveaboard adventure cruise, a liveaboard surf cruise, a liveaboard leisure cruise including place in cabin and all features that are stated as included by the operator.
Reservation: Agreements between guests and operators. hellomaldives.com facilitates this agreement and hold no responsibility for the product/service supplied by the operator to the guest.
Website: The website www.hellomaldives.com including all pages. Mobile or tablet versions of the website are also included in the definition of website.
1. Reservations
1.1 “Hello Maldives Holidays” provides a service as an intermediary agent and charges a fee accordingly to the operator. The reservation forms an agreement between the guests and the operator. “Hello Maldives Holidays” is not a party in this agreement.
1.2 Reservations are made online through the website of hellomaldives.com and are subject to the availability of the requested product/service of the operator.
1.3 Our service is free of charge, and we will not charge you for our service or add any additional (reservation) fees to the rate. Suppliers pay a commission to “Hello Maldives Holidays” when you make a reservation with them through our website.
1.4 “Hello Maldives Holidays” is responsible for the correct execution of the reservation process but not for the product/service supplied by the operator.
1.5 In some cases, extra information (for example, but not limited to passport copies, evidence of guest insurance, health certificates, flight details, etc.) is needed by “Hello Maldives Holidays” to make a reservation complete. We hold the right to cancel the reservation according to the applicable booking policy for the particular booking in case this information is not supplied by the guest.
1.6 We will do our utmost to help and guide customers in need of assistance whilst on their trip through “Hello Maldives Holidays”.
1.7 We will do our best to help customers who are stranded in bad situations, and if the situations is because of ourselves we will take full responsibility. And if the situation is because of our Supplier, we will ensure that they take the full responsibility. If the situation is because of the Guest, then the Guest has to be responsible.
2. Responsibility of the guest
2.1 The customers/guests are themselves responsible for transportation to and from the mooring location of the liveaboard or cruise boat, UNLESS OTHERWISE stated on the “Service Voucher” that receives the Guests from “Hello Maldives Holidays”. “Hello Maldives Holidays” may help/guide/assist to purchase discounted Airline tickets, and may offer hotels and transfer option.
2.2 Customers/guests are responsible to meet the health and disability requirements defined by the operator and make sure they are in good shape by conducting a health checkup by a healthcare professional if they book a diving trip. Customers must notify us in writing at the time of booking of any physical or mental illness, disability or other conditions for which special accommodations or the use of a wheelchair is necessary or contemplated.
2.3 To participate in diving activities requires certification by organizations such as PADI to ensure you have all the necessary skills for safety and enjoyment during a diving trip. The customers themselves are responsible for meeting the minimum required logged dives standard of each diving trip. Guests are responsible for getting relevant and appropriate training before going on any trip. In case, if the Guests need “Diving Lessons” or the guide of a “Dive Instructor”, hellomaldives.com may organize the services to the Guests for a fee.
2.4 Customers are responsible for purchasing their own travel and dive insurance, ensuring it covers unforeseen circumstances and adventure travel-related risks so as to be protected in case of dive/sports accidents or any unexpected events or circumstances.
2.5 The customer agrees to respect the rules of the operator and acknowledges that if the rules of the boat are broken, the operator (or captain) has the right to deny entry on board, deny diving activities or any of the activities offered by the operator.
2.6 The customers/guests themselves are responsible for meeting the passport, visa, and health requirements to enter the Maldives.
2.7 We advise guests to review travel prohibitions, warnings, announcements, and advisories issued by their governments prior to their departure.
2.8 The guest should inquire about vaccination and prevention of tropical ailments with a doctor and follow their advice. Hellomaldives.com cannot provide medical advice.
2.9 If, for any reason, you are delayed in transit and fail to reach a liveaboard or cruise boat by the scheduled time of departure, you will be responsible for all costs involved in catching up with the boat (should it be possible to arrange this locally), staying at onshore accommodations, alternative diving arrangements, etc. We advise you to travel at least a day early and have an extra day on land before the day of the return flight. Still “Hello Maldives Holidays” will put every effort that you are made onboard the cruise with minimal expenses – as we believe that its our responsibility to make your day.
3. Special requests
3.1 During reservation, the guest can make special requests. These requests may need additional information and will be agreed upon in communication between the operator and the guest. hellomaldives.com will put every effort to fulfill all the Guests requests, to make it enjoyable and memorable.
3.2 For diving gear, we advise guests to bring their own gear as this will contribute to a better diving experience. We do advise guests to rent an additional diving computer in case one breaks down to prevent not being able to dive for 24 hours.
3.3 Special dietary requests may be notified. We do advise, however, to limit these requests to necessary diet requirements only (e.g., due to religious beliefs or allergies). We do however suggest that our guests enjoy the delicious food served onboard by most operators.
3.4 For airport pickup, “Hello Maldives Holidays” staffs will pick you from Airport and we will take you to your liveaboard transfer. Once our Guests reaches to liveaboard we will confirm the Guests arrival onboard the cruise.
4. Payments
4.1 Bookings are only valid when full payment is received.
4.2 You can pay online by credit card (all major credit cards), or pay manually with a bank transfer after your booking request.
4.3 After payment has been received, we will send a Booking Voucher to the email address you provided. The Booking Voucher serves both as proof of your booking and as an invoice for your administration. Please bring a copy (digital or physical) with you when boarding the cruise, and also keep a copy for future reference.
4.4 Hellomaldives.com reserves the right to charge the costs incurred for payments that are not performed correctly (such as credit card chargebacks and or non-OUR bank transfers).
4.5 Hellomaldives.com relies on our partners, such as Bank of Ceylon, Bank of Maldives, and Credit Card / Debit Card Institutions, for payment and transactional services. Hellomaldives.com cannot be held responsible for its services.
4.6 A deposit payment is due on the date of confirmation of the reservation. The full amount may be due if the Operator requires full payment or in case of a last-minute booking.
4.7 All our rates are charged in Euro or USD. Amounts in other currencies are for reference only and may vary over time depending on exchange rate movements. Hellomaldives.com cannot be held responsible for any additional fee your bank or credit card provider might charge you for this transaction.
4.8 Any refund by Hellomaldives.com will always be made in the same currency as the original payment you made.
5. Cancellation & Amendments
5.1 Different cancellation policies may apply to each reservation, and for each reservation, the guest needs to agree with the specific booking conditions provided by the operator.
5.2 No show for or early departure from a trip is considered to be the same as a cancellation after departure, and no refund applies.
5.3 In case of a booking amendment request, we will do our best to help you as a guest to find a suitable alternative trip, depending on the availability of operators.
5.4 In case of amendment or cancellation with a (partial) refund, we will apply a 3% administration fee to cover our credit card, bank transfer, and/or handling costs incurred, in addition to the cancellation policy as described under 5.1. This fee is calculated on the total amount of the reservation. Cancellations always need to be submitted in writing by email ([email protected]) to avoid misunderstanding.
5.5 The operator depends on maintenance schedules (dry-dock) in Maldives. If the vessel is not in condition to sail or if there are any delays in the dry dock, the operator has the right to operate the same itinerary with a different vessel. In this case, the customers have to accept the change of vessel. If the standard of the vessel lacks important facilities, compensation can be made, but this is not an obligation.
5.6 The operator has the right to change the cabin allocation depending on availability and the condition of the cabin for use. Though “Hello Maldives Holidays” will put every effort ensuring that the Guests will get the same cabin that they booked before their arrival to the liveaboard.
5.7 Should your trip be canceled, operator policies will entitle you to a reschedule of the trip under the same conditions. Delayed trips entitle you to a trip reschedule, and lengthened trips have no extra charge. Rescheduled trips are not subject to refunds.
5.8 Operator policies may change in case of Force Majeure events.
6. Best Price Guarantee
6.1 We have an agreement with our operators to get the best price available, so you will get the lowest price at the time of booking, guaranteed. And since our costs are low (being in the liveaboard host country), our guests will be getting the LOWEST RATES and with the BEST SERVICES.
6.2 If you find another website and/or agent providing lower rates, contact us directly, and we will match or even beat the price. You will need to contact us before the departure date of your reservation.
6.3 You should be able to provide us with all the details of the other deals, including a link to the website where it can be found. The deal should be for the same product (same boat, same dates, same cabins, same booking conditions, same included and excluded extras, etc.). If any aspect of the deal is different, the deal will not match, and hellomaldives.com will not be able to modify the reservation that has been made.
6.4 Prices and availability are accurate in most cases. In some cases, the operator may not have supplied us with the correct information on dates, availability, and prices. We cannot be held responsible for that. We will do our best to ensure you will get the best price available.
6.5 If the deal you found through another website and/or provides special membership rates or loyalty programs or if the other agent doesn’t display rates before you have requested them, our best price guarantee doesn’t apply. In any case we will do our best to make you an offer you cannot refuse.
7. Liability
7.1 The reservation forms an agreement between the guest(s) and the operator. Hellomaldives.com only serves as an intermediary and therefore cannot be held responsible for possible shortcomings in the operators’ performance.
7.2 The guest agrees to never in any case hold hellomaldives.com responsible for unforeseen circumstances.
7.3 Hellomaldives.com cannot be held responsible for delays of flights and or transfer companies.
7.4 Hellomaldives.com cannot be held accountable for wrong information published on partner websites.
7.5 Neither Hellomaldives.com nor the operator, will be responsible for any losses you suffer (including, for example, any missed flights) due to failure to allow sufficient time for your journey.
7.6 Hellomaldives.com cannot be held liable for and will not be responsible for personal injuries, property damage, or wrongful death that may occur during activities as a result of the inherent risks associated with scuba diving or any activity offered by the operator or as a result of acts or omissions of other third parties.
7.7 Hellomaldives.com cannot be held liable for changes in vessel used by the operator, changes in cabin appointments, or any other changes in how the operator chooses to execute the booked liveaboard or cruise holiday.
7.8 We reserve the right to amend reservations in case this is deemed necessary. This applies to the itinerary, the vessel, and the cabin allocation. As long as the proposed alternative by Hellomaldives.com is of similar value the reservation, considered to be valid and thus Hellomaldives.com will not be liable for any disputes arising from the change of the vessel, itinerary, or cabin allocation.
7.9 In case Hellomaldives.com is held responsible for mistakes in the reservation services provided, the maximum liability shall not exceed the amount charged to the operator for the service provided (e.g., the commission amount).
7.10 Furthermore, Hellomaldives.com and/or your operator are not responsible and cannot be held liable for delays, changes, or cancellation of service when the product cannot be executed partly or wholly owing to acts of god, political unrest, as well as military or civil conflicts and terrorist activities, ‘force majeure’, or due to other circumstances that are unforeseeable or beyond the operator’s control.
8. Complaints & disputes
8.1 Since Hellomaldives.com only acts as the agent, Hellomaldives.com cannot be held responsible for the quality of the service provided by the operators. In case the guest is dissatisfied with the service provided, the guest should step up to the captain immediately to communicate the complaint. There-by “Hello Maldives Holidays” will do a follow-up and we will put every effort to correct immediately.
8.2 We will do our best to channel complaints made after return into constructive feedback for the operators to improve their services.
8.3 In general, the law of the country in which the transportation took place will apply to the relationship between the guest and the operator. Disputes between you as guest and the operator will generally have to be settled by the court of the country in which the trip provided by the operator took place.
8.4 Hellomaldives.com may help you to file a complaint if you tell us as fast as possible about your issue and provide a factual record of the complaint with details of what happened, when and with whom. In the event that you are entitled to and receive a refund after your vacation, there will be a 5% administration fee deducted from such refund, to cover our own operational costs.
8.5 If the complaint is about the service provided by Hellomaldives.com (involving the website, payment collection and travel consultation), please submit your complaints through our contact form. We will do our very best to follow-up and help you, as your satisfaction is our top priority.
8.6 The original English version of these Terms of Use has been translated into other languages. In the event of a dispute about the contents or interpretation of these Terms of Use or discrepancy between the English version and any other language, the English language version to the extent permitted by law shall apply. The English version is available on our website (by selecting the English language).
9. Miscellaneous
9.1 We take pride in protecting your personal information. Our policy regarding your privacy and how we use cookies on this website is outlined in our privacy policy.
9.2 All information on our website is provided in good faith and is believed to be correct at the time of publication. “Hello Maldives Holidays” will not be held responsible for any inaccuracies due to ‘out of date’ information provided to us by the operators.
9.3 By submitting a review, you grant “Hello Maldives Holidays” the full, transferable, and irrevocable rights to it, including your name. “Hello Maldives Holidays” may use, translate, edit, reproduce, refuse, or remove reviews at its sole discretion.
9.4 All of the information on this website is protected by copyright and cannot be duplicated, copied, or used for any commercial purpose within the explicit and written consent of “Hello Maldives Holidays”.
9.5 You are not allowed to re-sell, deep-link, use, copy, spider or scrape, display, download or reproduce any content or information, software, products or services available on our website for any commercial or competitive activity or purpose. Our services are made available for personal and non-commercial use only.
9.6 Safety standards and regulations conform to local standards and could be more or less stringent than in your home country. The monitoring and enforcement of those regulations is a matter for the authorities in that country and the local operator concerned.
9.7 “Hello Maldives Holidays” reserves the right to possible adjustments of prices and conditions at any given time.
9.8 These Terms of Use shall be governed by Maldives law, and any dispute arising out of these Terms of Use and our services shall exclusively be submitted to the competent courts in Male’, the Republic of Maldives.
If any provision of these terms and conditions is or becomes invalid, you shall remain bound by all other provisions hereof.
10. About hellomaldives.com
“Hello Maldives Holidays” is brought to you by:
Hello Maldives Holidays
3rd Floor, Hotel OCTAVE
Male’,
Republic of MALDIVES
Registration Number: C-0178/2001
T-GST Number: 1003156GST501
Hello Maldives Holidays can be reached by email or phone at +(960)3307700