Refund & Cancellation Policy.

Scope

This policy applies to every booking made with VP Holidays Tours & Travels for holiday packages, Malnad weekend trips, vehicle rental, and airport and railway transfers, whether you paid online, by bank transfer or UPI, or in cash. It forms part of our Terms & Conditions. If your written booking confirmation states different cancellation terms for your trip (for example a special group or festival booking), the confirmation prevails for that trip.

All amounts are in Indian Rupees (₹). Where this page says “paid”, it means the amount you have actually paid us for that booking.

How to cancel or change a booking

1. Message or call us on +91 91802 47579 (WhatsApp is fastest), or email vpholidaytoursandtravels@gmail.com, quoting your name, phone number and travel date.
2. We will acknowledge your request in writing. The cancellation takes effect from the time we receive and acknowledge your message, not from when you stop using the service. We are available daily, 6am to 11pm.
3. We will tell you the cancellation charge (if any) and the refund amount, and then process the refund as described below.

Cancellation charges

We reserve a vehicle and driver for you, and may already have paid for accommodation, permits, entry tickets or fuel. The earlier you tell us, the more we can refund. Unless your confirmation says otherwise, the following applies, measured from the time we acknowledge your cancellation to the scheduled start of the service.

Holiday packages and Malnad weekend trips

Vehicle rental (local and outstation)

Airport and railway pick-up and drop

• Peak periods. During festivals, long weekends, school holidays and the monsoon-tourism season, hotels and operators apply stricter terms. If a stricter schedule applies to your booking, we will state it in your quote before you pay.
• Flight and train changes. If your flight or train is delayed, rescheduled or cancelled by the airline or railway, we will move your transfer to the new time at no charge where a vehicle is available. If we cannot serve the new time, you receive a full refund for that transfer. We may ask for the ticket or the airline or railway notice.
• Part-use. Days, meals, stays or sightseeing you choose not to use after the trip has started are not refundable.
• Payment-gateway charges. Where you cancel, any non-recoverable charge levied by the payment gateway or bank on your original payment may be deducted from the refund. We do not deduct it where the cancellation is ours.

Non-refundable costs

Some costs are paid to third parties and cannot be recovered by us once incurred. Where they apply to your booking, they are deducted in addition to the percentages above and we will show you the amount in writing:

• Hotel, homestay, resort or houseboat bookings made on non-refundable or limited-refund terms.
• Entry tickets, permits, jeep or boat tickets, and train, bus or flight tickets already purchased for you.
• Inter-state permits, toll, parking and driver allowance already paid for a trip that was dispatched.

If we cancel or cannot deliver

If we cancel a service (for example no suitable vehicle or driver is available, or we judge the trip unsafe), or we fail to provide a service we confirmed, you can choose between:

• a full refund of the amount you paid for that service, with no cancellation charge; or
• an alternative date, vehicle or itinerary of equal or better value, where we can offer one, with no extra charge.

If part of a trip cannot be delivered after it has started, we will refund the value of the undelivered part, less costs we cannot recover. See also our Service Delivery Policy.

Refund method and timeline

• Refunds go back to the original payment method. A card payment is refunded to the same card, a UPI or net-banking payment to the same account. If that is not possible (for example the account is closed), we will refund to a bank account in your name.
• We approve and initiate the refund within 3 working days of agreeing the refund amount with you.
• After we initiate it, the money normally reaches you within 5 to 7 working days for UPI, cards and net banking, and in some cases up to 10 working days depending on your bank. Bank transfers and cash refunds are usually completed within 3 to 5 working days.
• We will send you a message with the refund amount and reference once it is initiated. If you have not received the money after the times above, please contact us with the reference and we will trace it with the bank or payment gateway.

Failed or duplicate payments

• If money was debited but your booking or payment shows as failed, the amount is normally reversed automatically by your bank within 5 to 7 working days. If it is not, contact us with the transaction reference and a screenshot or statement, and we will help you resolve it with the payment gateway.
• If you were charged twice for the same booking, we will refund the duplicate payment in full, without any cancellation charge.

Rescheduling

If you would rather change dates than cancel, tell us as early as you can. Subject to availability, we will move the booking to a new date once, free of charge, if you ask at least 7 days before a package or weekend trip, or at least 24 hours before a vehicle rental or transfer. The new date may carry a different price, and the difference is payable or refundable. Later or repeated changes are treated as a cancellation and a new booking.

Weather and events beyond our control

Heavy rain, landslides, ghat-road closures, floods, strikes, government orders or similar events can make a trip unsafe or impossible. If we cancel or shorten a trip for these reasons, you receive a refund of the services we could not deliver, less any costs we cannot recover (see Non-refundable costs), or you may take an alternative date. If you decide to cancel because of such an event but we are able to operate, the normal charges above apply.

Questions and disputes

If you disagree with a cancellation charge or a refund, write to us within 30 days of the cancellation with your booking details. We will review it and reply in writing, normally within 7 working days. You also keep any rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the right to raise a concern with your bank or payment provider.

See also our Payment Policy, Service Delivery Policy and Terms & Conditions.