A friend and I are going to explore northern England and Scotland next year, followed by a visit to the Low Countries, partly for the 150th Anniversary of Waterloo.
We are taking a four day tour for the Waterloo reenactment to let the bus driver deal with the traffic.
After talking to several British tour companies we settled on one who will let us join the tour in Antwerp rather than having to travel with them from England.
They sent us a printed quote, we sent a deposit, and the invoice came back for a total about 8% higher than the quote.
Before talking to them I thought I would ask, can they quote a price without the VAT and then add it to the invoice? It doesn't have a separate VAT line, so I'm hoping it's a typo.
I suppose we had better be careful about car rental, too, when we get to that point.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5865 posts
Why not just ask them why the price is different from the quote?
Normally prices are quoted inclusive of VAT when VAT is applicable.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5466 posts
UK VAT is 20% so that wouldn't account for the uplift amount anyway.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Yes, it seemed an odd amount. I will certainly ask but figured someone might have run into this before.
There were a couple of references on the web to tour operators having different rules about VAT, but nothing definite.
Thanks!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Were there two currencies involved in any way?
Posted by
104 posts
Hello Mike,
If you have not booked your tour then prices can fluctuate with the exchange rate until locked in with a full payment. Also some companies will include gratuities for the driver and guide. To know for sure what that 8% is... I recommend contacting the tour company to ask. Be sure to tell them you want an invoice that includes and explains any/all applicable taxes, included gratuities, etc. Ask about fluctuations in exchange rate until the tour is paid in full. Make sure you understand the gratuities (included or not). Be sure to ask about their cancellation policy (better to know even if you don't need to cancel). Before booking your tour consider looking up the company reviews on reputable travel websites; I like to use Trip Advisor. I hope this helps!
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Sarah -
I have sent a note off to Galina International asking about the difference. We have been dealing strictly in £ so the exchange rate problem isn't the issue.
We did a fair bit of checking online and they seem to have a decent record. At this point they already have our deposit, £150. It will be interesting to see what they have to say. I'll post the info.