1. Who we are
OchoTours is operated by OchoGroups LLC, 24 Triq Tal-katidral, Tas-Sliema SLM1522, Malta ("OchoTours", "we", "us"). We run the booking platform available at ochotours.com and power the white-label booking pages of our partner suppliers (dedicated supplier websites that use OchoTours as their booking engine). These Terms apply to all of them.
You can reach us anytime at [email protected] or on +356 7744 4840.
2. Scope & eligibility
These Terms govern every visit, account and booking made through the platform. By creating an account or completing a booking you accept them.
- You must be at least 16 years old to create an account and make a booking. Minors may take part in experiences only together with, and under the responsibility of, an accompanying adult.
- Individual experiences may set their own additional requirements (minimum age, health conditions, swimming ability): these are shown on the experience page and prevail for that experience.
- If you book on behalf of other guests, you confirm you are authorised to accept these Terms for them.
3. Our role & your contract
The experiences listed on OchoTours are created and operated by independent local suppliers. When you book, your purchase contract for the booking is with OchoTours (we are the merchant of record and process your payment), while the experience itself is performed by the supplier named on the experience page, who is responsible for running it safely and as described, with the required licences and insurance.
- Verified suppliers (marked "Verified by OchoTours") have been personally inspected by us, and their cancellation and refund commitments are backed by OchoTours.
- Where an experience page states that it is provided by an external operator, that operator is responsible for the performance of the experience; OchoTours will nevertheless handle any dispute for you.
4. Your account
- Keep your details accurate and your password secret. You are responsible for activity on your account.
- You can register with your email address or through Google Sign-In.
- One account per person. We may suspend or close accounts used fraudulently, abusively or in breach of these Terms.
- You can request deletion of your account at any time (see the Privacy Policy).
5. Bookings & payment
- All prices are shown in Euro (€) and include applicable taxes unless stated otherwise. Optional add-ons and extras are shown before you pay.
- Payments are processed securely by Stripe; we never see or store your full card details.
- Instant confirmation experiences are confirmed as soon as your payment succeeds.
- On-request experiences work with a payment authorisation: we place a hold on your card and only capture the payment when the supplier accepts your booking (usually within 24–48 hours). If the supplier declines or does not respond, the hold is released in full — you pay nothing.
- Your ticket is delivered to your email and account after confirmation. Bring it (on your phone is fine) to the meeting point.
- Coupon codes and Dolphin discounts are applied at checkout and cannot be added retroactively.
- Obvious pricing errors do not bind us; if one affects your booking we will offer you the correct price or a full refund.
6. Cancelling or changing a booking
Each experience shows its own cancellation and date-change policy on the experience page and in your booking. That policy prevails. Where an experience does not specify one, the default is:
- Free cancellation up to 7 days before the start of the experience, with a 100% refund to your original payment method.
- Less than 7 days before the start, the booking is non-refundable.
- Date changes follow the same window and are subject to availability.
You can cancel or request a date change directly from your customer area ("My bookings"). Some policies are "on request": in that case the supplier reviews and approves your request. Refunds are issued to the original payment method and typically appear within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank.
7. Weather & cancellations by the supplier or us
Most of our experiences take place at sea. If a supplier cancels a departure for weather, sea conditions, safety or other operational reasons, you choose between:
- a 100% refund to your original payment method, or
- a free date change to any available departure.
Suppliers monitor conditions and normally confirm or cancel by the morning of the experience. Neither the supplier nor OchoTours is liable for additional costs (such as travel or accommodation) caused by a weather cancellation, which is a force-majeure event.
8. No-shows & late arrivals
- Please arrive at the meeting point at least 15 minutes before departure.
- If you do not show up, or arrive after the departure, the booking is treated as consumed and no refund is due.
- If you are running late, contact the supplier through the booking chat — they will help when they can, but departures cannot be held.
9. Complaints & refunds
- If something went wrong — the experience was materially different from its description, was cut short, or you have a safety concern — open a complaint through the Help Center or the booking chat within 7 days of the experience date.
- Include your booking reference (OCH-…) and, where possible, photos or details.
- We investigate with the supplier and, where justified, issue a partial or full refund. Refunds granted under this section are decided by OchoTours acting reasonably.
- Nothing in this section limits your statutory rights as a consumer.
10. Dolphin Club
- The Dolphin Club is our free loyalty programme: you earn points on completed, paid bookings and unlock levels with growing discounts (currently up to 8%) on participating experiences.
- Points have no cash value, cannot be transferred or sold, and can only be used as programme discounts on OchoTours.
- Points expire after 24 months of inactivity (no completed bookings on the account).
- Points earned on a booking that is later refunded may be removed.
- We may change or discontinue the programme with reasonable notice; earned levels and points remain valid until their normal expiry.
11. Referral programme
- Every account has a personal referral link. When people you invite sign up and book, you earn a commission on their bookings (the current rates are shown in your customer area) as OchoTours credit.
- Credit is paid out on the 1st of each month once your balance reaches at least €15.
- Anti-abuse: we may cancel credit and/or close accounts in case of self-referral, fictitious or duplicate accounts, coordinated abuse, or commissions earned on bookings that are subsequently refunded or charged back.
- We may change the rates or terms of the programme for future bookings at any time; credit already earned is unaffected.
12. Reviews & user content
- Only guests who booked an experience can review it; reviews tied to a real booking carry a "Verified purchase" badge.
- By posting reviews, photos or messages you grant OchoTours a non-exclusive, worldwide licence to display them on the platform and partner pages.
- Keep content honest and respectful. We remove content that is unlawful, offensive, fake, spammy or unrelated to the experience — and we never edit the substance of genuine reviews.
- The booking chat is for communication about your booking: no harassment, spam or attempts to move payments off-platform.
13. Acceptable use
- No scraping, bulk downloading or automated access to the platform.
- No fraudulent bookings, stolen payment methods or chargeback abuse.
- No reselling of bookings or tickets without our written consent.
- No interfering with the platform's security or availability.
14. Suppliers
Suppliers join through our partner programme and accept dedicated partner terms during onboarding, including:
- commission per their chosen plan, deducted from each booking;
- payouts of their net earnings via Stripe Connect after each experience is completed plus a 3-day protection window;
- self-billing: OchoGroups LLC issues an invoice on the supplier's behalf for every payout;
- full responsibility for the accuracy of their listings and for operating experiences safely, with all required licences, permits and insurance;
- honouring the cancellation policies they publish.
15. Liability
- The supplier is responsible for the performance of each experience. OchoTours is responsible for the platform, the booking process and payment handling.
- To the extent permitted by law, OchoTours' total liability for any booking is limited to the amount you paid for that booking.
- Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded by law — including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or your mandatory rights as an EU consumer.
- We do our best to keep the platform available and accurate, but we cannot guarantee uninterrupted, error-free operation.
16. Intellectual property
The platform, its design, code, logos and content (except user and supplier content) belong to OchoGroups LLC or its licensors. You may not copy or reuse them without permission.
17. Changes to these terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. The date at the top tells you the current version. Material changes will be announced on the platform; bookings already made remain governed by the version in force at the time of booking. If any clause is found invalid, the rest remains in force. We may assign this agreement within our group; you may not assign your bookings without our consent.
18. Governing law & disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of Malta, and disputes are subject to the jurisdiction of the Maltese courts. If you are a consumer in the EU, you always keep the protection of the mandatory consumer laws of your country of residence, and you may also use the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution platform.
19. Contact
Questions about these Terms: [email protected] · +356 7744 4840 · OchoGroups LLC, 24 Triq Tal-katidral, Tas-Sliema SLM1522, Malta.