Partner Guide Terms

These terms govern the professional relationship between TrekFriendly and partner Guides offering their own trips on the platform.

Scope

The Guide remains responsible for the guiding they provide and, when organising a package, for performance of the included services. TrekFriendly retains its own obligations according to its role in the offer. Trips organised directly by TrekFriendly are subject to separate terms.

Payments, mandates and publication

Invoicing and payment mandate

The Guide expressly authorises TrekFriendly to collect, in the Guide’s name and on their behalf, sums paid by Travellers through the Stripe Connect payment provider. TrekFriendly issues payment receipts to Travellers in the Guide’s name. Logistics fees are routed to the Guide upon each collection, even before departure is guaranteed; guiding fees are held in the platform’s payment balance on the Guide’s behalf under the management mandate. Their release is triggered from the day after the trip’s start date.

SEPA direct debit mandate

The Guide signs a SEPA direct debit mandate in favour of TrekFriendly from their guide account. This mandate is separate from the payment account into which guiding fees are received: it operates in the opposite direction and is used only to recover sums the Guide owes the platform.

• Strictly limited purpose: debits may cover sums charged to the Guide following a cancellation case decided as an “avoidable cancellation”: the commission refunded to Travellers and the fixed compensation; and Stripe processing fees following failure to meet the minimum participant number for new departures created after express acceptance of that rule. No other sums, on any other grounds.
• Notice and recovery order: the Guide receives an email at least 7 days before any debit is presented, stating the amount and its basis. Amounts owed are first deducted from future guiding-fee payouts; SEPA debit applies only to the remainder.
• Refund right: the Guide has a right to a refund from their bank within 8 weeks of the debit date, under the terms of their banking agreement.
• Publication: an active mandate is required to open new departures. Published trips and existing bookings are unaffected.

Commission and the Guide’s obligations

The service commission is 10% of the total amount, with a minimum of €15 per booking. Where applicable, the “Minimum commission” supplement is shown to the Traveller before payment and does not reduce the Guide’s share.

• Provide evidence of professional liability insurance and the necessary qualifications.
• Identify included services and their suppliers, arrange the advertised logistics and ensure suppliers are actually paid.
• When organising a package, provide evidence of the applicable insolvency protection and the information required for the travel contract before booking.

Cancellation of a departure by the Guide

Case and assessment

Every cancellation initiated by the Guide opens a case. The Guide states their reason and has 14 days to submit supporting documents through their guide account. TrekFriendly then classifies the case as force majeure or avoidable cancellation. If no evidence is submitted by the deadline, the case is closed as an avoidable cancellation.

Acceptable evidence includes an orange or red weather alert, an adverse BERA avalanche report, an order closing access, a medical certificate or an equivalent official document. Ordinary seasonal weather, participant numbers considered insufficient, unjustified unavailability, organisational mistakes and double bookings are not acceptable grounds.

Consequences and disputes

If force majeure is recognised, no sum is charged to the Guide. For an avoidable cancellation, the service commission refunded to Travellers is charged to the Guide. If cancellation occurs less than 15 days before departure, fixed compensation of €25 per refunded participant is added.

Recovery takes place first by set-off, then by SEPA debit after advance notice. It stops after three unsuccessful presentations, or after the first when rejection is structural (closed account, unauthorised debit). Automatic cancellation because a departure has not reached its minimum participant number, cancellation decided by TrekFriendly and trips organised by TrekFriendly itself fall outside this procedure.

The assessment may be challenged in writing at info@trekfriendly.com. The Guide is informed when the case opens and then of the reasoned decision.

Fair dealing and ending the relationship

The Guide must not divert a booking initiated on TrekFriendly to avoid the agreed commission. This rule does not restrict contact needed to deliver the trip or the exercise of statutory rights. Closing guide activities remains subject to settling existing commitments.