Info for Filoxenia Users

1. Basic Disclaimer Term
Information presented in the Directory is based on information accumulated by Filoxenia based on data collected from any sources about the various Units and updates on occasion. As it extends to cover the whole country, many of the Units may not even know that they are included in the Directory, as well as the data presented may have not been updated.

This service is provided as it is and Filoxenia hears no responsibility for any errors or ommisions. Also the tourist Units are not bound to fulfill all what is mentioned on their pages or that they will accept the facilities and prices visible.

In case anyone does not agree to this term which is considered as inviolable, he/she is strongly urged not to attempt any usage of the directory, as information retrieval and/or usage of any services provided by Filoxenia.

2. Introduction. What is Filoxenia;
Filoxenia is aί private innitiative. and operates as a private enterprise. It aims at the upraisal and promotion of the Greek on the Internet. It advertises worldwide, 24-hours a day, the Greek tourist units on the Web, in the Greek and the English language, helping the tourist find accommodation anywhere in Greece, even at the most remote places.

3. Services provided and limitations
The User of the directory, except of being able to identify lodging and contact the respective Unit in person, has the additional possibility to to submit at his own charges, one or more requests for processing by Filoxenia. Such are:
a) Information request (info-request) which concirns availability - rates at the lodge which interests him.
b) Booking request with confirmation.
The requests are processed by Filoxenia and, when the procedure is completed, the User is notified.
With the exception of the service "Vacation a-la-carte", the submission of requests is possible only through the detailed page of the selected Unit. Requests submitted with email or through the contact form are not acceptable because of charging reasons and User validation.

As Filoxenia is a directory with pan-hellenic range, it does not undertake responsibility to recommend specific tourist units and does not present only and exclusively cooperating units. It presents all units. It is the User of the Directory, who has to identify and choose one Unit at the geographical region he/she wishes to stay.

4. Presentations of the tourist Units' detailed pages
The types of tourist Units subscriptions in the directory are based on the data available about eaxch of them, as follows. a) Units which are Links, when information available is sufficient (although may not be updated). First are presented those containing photographic material (at random series, except if some of them are somehow given a bonus). Follow, again at random, those without photo and finally, Units which are not Links, about which information available is less sufficient.

Only to Units which are selectable Links, with or without photo, are provided the accommodation info-request and the booking request services.

Filoxenia pleases and pursues the Hoteliers to update frequently FREE OF CHARGES the information concerning their Unit. Either sending to Filoxenia email / FAX or directly themselves logging on the server. For more complete information of the Users, they are also urged to let their rates visible, again without charges. For the processing of each request, the User is charged with a processing fee and the Unit is charged with a commission on the value of the booking. Finally, the User gets the lodge at a rate somewhere in between the NET and the official price.

5. Usage of the Directory
The usage of the Directory is simple and with straightforward results (see picture below):

From the main page, containing the map of Greece, choose one of the fifteen regions on the map, the one where you wish to stay.
From the regional map on the next page, you will be transfered in a simple search form of Units situated in that region, while an advanced optional search form is also implemented, making use of selection criteria or alternatively, by the Unit's name.
The records of the database are searched and in the results are retrieved with units fulfilling the User's selection criteria. If no Units are retrieved, then you can expand the search modifying the criteria.
Clicking on a Unit which is link, you will be transfered on its detailed page where available information is presented (phones, facilities, description, photo etc). The possibility that the pricelist is visible on the detailed page, is offered Free of Charges to the Unit, regardless of its subscription type. Filoxenia urges the Hoteliers to let their pricelist visible and to update it on occasion. However it is the Hotelier the one who will take the final decision upon this.
At the bottom of the detailed page of each Unit there are two buttons, through which you can submit a request to the specific Unit which, should you wish, will be processed by Filoxenia for you.

The consequtive steps are mentioned on the following picture:

6. Rooms availability and prices
For the better impression and liveliness of the Directory, Filoxenia offers the Hoteliers, free of charges, the possibility:
a) To announce themselves, as often as they wish, without Filoxenia's intervention, that during the comming three days period they have rooms availability, as well as to advertise a certain rate for the double bedded room, equal or different from the one presented in their pricelist (like an offer valid temporarily). After this 3-days time period, this characteristic expires too and is deleted, except if the Hotelier renew it.
b) To correct, update and upgrade themselves the information concerning their own Unit, logging on directly to the system, or through Filoxenia.
c) To keep their valid pricelist visible and to update it when it is modified.

The as above three services are offered for the better information of the Users. It is depended on the Hoteliers to use them and benefit to the extent they wish, taking into account the monthly traffic of the directory which is published on the main page.

7. Request's status follow-up
The Users who submit an info-request or a booking-request for processing, are kept informed on the status and its progress, via email. In addition to this, they may trace it at all times through the service page http://www.filoxenia.com/reqstatus.htm . The link to it is placed on the main page of the directory left side of the map of Greece. To be able to watch the status, the User has to enter the request's special code RTCxxxx-xxxxxxxx, which is unique and known only to the person who submitted it.

The processing of requests follows the next consequtive stages: Received: From the moment the request is submitted and for a few more hours (less than 48 hours). Under processing: Someone fro the Filoxenia staff is occupied to gather the information or to handle and settle the request. This stage may take the longest duration, because the hotel participates too. Completed: Information accumulated is sent to the User via email if it is an info-request or, the voucher if it is a booking request and, there the procedure is completed and terminated. There is also a fourth status which may become visible "Your action", when Filoxenia is waiting for an intervention or some additional information by the User. The procedure is at that point stopped temporarily in anticipation to receive the requested data from the User.

8. How to submit your request
At the bottom of the page with detailed information about each Unit, there are two buttons, one to send info-request (rooms availability and rates) and one to send booking request (confirmed booking). Requests are handled only when submitted from the detailed page of the specific unit and not via email or through the contact form. The payment of the processing fee for the request, is done in secure payment environment (Secure SSL) with cryptography 128 bit. Filoxenia applies certain additional protection measures of its own, while shortly after the procedure is completed all charging details are permanently deleted. The SSL environment is provided to Filoxenia by its Hosting service.
After you have selected a Unit, it is more advisable to first submit an info request instead of sending directly a booking request. Except is the User feels sure that there will be rooms available at the dates he/she wishes to stay. The terms which govern the requests are described in detail on the respective pages, which you will see during the submission procedure. In case the User decided to directly send a booking request but the reply received is negative, then the procedure is charged with less fee, that is as if it was an info-request. A request which contains errors or ommissions like wrong email, will receive a code RTC but the User will not be notified by email. In this case, the only way to communicate with Filoxenia is the service page requests follow up: http://www.filoxenia.com/reqstatus.htm or to send a new corrective email.

Filoxenia extends and covers all tourist Units in Greece, not only of limitted number of customers, among which the User would be obliged to choose his/her lodging. Filoxenia does not represent any specific tourist Unit and, as a result, it is impossible to always keep accurate and updated information for more than 27.000 tourist units included, as well as if each one of them has rooms availability at a given date and at which price they rent them.
To accumulate such data, the Filoxenia staff is obliged to phone-call pay local or long distance calls (occasionally call more than once), until can locate suitable person to talk to. Also it is necessary to devote enogh time for the carefull processing of each request, that is why temporarily requests processing service is suspended. The above is the most clear explanation on the reason to charge the user, whether one is prepared to agree and to accept it or not.
If otherwise, Filoxenia would be obliged to spend money and consume time, but provide answers and service for free. Such approach would be unrealistic and the service would be not viable for long time.

We do limit our capacity to what we can offer free of charges (at the moment). These are: 1) Huge searchable catalogue of tourist Units in Greece, 2) Rapid, reliable and complete services for processing of requests a) Lodging availability and b) Confirmed booking or cancellation of booking.
The User who is not prepared to pay this small processing fee, may take note of the phone numbers which we keep visible (welcomed from us) and directly call himself. We simply please him/her (as a hint of politeness) to mention to the Hotelier his sourse of information.

The fees which you pay to Filoxenia for the processing of simple requests (rooms availability and confirmed booking), are mentioned on the table below:

All payments are done in secure payment environment SSL-128 bit, either through credit card (fast service) or through Bank deposit, after the User notifies Filoxenia about the deposit data with FAX or email (service with delay).
If a User submits a booking request which cannot be satisfied (eg due to overbooking) then it is charged as Info request.

10. How does Filoxenia handles the requests?
- The Info-request: The moment Filoxenia receives an info-request, the following actions take place. a) The requests database is updated manually, while (in parallel) the User is informed by email, that his request has been received. b) After charging data validation, Filoxenia calls to the tourist Unit and asks what the User is interested to know (lodge availability at the dates he wants to stay etc). This procedure is not considered as booking and no written material is exchanged between Filoxenia and the Unit. c) When Filoxenia accumulates the information, a new email is sent to the User and the procedure is terminated at that point. The User may come back if he desires, submitting to Filoxenia a booking request for this Unit. This action must be expressed as soon as possible, since the availability may not last for long (especially during the high tourist season).
- The Booking-request: This procedure is more binding, the User should be sure and Filoxenia needs additional authorization to carry it out. When a booking request arrives, the following actions take place. a) The requests database is updated manually, while the User is (in parallel) informed by email that his request has been received. b) After charging validation, Filoxenia calls on the phone to the tourist unit and asks about availability at the dates which the User desires to stay and about the rates. c) If the request cannot be satisfied then it is handled as an info-request, no written material is exchanged between Filoxenia and the Unit and the User is informed via new email and, is charged as info request. d) If the request can be satisfied then Filoxenia informs the user (about the availability and rates) and asks the User's authorization to continue with the booking procedure, that is to pay the advance payment. In parallel, the booking FAX is sent to the Unit, which after duly signed, is returned back to Filoxenia. In this FAX the Unit is notified about the term describing the User's cancellation right. e) The money for the booking, minus some Filoxenia's commission, is deposited to the Bank account of the Unit and, the deposit receipt is sent to the Unit by FAX. f) The Unit signs the deposit receipt and returns it to Filoxenia by FAX, so that the procedure is completed. g) The User is continuously kept informed through the requests follow-up database and, in parallel by email. h) When the procedure is finished the User receives Final email with the voucher attached and the procedure is terminated. It is suggested the User to print the voucher and show to the Unit upon arrival, if requested.

Even in cases when a request cannot be satisfied Filoxenia tries every effort, to point out an alternative solution, which the User may accept or reject. We try at most so that all procedures are carried out as fast as possible, so any delays are not because of Filoxenia. Again we suggest warmly, better use as first step the info-request. The booking request is a more complicated and sensitive procedure, because it includes exchange of documents, authorization to receive money and bank deposit, until it becomes confirmed and valid.

- The booking cancellation request: The User has the right to timely cancel his completed booking, without deduction from his down-payment. For this reason, if a suddend incident occures, the User must send the soonest possible, however not less than five (5) working days before the date of arrival, a written request to Filoxenia via email or FAX, including the code RTC of this booking and mentioning that he/she wishes to cancel it. The down payment amount is returned to the User through Bank-deposit to his account, in one of the Greek Banks Filoxenia cooperates. If the User wants his money abroad (out of Greece), then the transfer is done through the Western Union Service. In any case the User bares any Bank expenses, while the processing of the cancellation request is charged by Filoxenia with a special fee (see above),
In case the User does not cancel timely (at least five working days before his date of arrival), then the Unit will deduct from the down payment amount, depending on the policy of the Unit.
The previous term of cancellation is notified to the Unit every time, during the booking procedure and, is either accepted or rejected. If rejected by the Unit, then the User is timely notified and takes his/her decision. If, despite of the fact that the Unit has accepted the cancellation term (by signing and returning back the booking FAX) does not keep to it, despite of the Filoxenia intervention, then Filoxenia does not hear any further responsibility to oblige the Unit return the downpayment. Filoxenia accepts and recognises only all its correspondence exchanged with the unit and places it to the User's disposal.

11. Tourist packages by Filoxenia. The web-agency "Hellas-Tour-Net" (HTN)
The basic function and activity of Filoxenia is to operate as a tourist Units directory on the Web and as a requests processing system for info and bookings. While it does not operate as a tourist agency with the traditional meaning of the term, in order that its services are as integrated as possible, it provides also pre-designed standard tourist packages. Such packages are excursions in Greece, car rentals, itineraries in the historic Greece, cruises etc. The design of the packages has been accomplished by a main Greek tourist operator and can be delivered to the User's address in Greece (eg at his Hotel) with Filoxenia's care. The web agency "Hellas-Tour-Net" (HTN) you can find here.

PROCESSING SERVICE	PROCESSING FEE
Info request (rooms availability & rates)	6 Euro
Confirmed Booking request	12 Euro
Booking cancellation request	12 Euro

Information to the Users of Filoxenia