Terms of Service
Playing
We will require four armless chairs to sit on and an area of at least 3x2 metres.
We will need to take a break for 5-10 minutes per hour, however we will do our best to work our breaks around your schedule.
We understand that sometimes schedules can run behind, however we will always stop playing at the finish time specified by the client on the booking form. If you would like us to play for longer on the day, we will be able to do so only if this is agreed by all the musicians and provided we don't have any other bookings that day. For this, we will charge £60 for anything up to half an hour beyond the agreed finish time, and £60 per up to half an hour after that, payable within 48 hours of receiving an additional payment request email.
For waiting time or travel time between portions of playing, when we are not required to be present in front of guests, we charge £40 per up to half an hour. For example, you may require us to play during the wedding ceremony and wedding breakfast but there is a two hour drinks reception in between, during which we are not playing.
Vittorio Quartet has a pool of carefully selected, exceptional musicians, who are booked for each event based on availability, therefore the players at each event will vary.
We can play outside in warm and dry conditions, but will require full shade in sunny weather, as direct sunlight will damage our instruments. We ask that all venues and clients respect the discretion of the musicians to make a decision on the day regarding performing outside.
Travel costs and other requirements
For bookings between our Manchester base and up to 60 miles away, there is no additional travel cost. For more than 60 miles we charge 55p per additional mile. For travel time over 1.5 hours one way according to sat nav in normal traffic from our Manchester base to the venue, an additional charge will be applied upon negotiation, to compensate musicians for the additional travel time.
We will wear smart clothing for all events, however if your booking is themed and you would like us to dress a certain way we will do our best to accommodate any requirements you might have, within reason.
It is your choice whether to provide refreshments for us, however it would be lovely to have some food and drink for bookings of more than 2 hours.
Travelling to two separate locations for one booking will not be a problem. However, please be aware that there may be a short break with no music whilst we make our way to the second venue and set up.
Payments
We are willing to accept payments in instalments should you wish to spread the fee over a period until no later than 3 weeks before your event.
All clients will be given a date by which the booking form with finalised details, including timings and music choices, is due (no later than one month in advance of the booking). The final payment amount will then be requested via email, including any additional travel expenses and / or other extras such as arrangement requests. This payment will then be due immediately, and no later than 3 weeks before the event. If we have not received your final payment by this date, we may take measures to ensure compensation.
Insurance and Cancellations
We have public liability insurance and are covered for any accidents that may occur at the event. We can provide you with a copy of our public liability certificate should you wish to see it.
It's useful for venues to be aware that we don't use any sound amplification / lighting / visual effects. This will avoid any unnecessary insurance queries.
We take a non-refundable deposit in case of cancellations. However if you need to cancel your booking 28 days or less before the date of your booking, we will require full payment, and if you need to cancel 6 weeks or less in advance, we will require half payment. Your booking is only cancelled once you have received written confirmation of this by email. If you haven’t received written confirmation, your booking still stands and full payment will still be due.
Covid-19: Our cancellation policy is currently flexible due to Covid restrictions. If your event is affected by Covid restrictions that mean it must be cancelled or postponed, we will do our utmost to accommodate a postponement, or, in the event of a cancellation being necessary due to government guidelines, we will be pleased to offer a full refund.