La Petite Ferme d'Alpagas Sanzay Terms & Conditions. Below are our Terms & Conditions available in english and french. Please bear in mind that for your safety and enjoyment of our experiences we politely ask all our guests to agree to these terms and conditions to say they have read and understood these before starting any of the experiences involving contact with the animals.
Health and Safety
There will always be a short safety briefing at the start, anyone deliberately not adhering to the information provided in this briefing will be asked to leave the experience without compensation.
Visitors of all ages will need to stay quiet and calm around the alpacas and not make sudden movements. When feeding, bowls are provided for the alpacas to feed directly from. If you prefer to feed them by hand then carrots can be held with the tips of your fingers and pellets in the palm of your hands with your hand and fingers held flat. We suggest that young children should feed from the bowls.
All our experiences are supervised by a suitably trained member of our team, guests are not permitted to take the animals unaccompanied or leave the group with an animal.
When on a walk if you agree, your children may be allowed to take the lead at the guide’s discretion when we are in a safe situation with nothing unusual happening. You must stay near the child if they are leading and be ready to take over if they get into difficulty. Most adults can restrain a haltered alpaca, but younger children cannot.
Alpacas may kick if they sense something close behind them. That could be you or another alpaca so please be aware of where you are standing and what’s around you as we don’t want that to be you or another alpaca behind if they kick. Please be aware of their hind legs and keep your distance when walking around them. It is especially important to remember this if we engage with people we meet on the walk who haven’t been briefed, especially children.
Hand washing facilities are provided. Those who accompany children have a responsibility to ensure that adequate hand washing takes place.
Please wear closed toe sturdy shoes (or wellies in the wetter months). Sandals are not suitable. We will still do experiences in light rain so please bring waterproofs if necessary and dress appropriately. We won’t be held responsible for any damage to shoes or clothing.
Understanding alpacas
Alpacas are largely confident and curious animals so during the experience they will enjoy looking around and meeting people. They take most things in their stride, but they don’t like confined spaces and may need some time and encouragement to deal with strange obstructions. Sometimes if one of us slips or breaks a twig it can startle one alpaca which startles the others, so be on the lookout for the alpacas making sudden movements and if they do try to stay stable and calm. They will soon settle down.
When free in the field alpacas will back off if you try to touch them as they are making sure they won’t get caught. Once they are haltered and on a lead, they give up their need to avoid you and will walk happily beside you. When walking them and when feeding them by hand you may be able to lightly stroke their neck, but this is infringing their space, so please be mindful of that. Likewise, an alpaca should respect your space and not nudge or nibble you. Never touch their heads or their rump, although our experienced handlers may do so to encourage an alpaca to move out of danger.
Alpacas are herd animals – they believe in sticking close together for safety. On a walk if one gets left behind she may start to run to catch up. For the safety of the people walking at the back, the front party needs to stop and wait if to large of a gap opens up between the alpacas. Always walk on the left hand side when leading an alpaca and also when freely moving around the farm.
Alpacas should always have an escape route and never be closed into a space without offered one.
Bookings
Bookings can be made through our website www.lapetitefermedalpagas.com or by calling Sophie and Will on 06 70 62 24 39 or emailing hello@lapetitefermedalpagas.com
The costs of all our experiences are on our website. If you would like us to design a bespoke package for you, please contact us.
If the weather is inclement, such that the experience would not be pleasant, we at La Petite Ferme d’Alpagas may decide it necessary for experiences to be rescheduled or cancelled at short notice and rebooked at a mutually convenient time. This is for us to decide whether the experience can go ahead or not, knowing our alpacas and their capabilities.
All children (under 16) must be accompanied by a responsible adult (aged 18 years +). Children under the age of 14 can accompany but not lead an alpaca unless otherwise agreed.
Payment of invoices (comanies)
Invoices are payable within 7 days unless otherwise specified and agreed (no later than 30 days). If payment is late, a first reminder will be sent for demand of payment immediately. If pyament is still not received, a late payment fee percentage will be applied in line with regulations of France, in addition to a flat fee of €40. After this, if payment has still not been received we will send a formal notice. After this, it is probable we may apply to the courts for payment, plus costs and interest and the debt could be passed on to a debt collector to take over.
Gift Vouchers
Gift vouchers must be redeemed within 12 months of the purchase date. After 12 months gift vouchers are no longer valid.
Bookings must be made in advance. As with all other bookings, bookings are dependent on availability and therefore we recommend making a booking as far in advance as possible. Gift vouchers will be given the same priority as any other booking on a first come basis. Once the booking is made with a gift voucher, our normal cancellation terms apply to the booking and voucher.
Cancellations - alpaca experiences
In circumstances other than on the day inclement weather must be made;
*For walking, bespoke packages and private bookings which includes feeding and picnics: 20% of the total booking is non-refundable. For cancellations 1 week or more before the appointment, 80% refund will be offered, or you will be invited to reschedule a maximum of once per booking. Cancellations under 1 week in advance will not be subject to refund and may not be rescheduled other than in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of La Petite Ferme d'Alpagas Sanzay.
*For all other experiences: no less than 72 hours before. 20% of the total booking is non-refundable. For cancellations 72 hours or more before the appointment, 80% refund will be offered, or you will be invited to reschedule a maximum of once per booking. Cancellations under 72 hours in advance will not be subject to refund and may not be rescheduled other than in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of La Petite Ferme d'Alpagas Sanzay.
If we have incurred a charge by our payment provider (PayPal, Stripe, etc.) for your booking and you cancel, we will refund you the full amount minus the charge that has been taken by the payment provider. We will be happy to provide details of the charges that we incurred if you request this.
We reserve the right to cancel if, due to the nature of the business, circumstances arise that are out of our control. All circumstances considered such as animal welfare, the safety of our staff and customers. A full refund will be made if rebooking is not an option.
We will request an email address and mobile phone number from you on booking and will leave messages on one or both of these if there is a cancellation, please check as we will not be held responsible for you missing these communications. These may sometimes go into your junk email box. If you have chosen not to provide us with a telephone number at the time of booking, please ensure you check your emails before arriving at the farm.
Cancellations - Accommodation bookings
If a reservation is cancelled less than 30 days prior to arrival, a fee equivalent to the total amount of the reservation will be charged.
If a reservation is cancelled 30 days or more prior to arrival, a fee of 20% of the total amount of the reservation will be charged.
In the event of a no-show or shortened booking (after the arrival date), no refund will be made.
Trademark
La Petite Ferme d’Alpagas Sanzay is a trademarked brand of France and the EU. No use of the La Petite Ferme d’Alpagas Sanzay branding is permitted for personal or commercial use without prioir permission granted. If permission is granted for use in writing, we reserve the right to oversee communications for its use or future use relating to such communications. It is not permissable for use of our branding against other animal services or any other commercial or private reasons.
Leading Techniques for Walking
We will provide full instructions before your walk starts, it is important all participants listen and watch carefully. In addition to this, it is important to note the following.
Do not wrap the lead around your hand or place a finger in the buckle clip – you need to be able to drop it quickly if you are in danger.
Alpacas don’t like a tight lead or being dragged. We will demonstrate the best lead techniques to you before the walk starts.
If you are in danger of falling or being dragged, drop the lead. Do not allow the alpaca to accelerate, if this happens stop and stay firm, like you would if you were walking a dog.
Watch out for the lead rope getting wrapped round your alpaca’s neck. If this happens, hold the end of the rope and manoeuvre yourself around the alpaca so you are back on the right side.
If at anytime you feel uncomfortable, please tell a member of staff who will assist, advise or take the alpaca if you prefer.
On a walk if you drop the lead your alpaca will stay in the group and not run off unless very alarmed. Do not chase him. We can then pick up the lead and carry on. When joining them on a walk you become part of their herd. They trust us to be good, calm, confident leaders. The walk is for them too so lets make sure they have fun and get to stop and admire the view when they want to, or need a toilet break! They also enjoy a selfie or two.
Terrain
The experiences are mainly on the farm and the walks are based through the village and along the chemins of farmland so there will be long grass and mud if wet along the way and you need to protect yourself from sun, rain, cold and insects.
Please wear sturdy shoes and on a walk be prepared to walk for about 20-60 minutes depending on the route and pace of the animals, unless otherwise arranged.
On our walks we try not to come across any dogs but if we do alpacas are both alert and curious around dogs. They may attempt to touch noses if they feel the dog is safe. Do not allow this. It may provoke the dog to defend itself. If a dog is spotted on our walk a member of our team will walk ahead and talk to the dog owners so they are aware. If the alpacas are startled please stay calm and sturdy they will soon calm down.
We may be passed by cars on the walk, your guide/s will ask you to pause and step to the side to allow the car to pass. Alpacas are used to this and prefer to hear and see the vehicle. Once the car has passed, we will start moving again.
Mobile Devices
You need to be alert around and in charge of your alpaca at all times. However, taking photos is an important part of the experience so feel free to snap away when you feel comfortable or are in a safe place with no obstacles, cars, horses, dogs etc.
We will take photos of adults and children for use on our social media pages and website to promote our activities. Please let us know if you do not want photos of you or your child to be used. Similarly, please respect the privacy of other people when posting your own photos.
Apart from photos, please refrain from using your phone during the experience as this may be annoying to other people in the group. Also, you need to be able to pay attention at all times with the alpacas and the conditions around you. tend to skip and run around so always give them space to do so.
Back in the field after a walk
Once we are all back in the field and the gates are closed you will be instructed how to remove your alpaca’s halter and lead. Please don’t detach the lead otherwise you will have a loose alpaca still wearing a halter!
Please wash your hands after your experience: toilets, hand washing facilities and sanitising gel are available.
Dogs and other pets
Dogs and other pets are not allowed either on the farm or to accompany walkers. Entry will be refused if dogs are brought to the farm and we utilise the cancellations policy. We cannot prevent guide dogs from being admitted to the farm, however being there will frighten the alpacas and the experience may not be possible. We will do our best to accommodate them.
Please tell your friends about your experience, share your photos and our social media posts and please do tell us if there was anything we could have done better. We would also be grateful if you have time to leave a review on any of our marketing platforms (e.g. Google, Trip Advisor, Facebook) Thank you for coming and we hope to see you again Will, Sophie and the team.