General terms and conditions
I. Scope of application
1. The general terms and conditions apply to contracts for treatment in the clinic and to all other services rendered to guests/patients by the clinic.
2. Provisions to the contrary, even if these are included in the guest/patient’s general terms and conditions, do not apply unless they are recognized expressly by the clinic in writing.
II. Conclusion of contract
1. You will be sent a registration form together with our written offer. To accept the offer, you must make an advance payment of 2,000 € and return the completed registration form. Your booking is then guaranteed, and you will be sent a letter confirming your reservation.
2. The booking must be cancelled in writing for the contract to be effectively rescinded.
3. Visitors or persons accompanying guests/patients may stay in the clinic for up to two days in agreement with the reservation department and if a room is available. From the third day onwards they will be treated as guests/patients and the general rates will be charged. They will also be required to consult a doctor.
4. Only one package may be booked per stay. No reimbursement can be made for unused services included in a package. The individual contents of the packages cannot be altered.
III. Cancellation/rescission
1. Cancellation fees will be charged as follows:
Guests/patients can change or cancel their booking up to 21 days prior to their arrival date in writing only without incurring any costs. In the case of last-minute bookings, this must be one day after receipt of the confirmation of reservation.
After this, they will be charged the following cancellation fees:
Guests/patients who depart before the end of their stay, arrive late or fail to arrive will be invoiced for the originally booked stay.
2. In case of non-compliance with the clinic rules, Buchinger Wilhelmi is entitled to terminate the treatment at the guest/patient’s cost.
3. Appointments for individual treatments must be cancelled by the guest/patient by 12.00 pm on the previous day. After that time they will be invoiced even if the patient fails to make use of them.
4. No refunds are made for meals not taken.
IV. Services, rates, payment
1. The total price of the package you have chosen is listed in our written offer. To accept this offer, you are requested to make an advance payment of 2,000 €. If we have not received the amount of 2,000 € after the offer period has expired, your stay will be cancelled.
2. The remainder of the price of the package must be paid 3 weeks before your arrival at the latest. If we have not received the amount by the time you arrive, this must be paid on arrival.
3. A credit card must be presented on arrival as a guarantee.
4. The invoice must be paid before you leave.
5. All services are invoiced according to the currently valid list of services. Earlier rates and conditions will become invalid. We retain the right to make changes.
6. The contents of individual packages cannot be changed or reimbursed.
7. The majority of rates are inclusive. Rates subject to VAT are automatically adapted should the underlying VAT rate change.
8. If a new calendar year starts between the time of booking and your stay at the clinic, the price of your booking may change.
9. In the case of in-patient treatment in connection with the services of a German statutory health insurance, the insurer’s cost agreement and the completed registration form with a legally binding signature must be submitted to the clinic in writing 21 days before treatment starts at the latest. Otherwise the patient will be admitted and later invoiced as a self-paying patient.
10. The guest/patient will be billed directly according to the rates specified in this price list even if the invoice is presented to an organization providing financial support or to a private insurance company for refund.
11. To ensure that the treatment is carried out properly, the clinic reserves the right to engage the services of an interpreter at the guest/patient’s expense, should the attending doctor or the clinic management establish such a necessity.
V. Arrival/Departure
1. Guests/patients are given a room in the category booked. They do not have the right to the use of a specific room number.
2. The booked room will be available from 4.00 pm on the day of arrival.
3. On the day of departure, the room must be vacated by 11.00 am, otherwise this day will be charged additionally.
4. The reservation department should be contacted for extensions to a guest/patient’s stay beyond the reserved and confirmed duration as well as for all other changes to the booked stay. This is usually only possible subject to a change of room and after consultation with the attending doctor.
5. Guests/patients admitted to the clinic for the first time are requested to present a valid passport/ID as well as a valid credit card on arrival.
VI. Valuables/liability
1. Buchinger Wilhelmi cannot accept any liability for lost valuables, in particular jewellery, documents or cash. The clinic recommends that patients/guests use the built-in safe in their room.
2. Guests/patients use the parking garage and parking spaces at their own risk.
3. A strict ban on smoking and on the consumption of alcohol is enforced at Buchinger Wilhelmi throughout the clinic premises as well as on walking tours and in guests/patients’ rooms. Guests/patients have responsibility for ensuring that this ban is also observed in their room by third parties. If guests/patients violate this ban, the clinic is entitled to charge the guest/patient a special cleaning fee to the amount of 250 €. The same applies if third parties smoke in a room with the knowledge or negligent ignorance of the guest/patient. The guest/patient is entitled to prove that no or little damage has been caused. The smoke detectors are highly sensitive smoke alarms that can register both cigarette and tobacco smoke and trigger an alarm without delay. If the alarm is triggered by smoke, the cost of evacuation, calling the fire brigade and all follow-on costs shall be charged to the perpetrator. There is a smokers’ corner on the parking deck.
VII. Final provisions
1. The place of payment and performance is Überlingen on Lake Constance.
2. The place of jurisdiction is Überlingen on Lake Constance.
3. The law of the Federal Republic of Germany applies.
4. Should any of the general terms and conditions be or become invalid or void, this shall not affect the validity of the remaining terms and conditions. In all other cases, the statutory provisions apply.
Clinic Rules Lake Constance
In a place like Buchinger Wilhelmi where the focus is on rest and relaxation, consideration of others and a certain degree of order are essential for the good of the community and the success of your treatment.
1. For medical reasons, certain rest times must be observed during fasting. To ensure that all guests/patients are able to rest at midday and at night, please divert all incoming phone calls between 12.00 and 2.00 pm and between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am to your personal voice box that is configured by default. Outgoing calls are possible at all times, including during rest periods. All external doors are locked at 11.00 pm.
2. Telephoning with mobile phones is not permitted on the clinic premises or during excursions or walking tours. Mobile phone calls may be made only in your own room with the windows closed (to avoid disturbing your fellow guests). We ask you to sign a corresponding agreement upon your arrival.
3. As your responsiveness may be affected during therapeutic fasting in individual cases, some activities (swimming in open water, horse riding or driving) should only be performed under certain conditions. You should therefore consult your attending doctor beforehand.
4. If a guest/patient is absent from Buchinger Wilhelmi overnight or wishes to stay away from the clinic for a number of days, permission from your attending doctor is required.
5. The minimum age for treatment at Buchinger Wilhelmi is 18 years. In exceptional cases, young people aged 16 years or over can be treated if they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and if this has been discussed with our management and doctors in advance. Therapeutic fasting is not possible for people aged under 18 years.
6. A strict ban on smoking and on the consumption of alcohol is enforced at Buchinger Wilhelmi, both throughout the clinic premises as well as on walking tours and in guests/patients’ rooms. Guests/patients have responsibility for ensuring that this ban is also observed in their room by third parties. There is a smokers’ corner on the parking deck.
7. Please do not wear sports clothes or bathrobes in the salon or restaurant. You are requested to wear European swimwear (bikini, swimsuit, bathing trunks) in the swimming pool area. For medical reasons, we prefer our guests to wear light sports clothing (e.g. tracksuit) during physical exercise (e.g. aerobics, walks). We ask guests to refrain from covering their face (face veil) at Buchinger Wilhelmi.
8. Your sense of smell is extremely sensitive during fasting: artificial perfumes (all of which nowadays comprise synthetic fragrance molecules) can be extremely disturbing when fasting, even those we normally like. For this reason, we ask you to avoid using perfume if possible during group activities in the recreation rooms or gyms as well as on walks.
9. Pets are not allowed.
10. Buchinger Wilhelmi is situated on sloping terrain and is therefore only suitable to a limited extent for guests/patients who have mobility problems or are reliant on a wheelchair.
11. Compliance with the regulations set out in the clinic rules is of vital importance for the success of your treatment at Buchinger Wilhelmi. This also applies to the instructions given by medical staff, nursing staff and other senior personnel.
12. In case of repeated non-compliance with these rules or instructions, the clinic management reserves the right to terminate your stay. Any resulting damages will be invoiced to you.
Please read through these conditions for your stay at Buchinger Wilhelmi carefully one more time. You have been sent our clinic rules with your confirmation of reservation. We assume that by signing the corresponding agreement, you agree to these rules.