Need advice

[silverheels]

About 3 weeks ago my husband and I chartered a sailboat out of the BVI. This was not our first time doing this and certainly not our first time on a sailboat. We owned our own boat in Coral Bay for 15 years. This is the long and short of the problem. Charter company sells you a cell phone for $20. You can use it to call them and $10 worth of calls to the US. We are in Maho Bay our second day out and the battery on the boat goes dead. Cell phone won't carry over to BVI. We are stranded so we use our own cell (ATT) They tell us how to jump start the battery (with a wrench). They won't come over to the USVI with a new battery! Go to Soper's Hole for a new battery. Back to Maho starter fails, back to Soper's Hole. New starter! Meanwhile all the calls to them and their calls to us on our cell add up to $85. They did credit us with one day loss of sailing. They refuse to credit the cell phone. What do you think we should do send them the bill anyway or just let it drop. Not too pleased with their attitude as we were repeat customers. Seemed like we had to act as their mechanics. They never should have let the boat go out in the first place.

[loria]

Wow! I cannot believe that! did you speak to the managment or someone higher up? that seems outrageous to me! Did they tell you you would be on your own if you were in US waters and broke down?
what company behaves like this?

[silverheels]

Spoke to their agent, who then spoke to the charter company and they were pretty adamant about not paying the phone bill. They never said that we were on our own in the US Virgins. There were and always are lots of boats in Maho and Leinster from the BVI and some from their charter company. It was a very frustrating time dealing with them. So what do you think, should I send them the bill anyway?
I must tell you that while we were in Maho we were in need of some supplies. I hitched a ride into Cruz and then Captain Brandi was kind enough to drive me back to Maho. Very funny that here we were in Maho with a boat and not a car, when our own car was parked up in a friends place in Cruz!

[Charlie2001]

I'm not taking the charter company's side here, just playing devils advocate.....

Was there wording in your contract about support when you were in USVI waters? I know that many of the charter companies won't provide a chase boat to Anegada, and I could see a similar restriction if you took the boat out of BVI waters entirely. What was in the written contract regarding this?

Think about the logistics of them sending a chase boat each time you called. The mechanic would have to clear out of the BVI, go to Cruz Bay to clear in, then proceed to Maho to help you, and return to clear back into the BVI.

Personally, I don't think it's their responsibility to pay your cell phone bill for the calls. You took the boat out of BVI waters, albeit with their permission, and I would think that any costs associated with the cell phone calls wouldn't be covered.

[Florida Girl]

I think the calls are their responsibility to pay. They gave you a phone that didn't work, and the only times you phoned them were when THEIR boat broke down. It's not like you just called them to chat.

[alsea]

They need to pay for the calls, you had no choice but to use the phone more then you wanted too. Their boat failed and right there should be enough to know they need to cover the bill. That's bad customer service. I will not be using their service at anytime. Sorry that happened to you. Repeat customers are the best and should be treated in away that keeps them returning. Lots of other companies to choose from and that's no joke!

[waterguy]

One of the main reason there are so many sail boat charter services in the BVI's is because of the legal system and the way they handle tort claims. Good luck with what ever you decide

[lazylane]

I say be happy with the credit for one days sailing. I wouldn't think they could be expected to come to USVI as Charlie2001 says. I bet it's covered somewhere in small print!!