Refunds & Complaints

“We have been in business for a long time and it is a strong and stable business. We have seen others come and go in this business and in the main it has been down to their lack of customer focus and quality.” John

We are a family business so if you need to talk to the “boss” you can. We will not hide behind screens and certainly we will not evade our obligations to you – our customer. You have trusted us so we must trust you. In total honesty the complaints are minimal. We would say one a year that is notable or substantiated and a few that are not complaints but more constructive advice. That is out of tens of thousands of customers.

Complaints about the sailing itself are incredibly rare. You may get the odd note with someone really excited about seeing something like a dolphin but did not on that sailing – we do our best but alas have no control over the wildlife.

At the same time we do not advertise anything that we do not believe we can deliver with a high success rate. We have been reported to trading standards twice in 25 years. The first was because a lad on a fishing trip did not catch a fish and everyone else did, for no obvious reason (we declined a refund on that occasion). The second was because someone did not see a puffin (they were very polite about it but felt that it was important to them so we gave them another single ticket for a successful puffin voyage).

The most common niggle is cancelled sailings. This will be down to weather conditions over which we have no control, and very rarely a breakdown (we can normally resolve this quickly as we have several identical vessels and in any event we rarely breakdown with new boats!).

We do not take bookings for a scheduled sailing knowing that it has little chance of departing – that just wastes our own time as well as yours. We do take bookings when the overall forecast may be poor but we can identify weather windows or regional variations. So your sailing may be cancelled at the last minute and you may have travelled a long way and it is unfair but alas something we have no control over and thankfully it’s not a regular event.

If we cancel we will refund in full. Very occasionally we may even depart but when on the way, or at sea, decide to abandon the sailing due to weather or for safety or logistics. If this is the case we will refund you in full or may even offer an alternative sailing there and then (you are under no obligation to take this).

Sometimes we may need to delay a sailing for a while due to weather or tides or a combination. We may also incur a slight delay waiting for additional bookings. We will keep in touch with you about this and not mess you around. Nearly all sailings leave exactly on schedule but we reserve the right to reschedule for up to 4 hours ( see note below).

Complaints normally arise from the booking or departure procedure. It is essential though that you read your ticket in detail and timetable your sailing with latitude. If you have any complaint or constructive advice you must let us know. The best course is to pop into the office or email. We have a dedicated office manager and he will be your first port of call. He will treat your issue with respect and may have an instant observation or remedy. He may ask to come back to you if he needs to talk to the skippers or guides or investigate records etc. Any complaint, no matter what magnitude, will also be conveyed to Rhys.

Refunds
Not our favourite word but occasionally inevitable. The overall rule is that if it’s our fault or we cancel a sailing then its a 100% refund (see note on vouchers though). If it’s your fault then it is discretionary with some guidance rules.

If we cancel
If we cancel the sailing then we give 100% refund.

If you cancel
If you need to cancel a booking up to 48 hours before departure a 90% refund (we have to cover credit card and admin costs) can be made. Up to 24 hours before departure a 75% refund can be made. A cancellation that is made with less than 24 hours notice will not be offered a refund, but see note below.

If you have to cancel we will do our best to sell your tickets and if we can we will endeavour to get you the best refund. You can sell or transfer your tickets but you MUST let us know exact details and we reserve the right to decline.

If you are late for your sailing or do not turn up then there is no refund – sorry but you must give yourself plenty of time. We will, if we can, offer you a standby ticket for another sailing to try and help but this will only be confirmed 30 minutes before departure. We want to be fair but we have to run a proper business and remain profitable. That means that we can’t simply refund because someone is suddenly poorly or you have had a car accident. We will of course be sympathetic but we cannot be accountable for life’s traumas. You may be able to claim on your holiday insurance and we would of course assist.

Vouchers and Gift Certificates
These are open for a whole year and no refund is available. You may transfer the ticket or you may even sell or donate the ticket to charity (you MUST let us know first please). If the sailing is cancelled due to weather or logistics then the ticket is kept open but there is no refund. If the year passes then we will be sympathetic and may offer a time extension.

Downgrades
Occasionally one sailing may not suddenly become an option but a lesser/cheaper one is. We will give you the opportunity to downgrade and if you accept we will refund the full difference in ticket price.

Delayed Sailings
We reserve the right to delay any sailing by up to 4 hours for logistical, safety or commercial reasons. Most sailings depart exactly on time but some times we have to change. If you have a specific reason why you cannot delay then let us know – we will be sympathetic and will offer up to 100% refund.

Consequential Losses
Under any circumstances we will not be responsible for consequential losses. We might buy you an ice cream if you are waiting around but we wont pay your travel costs if a sailing is cancelled.

Hopefully very few have to read this page!