scottie
Well-known member
So if you don’t return the boat as supplied you can deduct against deposit but not the entire boat not ?
I would like your honest opinion please?
- Thread starter mel29
- Start date
ylop
Well-known member
I’d be surprised if it didn’t also cover the possibility of it being late back, or not returned to the correct location.
If you consider that presumably if it takes two to take the boat through locks they had to send two crew (presumably by road), turn the boat around and navigate it back through the locks, which whilst only 5 miles is probably 2-3 hrs if there’s a few locks etc. Then they need to go and retrieve the vehicle they left wherever the boat was. So £200 deposit (or £250?) for 2 people for probably best part of 1/2 a day. Doesn’t seem outrageous to me.
Certainly I wouldn’t expect any of the rental fee back. The deposit if I was the owner I’d probably have given you, but I’d be surprised if they had to. My attitude to refunding it would depend on your attitude to the return. Really apologetic and your friend clearly not fit when I get there and I’d likely refund it as a gesture of goodwill. Demanding I come sort the mess right now because you want to leave asap and/or the injuries being not that bad so it looks like you’ve just bitten off more than you can chew and changed your mind - and I’d not be so generous.
The irony is, if you’d posted here before calling the owner - someone here would probably have offered to come and help you turn the boat and do the locks just for fun!
srm
Well-known member
As a client that is the sort of response I would appreciate.
However, having run a charter business and been on the board of a marina company I am aware of the financial pressures and fixed costs on the owner, hence my response #17 above.
The owner did demonstrate good will by going to the boat and taking the clients back to their car.
mel29
New member
Thankyou all for your replies ..I must clarify we paid £700 for a 4 night stay..this happened less than 24 hours into our journey..the owner we were moored next to the lock landing with a winding hole just at the other side of the lock.
We asked the omner for help, and she came out ...and in my opinion took back possession of the boat as she got on board ..moved the boat back a few meters and locked the boat.
The result is that we lost the boat hire & and the full £250 deposit too.
No good will whatsoever in my opinion.
We asked the omner for help, and she came out ...and in my opinion took back possession of the boat as she got on board ..moved the boat back a few meters and locked the boat.
The result is that we lost the boat hire & and the full £250 deposit too.
No good will whatsoever in my opinion.
srm
Well-known member
But was it the owner's fault that your party chose to leave the boat after less than 24 hours? If not then the owner is entitled to the full hire fee. She is unlikely to find another hire at such short notice. As you intended to leave the boat and return to your car the owner was correct to secure the boat to her satisfaction.
From what you now say retaining the full security deposit does not seem justified, as the cost to the owner of returning the boat 5 miles before the end of your hire period should not be £250. Two people to take the boat through the lock, turn it, then back through the lock and to the base. Say half a day plus use of road vehicles or an hour and a half walk along the towpath.
Perhaps ask for a detailed invoice and outstanding balance regarding the retained deposit.
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scottie
Well-known member
It is coming over as the charterers being perhaps being out of their depth and the owners looking after their boat
there is no indication of the OP being ejected rather abandoning the boat
there is no indication of the OP being ejected rather abandoning the boat
colhel
Well-known member
Did you want to continue with your holiday at this stage?
Bouba
Well-known member
The refundable deposit may include self cleaning and returning to base
mel29
New member
Hi thankyou for your comments...I agree even though one of us had sustained an injury and we couldn't physically carry on we can understand the hire cost, we actually said that to her face to face but what she didn't say face to face was that she was retaining the refundable deposit too ...we had to wait 4 more days and 3 messages before she sent me a text saying that we weren't going to get anything back. And another thing to note from our car to the moored took us 8 minutes via a pin on Google maps.
mel29
New member
Thanks for your comment..but at least have the decency to say that to your face and not via text 4 days after we returned home.
Bouba
Well-known member
In my opinion if you had schmoozed her by saying things like, we were loving the holiday and hope to rebook soon….
mel29
New member
We actually needed help..I would hate to think someone had not had a heart attack and have to ask for help..I'm just interested in your opinions as it really seemed so harsh ...our Google maps on the sat nav was 8 minutes drive to the boat. The boat still had 3 days hire worth of diesel etc...a conversation face to face would have been nice, not a text 4 days later after we'd left numerous messages.
Bouba
Well-known member
Eight minutes by car is a lifetime by narrow boat…how far away is the turning basin ?
mel29
New member
Thanks for your reply...our car was 8 minutes from the boat via car...we told the owner face to face that we didn't expect a refund ..but she didn't have the courtesy to tell us to our face ..it took her 4 days via text to tell us ...and never did she ask if the injured party was ok?
john_morris_uk
Well-known member
OP said it was through the next lock next to them. Two people. Half a day. Plus cleaning up the boat etc. £250 is easily justified.
Bouba
Well-known member
You could, politely, write and ask why the deposit was forfeited
john_morris_uk
Well-known member
That’s reasonable. Write and ask for a breakdown of their costs that justified them keeping £250
mel29
New member
Thanks for your reply ...I am interested how people see things differently .I think it was harsh and certainly rude of her not to tell us that she was keeping our deposit face to face ...not wait until we had been home for 4 days..
We were actually moored just before the lock moorings themselves less then a minute away ..winding hole was immediately after the same lock.
No goodwill whatsoever just rude .
mel29
New member
mel29
New member
Immediately after the lock we were parked at...the owner pointed this out to us
