This is a question for charter guides on the forum. If for whatever reason you have to cut short a chartered trip, do you refund the unused portion of the trip or do you offer to make up the time at a different trip? I had a 5 hour halibut/cod combo trip cut short by a guide's family emergency by 2 hours. He did not offer me a refund on the spot but rather offered to make up the hours next time in a text. My guests were from overseas and don't know when they will come visit again so they may not able to take up on the guides offer for extra time. Also, what if I don't want to book with this this particular person again?
First time using a charter-strange behaviors
- Thread starter Cabezon1
- Start date
Pippen
Well-Known Member
Making up 2 hours isn't going to be much of a "charter" unless you end up booking MORE time with him aside from the 2 hours. Seems to me if he were a stand up operator he'd refund the $$$ and perhaps offer you an incentive or slight discount to book another trip. In a competitive market where in this day and age word can travel quickly via social media, forums, trip advisor etc one would do all he could to maintain good customer service reviews for his business. Emergencies DO happen but there is a smart and considerate way for him to handle it.
I would check his website to see if there are any terms upon booking etc.
fogged in
Well-Known Member
just curious...what did you catch in your 3 hours.
I would think some kind of a cash refund should be offered...then it's up to you to either accept or decline
If the 3 hours were somewhat productive, personally I would decline the refund.
If you just got a 3 hour boat ride , that's another story.
So...what did you catch, or did not catch ?
Pippen
Well-Known Member
Is that not like saying if you had a 50,000km warranty on your vehicle and it ran great (or just ran) for 29,000 km's but at 31,000 it broke down you wouldn't claim it on warranty?
If they were limited out....then fine, maybe they wouldn't have an issue with it as playing C&R with bottom fish may be not the best thing to do. But if the guide has to go in for whatever an issue be it family emergency or even boat problems I would think that he'd refund the remaining time as the trip got cut short on HIS accord, not being limited out or at the GUEST's accord?
Clint r
Well-Known Member
Went out with a guide from this site in July. Second day out was too windy to get out of the river mouth. Guide reimbursed me (did some horse trading)for the time we couldn't fish AND took us for a 1/2 day tour up the Fraser AND said he'd take us out for a day of fishing at a later date of our own choosing. A stand up guy all around.
Tightlines22
Well-Known Member
I would start by phoning him now and having a conversation about what he is prepared to offer. Just know what you are willing to settle for all things considered as others above have suggested. Truly he cut your charter short. What if it happened one hour in?
scott craven
Well-Known Member
Somewhat off topic, but still strange behavior
We had a charter guy (Victoria) lose it on one of our guys
who was a newbie to salmon fishing.
he didn't get a good tip.
We had a charter guy (Victoria) lose it on one of our guys
who was a newbie to salmon fishing.
he didn't get a good tip.
Including myself we had 4 licenses and we caught 2 halibuts that were probably 33 and 20 pounders. Again, it really wasn't what we caught or didn't catch that bothered me and the money wasn't the biggest beef I have with this guide . It was the way the trip ended and how we were dumped off the boat and left literally standing in the pouring rain as he drove off that got me a little miffed.
Also, I have records of all our correspondences via phone text which he fully admitted the trip end early. I have a lot of respect for guides/charters and really don't want to publish the person's name, phone number or pictures. That wouldn't be a nice thing to do. Just don't want to ruin someone's reputation/livelihood in case he really did have a family emergency and it affected his behavior. I always give people the benefit of the doubt.
No, we did not limit out nor did anyone got seasick during the outing. Prior to booking the trip and during the trip, I told him we really don't need to limit out on halibut and would actually prefer to use a portion of our time to catch cods/cabezons West of Sheringham Point. He was totally fine with this request prior and during the trip so I really don't know what happened. Anyway, water under the bridge now but it was a little embarrassing at the time when my guests asked if this is how people do business in Canada.Is that not like saying if you had a 50,000km warranty on your vehicle and it ran great (or just ran) for 29,000 km's but at 31,000 it broke down you wouldn't claim it on warranty?
If they were limited out....then fine, maybe they wouldn't have an issue with it as playing C&R with bottom fish may be not the best thing to do. But if the guide has to go in for whatever an issue be it family emergency or even boat problems I would think that he'd refund the remaining time as the trip got cut short on HIS accord, not being limited out or at the GUEST's accord?
wolf
Well-Known Member
Well as a guide I too had to leave early one time due to my mother having a heart attack(she passed a few months later due to cancer) and I left right away, when we came in they went to pay me and I said dont bother as I am leaving you guys they insisted on "gas money" trust me it was the last thing on my mind . they did rebook the following year though.
Things in life are alot more important then money ..... I know
sorry about your trip guess it all comes down to what your morals are...
Good luck Wolf
Things in life are alot more important then money ..... I know
sorry about your trip guess it all comes down to what your morals are...
Good luck Wolf
ryanb
Well-Known Member
Shady! No ifs and or buts. If he wants repeat business and a good reputation he should have refunded the whole price, or offered another full 5 hour charter to make up for the shortened trip. Emergencies happen, and I think everyone can understand, but a standup business (such as wolf) will make things right.
You shouldn't have to argue about it, and at this point I'd recommend moving on and leaving some appropriate reviews online.
You shouldn't have to argue about it, and at this point I'd recommend moving on and leaving some appropriate reviews online.
noluck
Well-Known Member
well said! and Wolf is a class act.
Pippen
Well-Known Member
How long ago was this trip? I don't really think it's "water under the bridge" unless you're just going to roll over as a consumer/customer?
As customers/consumers I think we need to hold businesses accountable in this day and age.....as customer service is slowly trending downwards towards it's death.
Bottom line....I think you got ripped off whatever the circumstances may have been for the operator to cut the trip short.
Teja
Well-Known Member
I couldn't agree with you more and conversely, in the online age where reputation management is so critical, it is good business for businesses to hold themselves to a much higher standard for both service delivery to their customer and for service recovery with their customer when they fail to deliver the service or product the customer expected. With one of the hospitality businesses I am involved with, some of the most enduring, repeat business relationships we have are with customers where at some point over the years we unfortunately failed to be perfect with service delivery (no one is perfect) but where, with no questions asked, we succeeded to blow the customer away with our service recovery effort to make up for it ... it is never forgotten (Wolf's response is a perfect example).
triplenickel
Well-Known Member
Do you know the nature of the emergency and have you asked him about it since? The missing 2 hours could have been way off his radar.
