Booking a charter through broker v. directly with an operator

This is a question which is often asked by many - what is the advantage of using a Charter Broker rather than going directly to the operator? If you haven't figured this one out already, read on...

When you have decided to charter a yacht, all you are thinking about is your route, the weather, your companions, restaurants, bars and whether you chose all of them well. Almost nobody thinks about not very pleasant things which may happen and long term benefits which may be earned. So, let's start from the beginning...

Yacht Search and Options

We as a brokerage have access to multiples of operators and obviously a much larger pool of yachts. We also have well established relationships with many of the operators and therefore substantial leverage when securing the best deal possible for you. The operator is restricted by their own fleet and therefore has limited options to offer.

Yacht Charter Costs

We receive our commission from the operator so it doesn't cost you any more to use our services. We also may be willing to surrender some of our commission to win your custom. It is an unwritten rule that operators don't offer charter yachts for any less money directly to the charterer than they would via the broker. We are pretty sure you can imagine how quickly the pool of brokers working with such operator (and driving most of their sales) would trickle away!

Service

We at WannaGoSailing.com work very closely with our operators, so closely in fact that many of them are personal friends and recipients of birthday and Christmas cards we send. We favour smaller, local operators because their yachts are their livelihoods and they can't afford to provide poor service or rent badly maintained yachts. Most of small operators spend many winter months making sure that their yachts are in best order possible and spare no expense making sure to keep brokers and clients equally happy.

What happens in case of business failure?

Well, we have some good news here. Operators are more likely to fail than brokers. Your contract however is with us, the broker and we have a duty to provide you with a yacht you have paid for. That's where the pool of operators and good relationships between brokers and operators really comes into play, all in the background and without any reason for worry and concern on your part..

There are all kinds of brokers too and sometimes their businesses fail. We are more than happy to provide you with a written confirmation that your deposit was paid to the operator and give you operator's details. This should give you great peace of mind should you have any concerns.

What happens if a yacht you booked is suddenly out of commission?

Again, as your broker we have a lot larger pool of yachts to work with than the operator. While the operator may not have a suitable replacement available, we have access to other operators who will. Financial dealings in the background are again nothing you should worry about and at the very least you will not turn up at the base to check in, only to be offered a refund. We have clients who chartered a flotilla directly from the operator some years back and found out at check in that one of their three yachts was in an accident on a previous charter and out of commission. It took them months to get a refund, after they incurred additional costs in securing hotel rooms at the height of the tourist season. Never mind the upset splitting of the group and a third of it being left behind caused! That's why they have been our clients ever since!

Somebody mentioned long term benefits...

Yes we did! WannaGoSailing.com offer additional discounts for repeat clients. Many operators do the same but the yacht you chartered the previous year or another one you would like to charter this year may not be available (see above point about fleet limitations). Regardless of whether operators will accommodate us with additional discount, we will still give it to you. It comes out of our commission and we deem it an excellent investment in client relations, loyalty and satisfaction. We will also give you discounts for additional yachts if you are sailing with friends and booking a mini-flotilla, regardless of whether they are all owned by the same operator.

If we have convinced you that we are a worthy partner in your next sailing adventure, contact us today and let us show you what we have got! Visit our website or our Facebook Page where we often publish Special Offers and charter tips.

We are looking forward to seeing you aboard soon!