Poor BVI Charter Company

[John North]

I need a forum to express my misfortune to charter from North South in the BVI.Charterer beware. Look for a better company.N/S has deteriorated to the point where the boats can no longer be considered a bargain. They are in awful condition. I had transmission problems with both engines on their 40 foot catamaran. They held me responsible for damage that I did not cause and charged my Visa card an additional $500 for the insurance deductible. I appealed to the president explaining my position but he no longer bothers to reply. That's just too bad, they could have easily made me a return customer. Now I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

 

[Jay Beery]

North South BVI

We are leaving in a couple weeks for the BVI and chartered with N.S. on a 38'er. What other problems did you have? What damage did they accuse you of? Any other tips. I think it is way too late to find another boat.

 

[Kurt Schurenberg]

We had a similar experience with N/S

My wife and I chartered an older CS 36 with N/S in 1997 and wasted most of a day when the engine's water impeller broke and they needed to replace it. Impellers should be routinely checked and replaced, but this experience made us wonder whether N/S was maintaining the boats.Also, we noticed while scuba diving a large crack between the keel and the hull towards the bow. I called the base to notify them of the crack, and I questioned the integrity of the boat. Their attitude was pretty cavalier--I was not to worry (but I did). Luckily, the keel stayed on.We picked N/S because it was just the two of us and we were looking for something less expensive than Sun Yacht, which we had chartered with 3 years earlier. Various guides cited N/S's good reputation for service, and now we know it's because their boats need a lot of service.Although they offered us discounts on our next trip with them, we don't plan to sail with them again.

 

[john north]

Reply to Jay Berry

Dear Jay,The boats are very poorly maintained.Out of all the fleet, the 40 foot catamaran was in the best shape. I would have hated to be stuck on any of the others. I get the impressinon that they are rapidly going downhill and rely upon your insurance to pay for the major maintenance.They tend to string you out for ages when checking the boat out. Do not sign off until you are sure of the boat.Of course this is becomes painful when you want to leave on vacation.call me Johnnup2@aol.com

 

[Paul Akers]

Back in 1988...

...when I first saw N/S, I wasn't impressed with their operation. 12 years later and 5 trips to the BVI, I still wasn't impressed with them.

 

[Bob La Salle]

Protest the charge to your VISA

In case you didn't know, you can notify your VISA credit card company that you are disputing the $500 charge to your account. If you are not too late, they will investigate your dispute and may reverse the charge to your account.