At Yacht Charter Advisor we consider the whole charter landscape when capturing your experience. We ask about yacht condition (condition, cleanliness, operation & safety) and the professional service quality (reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy) of each charter provider (broker, company, school, captain, instructor, chef) and combine them into a single rating (1-5) and review. Charter Sailors benefit from the overall simplicity and ability to search and compare features and benefits while Charter Pros get to analyze their historical detailed ratings and make positive adjustments to their service delivery and boat condition.

I was studying some non-YCA reviews (Jt calls them “5 stars and rant”) of recent yacht charter experiences and see increasing evidence that Charter Sailors are leveraging negative online reviews to improve their negotiating position when seeking post-charter refunds and other relief; an unfortunate but necessary evolutionary step for online reviews.

Taking post charter complaints online is usually the result of not finding satisfaction after the Charter Sailor has stated their dissatisfaction privately to the Charter Company. When the facts are stated plainly and accurately online reviews are a common and ethical tactic to escalate a negotiation that nearly all consumers now have access to. ONLY through 3rd party review services like Yelp and (better for charter) YCA is this possible. (not Facebook or the charter company’s website as your review can be edited or deleted).

Anacortes Yacht Charters (AYC) began 2012 licking their wounds from prior several negative Yelp reviews impacting their online reputation and based on a recent NPR article I assume the bottom line. To their credit, AYC is trying to take action to mitigate the damage but their course is misguided as Yelp’s review filter has flagged several positive reviews as suspicious (solicited or false positive reviews). AYC has fallen into the Yelp review cycle where the more they try to work Yelp for better ratings the deeper the hole they dig, unfortunately AYC’s current Yelp reputation of 2 stars is a cause for concern for most charter sailors.

I have two recommendations:

1. Carefully read the Yelp common questions and review guidelines and work with the site’s parameters.
2. Direct clients towards YCA (web, phone, email) for a better charter review experience and cooperation from experienced charter sailors and reputation management consultants

At YCA we don’t have a robot check submitted reviews, we have experienced Charter Sailors follow up to verify the authenticity of each review using a proprietary YCA process. If the review is published, negative or positive, we inform all involved parties, tweet about the review, notify search engines and often write an article about the whole experience. The review can be challenged and we will investigate. A charter company like AYC would have a better review experience working with a charter review company like YCA. We consult with charter professionals about how online reviews merely make their business transparent. Setting proper expectations and managing their service quality and boat condition are how to have a good online reputation.

While Charter Companies (and other charter providers) muddle around looking for a way around online charter reviews (Hint – YCA has answers that work for everyone!) here are some tips for Charter Sailors looking at new sailing grounds to help assure a BETTER CHARTER EXPERIENCE:

1) Let the Broker or Charter Company know IN ADVANCE you intend to rate your experience online – this sets the stage for your charter business relationship by stating your not just a potential loyal customer but a potential fan as well – very valuable!

2) Use a (reputable) credit card to make your down payment – I have first hand experience with this. When the Charter Company has finally had enough of your “feedback” and demands for compensation it will sound something like “do what ya gotta do – click!” (thus began YCA, but that’s another story). In the U.S., consumers have great opportunity to seek fair relief from a business exchange. If you involve your bank and credit card company with an assurance that you will take your “entire annual financial business” to a competitor they have more to lose than the cost of a few days charter and will get involved. I got my requested 30% refund from Visa after clearly and calmly stating my case and expectations.

3) Charter a privately owned vessel, not the forgotten company owned hull only used for charter and spare parts. Privately owned means just that, a boat with an actual owner that cares about maintaining her condition. After 10+ years I will never charter a company owned boat again. The privately owned boats managed by the brokers and charter companies are about the same cost (sometimes less expensive) and have many independent eyes watching her.

4) Hire a Charter Captain and Chef. Not kidding! Be sure to use steps 1, 2 and 3 with your crew.  You should ‘expect’ access to an unbiased history of believable reviews from past clients of your prospective Charter Crew. I promise, they’re out there and not so hard to find. A good Charter Captain and Chef will change your mood, your charter and possibly your outlook of the coming year. Compare the added cost to provisioning, cooking/cleaning, frustration with operating an unknown boat – you get the idea, give it some thought, your spouse and friends/family will be more than pleased. Be sure to call or Skype with your crew before you go and pick one that ‘everybody’ likes.

Crewed Sailing Vessel (CSV) Koralia 3 (Chandler Yacht Charters, Jeanneau 53, Greece) reviewed on TripAdvisor.com. This is a painful read, four pages of forum posts (many have been removed by site administrators) that eventually confirm that Armchairsailor267 (aka. armchairsailorUk and BlackKevlar) is a representative of Chandler Yacht Charters pretending to be a past client writing a positive charter review.

The (well meaning?) Charter Pro has seriously damaged the online reputation of Chandler Yacht Charters. Reviewer “944MGM944″ also submitted a YCA Charter Scouting Report of their experience with Chandler which prompted a written demand by Chandler for YCA to remove the negative review or face legal action (YCA and the legitimate review are protected by law). I reached out to the Chandler head office in the UK and offered YCA’s Online Reputation Management services, there was no further contact. It appears now that Chandler has decided to rename their (online) charter service to Exclusive Yacht Charters Greece and on another site Compass Yacht Charters Greece. There’s no mention now of Chandler or Koralia 3 on either site – what a mess.

Here’s one more false review posted by a Charter Pro in response to a negative review.

[March 18, 2012 - this section removed based on new information. Thanks for the feedback Phil.]

WHAT’S A CHARTER PROFESSIONAL TO DO WHEN A NEGATIVE REVIEW HAS BEEN POSTED?

First of all, seek professional help when managing your online charter reputation. At YCA we’re (most definitely) not Charter Pros, we’re Charter Sailors passionate about helping our fellow sailors find good charter value. This responsibility extends to helping Charter Pros manage their online reputation using our CharterPro++ reputation management services. YCA is a truly unbiased yacht charter review site dedicated to improving the reputation of the yacht charter industry through transparency of charter service quality and charter yacht condition.

Charter Pros – would you hand the wheel of a crewed charter to a 5 year old under sail with guests aboard and walk away saying “hold’er steady, I’ll be right back.” This is analogous to false reviews written by Charter Pros. Your ‘online’ reputation has become critical to attracting new business. But still, if you’re a Charter Pro Do-It-Yourself die-hard here’s a few tips on managing your online reputation and responding to a negative review.

• Closely monitor and manage your online reputation. Research tells us that 80% of all reviews are positive and 20% are either neutral or negative, the absence of neutral or negative reviews negates the credibility of positive reviews. Windsong Charters does a great job of managing their online reputation, they have ~5,000 friends on Facebook. Cap’n Bob is a genuine fellow that gives prospective charter clients comfort and confidence. After researching Windsong Charters I’m convinced my charter $$ will be well spent and I’ll likely have a friend for life in the Caribbean – Bravo Zulu .
• Be pro-active, prevent or limit the intensity of negative reviews before they happen. Simple stuff here but in my experience often missed by Charter Companies. Set proper expectations before the charter, routinely check that your guests are getting what they asked for, be sure you know your client’s post charter perceptions, and point them to an unbiased 3rd party charter review site like Yacht Charter Advisor (YCA) to leave a review.
• Respond to the negative review. If the review is false, simply say so – “This review is false, the charter referred to did not happen”, sign the response and let it go. If the review is real, be calm and take an understanding tone in your response. Be diplomatic, don’t criticize the reviewer or invite further discussion, don’t let the conversation play out online. Be careful with apologies, in many countries this can be considered an admission of culpability. If you must apologize, stay away from charter commitments – “I’m sorry you feel this way…” or “I apologize for any misunderstanding…”.
• Refer the reviewer to your grievance protocol (hopefully in the charter contract). The YCA staff has years of experience in corporate mediation services and through CharterPro++ can help negotiate a balanced outcome, leave your online reputation intact and your client feeling fulfilled – it’s win-win!

At Yacht Charter Advisor (YCA) Charter Scouts are the backbone of a plan for Charter Value Assurance.

Charter Scouting’s not for everyone. If you work for the CIA, Mossad or InterPol or were supposed to be somewhere else at the time, I suggest moving along quietly and taking advantage of the free Charter Assurance and ‘authentic’ charter information. Otherwise, YCA is a (relatively) empty vessel at the moment that when filled will compliment (online) discussion and research when planning your charter and helping to prepare your crew, or be prepared – and safe – as crew.

To become a bonafide Charter Scout simply Sign Up (yes, you must be a human being) then Rate Your Experience of a past charter (power/sail, crewed/bareboat). Your membership may be private or public and your Scouting Report will be added to the Charter Manifest of reliable charter observations. Then I’ll send your ‘numbered’ Monkey’s Fist pocket lanyard out and get you started on more cool charter gadgets. All that’s left is to get out there, enjoy, then Rate Your Experience again – and repeat!

General site feedback is ‘it’s difficult to follow’ so I appeal to your inner net-yogi to press on as best you can as it does work – I *always* welcome and track your site feedback. If you prefer, I can take your Scouting Report over email, Skype, phone or USPS, contact me and I’ll set it up.

Steve Austin – Charter Sailor and YCA founder
Grand Junction, Colorado