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08/13/2019
Insurance Knowledge | Charter
Charter protection: Better to be safe than to appear safe
The best-known way to protect one's deposit or total trip cost against the bankruptcy of a provider is the security certificate. But this also has pitfalls. The experts at Pantaenius explain why security certificates are not automatically safe and which alternatives provide greater flexibility.
Someone who books a week’s charter, is easily paying a four-figure sum. However, in some cases, despite the money paid, the client did not get to go on their dream trip. Time and time again in the trade press there has been mention of insolvent charter agencies, issues with fleet operators and retained fees.
All very surprising and shocking from the customer's point of view: not only ‘lesser known brands,’ but also renowned companies such as Ecker or So Long have found themselves in financial difficulties. The result: clients’ deposits were not transferred across, so then the fleet operators did not release their boats for charter.
If the yacht is not ready on the marina at the start of the holiday as agreed, not only does the client’s mood totally change, but the full payment for the charter may also be lost. From a financial point of view, though, customers can protect themselves from the worst of it. Various products are available to protect the charter fee against the risk of insolvency. "However, there is a diverse spectrum of these offers,” says Leonhard Klaußner from the legal department of Pantaenius, the most appropriate product should therefore be selected very carefully. According to the Pantaenius expert, insurance is however not a requirement to secure the charter and is actually only available if you book with certain charter companies. There is much more flexibility to cover the cost of the charter with an insurance policy which is not bound to the charter provider. As a client, you should also make sure that the insurance premium is not shared with other charterers to protect the yacht company against insolvency, which actually is the case with the majority of products on the market. If the amount in the pot is not sufficient to fully compensate all affected charter clients, only a proportionate refund will be paid out.
Clients of Pantaenius, on the other hand, will have certainty about the maximum amounts to which they are entitled to in the event of a loss. Each charter customer’s individual sum of money is insured.
Flexible coverage with Pantaenius
Charterers should be open minded when choosing their charter company and should be able to search for their dream holiday in the desired location without restrictions – based on this statement, Pantaenius provides travel insurance that guarantees the trip cost for all charter packages within the scope of the travel cancellation insurance. The charter fee paid out is automatically insured, regardless of which charter company the customer chooses. The total amount insured can be determined by the customer and can be up to 25,000 euros if required.
Another important point: Pantaenius Charter Protection insures against actual insolvency but not against the risk of insolvency. "Often it takes a long time to declare insolvency and a lot of the insolvencies are also processed outside of Germany,” reports Leonhard Klaußner from experience; If you don't look into the small print when choosing a provider, you might end up being frustrated not only by the loss of the amount paid for the trip, but also having to wait a long time to get the money back.
The Pantaenius charter price protection can be booked online up to 30 days before the start of a trip or up to 21 days after signing the charter contract. If you would like to insure your trip accordingly or need separate cover for your deposit at short notice, then visit pantaenius.com/charter.
