Was My Captain Fair?

[fnfalman]

Five of the seven responses you've gotten thus far are from instructors, so it might not be a representative sample of opinion on the subject.

Here's a response from a non-dive professional:

If the boat were to cancel the trip or cut short the trip because of rough condition, then yes, you should get a refund.

If the trip was dive-able and yourself, your son, or whomever, decided not to dive...well...it ain't the Captain's fault. Nor is it the charter's fault.

HOWEVER, in the interest of customer service, if I were the Captain or in charge of the charger, I might have done something for you and yours.

 

[herbdb]

Its sad that something like getting sea sick messed up the checkout.

On a recent trip to the Keys with my two sons and my 11 yr old Jr OW certified grandson, I begged my son to get some motion sickness meds started early for my grandson. He blew it off saying he won't get sick he rides roller coasters.

Well, he lost the rest of his dives because my grandson did get sick the did not want to get back on a boat. He had to stay on shore with him while we dived.

If there is even a very slight possobility someone will get seasick, they should start medicating early. Dive trips are too expensive to mess up over something that for most people is avoidable.

 

[Kenny13]

Sorry to hear about this happening.

Here's a perspective from a different but similar industry. Here in South Louisiana, the charter fishing industry is big. When you charter a fishing boat, you normally put down a deposit that is refundable if you cancel your trip within a specified amount of time before the trip, then pay the balance the day of the trip. If the captain cancels the trip you get your deposit back and do not pay the balance. If you get on the boat and it is able to make the trip you pay, whether you fish or not, whether you get seasick or not. I've heard lots of stories of people paying lots of money for those trips offshore and never fishing because they were too sick to stand up.

I haven't been on any boat dives yet, but I would expect the same for the diving industry. If the boat goes out and divers get in the water but you make the choice not to get in, you should have to pay. Unfortunately it's an expensive lesson learned, but now you know that your son should probably be prepared for seasickness and take precautionary measures. I know that doesn't ease the sting of being out a considerable amount of money though.

 

[divermike1011]

Here's a response from a non-dive professional:

If the boat were to cancel the trip or cut short the trip because of rough condition, then yes, you should get a refund.

If the trip was dive-able and yourself, your son, or whomever, decided not to dive...well...it ain't the Captain's fault. Nor is it the charter's fault.

HOWEVER, in the interest of customer service, if I were the Captain or in charge of the charger, I might have done something for you and yours.

I must disagree. I am huge on customer service, and certainly feel I go above and beyond when it comes to accommodating people and their diverse needs. I work for a shop where the owner constantly gives refunds to people, whether because they chose not to make a dive, find out scuba diving isn't for them or decide to cancel on us. We have a posted 48 hour cancelation policy and it drives me bat**** when people cancel at the last minute and then expect their money back. I've also been out on a enough dive charters as a non-professional to have had experiences where I've either not dived at all or only done one of the two dives. I've never felt I should ask for a refund, and generally still tip the captain/dive guide.

Ditto about what others have said about rescheduling shore dives, but since I, or my shop, had to pay for that seat on the boat it just doesn't make sense to refund. OTOH I also talk about all these issues with people before we ever leave the classroom because I want to be very upfront with people about what they can expect.

Michael

 

[N2DeepInAz]

I think what you experienced was fair, although it doesn't make up for your loss of funds.

Unfortunately that's the risk we all choose to take when introducing our kids to this wonderful sport. I'll be in that same predicament here shortly when my little girl is old enough to get certified, she's already stoked about it and all she can do is snorkel. So before I get her in dive gear and get her on the boat, I'm going to take her out on a few harbor tour rides in varying conditions to see how she handles it before I get her in the water.

As an example, I just came back from a 3 dive trip to the Coronado Islands this weekend. After dive one, I wasn't feeling up to getting in for the next dive so I skipped it, rested up and got in for dive three later that afternoon. It sucked that I had to skip the dive, but I had already paid and I didn't feel right asking the Captain to refund me for it since I only did two dives. It's better to skip it & lose a few bucks than to push things and get hurt.

All in all, I feel you made the right call by not pushing him and it's just a bummer that your wallet took the brunt of it. Better luck next time.

 

[Lefty Writer]

My wife and I start our OW classes in 9 days, and we can't wait! I've been reading tons of threads here, not to mention going through the text book several times already. I was curious about this thread, and after reading it, it reminded me of my skydiving days.

There's a similar policy with buying your jump tickets at most DZ's. After you board the aircraft, and it takes off, you've "bought" the ride. Once you get to altitude, and then decide you don't want to/can't jump for whatever reason, you are welcome (and encouraged) to ride the plane back down, but there won't be a refund for it.

Now back to the books to learn my dive tables....

 

[SolarStorm]

I'm going to plug Prodive Mexico and Cozumel crew. This exact situation happened to us twice. I did not expect a refund, nor ask for one, yet it seems that they did not count the two tanks my wife was not able to dive. I don't know if this normal, I definitely didn't expect it, but it was a nice surprise that I still had two more tanks at the end of our vacation!

 

[fnfalman]

The shop is welcome to go above and beyond, but we're talking about "fair treatment" here.

It was not the shop/charter/Captain's fault that the kid got seasick.

While they could be "nice" and gave a little something back, however that's different than "fair".

I must disagree. I am huge on customer service, and certainly feel I go above and beyond when it comes to accommodating people and their diverse needs. I work for a shop where the owner constantly gives refunds to people, whether because they chose not to make a dive, find out scuba diving isn't for them or decide to cancel on us. We have a posted 48 hour cancelation policy and it drives me bat**** when people cancel at the last minute and then expect their money back. I've also been out on a enough dive charters as a non-professional to have had experiences where I've either not dived at all or only done one of the two dives. I've never felt I should ask for a refund, and generally still tip the captain/dive guide.

Ditto about what others have said about rescheduling shore dives, but since I, or my shop, had to pay for that seat on the boat it just doesn't make sense to refund. OTOH I also talk about all these issues with people before we ever leave the classroom because I want to be very upfront with people about what they can expect.

Michael

 

[k ellis]

Its been my experience to always up front ask pertinent questions. If you book a boat dive then you should always ask in advance about the policy for canceled trips and aborted dives. The unfortunate thing in the untied states is we always take refunds for granted as if we are guaranteed a refund. There really is no law stating that someone has to refund money either with exception to undelivered service or goods.

When it comes to service if you walk in and pay 120 dollars and dont receive a contract or receipt with a refund policy then there really is no enforceable way to get money back.

Always make sure you ask people about the conditions of the sale and if possible get those in writing too. Other wise its buyer beware.

 

[marcusgrimm]

I'm an Instructor... with a slightly different take...

None of this can be done when time is so sensitive. In other words, you took a chance that all would go perfectly - and it did not. It's sort of like a gamble.

Great answer.

For what it's worth, he did his first 2 dives in 44 degree quarry water and we decided to hold off the last 2 for "better conditions." But warmer didn't mean better!

Thanks again for all of the feedback... very helpful. It hasn't soured me on the sport at all, but like someone else said, figuring out your own tolerance is different than figuring it out for your kid.