Consumer rights notice
This Policy does not exclude or limit any mandatory consumer rights you may have under applicable law, including consumer-protection laws of the EEA, United Kingdom, Switzerland, or your country of residence. Where mandatory consumer-protection laws give you additional or stronger rights than those described here, those laws apply.
- MyYacht.me is a booking platform connecting clients with independent Boat Owners. We are NOT the yacht charter provider.
- Your Charter Contract is with the independent Boat Owner, not with MyYacht.me.
- The Prepayment (typically 30–50% of the total Charter Fee) is generally NON-REFUNDABLE if you cancel, subject to mandatory consumer rights and the exceptions below.
- The Prepayment IS refundable in 4 specific scenarios listed below.
- The Balance Payment is paid directly to the Captain/Boat Owner before the charter starts.
1. Definitions
- Booking — your confirmed yacht charter booking made via the MyYacht.me platform.
- Charter Contract — the direct contract between you and the independent Boat Owner for the yacht charter service.
- Charter Fee — the total fee for the yacht charter (excluding the Platform Fee).
- Platform Fee — the fee charged by MyYacht.me for booking platform services.
- Prepayment — the partial payment made at the time of booking (typically 30–50% of the total).
- Balance — the remaining payment due before the charter starts (typically paid directly to the Captain/Boat Owner).
- Boat Owner / Operator — the independent business or person providing the yacht and the charter service.
2. Cancellation by the Client
2.1 General rule — Prepayment is non-refundable. If you cancel your Booking, the Prepayment is generally NON-REFUNDABLE, subject always to your mandatory consumer rights under applicable law and the exceptions and exceptional-circumstances review set out below.
2.2 Why this policy exists.Yacht charter is a perishable service: an unsold day cannot be "resold" later. Boat Owners reserve their yachts and crew for confirmed bookings, often turning down other clients. The non-refundable Prepayment compensates Boat Owners for the loss of opportunity.
2.3 Mandatory consumer rights. Nothing in this Policy excludes or limits any mandatory consumer rights you may have under applicable law (including EEA, UK, Switzerland consumer-protection laws).
2.4 Exceptional circumstances review.In exceptional circumstances — serious medical emergency of the client or immediate family (with documentation); death in the immediate family; official travel restrictions affecting the Client; other genuine hardship beyond the Client's control — MyYacht.me may, together with the Boat Owner, review whether rescheduling, partial goodwill credit, or a full refund is appropriate. This does not create an automatic refund right unless required by mandatory law.
3. When the Prepayment is refunded (4 scenarios)
The Prepayment, including the Platform Fee, is FULLY REFUNDED (100%) in the following scenarios:
Scenario 1 — Cancellation by the Boat Owner. If the Boat Owner cancels for any reason (yacht damage, captain unavailability, double-booking, business decision), you receive 100% refund of all amounts paid.
Scenario 2 — Weather-related cancellation. If the Captain or Port Authority determines that the charter cannot proceed due to unsafe weather, you receive 100% refund of all amounts paid. Alternatively, you may choose to reschedule. The Captain has final authority on weather-related cancellations for safety reasons.
Scenario 3 — Force Majeure. If the charter cannot proceed due to events beyond reasonable control (natural disasters, government orders, war, pandemic restrictions, port closures, official maritime warnings), you receive 100% refund of all amounts paid. Alternatively, you may reschedule.
Scenario 4 — Operator no-show. If the Boat Owner / Captain fails to show up at the agreed meeting point and time without valid reason, you receive 100% refund of all amounts paid.
4. Partial refunds
4.1 Mid-charter termination. If the charter starts but cannot continue due to yacht mechanical failure that cannot be repaired during the charter; sudden weather deterioration that requires return to port; or a captain/crew safety decision to terminate — you may be entitled to a partial refund proportional to the unused time, determined case-by-case in consultation with the Boat Owner, subject to your mandatory consumer rights.
4.2 Reduced group size. If your group size is smaller than originally booked, the Charter Fee is NOT automatically reduced. The yacht has been reserved based on your original booking. Any partial refund for reduced group size is at the sole discretion of the Boat Owner.
5. Refund process
5.1 How to request. Email support@myyacht.me with "Refund Request" in the subject line. Include your name, booking reference, charter date, payment method, and reason. Provide supporting documentation if applicable.
5.2 Response time. Acknowledgment within 2 business days; refund decision within 7 business days; refund processing 5–7 business days after decision; funds appearing in your account additional 3–10 business days depending on your bank.
5.3 Refund method. Refunds are issued to the original payment method. Card → same card; PayPal → PayPal account; bank transfer → original bank account. Cryptocurrency refunds are processed as new transactions and are subject to applicable law, AML/KYC checks, network fees, exchange-rate differences, and technical feasibility — fiat equivalence between original payment and refund is not guaranteed due to cryptocurrency price volatility.
5.4 Refund of cash Balance. If you paid the Balance in cash directly to the Captain/Boat Owner and a refund situation arises mid-charter, the refund is paid by the Boat Owner directly. MyYacht.me does not hold or refund cash payments to the Boat Owner.
6. No-show by Client
A "no-show" means you do not arrive at the agreed meeting point at the agreed time without prior notice and without valid reason.
The Prepayment is generally NOT refunded, subject to your mandatory consumer rights and the exceptional-circumstances review (§2.4). If you have not paid the Balance, you may still be liable to the Boat Owner for documented losses, but only to the extent permitted by law and only where reasonable and not already compensated by the Prepayment. The Boat Owner is not obligated to wait beyond a reasonable grace period (typically 30 minutes).
7. Changes to booking
7.1 Date/time changes. Subject to Boat Owner availability; yacht availability on the new date; possible price difference (different season, weekend vs weekday); notice requirement: at least 7 days before the original charter date.
7.2 Yacht substitution. If the originally booked yacht becomes unavailable, the Boat Owner may offer an equivalent or upgraded yacht at no additional cost. If you reject the substitute, you receive 100% refund (Scenario 1).
7.3 Reduced / increased guest numbers.Reducing guests does not reduce the Charter Fee (yacht reserved by capacity, not headcount); increasing guests is subject to the yacht's licensed maximum capacity and Boat Owner approval — price may increase.
8. Additional services
Additional services (catering, photography, transfers, decorations) are provided by independent third-party suppliers. Refund/cancellation rules may differ:
- Catering: typically non-refundable within 48 hours of charter (food already ordered).
- Photography: typically non-refundable within 24 hours (photographer reserved).
- Transfers: typically refundable up to 12 hours before, 50% within 12 hours.
- Decorations: typically non-refundable once prepared.
Specific cancellation terms for additional services are confirmed at the time of booking and remain subject to your mandatory consumer rights.
9. Payment disputes
9.1 Direct resolution encouraged. Contact support@myyacht.me first so we can review and resolve. This does not limit any rights you may have to contact your bank, card issuer, PayPal, Stripe, or other payment provider directly.
9.2 Cooperation with payment processors. If a chargeback or payment dispute is opened, MyYacht.me will cooperate with the payment provider and provide relevant booking documentation.
10. Dispute resolution
10.1 First contact. If you are not satisfied with a refund decision, contact support@myyacht.me with full details. We will review within 14 business days.
10.2 Consumer authorities and ADR.You may contact your local consumer-protection authority; an available consumer Alternative Dispute Resolution body in your country of residence; the Tourist Inspection of Montenegro (for Montenegro-based disputes); or the UK Information Commissioner's Office for data-protection matters. EU consumers can find information about consumer redress and applicable ADR bodies via the European Commission's Consumer Redress resources.
10.3 Court proceedings.Court proceedings are subject to the dispute-resolution clauses in our Terms & Conditions, including the consumer-jurisdiction protections for EEA, UK, and Swiss residents.
11. EU consumer rights notice
Right of withdrawal — travel-service exception. Under EU Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, the standard 14-day right of withdrawal does NOT apply to accommodation services, transport services, or leisure services with a specific date or period of performance. Yacht charter bookings for a specific date or period are generally treated as dated leisure and/or transport-related services and may fall within Article 16(l). This does not affect any mandatory consumer rights that cannot be excluded, and you retain the refund scenarios listed in this Policy.
12. Contact for refund requests
Email support@myyacht.mewith "Refund Request" in the subject line. Phone / WhatsApp / Telegram / Viber: +382 68 758 345.