I recently began the process of chartering a 44 foot 3
cabin catamaran. After verbally confirming the
boats availability and paying a deposit (a couple of days later), the
Charter company contacted me and asked if I would take a 4
cabin 46 foot
boat or a 4 cabin 42
boat instead at no extra charge. Both these
boats would normally be more expensive than the boat I reserved as they have 4 cabins vs. 3. However, I only have 5 people going and I wanted the big
shower in the owner's version, so extra cabins were of limited benefit to me.
I explained this to the
Charter company and they regretfully did not have any 3 cabin boats available for my date. They offered the two above boats or a refund. I explained that the 4 cabin was not a benefit to me and asked if I took the 42 foot, if they could wave the predeparture sleep over fee (1/2 days charter price). They said no.
How would you handle the situation? Do you think this is unusual? Would it matter why they asked for the boat change? The charter company was very professional and personable regarding the issue but very adamant that all they could do was offer a replacement 4 cabin boat.