Chartering without a ship – money gone and no solution
A charter agency with which YACHT-POOL has been working for many years reported the following case to us:
A customer wanted to book 2 yachts from Athens. The agency advised him to find a charter company that is checked & trusted by YACHT-POOL and for which the YACHT-POOL security certificate can be issued to secure the charter payment.
However, due to the lower price, the customer opted for another charter company with its headquarters in Sofia, which is located in Bulgaria. The charters with this company had gone smoothly in previous years, which is why the agency brokered the charter contract – admittedly not a fair-charter contract from YACHT-POOL and without the YACHT-POOL security certificate.
But when the customer arrived in Athens, the ships were not available. Replacement yachts were no longer available on site from any charter company. Due to the lack of registration numbers on the charter contracts, it was not possible for the local port authorities to track the vessel, and there was suddenly no crisis communication with the charter company.
A repayment of the charter costs paid for 2 ships has not been made to date, but has been postponed again and again for unspecified and quite absurd reasons. Legal action makes no sense, because:
According to the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, the charter company’s share capital is the equivalent of around € 5.
Dr. Friedrich Schöchl
CEO YACHT-POOL
