Terms and Conditions
All Passengers using Boat Hire Experts services do so under the following terms & conditions.
Operator: Means Boat Hire Experts, ABN: 74 550 901 7534. Operator and/or Partner can also refer to other boat owners with their vessels showcased for hire on the Boat Hire Experts online portfolio. The majority of vessels showcased on the Boat Hire Experts online portfolio are not owned by Boat Hire Experts; in this circumstance Boat Hire Experts acts as a 3rd party to help connect people who want to hire a boat (read:Customers), with people who offer their commercial boat for hire (read:partners). Boat Hire Experts is NOT responsible for any services supplied by Partners and Customers should be clear on boat partner terms and conditions before proceeding with payment and therefore accepting those terms and conditions and entering into an agreement. Terms and conditions of boat partners can be provided by Boat Hire Experts upon request.
All terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.
1. Payment Methods
Payments can be made by: Cash, Cheque, Visa, Mastercard or Bank Transfer.
2. Bookings
A 50% deposit of the total cruise cost quoted is payable to confirm a Customer booking, full payment must be made fourteen (14) days prior to the cruise departure date (on the 15th day before the cruise date or earlier). If full payment is not received by this time 100% of the deposit amount will be forfeited, unless otherwise quoted specific by a Boat Hire Experts representative.
3. Cancellation / Rescheduling Policy
If the Customer wants to cancel a cruise operated by a Boat Hire Experts owned vessel or boat partner vessel:
Outside of 14 days to the cruise date (on the 15th day before the cruise date or earlier); the deposit paid (50% of the cruise value and what has been quoted) will be forfeited.
Within 14 days to the cruise date (on the 14th day before the cruise date or nearer): 100% will be forfeited (this will be when the full amount for the cruise has been paid).
If the Customer wants to reschedule a cruise operated by a Boat Hire Experts owned vessel or boat partner vessel:
After full or part payment has been made: This may incur up to 100% of the monies paid being forfeited with the new date requiring full payment and treated as a new transaction. Reschedule charges for Boat Hire Experts owned vessels will typically be $500. For boat partners vessels this may be more. It should be understood once a cruise is booked, fees by Boat Hire Experts or boat partners will be paid to various entities for the cruise event to go ahead, including but not limited to, staff fees, wharf fees, cleaning fees, catering fees, employee and contractor fees, admin fees, skipper fees, deckhand fees. Rescheduling of cruises can impact Boat Hire Experts revenue and boat partner revenue by rendering a date and time slot non-retrievable for other potential Customers, i.e., lost sales. As such Customers should be aware of this risk when selecting their cruise date and time slot and ask what charges will be incurred should they want to reschedule.
Rescheduling frequency:
If a reschedule has been approved where you have forfeited less than 100% of monies paid, you will have only one opportunity to reschedule (unless Boat Hire Experts or boat partners have had to cancel) and this cannot be outside of 90 days from your original booking date (some boat partners' conditions may vary). Any cancellation or postponement of your rescheduled cruise by you will result in forfeiture of your full charter fee. 30 days prior noticed is required for rescheduling for Special Days or Public Holidays and this still may mean 100% of the fees paid may be forfeited. Customers should understand these risks before committing to payment. No refunds will be granted for cancellations on New Year's Eve charters and reschedules to future seasons are not accepted.
4. Weather Cancellations
Cancellations made by the Operator due to inclement weather will normally result in a rescheduling. There may be some restrictions on what days and time rescheduling can be changed to, if in doubt the Customer should get clarity on these specifics before making payment of their booking. Due to weather cancellations being an act of nature and not something Boat Hire Experts has control over, any cruises that need to be rescheduled to due inclement weather will still incur wharf and staff charges. These fees and their specifics may differ to boat partner vessels and Customers should be clear on these before making payment. Terms and conditions of boat partners can be provided by Boat Hire Experts upon request.
5. Other Cancellations
Cancellations may be made at the Operators discretion due to mechanical breakdowns, which may result in the vessel being unable to operate. If this occurs the Customer will receive a full refund of the price they have paid for their cruise by the boat Operator directly due to the core service being of cruising. Boat Hire Experts accepts no liability for associated costs due to cruise cancellations, such as travel costs and catering costs. Should Customers be wanting compensation for any costs incurred it is advised to contact the boat partner directly. Boat Hire Experts does not provide legal services or act as an intermediary for disputes based on boat partner services. It is important Customers realise mechanical breakdowns of partner vessels are rare but do happen and are in no way a reflection of Boat Hire Experts’s reputation and its ability to operate as a boat hire agent.
6. Changes to Bookings
Changes of bookings by the Customer must be communicated, approved and confirmed by Boat Hire Experts or the cruise and full monies paid will be forfeited. Any arrangements made outside of Boat Hire Experts with boat owners directly can also result in the cruise and monies paid to be forfeited.
7. Fail to Board
It is the passenger's responsibility to ensure that all guests arrive on time for the departure of the vessel. Failure to do so will mean that the passenger forfeits the full price to the Operator. It is strongly advised all guests arrive at least 15 minutes before cruise departure time.
8. Quotes
All quotes provided to Customers have expiry durations. Once expired a new quote must be issued, or the expiry window extended for it to be valid. The Operator reserves the right to re-quote based on any changes to quote requirements, this may include errors made during quote created. Boat Hire Experts is not bound to honour any quotes created and delivered to Customers in error.
9. Bonds & Damages
Boat Hire Experts will keep Customer payment details made for bookings in case of any loss or damages caused by the Customer or their party members that occur at any time during their cruise. Customers may be charged to compensate for any loss and/or damage and this needs to be documented by the vessel owner as proof should the matter be escalated further. Bonds may also be taken for some vessels advertised on the Boat Hire Experts website and amounts do differ between vessels. Customers will be notified of the specifics at the time of quoting. It should be understood that boat partners may request a bond to be paid after a booking has been paid in part or full to help retrieve any funds lost due to damages by the Customer and their party members during their cruise.
10. Safety Requirements for Travel
Disabled Passengers: The Operator recommends that disabled persons seek medical advice before booking are attending a cruise.
Pregnant Persons: Pregnant persons cruising with Boat Hire Experts or a boat partner vessel do so at their own risk.
Intoxicated Persons: The Operator does not condone excessive drinking and has the right to end a cruise early with no refunds should passengers be deemed too drunk and a potential threat to safety - judgement is at the Operator's discretion.
With regards to BYO cruises (bring your own food or drink or both), guests must accompany any consumption of alcohol with an appropriate quantity of substantial food for the duration of the cruise. Snacks do not constitute towards 'substantial' food.
With regards to boat partners that offer a bar on consumption - Serving of drinks is at the discretion of RSA staff. Serving of drinks may cease should it be deemed by the RSA staff that guests are becoming drunk and disorderly. Should drunk and disorderly behaviour occur the skipper has the right to cease the cruise immediately to ensure safety of the passengers and crew on board and any payment for cruise time will not be refunded.
11. Minimum Age Requirement
There are no minimum age requirements for children to board Boat Hire Experts boats. Children are the responsibility of their parents at all times. The Skipper and other crew members are not responsible for their care or safety. Life jackets are available on board for children and adults alike and should be used in accordance with Maritime Law.
12. Times & Duration
Cruise durations are outlined in Customer bookings. It is strongly advised that all travel plans are made in advance of the cruise date to ensure timely arrival at the designated pickup wharf. All passengers should aim to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the cruise start time. It should be understood that sometimes there is congestion at wharfs and other boats operating in the area may delay booked vessels from mooring up to the designated wharf at the exact time outlined in the Customer booking. We advise all Customers to let the boat Operator know if there is a delayed cruise start time to ensure the full cruise duration is fulfilled. In most circumstances lost time at the start of the cruise will be made up at the end, however it should be understood this can impact timely departure at the end of the cruise. All wharfs are booked in advance and have a strict 15 minute window. Should wharf booking slots be missed this can impact arrive and departure times. These issues will be escalated to Maritime and are not the responsibility of boat Operators or Boat Hire Experts.
13. Rules on Board Vessels
For almost all vessels the following rules are enforced; no high heels, no drugs, no smoking, no illegal or dangerous behaviour, no nudity. The Operator is obliged to charge Customers for any damage or loss to the vessel and its equipment should this occur by any member of the Customer's party. Should the interior or exterior of the vessel be fouled outside of just general litter, and it deemed to be neglect (as decided by the Operator) then a cleaning fee may be charged to the Customer. Charges made directly to the Customer’s account used to make the original booking may take place without prior notice and Customers should understand these conditions before making payment of their booking. Informing all guests by the Customer of these conditions is advised to ensure the cruise runs smoothly, is respected and all guests have a pleasant experience.
Comfortable clothing is recommended. Always bring a warm jacket as temperature can change rapidly when you are on the water. Non-marking soled shoes must be worn, and any black soled or hard shoes (including high heeled shoes) are prohibited (they must be taken off when aboard). Customers may be charged for any damages incurred due to ignoring this notice.
14. Marine Insurance
Boat Hire Experts carries full vessel insurance for its owned vessels and public liability insurance.
15. Disclaimer
All passengers participate in their cruise at their own risk. Disabled passengers cruising aboard Boat Hire Experts do so at their own risk and the Operator accepts no liability for any damage or injury caused by any guest during their cruise on either a Boat Hire Experts vessel or boat partner vessel. If any passenger becomes intoxicated or unruly during the cruise, they may be dropped at the nearest wharf without prior notice – no refunds will be given.
Under no circumstances shall the Operator be liable for any loss, claim, injury or any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damage which may arise during a cruise. Incidental, special, or consequential damages (including but not limited to lost profits or lost savings) which may arise from use of any information, any listing of any data on the Operator's website can not be claimed from Boat Hire Experts. From time-to-time information on boats listed on this website may be inaccurate or become outdated and display previous season's information and pricing. In this case, full refunds will be given if the boat owner does not give permission for the cruise to proceed with the quotation offered.
16. Jurisdiction
The laws of New Zealand apply in relation to these terms and conditions and the Operator's business.
17. Third Party Websites
This website may contain links to other websites maintained by third parties. The Operator is not responsible for and does not operate or control any information or services provided on such third-party websites. The links are provided solely for convenience and do not constitute an endorsement by the Operator.
18. Discounts / Money Off Offers
All discounts and money-off offers are only to be used as 1 per cruise unless otherwise stated. Boat Hire Experts can withdraw discounts and money-off offers at their discretion without prior notice.
19. Refund Processing
The following statement applies if conditions are met for a refund to be accepted as outlined specifically in these terms and conditions. All refunds may take up to a maximum of 30 days to process to allow for investigation of amounts and refund conditions being acceptable and also financial institution processing. The Customer agrees to this maximum 30-day period upon paying any money through the Boat Hire Experts platform or by electronic funds transfers to the Boat Hire Experts bank account.
Boat Hire Experts Boat Partner Terms & Conditions
20. Deposit Payments
From January 1st, 2019, Boat Hire Experts may only forward deposits up to $500 to boat partners. The remaining amount owing minus commission will then get transferred 14 days from the Customer's cruise date. This payment structure is set up to help protect Boat Hire Experts should boat partners not be able to fulfill cruises for Customers that have booked via Boat Hire Experts.