The SailChecker Story
Why SailChecker? You’d Be Well Advised.
Leading Yacht Charter Advisory Service
SailChecker was set up when founder, Christopher Lait, tried to charter a yacht and found the whole market to be fragmented and difficult to navigate effectively. Over time search emerged, yet the problem of differentiation added to the hardship, it didn’t solve it. It was clear that most clients had a clear frame of reference that could decern between airlines, Aeroflot, Cathay Pacific, and American, but to do the same in the yacht charter market, Pitter, Dream, Kavas, simply impossible.
What was needed was clear independent advice on the market and the process of booking. An opportunity not just to advise on the Yacht Charter Market and to exceed customer service expectations, but to lead that change.
During the pandemic, SailChecker, and through their role at the International Federation of Yacht Charter Agents were at the heart of planning and delivering the industry’s response to Covid-19. What started as disparate and varying policy’s soon emerged as a fair consistent policy.
Across the agents, standards and options varied wildly from supplier to supplier, SailChecker is at the heart of leading the industry through transparency, openness and clear independent advice.
What’s Changed in the Yacht Charter Market?
The charter market is made up of small, medium and large Yacht Charter Operators each with similar yet varying service offers. SailCheker is able not just to match clients with the right boat, but can ensure they are with the right operator most likely to exceed their expectations. We are also in a position to offer independent tailored options in different types of transfers from the airport, maybe one that stops off at the supermarket en-route as standard? Maybe a helicopter transfer or a provisioning service. What Sailchecker aims to do is build on the service provided by operators and add significant value throughout the booking, the charter itself, and where necessary post charter.
Insurance Options
We now have a range of options that standardise the offering of all the suppliers. For example, if the charter company does not offer a damage waiver system, we can. If there is a difference between the provisioning in Marina Alimos in Athens, we can arrange for your victual to be provided. A sailchecker customer can be reassured that we can iron out the variations and weed out poor practice.
Stronger Together
Supporting and rewarding best practices in an industry will breed a better sector as a whole and SailChecker is designed to be at the heart of that revolution. Our Yachts and Fleet Operators trust us to be extraordinarily fair whilst representing the interests of both parties. That bond will ensure that rogue operators quickly remedy their practices and that best practice is rewarded.
If in rare circumstances, a customer experiences an issue with a fleet operator, the operator is already aware that we will effectively and fairly arbitrate. We, therefore, see disputes resolved without our involvement because the operator does not want the public scrutiny that goes with poor practice.
Yacht Charter Evolution
Having been part of the Yacht Charter revolution, both in service standards and digital, compared to other travel sectors the yacht charter market is still in the early stages of development and will continue to evolve. We saw the technological challenges facing the market and saw an opportunity to take advantage. Our staff enjoy the use of some of the most advanced tools to help them guide and advise clients. Staff now have access to every yacht on the broker market. On top of that, we have independent suppliers who can offer their boats to you too.
Other Brokers and Agent
At the time SailChecker gained access to every boat, there were others making similar claims, but there were subtle differences. Most were trying to completely automate the process and remove consultants from the process entirely; something we thought the market was not really looking for. Often the age of the yacht was not shown (something critical in the buying decision) or payment was required before the yacht had been properly confirmed.
Some companies did react and now supply the age of the boat. We feel proud that we encouraged others to make the market better for consumers.
SailChecker Go Transparent
From day one, we have displaced the age and location of the boat – now for the first time, we are now revealing the name of the yacht charter operator. This is a big development for the market. Most agents carefully guarded the operator’s details until the deal is binding.
We found two difficulties with this. First that the deal can’t be properly binding until the customer has seen and agreed the charter contract. This was a flaw in the automated systems. What if you paid only to find a glaring hole in the charter agreement – we have certainly found a few. You are straight into a dispute.
The second reason sailchecker chose to break with convention, is that we don’t think that winning business through secrecy is a good thing. We prefer the idea that we can be transparent and still win your business.
If we cannot persuade the customer of the benefits of using us as an agent, then we should not be winning your business.
So here is where SailChecker.com are Different
We alter from the other booking portals in three important ways:
1. Independent. Unlike the other online systems, the results are not limited to any one supplier or any one database. Humans with market experience guide the process, not computers.
2. Whole Market. We not only deal with the 7 largest yacht Charter Booking platforms, we also have relationships with independent and individual yachts to offer you the widest possible choice and best possible value.
3. Price Promise. It is reasonable to believe that going direct will save you money, but we guarantee it won’t. If you have a quote, we promise to beat it and add value.
