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Can anyone shed any light on why I am not getting responses from some day sail businesses and local car rental agencies? I have sent many requests to businesses which do day sails and local car rental agencies and have not gotten any replies. I was wondering if some business owners are currently not available, but will become more available the closer we get to the busy season in the US VI.
I thought I was being smart with planning ahead for our January 2012 vacation, but maybe I am planning too far ahead.
Thank you.
Well it is low season so some may be off island. From personal experience, though, a phone call gets quicker attention than an email.
The daysail boats in particular may be gone for the Hurricane season - in New England,Grenada, Venezuela etc. or just the boat put away in the boatyards and the owners off island - it is very stressful to keep the boat here working, having a storm warning issued and then having to quickly move it - strip the windage - and hide out in a safe hole [ hopefully safe] - and many insurance companies will deny coverage if the boat is kept at our latitude.
The boatyards are full - the marinas and anchorages are desolate in Sept.
Yes, I think you're planning a little too far ahead, the low season has much to do with the lack of response and, finally, a telephone call does indeed often work much better than an email.
How long do I need to wait to contact the day sail folks? Should I give them a call toward the end of October? Any advice is appreciated.
Thank you.
October/November is plenty of time. Many people don't even pre-book daysails and just wait until they get here. Have fun!
This is 2011, and no matter where anybody is, technology can connect them so the fact that it's hurricane season, etc is no excuse. They should at least have an "out of office" message that automatically goes out. To have NOTHING go out is just plain rude or egotistical, IMO. I refuse to deal with people who don't respond to e-mail, because I don't have time to play telephone tag. I deal with people throughout the Caribbean, and the good ones all manage to respond in a timely manner.
That's my requirement for customer service, and I figure that anybody who can't/doesn't respond to e-mails is going to make me stress out.
Car rental agencies don't have as many worries during hurricane season. What's THEIR excuse?
As long as we accept/excuse indifferent customer service, that's all we'll ever get.
Go down the list of providers until you find ones that respond. Those are the ones you want to do business with.
Of course, during hurricane season, networks may be out of service, so you may have to re-send your inquiry if you haven't gotten a response from either ship or automobile.
Aw, come on! We've come a long way but we're nowhere near up to par technologically with most of the mainland and in reality are still years behind. During hurricane season "networks may be out of service"? Network service goes down frequently in or out of hurricane season just like our infamous electrical provider who continues to plague us with regular power outages 12 months a year - just as they did almost 30 years ago when I first moved here.
I see your point to a point but let us not lead visitors to believe that we're anywhere nearly as advanced technologically as they probably are used to being at home. I'm not making excuses for poor customer service but this isn't necessarily the reason why responses are often very slow.
Thank you for the tip.
I didn't get an email response from Dependable for a quote and it sure is cheaper to email than to call long distance..
Tiger1, did Dependable contact you? I called them to see if they were having problems with their email, and was told the owner was responding during my call.
340 is not long distance if you're using a cell phone...most of the rental car companies here also have 800 numbers. In addition, you are planning WAY too far in advance. Wait until a few weeks before for the rental car, and wait until you get here for the charters...
ms411, Dependable has not contacted me yet. I will try again. Thanks:-)
I'll call them again, too. I didn't speak to the owner, and I hope the same person is there so I can remind her of what she said. By the way, did you send an email or submit the reservation form?
New Horizons is a great charter boat company - they have a 65-foot sailboat that does day and dinner sails, as well as a few power boats that do British Virgin Islands day trips!
You can reach them at (800) 808-7604 or (340) 775-1171
There's also a website - http://newhorizons.daysails.com/
I've done their trips numerous times and have always had a blast! Also, if you book online, I believe you get a discount!
Good luck and have fun
