Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/15/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I hired Premium Captains to deliver my boat from the *** to CT. They promised to be professional and would go out sea & take the shortest fastest route. When the Captain showed up, their whole tune changed, and they said they were taking the inside route and would be stopping in *** even though there was bad weather heading there. ******* told us one of the crew was a trained chef so would be stopping for "fresh veggies" along the way. I was told this Captain wouldn't go off shore. I was stuck in the lurch needing the boat delivered and having already wired them the money $18,475. I called 5 days into delivery when they sent a gps update that showed they were spending a night in Grand Turks. I was told it was company policy not to go more than 250 miles off shore which I hadn't been told before and was not on their website or in my contract. The owner ******* was super nasty and told me that they stopped to replace my generator battery and basically threatened to just leave my boat where it was and keep my money if I wasn't happy. The boat finally arrived where it was supposed to 5 days late with a dead generator battery (obviously Not replaced), empty gas tanks and dirty as though the boat was ridden hard and stowed away wet. I talked to **** and she basically told me that she was new at her job and just so sorry it all worked out the way it did. I asked her to give back a ***** to at least fill my gas tanks and make me feel better about the whole experience (where she consistently lied and promised things the Captain and crew never planned to deliver) but she said no. I made a big deal about the route I wanted taken and she promised it would happen if weather allowed but day off they said no this Captain won't go out to sea. It was ridiculous and I NEVER would have hired this company if they were honest up front. Day of Ambrosia asked about a ******* permit swearing it was only in case of emergency but she knew full well they were going to use it! They are liars!

  Business Response

  Date: 06/22/2023

  
  Dear ******** and *****,
  
  We thank you for the opportunity to have moved your vessel from Tortola to ***********.  While a larger delivery, and as you stated when you first called in, on shorter notice for a project of this size, we were glad to work diligently to make it happen.  As you also mentioned in your emails to us, the Captains we provided were highly qualified and experienced, and we thank you for that acknowledgement.  We will now respond to each of your comments.
  
  We are sorry to hear that you are upset about the route chosen. We certainly did not promise any route, and we standby this statement fully.  At the time of your initial inquiry, we advised you that while we have very experienced captains who are familiar with all the common routes, it is ultimately the captains responsibility and decision to take the route that they feel will be safest and best for your vessel, themselves and the souls onboard. 
  
  Furthermore, on 4/28/23, close to the time of your initial reach out and conversation, you signed an agreement whereby it states in bolded letters that:  "The route will be at the sole discretion of a Premium Captains USCG Master Captain who reserves the right to deviate from the proposed route if necessary for any reason."
  
  The safety of your vessel and the people onboard will always be #1 priority.  This is why people hire us and trust us.  As you may know, if there were a safety risk or emergency, after a certain distance at sea even the coast guard cannot easily (if at all) reach the vessel and crew. We have the log and we can see that the crew was working very hard and outside of one night where there was need for engine maintenance, fuel and a jumpstart, and another night in ********** where there were terrible storms (documented on the news and weather reports), the crew did not actually stop at all. 
  
  Unfortunately, while we believe no one is above criticism, and that feedback only makes us better fit to serve, we do have to address and pushback on some of the comments made about our staff below.  To say that our staff are all liars, is not only harsh, but also inaccurate, harmful and serves no purpose other than to dishearten and defame. I'm reading your statement below that one of our staff members, ****, remained empathetic to you and optimistically communicative with you in the face of high scrutiny at best, and baseless accusation/ berating at worst. To call her or any staff member a liar, or naming any hourly employee working hard for you to help you with your project is something we are disappointed to see and we ask you to rethink your approach. We are willing to communicate but this approach you have taken is ill advised and is not conducive to a resolution.  
  
  I'm reading below that another staff member you have named, Ambrosia, simply asked a question that is normal to ask for anyone traveling through the area.  Many vessels have what is called a 'cruising permit' onboard to allow passage.
  
  Regarding the comment on stopping in *** and the 'fresh veggies', we are trying to understand, was this comment somehow distasteful to you? If so, it should not be. As you know, a trip of that length will require a refuel and re-provision stop either in *************** or **************.  There would not have been an additional time difference either way.  We've spoken with the Captain and he has stated he was simply trying to bond with you during the conversion, and he did not mean to offend. These are 3 grown adults operating your vessel non-stop, including through the nights, for approximately 2 weeks on a very small $20 a day budget and they need to sustain themselves throughout the trip.  In any case, we are perplexed by your complaint on this, because as you also know, the crew did not end up stopping in *************** anyhow, and they refueled in **************.  We are trying to remain open-minded, and yet having a hard time finding any fault here.
  
  Regarding your comment about Domonic threatening to leave your boat somewhere, we are still uncertain as to what you are referring.  For what reason? Any call we've conducted has been done via conference call with other parties. There would be no reason to do such a thing, and no possible way to carry out anything like that- again - referring to the legal contract between us that lays out all of the terms. 
  
  As you can see, apart from your reviews, we've never received a single negative review.  We are a boutique small business with hard-working, honest individuals who care about our clients.  We have records of calls, emails and text updates throughout your voyage, including even on holidays, weekends, and after hours on weekdays.  We have been responsive and empathetic throughout, and have been met with unreasonable requests, baseless accusations, and to be *****, at times even verbal abuse. We have fulfilled our contract and have tried to find common ground.  We would ask nothing more than for you to look at things from a different perspective. 
  
  In summary, while despite our best efforts, we cannot relate to your complaints, we are certainly very sorry to hear that you are so upset. In effort to grow, we sought out some examples of captains or captain services organization you'd been pleased with online that we might learn from, and found only negative reviews across the board. We are sorry that that we were not able to earn your first positive review as we'd hoped.  Premium Captains has successfully served boat owners, brokers, and dealerships from the South *********, throughout *********** and the entire west coast and gulf coast for many years relocating boats from 35 to 100 feet.  We have many proven sailors, a very loving and kind reputation for serving people. The reason we are here is to share connection and kindness, while serving the needs of the boating community. We do wish you the best of luck in all your endeavors, and we invite you to reach out by phone if you'd like to discuss further. 
  
  Best regards, 
  
  Premium Captains

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/27/2023

   
  Complaint: 20187538
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Dear Premium Captains.
  I do not accept your reply and I find your accusations about me offensive and untrue.
  The inside route has always been and always will be the back up route, just in case of bad weather out at sea. However, your ******* and crew went straight for the bad weather in *********** and **********. Which was well documented, as you said. We all knew full well that they were heading into bad weather. Why did they choose this route? You cannot say it was for safety, but also say that the weather was so bad on their chosen route that they had to do an overnight stop in **********. You may not consider this a lie, but I do. Or at the very least, they are contradictory statements that do not make any sense. The weather offshore by ******* was good and they shouldve taken that route.
  

  I paid an extra $2,500 to my insurance premium for the outside route and that was a complete waste. When I named my insurance company to a Premium Captains employee she told me she knew them and said she had worked with them before and she was confident her captains would be approved. I was told that this specific ******** Mr ** was picked for my job because he had done the outside route 10+ times and would do it again. I was convinced by this same Premium Captains employee to pay $15 more a day for a second captain because this was such a long and hard route. Why would I pay all of this extra money if I wasnt made to believe the boat would be sailed out to sea? *eing made to believe one thing by a person or company and then them doing another is the definition of a lie/liar.
  For you to write as if the cruising permit question was normal is ridiculous because I have never been asked about one before. I was called by a different Premium Captains employee and asked the day before the trip was supposed to begin, and when I questioned her, she said it was just in case of emergency. She also told me then, that this specifically hired captain with lots of experience doing this trip was no longer willing to go out to sea and was going to take my boat through ***********. I did not have time to interview and hire another company/ captain/crew. Again, we all saw on the weather maps that the winds and waves in a bad direction were coming towards ***********, so why did he choose that route and why did Premium Captains allow it?!?!?! Why was this ******* hired if you knew he would never choose the offshore route?
  

  As far as the stopping to refuel and re-provision; NO! Thats not a given. This boat has an average speed of 7kts so why was 5kts the minimum for this ******* and crew? I filled both fuel tanks and left another 100 gallons of fuel ($1,267.35 worth of fuel) onboard which was more than enough for the entire trip. I have done this before and every time my boat has been returned to me with full tanks. The Premium Captains ******* and crew left my boat with less than 5 gallons of fuel. They also ran the generator for 300 hours, basically 24/7 which took a lot of fuel. And it was not good for the generator to be run while moving. No other ******* and crew has ever done that, nor did we use our own generator/air conditioners in that way while we were in *************. We would use them for an hour or two to cool the boat down, not continuously 24/7 - we never slept with them on. To say that it was too hot is just unprofessional. Anyone going to ************* in May, knows that its going be hot. What if my boat didnt have a generator? As a matter of fact, my husband told the ******* that he shouldnt need to use it and the ******* did not speak up then. To have the boat returned and see 300 hrs of use on the generator was so upsetting and felt like our boat and fuel budget had been totally abused; and our wishes and instructions were completely disrespected and ignored.
  

  I have spent many 2 week stints on this boat and I know all about wanting fresh fruit and veggies. Thats why that comment was so ridiculous and distasteful. We always start a cruise with tons of fresh food, but by week two were eating dried, canned or frozen foods with a random fresh onion, apple, or potato (something hearty that can last long). The captain specifically said one of the crew was a trained chef and they ate well on their journeys together. That explained his need to restock. They made a huge deal about having to stop in St ****** to provision which added another day/night to the trip. When I questioned why they could not shop at the supermarket in Tortola like we had for 3 months the ******* just shrugged. When I asked a Premium Captains employee on the phone she went on and on about the tight budget they were on and said that the super market in *************** was way cheaper. She went on to say that I wouldnt want them to have to stop to re-provision. She talked as if re-provisioning was something none of us wanted, but now in this complaint response Im being told it was always a given to stop a trip will require ...a stop Maybe you do not consider this a lie, but I respectfully disagree! Each person I talked to from Premium Captains told a different story. NO other crew I have used has ever stopped for an over night for gas or provisions or anything for that matter!
  

  Why did they have to spend the night in St ******?
  Why couldnt the crew member that flew to St ****** take a ferry to Tortola to meet the boat? Why couldnt they provision in Tortola?
  Why couldnt the trip start from Tortola on May 25?
  Did I pay for the 2 night hotel stay in St ****** for that crew member?
  After shopping in ****************** May 25, why did they have to spend the night there?
  Why couldnt the start the journey that afternoon?
  I still do not know the answers to these very logical and rational questions. When I asked the Premium Captains employee these questions on the phone she had no answer, but turned it around on me... why do you think they had to stay in St ******?
  

  As far as ************************* ****** is concerned, I will name ************************* ******, because ************************* ****** is the owner of the company. ************************* ****** was so nasty on the phone and even the hourly employee acknowledged it with me and said thats why ************************* ****** wasnt on the final phone call with her, a crew member (second ******* I paid for because ******* * might take it all too personally. Why would he take anything personally if he knew he did nothing wrong?) and me. Which was when I so eloquently made all of my points about how I was misled and over charged. ************************* ****** is the owner of the company and has the final responsibility. ************************* ****** told my husband on the phone around May 28 that it was company policy that their Captains do not go more than 250 miles from shore. That was NOT in my contract nor was it on their website or ever mentioned before. So was that a lie? Was it company policy, because if it was I never would have hired this company! ************************* ****** also told ***** on that call that they had to stop in Grand Turk to replace the battery on the generator because it was dead, but when we got the boat back that battery had not been replaced. So was that a lie? In the written response it states engine maintenance, fuel and a jumpstart. What was wrong with my engines? What needed the jump? Why did they already need more gas at that time only 4 days in? Why did that take an overnight stop and just an hour or two? Wheres the truth?!?!?!? Why was ************************* ****** not on the final conference call with me?!?!?!?!?
  

  I have never written any review about other captains or captain services organization online or anywhere, so please produce the ones you found (which were) only negative reviews across the board or can I consider this to be another lie by Premium Captains? This is gaslighting at its best. As a matter of fact, the entire response to my complaint is gaslighting! I am not a negative review writer - I disliked this one company - Premium Captains and I was lied to and betrayed by the employees. I understand you do not like the things I have to say about your service or my experience with your employees but that does not mean I am wrong. The fact that you end your response with an invitation to further discuss this by phone is absurd
  considering you said I was berating unreasonable and verbally abusive why would you want to talk to me on the phone ever again? This is another example of your illogical inconsistencies that try to turn the blame on me.
  

  In summary, Premium Captains did deliver my boat from Tortola to CT but they lied all along the way and did a lot of unreasonable things and called them normal. They used the boat generator to excess and spent way to much money on fuel to do so. They caused a lot stress and anxiety by evading the truth and spinning stories. And now that I am complaining they are trying to blame it all on me and ruin my character. You have once again attempted to threaten me this approach you have taken is ill advised and is not conducive to a resolution. What do you advise? That I just walk away quiet and unhappy? No! The BBB is just for this purpose. I was wronged by Premium Captains and I have every right to take action and make my voice heard.

  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************