NEW: TourShield Protection - Global Refund & Cancellation Program, New Booking Incentives, Protecting Health & Safety & Financial Protection System

• by

  Pavlina P, ScotSail Chief Instructor
• Mar, 5 2020 at 1652hrs

Hi Guys! Pavlina here! - Some important updates affecting anyone coming sailing or powerboating with us this year:

This post is about: Our new TourShield Protection Refund System, Protecting Health & Safety, some extra booking incentives inc online courses at ‘cost-price’, extra booking & refund protections for illness or injuries etc:

So, to start off - we’ve just partnered with TourShield Protection’s Global Refund Program for Season 2020/21 for all our RYA Sailing & PowerBoat Courses and other events like our St Kilda & Puffins & Corryvreckan AdventureSail Cruises: here's the detail:

WHAT IS IT?

It’s a cancellation and refund protection policy for customers booking tours and events like RYA Sailing & PowerBoat Courses and AdventureSail Cruises. It offers coverage for range of eventualities preventing you from attending such as illness and injury of you or a family-member, extreme weather, car breakdowns, family emergencies, jury duty, etc. It is designed to allow you to get a full refund in the event of any of the covered terms and eventualities.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

It costs about 6.5% of the value of your booking, BUT - we’ve lowered some prices to help cover the cost of this, should you choose to add it on at the time of booking - ***NOTE*** We do not make any money from this whatsoever.***

HOW DO I GET IT?

When you make a new booking online you’ll be shown on screen the policy price and terms, you can add it with one tap or click - TourShield will take payment directly at the same time as you make a deposit payment for your reservation, so you only need to make one transaction, and you don’t need to create any new registration or login accounts. They will immediately send you your policy cover details and payment receipt, along with details of how to make a claim if necessary. You can start a new claim at https://refundrequest.fanshield.net In addition, any customer outside the US also have 14 days to change their mind and cancel their TourShield protection for a full refund of the policy amount.

WHAT DOES IT COVER, WHO PROVIDES IT AND HOW DO I MAKE A CLAIM?

For full details of what’s covered and what isn’t are available right now at https://www.fanshield.com/global-refund-programme . When you add this on at the time of booking you’ll be sent an e-mail directly from TourShield giving your policy details, receipt and how to make a claim if necessary. You can also start a new claim at https://refundrequest.fanshield.net . This scheme is called TourShield Protection - Global Refund Program, and is operated by FanShield / Protecht LLC - full details including terms & privacy policy are available online at https://www.fanshield.com/global-refund-programme

Ok, so that's the latest good news on the new TourShield Protection - Global Refund Program and Cancellation Protection.

Now onto the recent health news everyone is talking about - so far as at today we haven’t had single customer call, e-mail or message to mention this nor to cancel or change any reservations, and this morning the office tells me they’ve seen 3-4 calls from people wanting to book 5 day sailing courses with us as a result of cancelling a foreign holiday, which is quite an interesting development(!).

Everyone I seem to speak with says they are following the health advice and just getting on with their lives, which seems to mirror the guidance from the NHS and Health Minister.

However I wanted to address this directly - we are operating every sailing yacht and powerboat every week and weekend and have been since mid-Feb, and we have now made several changes as of today, to help ease people’s minds:

1). Every boat now has unlimited free sanitiser products
2). Now NO penalty for moving dates as a result of a confirmed illness* - so you don’t lose out if you want to delay your course or event, and it protects others!
3). Standard Cancellation & Refund policy now relaxed from 28 days up to 21 days prior*
4). We’ve partnered with TourShield Protection Refund Program for all new bookings in Season 2020/21
5). We’ve lowered some prices to help compensate for if you want to add TourShield Protection to your booking

6). As of today we’re offering additional incentives when you make a new practical sail/power booking: VHF Radio Licence Course at £39 (WAS £89), and our Online Shorebased Theory Course at £99 (was £195). You'll also get a £20 Voucher Code for any future booking, and a £10 RYA Membership Voucher.

7). All booking deposits are just £49 and all payments are (as always) fully Financially-Protected in a separate refundable client money account

8). All RYA Sailing Course & AdventureSails are on refreshed, modern and clean Coded Cruising Yachts from 41 to 47 Feet, inc our Hanse 411, Bavaria 44 & Bavaria 47

9). All RYA PowerBoat Courses are on modern, fully-heated cruising powerboats with all the latest technology, mod-cons and globally-experienced commercial motorboat skippers & Instructors from Naval, Law Enforcement & Commercial Maritime backgrounds - all friendly, knowledgable and wanting to help bring your confidence & skill levels up for private or commerical purposes.

As I write this, not a single one of you has called or e-mailed to cancel or change dates, and those of you that I meet each week it seems that whilst we're all taking things seriously, that we're also keeping things in perspective, including that a very (very) small proportion of our population has been affected, that "the vast majority would only experience very mild symptoms and a quick recovery with no lasting effects" (Prime Minister 3rd March), and that cancelling events or closing venues and schools would “have no epidemiological benefit” (Health Minister, 5th March), and that 'regular hand-washing is the most sensible and effective thing we can all do, until this passes' !

byPavlina P, Chief Instructor