The short answer
Written demand first, card last. Ask the operator, in writing, for the specific damage, when it was found, by whom, and the repair quote. Reply in writing with what you documented. Escalate to the broker and, in Croatia, within 15 days of disembarkation, to the national complaints route. Only then go to your card — Section 75 if you paid by UK credit card, a chargeback otherwise. The reason the card comes last is not that it is weak: it is that many charter contracts charge you a fee for raising a chargeback. The whole sequence has to finish inside the 120-day card dispute window.
Key figures
- 120 days — the Visa and Mastercard dispute window, from the transaction. The deadline that ends the strongest route
- 15 days after disembarkation— Croatia's consumer complaints window. Short enough that most people miss it
- £100–£30,000 — the Section 75 range in the UK. A charter deposit sits comfortably inside it
- Jointly liable — what Section 75 makes your credit card provider, alongside the charter company. Not a goodwill gesture, a statutory right
- An administration fee plus investigation costs — what some charter contracts charge if you raise a chargeback. Check yours before you go to the bank
- €200–800 — the typical withhold, from our own estimate. Worth knowing what a normal deduction looks like before deciding how hard to push
This is not legal advice — it is a practical sequence. For a formal claim, take advice in the relevant jurisdiction.
Why the order matters more than any single step
The instinct after an unexpected charge is to call the bank. It is the wrong first move, and it can cost you money directly.
Charter contracts increasingly contain a chargeback clause: if a dispute is raised with your card issuer, whether or not you win, the company charges an administration fee plus the cost of investigating it. Going to the bank on day one can turn a €400 argument into a €400 argument with fees attached.
There is a second reason. A written demand for evidence resolves a meaningful share of these cases on its own, because a claim that has to be put in writing — with a date, an inspector and a quote — is a claim someone has to stand behind. Vague deductions tend to soften at exactly this point.
So: demand, reply, escalate, then card. And start the clock consciously, because the 120-day window runs whether or not you are still being polite.
The timeline
Day 0–3 — demand the evidence in writing
Ask for five things, and only these five:
- What exactly is claimed to be damaged
- When the damage was discovered, and by whom
- Photographs or an inspection report of the damage
- The repair quote or invoice
- The clause of the contract they are relying on
By email, so there is a record. No arguing about the amount yet — you have not seen what you are arguing with. No threats. A template is below.
Day 3–7 — reply with what you documented
Once their evidence arrives, respond in writing: what you recorded at handover, attached; where their account and your record disagree; and a deadline for their response, seven working days is reasonable.
Two things not to do. Do not admit anything you are not certain of — “we may have touched the pontoon” will be quoted back at you. And do not accept a partial refund as final while you are still inside the card window unless you have decided to stop there.
Day 7–15 — escalate
The broker, if one arranged the charter.They have leverage you do not: repeat business. A broker who wants next season's bookings will lean on an operator in a way an individual cannot.
The national consumer route. In Croatia this is urgent — the complaints procedure closes 15 days after disembarkation, which for most people has already started running while they were still travelling home. Greece and Italy have consumer bodies with longer windows.
Day 14–30 — the card route
UK credit card: Section 75.The Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes your card provider jointly liable with the supplier for purchases between £100 and £30,000. You can bring the claim against the bank as if against the charter company. It is a statutory right and does not depend on the card scheme's goodwill.
Everyone else: chargeback. A card scheme rule rather than a statutory right — weaker, but well-tested, and the schemes ask for exactly the material this playbook has you assemble: a record of the condition, timestamped, tied to the transaction by dates, names and amounts.
Debit card: chargeback only. This is why paying a deposit on credit rather than debit matters more than it appears at the time.
Before day 120 — the hard deadline
The Visa and Mastercard dispute window runs to 120 days from the transaction. Miss it and the strongest mechanism available to you is gone, regardless of how good your evidence is. Do not sit on it waiting for an operator who has stopped replying.
The first letter, ready to send
Copy this, fill in the brackets, send by email. Deliberately unemotional: this letter is a request for information, and its job is to make someone put the claim in writing.
Subject: Request for evidence — deposit deduction, [BOAT NAME], [CHARTER DATES], booking [REF]
Dear [NAME / Charter Team],
On [DATE] I was informed that [AMOUNT] has been withheld from my security deposit for the charter of [BOAT NAME] from [BASE], [DATES], booking reference [REF].
Before responding to the deduction, I am requesting the following:
1. A description of the damage or shortfall claimed.
2. The date the damage was identified and the name or role of the person who identified it.
3. Photographs or an inspection report showing the damage.
4. The repair quote or invoice on which the amount is based.
5. The clause of the charter agreement under which the deduction is made.I documented the condition of the vessel at handover and hold a timestamped record of it. I would like to compare that record against your evidence before taking the matter further.
Please reply within seven working days. I am keeping this correspondence for the purposes of any subsequent claim.
Kind regards,
[NAME] · [PHONE] · [EMAIL]
The last two lines do quiet work: they tell the reader the file is being kept without threatening anything, which is usually enough to move the request from an inbox to a desk.
What actually counts as evidence
| Strong | Weak |
|---|---|
| A structured set of handover photographs with capture times, covering fixed zones | A handful of photos taken of whatever caught your eye |
| The handover form as it was when you signed it | Your memory of what the form said |
| Written correspondence with dates | A phone conversation at the base |
| The operator's own evidence, requested in step one and checked for internal contradictions | Their verbal account of what a diver found |
| A record a third party can verify without asking you for the file | Files only you hold, with metadata anyone can edit |
One overlooked source: their evidence. Ask for it early and read it carefully. A repair quote dated before the alleged discovery, damage described in terms that do not match the boat, an inspection carried out days after the next charter began — these appear more often than they should, and they are the fastest route to a full refund.
If you have no photographs at all
Most people in this position have nothing. It is worse, not hopeless. What still works:
- Demand their evidence anyway. The burden of showing the damage and its cost is on the party making the deduction
- Check the contract. Deductions have to rest on a clause. Look at what the agreement actually permits, and at whether the amount matches
- Look for the timeline. When was the boat inspected? Was there another charter in between? Who else had the boat before the damage was recorded?
- Use the card route. A chargeback does not require you to prove the negative; it requires the merchant to substantiate the charge
- Ask other charterers. Forum threads about a specific operator establish a pattern, and a pattern changes how a broker or a bank reads your case
And for next season: 30 to 45 minutes at the dock with a fixed checklist is what turns this conversation from your word against theirs into a comparison of two records.
What we can do for you at this point
The free checklist is no use to you now — your charter is over. What is useful is the paperwork, and that is what Pro is.
HandoverBoat Pro, €39, generates a dispute letter built from templates matched to your jurisdiction — Croatia, Greece, Italy, the wider EU or the UK — and to your bank, in English, Croatian or Greek. It assembles the chargeback package in the form card schemes expect, gives you a step-by-step guide for your bank, and runs a 90-day timeline with email reminders so the 120-day window does not pass while you wait for a reply. Photo retention goes to five years, because disputes outlive the season.
What it does not do: it does not file anything on your behalf and it is not legal representation. You send the letter; you talk to your bank. It removes the blank page and the deadline-tracking, which is the part people actually fail at.
Disclaimer
This is not legal advice. It is a practical sequence built from published consumer rules and the experience of charterers who have been through it. Deadlines and procedures change, and the facts of your case matter more than any general rule. For a formal claim, take advice from a qualified professional in the relevant jurisdiction.
HandoverBoat sells handover documentation and a dispute toolkit, so we have an interest in this subject. Every step above works without buying anything from us.
Sources
- Consumer Credit Act 1974, s.75 — joint liability
- Financial Ombudsman Service — Section 75 credit card purchases
- Visa — chargeback for consumers
- Croatia — charter complaints procedure and its 15-day window
- LawInsider — examples of chargeback fee clauses in contracts
- YBW Forum — a charterer working through exactly this sequence
Frequently asked questions
The charter company kept my deposit — what do I do first?
Ask for the evidence in writing: what the damage is, when and by whom it was found, the repair quote, and the contract clause they rely on. Do not go to your bank first — many charter contracts charge a fee for a chargeback, and a written demand often resolves it anyway.
How long do I have to dispute the charge?
The Visa and Mastercard dispute window runs to 120 days from the transaction. Croatia's national complaints route is much shorter — 15 days after disembarkation. Both run in the background while you are negotiating, so start the clock consciously.
What is Section 75 and does it apply?
Section 75 of the UK Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes your credit card provider jointly liable with the supplier for purchases between £100 and £30,000. It is a statutory right, not a courtesy, and it is materially stronger than a chargeback. It applies to credit cards only.
I paid the deposit with a debit card. What now?
You have chargeback, which is a card scheme rule rather than a statutory right, and it is weaker. It is still worth doing. The written demand and escalation steps matter more in your case, because your card route is less powerful.
Can the charter company charge me for raising a dispute?
Some contracts say so — an administration fee plus investigation costs if a chargeback is raised. Check your agreement before going to the bank. It is the main reason the written demand comes first in this playbook.
What counts as evidence?
Photographs of the boat's condition at handover, ideally in a fixed set of zones with capture times; the handover form as it was when you signed it; written correspondence; and the operator's own damage evidence, which is why you request it in step one.
I have no photos at all. Is it hopeless?
No, but it is harder. Demand the operator's evidence, look for internal contradictions in it, check whether the deduction matches the contract, and use the card route. Many claims soften when the operator has to put them in writing.
Should I threaten legal action in the first letter?
No. The first letter asks for evidence and nothing else. Threats early tend to move the matter to whoever handles disputes and slow it down. Keep the escalation in reserve, where it does more work.