| It is a large demand for provisioning, outfitting and | | | | cost of the items and then endured a farcical |
| supplying super yachts Ultra quality products and | | | | situation where for half an hour after I repeatedly |
| services are essential for the owners of super yachts | | | | said no to the price she was charging; she would |
| and the people working on them. | | | | then reduce the price by a fraction until she was |
| Super yachts often enjoy very generous | | | | prepared to give me the baskets for $50 instead of |
| departmental budgets to help ensure that only the | | | | $150. |
| best products and services are used by crew. | | | | We put this situation down to the fact that we were |
| But are Marine businesses overcharging yachts for | | | | wearing crew uniform. Had I walked in on my own |
| these premium products and services? | | | | not looking exactly like a Stewardess, would I have |
| Claire, is a Chief Stewardess working on a | | | | been taken advantage of in this manner? Probably |
| superyacht based in the Med and thinks that service | | | | not. |
| providers for yachts have taken advantage of two | | | | The trouble was that I needed those baskets |
| key things when it comes to yachting - the inflated | | | | because they fitted perfectly, were in keeping with |
| budgets that many yachts enjoy and the often small | | | | the interior décor, and were an answer to a |
| window of time that crew are given to provision a | | | | storage conundrum but if the price can be reduced |
| yacht, obtain a luxury service for guests, and acquire | | | | so dramatically under pressure from me, why were |
| very specific items. | | | | they so expensive in the first place? |
| But other crew feel that it's precisely this short | | | | However, someone might have reasoned that in |
| notice that that warrants service providers to charge | | | | comparison to what is spent overall in a yacht's |
| high prices. | | | | budget that is a comparatively small amount for |
| Yachts will very often arrive in a port requiring some | | | | things you need to make the interior of a yacht |
| carpentry or steel work, for example, and they need | | | | "work". Claire summed it up by saying, "If you think it |
| that work done immediately because the owner or | | | | is too expensive, it probably is." |
| charter guests are due to arrive within days. Under | | | | So when is it appropriate to pay a bit more than |
| these circumstances the service provider can charge | | | | market rates? |
| above the rate that say a commercial vessel would | | | | One determining factor is quality of service. If what I |
| pay because they would have booked the work in | | | | was purchasing directly affected the safety of the |
| advance. | | | | vessel or if it was something that affected the |
| However, some yachts are overcharged, simply | | | | owner's trip in a negative way, then I would be |
| because the product or service is targeted at the | | | | prepared to pay a higher fee on condition that quality |
| maritime industry. Engineering spare parts are a classic | | | | of service was not affected and that the job could |
| example, yes they are precision engineered, but | | | | be done within our time constraints. |
| more so than that of a car? The answer is most | | | | On one occasion, we had a life raft serviced in Sri |
| often no, but you'll pay through the nose because it's | | | | Lanka, only to discover at the next annual service it |
| got 'marine' stamped on it. | | | | had been filled with old car tyres and the raft stolen. |
| However, in some instances the mind can only | | | | There are more companies today, offering products |
| wonder at the circumstances surrounding prices being | | | | and services to the megayacht industry than at any |
| charged to super yachts and the people working on | | | | other point in its history and this trend can only |
| super yachts. | | | | benefit crew in the long term as fighting the |
| Trust is the delivery of expectation and sometimes, | | | | competitive game on products and services is most |
| as in this example, crew expectations are simply not | | | | likely to lead to "lowest price" scenarios for the |
| met. While shopping for provisions at Cap 3000 | | | | industry. |
| shopping centre in Nice with two Stews (wearing our | | | | With the apparent myriad of choices now available to |
| crew uniform), here is an issue we encountered: | | | | crew working on super yachts, it's important to |
| Having picked up half a dozen decorative pieces, a | | | | remember that the price you pay will be dependent |
| couple of tissue boxes, some small place mats and | | | | upon the circumstances at the time, the alternatives |
| eight small to medium sized teak effect baskets, we | | | | available to you, the perceived risk and your level of |
| found that the bill was well over $2,000. Hardly any | | | | urgency. |
| of the items were clearly marked with the price and | | | | Sourcing a fair deal has never been easier than it is |
| I wasn't even shown the total before my card was | | | | today but no matter what you are trying to |
| put through the payment system! | | | | producer, remember this: The true value of any |
| After our initial shock we started to argue about the | | | | product is the price you pay for it. |