January 11, 2022
I rewrote our refund policy on a Tuesday night after a guest left us a one-star review because, and I quote, "they just kept my money." She had cancelled at noon for a 1pm departure. Our policy said no refunds under 24 hours. She either hadn't read it, or didn't believe it, or both. The review stung. But the real problem was my policy read like a warning from a bank, not a sentence from a human being. And so she did what frustrated guests do when they think someone stole from them - she told everyone.
That was the last time I wrote a refund policy like a legal threat.
Most operator refund policies I've read - and I've read a lot - are written defensively. The goal seems to be "cover yourself." Which is understandable. But defensive language reads as hostile to guests who haven't done anything wrong yet. They booked in good faith. They plan to show up. And then they see a wall of legalese before they've even paid, and they wonder if they're about to get scammed.
A refund policy written by a lawyer reads like a threat. A refund policy written by an operator reads like respect.
The policy I'm giving you below is written in plain English, structured around what guests actually need to know, and formatted so a guest can read the whole thing in under a minute. I'm not a lawyer. Consult yours for your local jurisdiction - rules around deposits, refundability, and consumer protection vary by island and country. But the structure here holds up in most places.
Here is the actual policy. The parts in brackets are yours to fill in. I've included notes underneath each section so you understand the intent, not just the wording.
REFUND POLICY - [YOUR COMPANY NAME]
Effective [DATE]
1. Your booking is a contract.
When you complete your booking and pay your deposit or full balance, you are entering into a confirmed reservation. We hold your spot, reserve crew and equipment, and turn away other guests. That commitment goes both ways.
2. Cancellation refunds.
- Cancel more than 48 hours before your departure time: full refund, no questions asked.
- Cancel between 24 and 48 hours before departure: 50% refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before departure: no refund.
All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing by replying to your booking confirmation email.
3. Weather cancellations.
If we cancel your tour due to weather, unsafe sea conditions, or circumstances beyond our control, you will receive a full refund or the option to reschedule at no extra charge. The decision to cancel a trip on weather grounds is made solely by [OPERATOR/CAPTAIN NAME] and is final. We do not cancel lightly - we will reschedule over refund whenever the weather allows it.
4. No-shows.
If you do not arrive at the departure point by [CHECK-IN TIME, e.g., 15 minutes before departure] and have not contacted us, you will be marked as a no-show. No refunds are issued for no-shows. If something goes wrong on your way to us, call us immediately - we will do what we can if time allows.
5. Modifications.
Date changes are allowed once, free of charge, if requested more than 48 hours before your original departure. Modifications inside 48 hours are subject to availability and a [AMOUNT, e.g., $20] rebooking fee.
6. Group bookings.
For private charters and groups of [NUMBER, e.g., 8 or more], different terms apply: a non-refundable deposit of [AMOUNT OR PERCENTAGE, e.g., 30%] is required at booking. The balance is due [TIMEFRAME, e.g., 72 hours] before departure. Cancellations of private charters made more than [NUMBER, e.g., 7] days in advance forfeit the deposit only. Cancellations inside that window forfeit the full balance.
7. How refunds are processed.
Approved refunds are processed to your original payment method within [TIMEFRAME, e.g., 5-7 business days]. You will receive a confirmation email when your refund is issued. If you do not see it after 7 business days, check with your card issuer before contacting us - processing times vary by bank.
8. Disputes.
If you believe we made an error, email [YOUR EMAIL] directly. We resolve complaints personally, not through a call center. If we made a mistake, we will make it right. We ask that you contact us before opening a dispute with your bank, as most issues are resolved faster this way.
That one-star review I mentioned - what changed after I rewrote the policy wasn't the rules. The 24-hour window stayed. No refund under 24 hours stayed. What changed was section 4, the no-show clause, and specifically this line: "If something goes wrong on your way to us, call us immediately - we will do what we can if time allows."
That sentence costs me nothing legally. It changes everything in terms of how the policy feels. Guests stopped treating the policy as an adversary because it suddenly sounded like it was written by someone who understood that things happen. We didn't get fewer last-minute cancellations. We got fewer angry ones. And the chargebacks dropped - not because the rules changed, but because guests felt like a human being wrote this, not a corporation trying to trap them.
Specific wording that made the difference: "We do not cancel lightly - we will reschedule over refund whenever the weather allows it." That line tells a nervous guest that you are on their side, not looking for an excuse to keep their money. It's accurate - you don't cancel for fun, cancellations hurt you too. Say that.
Private charters are a different animal. A family of twelve books your catamaran for a sunset run. They represent your entire evening's revenue. If they cancel 18 hours before departure, you cannot fill that boat. You're paying crew, burning fuel on the way back from the fuel dock, and eating the cost of whatever you ordered for the trip.
The non-refundable deposit for groups is not punitive. It's your cost recovery. The way I frame it to guests when they ask: "The deposit is what it costs us to hold the boat exclusively for you. If something comes up and you can't make it, the deposit covers our committed costs. Everything above that we want to return to you if we have enough notice."
Most guests, when it's explained that way, don't push back. They understand. They may not like it, but they understand. The fights happen when the policy shows up for the first time after they've already tried to cancel.
The best policy in the world doesn't help you if it lives in a PDF linked from the footer of your website. Put the refund tiers, the weather clause, and the no-show rule directly on your booking page, above the payment button. Then put the full policy in the confirmation email.
That confirmation email is the one thing guests actually read, because it has their booking details in it. If your policy is in there, you have documented evidence the guest received it. That matters if a dispute ever escalates.
If you're on a booking system that embeds policy text automatically in the checkout flow and confirmation, use it. Junglebee does this - the policy travels with every booking confirmation, not just the guests who scroll far enough down your website.
Read it out loud. Pretend you're a first-time guest who just paid $400 for a trip they're excited about. Does it sound like a human you'd want to do business with, or a rental car contract?
If it sounds like the rental car contract, rewrite it. Your guests will thank you - and so will your chargeback rate.
