Andersen Boats smashing time

IT IS time these hire companies [whose boats cause damage to other boats] were made to stand up and be responsible for their clients' damage, writes Deborah Piekarski.

Time these companies—with an unbelievable £50 damage waiver (the poor victim suffered more loss than that)—were made to stand up and be responsible for their clients' damage. They're charging £877 for two people for four days—what would a return call to the poor people concerned have cost them?

Telephone call ignored

Here is a copy of the email I sent to Andersen of Middlewich, nearly 10 hours after an ignored call, as a 'tongue-in-cheek from the culprits:

'We took Fjord Duchess out today and smashed into some private moored boats who were a little cross about this as they were moored on a long, wide straight stretch of the canal. We took paint off and dented their boat, knocked their clock off the wall and the companion set and fan off the fire but it was all a very good laugh as we were having a party and waving a bra about.

If they had hit our car worth £50,000 and broken a light or something we would have been very annoyed and exchanged insurance details but as their boat only cost £60,000 we laughed some more!

Should slow down a bit

I think the issue here is the one about 'sorry—ha! ha!' and then blaming the wind or someone else—but not taking into consideration the value of a boat and/or its contents when ramming into you, and the safety of both crews and their animals! Of course these things will always happen, but if they would just slow down a bit—that would go a long way to lessening the impact and potential damage.

Thank-you Andersen...

Further to my earlier emails I must write to praise Andersen's response to the weekend's 'Smashing time'; someone has been out today to check on both boats and boaters—with a replacement Ecofan and a bottle wine for the hard hit boater and I was given flowers and wine too.

Thank you Andersen.