Cancellation & Refund Policy

Last updated: 30 September 2026

If you already had a HollaSea account before 30 September 2026, this version applies to you from 15 October 2026. Until then, the previous version applies to you.

This policy explains how payments, cancellations and refunds work for what you book or buy on hollasea.com (the "Platform"): boat charters, HollaSea's own paid services (skipper membership, request fees, Featured placements and vouchers), and voyages or skipper hire that you arrange with skippers.

This policy forms part of our Terms of Use. If the Terms of Use and this policy differ on cancellations, refunds or the right of withdrawal, this policy applies, unless the Terms of Use are more favourable to you. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your personal data. Nothing in this policy limits the rights you have as a consumer under the law.

1. Who does what

HollaSea: HOLLASEA S.R.L. ("HollaSea", "we", "us") runs the Platform, an online platform where you can find boats, voyages and skippers. We do not own or operate any boats.
Charter companies: every boat offered for rent in the Boats section of the Platform is provided by an independent charter company. The boat page shows the name of the charter company. If you cannot see it, ask us before you pay and we will tell you.
The charter contract: the charter contract is between you and the charter company. It covers the handover and return of the boat, check-in, the security deposit, the extras paid at the base and the rules for using the boat.
What HollaSea does for boat charters: we pass your hold or reservation to the charter company's booking system, collect your reservation payments and issue our invoice for each payment (see section 2).
Voyages and skipper hire: you arrange these directly with skippers. HollaSea is not a party to them, does not take payments for them and takes no commission (see section 6).
HollaSea's own paid services: HollaSea sells skipper membership, request fees, Featured placements and vouchers (see section 5).

When you place a hold or a reservation, we send your name, email address, phone number and postal address to the charter company through its booking system, so that it can hold the boat for you. The charter company handles this data under its own privacy notice and may email you directly about your booking. See our Privacy Policy.

2. Boat charters: request, hold, reserve and pay

Request an offer (free)

Asking for an offer is free and does not commit you to anything. We get the charter company's price and conditions for your dates and email them to you. The request also appears in My Activity. Nothing is reserved, and your details are not sent to the charter company.

Hold (free)

Where this option is available, you can hold a boat for free. The boat is kept for you until the expiry date and time set by the charter company, which we show on the Platform and in your email. You can cancel a hold at any time in My Activity. If you do nothing, the hold expires on its own and you pay nothing.

Reserve

Clicking "Reserve" does not oblige you to pay. It keeps the boat for you for a limited time so that you can pay. The payment window shows how much time you have left. If you have not paid shortly after reserving, we also email you the exact deadline (date, time and time zone). Your reservation becomes firm when we receive your first payment and the charter company confirms it. If it cannot be confirmed, section 4 applies. If no payment is received by the deadline, the boat is released automatically and you owe nothing.

What you see before you pay

The payment window shows the charter price you pay through HollaSea, the charter company's payment plan and payment terms, how much you pay now and how much is left to pay later.
The charter company's cancellation terms are part of the charter contract. Before you pay, ask us at office@hollasea.com and we will send them to you.
The charter price does not include the security deposit or the mandatory extras and local charges paid at the base (for example end cleaning, transit log or tourist tax, where the charter company charges them). The boat page lists the mandatory extras. Your offer email and the Reservation details in My Activity show the security deposit and which extras are paid at the base.
Check these amounts before you pay. Together with the charter price, they make up the full cost of your charter.

How much you pay now

You can pay either the first instalment of the charter company's payment plan or the full amount. If your dates are close, the payment plan may require the full amount when you book.

How you pay

By card: card payments, and any other payment method shown in Stripe's payment form, are processed by our payment provider, Stripe. You enter your card details directly with Stripe, so HollaSea never sees or stores your card number.
By bank transfer: where this option is offered, you pay into HollaSea's bank account shown in the payment window, using the payment reference shown there (it starts with "HS-"). A transfer counts as paid on the day the money reaches our account.
Bank transfers take time: a standard transfer can take one or more business days, so it may arrive after the payment deadline, and the boat may be released. If you want to be sure to keep the boat, pay by card. If the boat is released while your transfer is on its way, section 4 applies.

What you confirm before paying

Before each payment, you tick three boxes. With them you confirm that:

you understand that the boat is blocked for you as soon as it is paid, and that if you cancel, the amount you have paid is not refunded, except as set out in the Terms of Use and this policy (section 3);
you agree to the Terms of Use and this policy, and you have read the Privacy Policy;
unless you have agreed with a skipper who will come to check-in, you are responsible for bringing a skipper who holds the required licences, and if the boat is not handed over for this reason, the charter company's cancellation conditions apply (section 3).

Nothing in these confirmations limits liability for death or personal injury, fraud, gross negligence or wilful misconduct, or any other liability that cannot be limited by law. They do not affect your statutory rights as a consumer.

Invoices

We send you an invoice by email for every payment you make through the Platform. You can see your payments and what is left to pay in My Activity → Boats → Reservation details.

Later instalments

Remaining instalments are due on the dates in the charter company's payment plan. You pay them through the Platform in the same way.
We email you a reminder about 7 days and again about 2 days before each due date.
If an instalment is not paid on time, we mark the reservation as overdue and email you. The reservation is not cancelled automatically.
If the instalment stays unpaid, the charter company may cancel the reservation under its terms. Section 3 then applies to the amounts you have already paid.

Paid at the base

You pay the security deposit, and the extras and local charges shown as payable at the base, directly to the charter company at check-in, not to HollaSea. The charter company returns the security deposit under its own terms.

Pay only through the Platform

For a boat booked on HollaSea, pay only in the payment window on the Platform or into the bank account shown there. Never send payment for the charter to any other account.

3. If you cancel a boat reservation

Before your first payment

You can cancel a request, a hold or an unpaid reservation at any time in My Activity. It costs nothing.

After you have paid

As soon as we receive your first payment, the boat is blocked for your dates and nobody else can book it.

No 14-day right of withdrawal: a boat charter booked for specific dates is a leisure service for a specific date. For this kind of service, Romanian and EU consumer law does not give the 14-day right of withdrawal that applies to many other online purchases (art. 16 letter l) of Government Emergency Ordinance no. 34/2014).
If you cancel: the amount you have paid is not refunded, except where the charter company's own cancellation terms or mandatory law provide otherwise. The same applies if you do not show up at the base, or if the reservation is cancelled because a later instalment was not paid.
Refunds and credits from the charter company: if the charter company grants a refund, a credit or a change of dates under its terms, we pass it on to you in full, without deducting anything. We pay any such refund to you within 14 days of receiving the money from the charter company.
Instalments not yet due: whether you still have to pay instalments that fall due after you cancel depends on the charter company's cancellation terms. You only have to pay them if those terms were made available to you before you paid. We ask the charter company and tell you its answer in writing.

Skipper licence at check-in

At check-in, the person who will skipper the boat (you, your own skipper or a skipper you agreed with through HollaSea) must show the licence required for the boat and the sailing area (for example an ICC or an equivalent national licence), and any other documents made known to you before you paid. If they cannot, or if the skipper clearly cannot handle the boat safely, the charter company may refuse to hand over the boat. If the refusal is justified under the charter company's conditions made available to you before you paid, it counts as a cancellation by you. If the handover is refused for any other reason, it is not a cancellation by you, and section 4 applies.

How to cancel a paid reservation or ask for a change

Email office@hollasea.com as soon as possible. Include your full name, the boat name, your charter dates and, if you have one, your payment reference (it starts with "HS-").
Your cancellation takes effect at the date and time we receive your email. We confirm that we have received it.
We pass your request to the charter company and tell you its answer. The charter company decides on any refund, credit or change of dates under its terms, and we pass on to you whatever it grants.

4. If the boat cannot be provided

If the charter company cancels, the boat is not available, or we cannot confirm your reservation, you get a full refund of everything you paid to HollaSea for that reservation. In particular:

Reservation not confirmed after you paid: sometimes a payment goes through but the reservation cannot be confirmed with the charter company, for example because of a technical error or a double booking. We tell you as soon as we know and refund everything you paid to HollaSea.
Bank transfer and a released boat: if the boat was released although your transfer had already reached our account, or your transfer reaches us after the boat was released, we contact you. If the boat can no longer be reserved for you, or you no longer want it, we refund the full amount.
Cancellation by the charter company: the charter company may cancel your reservation before the charter starts, for example because the boat is damaged or not seaworthy, or because of force majeure. We can help you find a replacement boat, but you do not have to accept one. If you decline it, or none is offered, we refund everything you paid to HollaSea for that reservation.
Problems during the charter: problems at the base or at sea, for example a defect found on the boat, are handled by the charter company under the charter contract. Tell the base staff straight away and let us know at office@hollasea.com. We will help you contact the charter company. Your legal rights are not affected.

5. HollaSea's own paid services

HollaSea sells these services directly to you. Online checkout for them is coming soon. Today, they are activated with a voucher code or by HollaSea (see the Membership page or contact us).

5.1 Price, duration and confirmation

The price is the price shown on the relevant page at the time of purchase, VAT included where applicable. For Featured, the price and the duration are those we confirm to you in writing before activation.
Before you pay, we tell you what is included, how long it lasts and the price. If you pay us for one of these services, we confirm the price, the duration and your right of withdrawal to you by email before the service starts.
Nothing renews automatically, and you are never charged again without your own action.

5.2 Skipper membership

A membership unlocks the skipper tools described on the Membership page for a fixed period. The periods available are shown on the Membership page.
It starts when it is activated and ends automatically at the end of its period. It does not renew automatically.
If you add a new period while your membership is still active, the new period starts when the current one ends.
Pausing a membership, or switching to another plan during a period, is not available.

5.3 Request fees

Posting a request has a one-time fee. For a Full Voyage Request the fee is charged per person; for a Skipper-Only Request it is a flat fee per request. The fee is shown on the Membership page and when you post.
The fee pays for publishing your request and notifying skippers. Your request is published as soon as you post it. We cannot guarantee that skippers will send you offers.
Until online checkout is available, you can publish a request with a voucher code.
HollaSea charges nothing for browsing voyages, applying to join a crew or reserving a skipper.
If we refuse to publish your request, or remove it, for a reason that is not your breach of the Terms of Use, we refund the fee in full.
If we remove your request because it breaks the Terms of Use, the fee is not refunded. We tell you the reasons and how to contest the decision, unless the law prevents us. If we reverse the decision, we refund the fee.

5.4 Featured placements

Featured listings are promoted listings chosen by HollaSea and appear in a separate "Featured" section. A Featured voyage may also appear in the featured spot on the homepage, for the period confirmed when it is activated. Featured makes a voyage more visible, but it does not guarantee applications or bookings. Today, only HollaSea can activate a Featured placement.

5.5 Vouchers

Voucher codes are issued by HollaSea. Each code can be used for one purpose only (a membership period or one free request) until its usage limit is reached.
Vouchers have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for money.
If you activate a service with a free voucher, you have paid nothing, so there is nothing to refund.
If you paid for a voucher, section 5.6 applies to it, and we will not deactivate it before you use it without refunding you.

5.6 Your 14-day right of withdrawal (consumers)

If you buy one of these services as a consumer, you can withdraw from the contract within 14 days of the day you bought it, without giving a reason.

Membership: if you asked us to start your membership straight away and then withdraw within the 14 days, you pay only for the days already used, in proportion to the price, and we refund the rest. If we did not ask you to confirm an immediate start, or did not give you this withdrawal information, you pay nothing for the days used. If you added a period to a membership that is still active, the new period has not started yet, so we refund it in full.
Request fees and Featured placements: the service is fully performed once your request or your Featured voyage is published. You lose the right of withdrawal after publication only if, before publication, you expressly asked us to publish straight away and acknowledged that you would lose the right of withdrawal once the service was fully performed. Otherwise, you can withdraw within the 14 days and we refund the fee in full.
Vouchers you paid for: if you have not used the voucher, we refund it in full. If you have used it, the rules above for the service it activated apply.
Free vouchers: there is nothing to refund.
How to withdraw: email office@hollasea.com with a clear statement that you are withdrawing. You can use the model form below, but you do not have to. It is enough to send your statement before the 14 days end. We confirm receipt by email.
Refund: we refund you within 14 days of receiving your withdrawal, using the payment method you used, and we charge no fee.
Business customers: if you buy for purposes related to your trade, business or profession, for example as a professional skipper, the consumer right of withdrawal does not apply.

5.7 After the withdrawal period

After the 14 days, we do not refund the unused part of a period if you simply stop using the service.
We refund the unused part of a period, in proportion, where the law requires it, where we close your account or stop a service for a reason that is not a serious breach of the Terms of Use by you, and where you close your account before a change to the Terms of Use or this policy takes effect because you do not accept it.
If we suspend or close your account because of a serious breach of the Terms of Use, we do not refund the remaining period. We tell you the reasons and how to contest the decision, unless the law prevents us.
A membership period keeps running while an account is suspended. If we reverse a suspension or a closure, we add the lost days to your membership or, if you prefer, refund the unused part.
If a paid service does not work as described, tell us and we will fix it. If we cannot, you are entitled to a price reduction or a refund under the legal guarantee for digital services (Government Emergency Ordinance no. 141/2021).

Model withdrawal form

(Complete and return this form only if you want to withdraw from the contract.)

To: HOLLASEA S.R.L., Șoseaua Pipera nr. 61, Bl. 2, Sc. 1, Et. 1, Ap. 14, Sector 2, 020111 București, Romania, office@hollasea.com

I/We (*) hereby give notice that I/We (*) withdraw from my/our (*) contract for the provision of the following service (*): ____________

Ordered on (*): ____________

Name of consumer(s): ____________

Address of consumer(s): ____________

Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is sent on paper): ____________

Date: ____________

(*) Delete as appropriate.

6. Voyages and skipper hire

Voyages: the skipper sets the cost of a spot and states what it includes (for example the share of the boat and the skipper's fee). Costs not included, such as fuel, provisions and marina fees, are agreed with the skipper and split on board. You pay the skipper directly. HollaSea does not take, hold or refund any payment for voyages, takes no commission and is not a party to the agreement between you and the skipper.
Skipper hire and skipper offers: this covers reserving a skipper for dates they have marked as free, and accepting a skipper's offer for your request or for a boat you have booked. You agree the price and the payment directly with the skipper. HollaSea does not process these payments and takes no commission.
Cancellations and refunds: for these payments, cancellations and refunds are a matter between you and the skipper. HollaSea cannot refund them. Before you pay, agree the price, what it includes and the cancellation terms with the skipper in writing, for example in the HollaSea chat.
Paying only through HollaSea applies to boats booked on the Platform (section 2). It does not apply to voyages or skipper hire, which you pay directly to the skipper.
Private skippers and traders: HollaSea does not check whether a skipper acts as a business (a "trader") or as a private individual. Ask the skipper before you agree to anything. If the skipper is a private individual, EU consumer protection law does not apply to your agreement with them. If the skipper acts as a trader, it does.
Request fees paid to HollaSea are separate and are covered by section 5.
If something goes wrong, for example the skipper does not turn up or you suspect a scam, use "Report this conversation" in the chat or email office@hollasea.com. We will look into it and may restrict accounts that break our Terms of Use.

7. How refunds are paid

Payment method: card payments are refunded to the card you used. Bank transfers are refunded to the account the money came from; we may ask you to confirm the account details.
Timing: we send a refund within 14 days of it becoming due. When the money comes from the charter company (section 3), the 14 days start when we receive it. Your bank or card issuer may then take a few more business days to show it in your account.
No fees: HollaSea charges nothing for a refund.
Currency: refunds are made in the currency you paid. Your own bank may apply its own exchange rate or fees. Where a refund is due because the boat could not be provided (section 4), we also cover any bank charges we caused.

8. Travel and cancellation insurance

Because the amount you pay for a boat charter is generally not refunded if you cancel (section 3), we strongly recommend that you take out travel and trip-cancellation insurance, and suitable skipper liability insurance where relevant, before you travel. A good policy can protect the money you have paid if you have to cancel because of illness, travel disruption or other events you cannot control.

9. Complaints, dispute resolution and applicable law

If something is not right, contact us first at office@hollasea.com or +40 756 978 654. We will try to solve it quickly.
As a consumer, you can also contact the Romanian National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC) at anpc.ro, and try to settle the dispute out of court through alternative dispute resolution (SAL): anpc.ro/sal.
If you live in another EU country, the European Consumer Centre in your country can also help with a cross-border complaint.
This policy is governed by Romanian law. If you are a consumer, you keep the protection of the mandatory rules of the country where you habitually live. You can bring a claim before the courts of Romania or of the place where you live, and we can bring claims against you only before the courts of the place where you live.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our services or the law change. The date at the top shows the current version.
If a change affects you, we tell registered members by email and on the Platform at least 15 days before it takes effect. A change can take effect sooner only when the law or security requires it.
If you do not agree with a change, you can close your account before it takes effect (see section 5.7 for any unused paid period).
Changes never apply retroactively. Bookings you have already paid for and services you have already bought stay under the rules that applied when you paid.

11. Contact

HOLLASEA S.R.L., a limited liability company registered in Romania
Registered office: Șoseaua Pipera nr. 61, Bl. 2, Sc. 1, Et. 1, Ap. 14, Sector 2, 020111 București, Romania
Trade Registry no.: J2026049846005 (EUID ROONRC.J2026049846005)
Tax ID (CUI): 55427204 · VAT ID: RO55427204
Email: office@hollasea.com
Phone: +40 756 978 654