For around two and a half months, there has been an increasing number of cases in which customers of the online charter platform Zizoo have been cheated out of their money. YACHT has now been contacted by ten affected parties who have experienced every charterer's nightmare: they only learnt from the fleet operator of their chartered yacht shortly before the start of their cruise that the payments they had made to Zizoo had not been forwarded. The charter companies therefore cancelled the contracts and only made the boats available if the charter was paid for again on site.
In one case, Zizoo even had the customers travel to Croatia, where they only found out at the harbour that their money had never arrived. Long discussions then began with the fleet operator. Zizoo employees promised immediate payment and the customers went sailing. On their return, however, it transpired that the money had still not arrived. The charter base then wanted to withhold the deposit. It was only after a long dispute and when the crew threatened to go to the police in Croatia that they got their deposit back. The customers then demanded compensation from the Zizoo management, but did not even receive a reply.
The scam is the same in all cases: Zizoo does not pass on the customer's money
The pattern is the same in all cases known to the editorial team: the payments for the charter holiday were made on time by the customers, but Zizoo did not forward them. In another case, the behaviour was similarly unscrupulous: the customer was contacted by the local base after the first instalment for his charter on Elba was due, stating that no money had arrived. He immediately contacted Zizoo, who explained that something had "gone wrong" with the payment. A short time later, the money arrives, but the customer suspects something bad. And that's right, shortly after the second instalment is due, the fleet reports that the money has not arrived. The customer contacts Zizoo again and is asked to pay the second 50 per cent of the contract amount again, he would get his money back within four weeks. Gritting his teeth, he pays again so that his holiday, flights and all the preparations have not been in vain.
In another case, Zizoo's behaviour was even more brazen: shortly before a charter in Croatia, the base contacted the customer and explained that Zizoo had not paid, but that the ship could be handed over if the amount was paid again within three days. Attempts by the customer to get Zizoo to make the payment within the next three days so that the crew can still sail fail. Instead, Zizoo offers a completely different ship instead of sailing from Mali Losinj in Pula as agreed.
Dozens of complaints on online platforms
The customer agrees so as not to lose her holiday and money, but is suspicious. She asks the charter company whether there is a corresponding booking for her and her crew. He replies in the negative. There hadn't even been a booking enquiry from Zizoo, and the boat had been fully booked for months.
The customer then demands a refund from Zizoo and otherwise announces that she will press charges against the manager. Zizoo replies that they are working on another booking. However, the customer now rejects this and continues to insist on a refund.
The online review platform Trustpilot has also been receiving devastating reviews from customers reporting on their experiences with Zizoo for some time now: Customer fulfilled contract, on site or before holiday then problems with the base that never received any money. More than 30 such entries can be read on Trustpilot, almost all of them with headings such as "Caution, fraud", "Beware, rip-off", "Pure chaos", "Hands off" and similar warnings. There are a further ten descriptions of similar cases on Tripadvisor.
Dubious contact options, almost impossible to reach
Zizoo claims to be one of the "world's leading online agencies" on the charter market. According to its own information, the start-up has raised around 30 million US dollars in various investor rounds over the past few years. As part of its growth, Zizooboats GmbH was also founded in Berlin in spring 2017, also with the Croatian as Managing Director.
YACHT's attempt to contact the German branch of Zizoo in Berlin initially failed because the telephone number given in the imprint says "no connection at this number". The editorial team was put on hold on the customer hotline. It was only possible to obtain a statement from the CEO on the cases described via the general e-mail address.
What Zizoo says about the allegations
In it she explains: "(...) The summer season was exceptionally busy for us with a particularly high demand for boat holidays in Europe and the Caribbean. Unfortunately, due to the increased demand and an internal system change, alongside thousands of positive experiences this summer, there was a small proportion of customers who experienced disruptions in our service quality. We take this very seriously and are working to improve our processes. As for the four customers you mention, I can confirm that these cases have already been processed and no refunds are outstanding.
Regarding your point about Trustpilot: "We actively resolve incoming reviews and follow up on verified reviews individually if we can link them to a genuine booking. Unfortunately, I cannot provide any information on reviews that have not been verified."
So far, however, there has been no talk of compensation for the annoyance and problems experienced. As of the beginning of November, none of the customers had received an apology from the management, although some of the cases occurred months ago. In fact, three customers named to the company by YACHT have since received their money back. However, in two cases this was achieved via the cashback function of the credit card after the credit card companies had been informed of Zizoo's actions and corresponding chargeback requests had been made.
Some companies have ended their cooperation with Zizoo
Even during the correspondence between YACHT and Zizoo, other customers came forward who have still not received a refund. In the meantime, various affected parties have called in their lawyers.
The fact that customers are no longer even informed of the impending complete cancellation of their charter before they leave on holiday is highly irresponsible. Previously, in most cases either Zizoo or the fleet operators would inform the customer at least a few days in advance that the cruise could not go ahead without further payment. This gave those affected the opportunity to react and decide before departure whether to pay again, look for another boat or cancel the trip altogether. In the latter case, booked flights are often forfeited because the cancellation or rebooking deadlines have long since passed.
YACHT took the cases as an opportunity to enquire among charter providers as to how satisfied they are with Zizoo in general. It turned out that some German, Austrian, Croatian and Turkish companies have already stopped working with Zizoo due to late or non-payment.
