These people do not deliver the boat promised and then steal your deposit. These guys ARE conmen.

Two years in a row, they failed to deliver the J109 that was promised, for Cowes week (2017 & 2018).

In 2018 they substituted the boat for a Fairview sailing boat and then tried to claim to Fairview sailing that we were to settle the bill, even though we had paid £5K for the weeks charter to Motion Charters took a £3K insurance waiver deposit and are now refusing to return deposit, on the basis that we should pay Fairview another £1,900.

Never ever communication, worst people I have ever dealt with + they steal.

I personally went 22 Hillside Mews, Sarisbury Green, Southampton, England, SO31 7LQ, where Matt Beacroft & Kelly Beacroft live.

I knocked on the door several times, no answer. I waited outside a man appeared, I questioned if he was Matt, he denied being Matt and says the Beacrofts live on Northampton.

Later Fairview Sailing confirmed that they know of Matt & Kelly Beacroft and they do indeed live at 22 Hillside Mews.

Sitting on the drive is an £80K RS6 Audi, and a brand new Fiat Abarth. Not sure how you make that sort of money out of maintaining and chartering a few boats.

Our next move is small claims court to recover the money owed.

Kelly’s mobile is 07860 466411

Have you had a similar experience with Motion Charters? Please contact us on do.not.use.motion.charters@gmail.com

If you need more evidence please see Google reviews of Motion Charters – **UPDATE (They have subsequently removed their Google Reviews!)

Below are reviews from other before they were taken down.

OTHERS ON GOOGLE

A very bad experience. Motion Charters took a big deposit for a Cowes week J109 race charter and race entry fee, then took the full sum as contracted with about six weeks to go. We found out with five days to go that the chartered boat was ‘not available’ having been withdrawn by the owner for unspecified reasons, and they tried to move us to another class. Comms were poor, phones not answered.

Was there ever a J109 for me? I suspect not but have no hard proof: they never entered a boat in my name (which at best was an expensive error on their part as the difference between early bird and standard entry is vast) and have failed to reply to questions asking for the boat name so I can avoid that owner in future years.

The refund was then late. 
I wont be using them again. 

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I wasn’t going to post my experience with Motion Charters until I saw Alistair’s post. Frankly he could have written mine. I hasten to add that my J109 2016 RTI race charter with them was great.

Some 6 months after my deposit was paid and only weeks before the 2017 RTI race I too found out the J109 I had chartered wasn’t available. I was told the owner had decided to sell her last minute and that the total lack of communication following that disappointing news was due to the hospitalisation of one of the key staff members (for which I gave great sympathy and understanding and was why I hadn’t posted). We were offered alternative boats, but none that met my requirements / expectations and my deposit was returned.

I know the charter business can be tricky particularly at peak times so I’m not surprised there are some bumps and disappointments along the way… But isn’t that when a company worth its salt demonstrates outstanding customer service, meticulous comms and goes that extra mile in order to rectify these situations?