STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
From the VMMA Chairman – Sept 2019
A Member not on email had received a final demand for an electricity bill which they felt was quite brusque and threatening and was upsetting. They have raised the issue of non-email communications with the Company several times, but still seem to be having problems.
From the Marina
The invoice/data system we use will default to email, if an email address is present. We have discussed this with a couple of moorers recently who provided an email address of a relative for general contact purposes. Therefore, the invoices were being sent automatically to their address. As the invoice was not being passed on to the moorer, when we followed up non-payment it came as a surprise. We are happy to post invoices to our berth holders. If this is the preferred method it’s important that the moorer asks us to remove any email addresses from their account so the default becomes letter.
From the VMMA Chairman – Sept 2019
It was also felt that generally in the summer that moorers may not pay bills as quickly as they may be extended cruising and not have easy access to emails/online banking and the Company should perhaps be more understanding of this.
From the Marina
To ensure bills don’t arrive unexpectedly we have set invoice periods for electric, these are quarterly (October, January, April and July). Regarding mooring invoices these are sent one month prior to the renewal date to hopefully give time to make any necessary transfers etc. Naturally, we are required to follow up invoice payments for audit/business purposes. If a moorer is planning a long cruise, if they let us know in advance we can raise an invoice early or they can make a payment on account. This works really well for a couple of our berth holders who spend extended periods away from the marina