Cancellation & Refund Policy
The Playpen Enterprises LLC
Effective June 1, 2026
This policy applies to bookings confirmed on or after the effective date. Prior versions are archived and available on request.
1.What Is Refundable — Definitions
| Line Item | Definition | Refundable? |
|---|---|---|
| Charter fare | Base price for the vessel and time slot, set by the vessel owner/operator. | Yes — subject to the cancellation tier on the listing |
| Add-on charges | Optional extras purchased through The Playpen (catering, photography, entertainment, etc.). | Yes — follows the charter’s cancellation tier unless the provider has already incurred non-recoverable costs (disclosed at checkout) |
| Platform service fee | The platform service fee shown at checkout, charged by The Playpen for marketplace and concierge services. | Generally non-refundable for renter-initiated cancellations. See Section 6 for the full scenario table. |
| Taxes and government fees | Sales tax, harbor fees, or other government-mandated charges. | Yes — refunded whenever the underlying charge is refunded |
| Mandatory gratuity / dockside service charge | Required crew or dockside service gratuity, if applicable to the listing. | Yes — follows the charter fare refund |
| Fuel surcharge | Fuel cost passed through by the operator, if applicable. | Yes — follows the charter fare refund |
| Security / damage hold | Pre-authorization hold placed on your card before departure (not a charge). See Section 13. | Not a charge — the hold is released automatically post-trip unless a damage claim is filed |
| Promo credits / gift cards | Promotional credits or gift card balances applied at checkout. | Returned as platform credit or gift card balance, not as cash. See Section 14. |
2.When You Cancel Your Charter
Each vessel listing carries one of three cancellation tiers, chosen by the vessel owner. The tier is displayed before you confirm your booking and cannot be changed after confirmation.
| Tier | Full Refund | 50% Refund | No Refund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flexible | 7 or more days before departure | 3–6 days before departure | Less than 3 days before departure |
| Moderate | 14 or more days before departure | 7–13 days before departure | Less than 7 days before departure |
| Strict | 30 or more days before departure | 14–29 days before departure | Less than 14 days before departure |
- “Refund” refers to the charter fare and proportional taxes/fees. The platform service fee is addressed separately in Section 6.
- All deadlines are measured from the scheduled departure time, not the date of booking.
- Refunds are typically processed within 5–10 business days, depending on your payment method.
- The cancellation tier assigned at booking is final and does not change, even if the listing’s tier is later updated.
3.Made a Booking Error?
If you realize you made a mistake immediately after booking, you may cancel within 24 hours of confirmation for a full refund of all charges, including the platform service fee, provided all three of the following conditions are met:
- The booking was made at least 48 hours before the scheduled departure.
- The cancellation request is submitted through your Playpen account or by contacting our concierge team.
- You have not already used this grace period on a previous booking within the last 90 days.
This grace period is a good-faith courtesy and is not intended to be used as a recurring hold-and-release mechanism. The Playpen reserves the right to limit grace-period cancellations for accounts that show a pattern of repeated use.
4.Rescheduling Instead of Canceling
Inside the full-refund window
If you reschedule while still inside the full-refund window for your tier, there is no penalty. The platform service fee transfers to the new booking and is not charged again. Any fare difference (higher or lower) is settled at the time of rescheduling.
Outside the full-refund window
If you reschedule after the full-refund window has closed, a rescheduling fee equal to 50% of the original charter fare applies. This fee is credited toward the new booking. If the new booking costs less than the credit, the remaining balance is forfeited.
General rules
- Each booking may be rescheduled only once. A second change is treated as a cancellation and new booking.
- The new departure date must be within 90 days of the original departure date.
- Rescheduling is subject to vessel and date availability. The Playpen does not guarantee that the same vessel will be available on the new date.
5.Late Arrival & No-Shows
Late arrival
The captain or operator will hold the vessel for up to 30 minutes past the scheduled departure time. If you arrive within that window, the trip proceeds but ends at the original scheduled return time (the duration is not extended). If you arrive after the 30-minute window, the booking is treated as a no-show.
No-show
A no-show (failure to appear within 30 minutes of departure) results in forfeiture of 100% of the charter fare and all associated charges. No refund is issued.
Refusal to board
The captain has final authority over vessel safety. A captain may refuse boarding for reasons including but not limited to:
- Apparent intoxication or impairment of any guest
- Exceeding the vessel’s documented passenger capacity
- Possession of prohibited items (as listed in the booking confirmation)
- Behavior that the captain reasonably believes poses a safety risk
If boarding is refused, the booking is treated as a no-show and no refund is issued. If you believe a refusal was made in error, you may submit a dispute under Section 20.
6.Platform Service Fee
The platform service fee shown at checkout supports marketplace operations, booking management, and concierge services. Its refundability depends on the circumstances of cancellation:
| Scenario | Service Fee Treatment |
|---|---|
| Renter cancels (any tier, any timing) | Non-refundable |
| Renter reschedules (any tier, any timing) | Transfers to the new booking — not charged again |
| Owner/operator cancels | Fully refunded |
| Captain cancellation (captained charter) | Fully refunded |
| Weather cancellation (pre-departure) | Fully refunded |
| Force majeure event | Fully refunded |
| Platform-initiated cancellation (platform-side cause) | Fully refunded |
| Platform-initiated cancellation (renter-caused, e.g., fraud) | Non-refundable |
| Booking-error grace period (within 24 hours) | Fully refunded |
| No-show or refusal to board | Non-refundable |
7.Owner / Operator Cancellations
If the vessel owner or operator cancels your booking for any reason other than a weather or force majeure event:
- You receive a full refund of all charges, including the platform service fee.
- Our Guaranteed Departure system automatically searches for an alternative vessel of comparable type, capacity, and price.
- If an alternative vessel is found, you may accept or decline it at no additional cost (or receive the fare difference if the alternative is less expensive).
- If no suitable alternative is available, the full refund is your sole remedy through The Playpen.
Operators who cancel without qualifying cause may be subject to platform penalties, including reduced listing visibility.
8.Material Substitution / Vessel Swap
If the operator needs to substitute a different vessel for the one you booked, the replacement must be comparable across all four of the following criteria:
- Vessel type and general class (e.g., pontoon for pontoon, yacht for yacht)
- Passenger capacity (equal to or greater than the original)
- Core amenities listed in the original booking (e.g., sound system, swim platform)
- Charter fare (equal to or less than the original — you are not charged more)
You are notified of the substitution and may accept the alternative vessel or decline for a full refund of all charges, including the platform service fee.
If the operator cannot provide a comparable substitute and you decline, the cancellation is treated as an owner/operator cancellation under Section 7.
9.Captain Cancellations
Captained charters
On a captained charter, the captain is provided by the vessel operator. If the assigned captain becomes unavailable, the operator is responsible for providing a qualified replacement. If no replacement can be arranged, the booking is treated as an owner/operator cancellation under Section 7, and you receive a full refund.
Bareboat charter with separately arranged captain
If you booked a bareboat charter and separately arranged a captain through The Playpen, and that captain becomes unavailable, The Playpen will present you with a list of available, qualified replacement candidates. You may select a replacement or cancel the captain arrangement for a refund of the captain fee. The vessel booking itself remains active under its own cancellation tier.
Self-operated bareboat charter
If you are operating the vessel yourself under a bareboat charter and choose to cancel, the standard renter cancellation tiers in Section 2 apply.
10.Weather Cancellations
Pre-departure cancellation
If the captain or operator cancels before departure due to unsafe weather conditions, you may choose to reschedule to a mutually agreeable date within 90 days at no additional charge, or receive a full refund of all charges including the platform service fee.
Post-departure early return
If weather forces an early return after the trip has begun:
- Less than 50% of the scheduled duration completed: You receive a prorated credit toward a future booking, valid for 90 days.
- 50% or more of the scheduled duration completed: No refund or credit is issued.
What does not qualify as a weather cancellation
- Light rain, overcast skies, or moderate wind that the captain deems safe for navigation
- Forecast uncertainty — cancellations must be based on actual conditions, not predictions
- Personal discomfort preferences (e.g., “it’s too hot” or “it looks cloudy”)
For full details on how weather decisions are made, see our Weather Policy.
11.Force Majeure
A force majeure event is an extraordinary circumstance beyond the reasonable control of either party, including but not limited to:
- Government-ordered waterway closure or navigation restriction
- Natural disaster (earthquake, tornado, flood)
- Public health emergency or quarantine order
- Civil unrest or terrorism threat affecting the departure area
- Extended power outage or infrastructure failure at the marina
- Coast Guard or harbor authority safety order
If a force majeure event prevents your charter from taking place, you may choose a full refund of all charges (including the platform service fee) or a reschedule within 90 days at no additional cost.
12.Add-On Services
When the charter is canceled
If the main charter booking is canceled, all add-on services purchased through The Playpen follow the charter's refund outcome (full refund, 50% refund, or no refund), unless the add-on provider has already incurred non-recoverable costs. Any non-recoverable costs are disclosed at checkout.
Standalone add-on cancellation
If you want to cancel an individual add-on without canceling the charter itself, you may do so at least 72 hours before departure for a full refund of that add-on. Cancellations within 72 hours are non-refundable.
Provider cancellation or no-show
If an add-on provider cancels or fails to deliver the service, you receive a full refund of that add-on charge. The Playpen will attempt to arrange a replacement provider where possible.
13.Deposits, Payments & Security Holds
Deposit schedule
- At booking: A 50% deposit of the total charter fare is charged.
- 7 days before departure (T\u20117): The remaining 50% balance is charged automatically.
- For bookings made within 7 days of departure, 100% of the fare is charged at booking.
Failed payment escalation
- If the second installment fails, you receive an immediate notification with a link to update your payment method.
- You have 24 hours to resolve the payment.
- If payment is not resolved within 24 hours, a second attempt is made automatically.
- If the second attempt fails, the booking is canceled and the renter cancellation tier applies based on the date of cancellation (not the date of booking).
Security / damage hold
- Timing: A pre-authorization hold is placed on your card 48 hours before departure. The hold amount is displayed on the listing and in your booking confirmation.
- Release: The hold is released automatically 48 hours after the trip ends, provided no damage claim has been filed.
- Claim process: If the operator files a damage claim, The Playpen reviews the claim with supporting evidence (photos, video, written description). You are notified of the claim and given 72 hours to respond before any charge is finalized.
14.Credits, Gift Cards & Promo Codes
- Original payment method first: Refunds are returned to the original payment method used at checkout whenever possible.
- Promo credits are not cash-refundable: Promotional credits applied at checkout are returned as platform credits, not as a cash refund.
- Corporate credits return to the pool: If a corporate account used pooled credits, refunded credits are returned to the corporate credit pool, not to the individual booker.
- Gift card balances: Amounts originally paid by gift card are refunded to the gift card balance associated with your account.
15.Partner-Hosted Event Cancellations
Partner-hosted events are charters organized by a third-party host (e.g., a corporate outing, birthday party, or group experience) where individual attendees purchase tickets or spots.
Host cancels the event
All attendees receive a full refund of their individual ticket or spot purchase. The host is subject to the renter cancellation tier on the underlying charter booking.
Vessel operator cancels
Treated as an owner/operator cancellation under Section 7. All attendees and the host receive full refunds.
Weather cancels the event
Section 10 applies. The host chooses to reschedule or refund, and that decision applies to all attendees.
Individual attendee cancels
Individual attendee cancellations are governed by the host's published event refund policy, not by The Playpen's cancellation tiers. The host's refund policy is displayed before ticket purchase.
16.Corporate Bookings
Corporate bookings are subject to the same three cancellation tiers as individual bookings.
Tentative holds
Corporate accounts may place a tentative hold on a date and vessel for up to 7 days without committing to a booking:
- Non-peak dates: Tentative holds are free of charge.
- Peak dates (weekends and holidays, Memorial Day through Labor Day): A non-refundable hold fee of $250\u2013$500 applies, depending on the vessel. This fee is credited toward the booking if confirmed.
Credit pool refunds
Refunds for corporate bookings paid from a corporate credit pool are returned to the pool, not to an individual. See Section 14.
Custom agreements
If your organization has a Master Service Agreement (MSA) with The Playpen, the cancellation terms in that agreement supersede this policy.
17.Platform-Initiated Cancellations
The Playpen may cancel a booking at its discretion for any of the following reasons:
- Suspected fraud or unauthorized payment
- Violation of The Playpen’s Terms of Service
- Vessel found to be unsafe, unlicensed, or non-compliant with applicable regulations
- Operator account suspension or deactivation
- Unresolvable booking conflict (e.g., double-booked vessel)
- Regulatory or legal requirement
Platform-side cause (reasons 3\u20136 above): You receive a full refund of all charges, including the platform service fee.
Renter-caused (reasons 1\u20132 above): No refund is issued.
18.Same-Day Bookings
Bookings made on the same day as the scheduled departure are 100% non-refundablefor renter-initiated cancellations, regardless of the listing's cancellation tier.
Weather cancellations (Section 10), operator cancellations (Section 7), and force majeure events (Section 11) remain fully refundable even for same-day bookings.
19.How to Cancel or Reschedule
- Log in to your account at chicago.theplaypen.com.
- Go to My Bookings and select the booking you want to cancel or reschedule.
- Choose Cancel or Reschedule and follow the on-screen prompts. The refund amount (if any) is shown before you confirm.
- Receive confirmation by email. Keep this email for your records.
- Wait for processing. Refunds are typically processed within 5\u201310 business days, depending on your payment provider.
If you need help or prefer to cancel by phone, contact our concierge team:
Email: concierge@theplaypen.com
Phone: (312) 776-3311
20.Disputes
If you believe a cancellation decision or refund amount is incorrect, you may submit a dispute by emailing concierge@theplaypen.com with your booking confirmation number and a description of the issue.
- The Playpen will conduct a good-faith review of the dispute, including any supporting documentation you provide.
- You will receive a written response within 5 business days of submitting your dispute.
- If additional information is needed, the review period may be extended by up to 5 additional business days, and you will be notified of the extension.
Nothing in this section limits your rights under the dispute resolution provisions of The Playpen's Terms of Service.
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