DeepSeaExplorer
Contributor
A rain check or even a free air card is a good option. It gives the customer something and costs the dive op almost nothing.
Sure, ops have overhead just like any other business, but if they run off some of their customers, those costs will be even more difficult to manage.
If you look at all the big box stores, they will take back almost anything under almost any circumstances. Even with the new iPhones, you get a 15 or 30 day trial period where you can send it back if you don't like it. That must cost them a fortune. But, they realize that repeat customers are important. No op wants someone bellyaching on the internet about their business, and they want those glowing referrals when someone asks who to dive with. How much is that swing from a negative to a positive worth to their business? Way more than a free dive, that's for sure. Instead, the OP could have been on here talking about how the Op really took care of him when he got screwed by some random DMs.
A buddy once told me that his business partner wanted to screw everyone that came in the door and he operated that way for years. He admitted, yeah you can make money doing that in a large metro area, because there are so many potential customers. He didn't want to work like that and preferred to try to win customers over, so he sold out for various reasons. So either model works, but as customers we try to navigate around those types when we can, which is why we have all the posts asking who to dive with, right?
Sure, ops have overhead just like any other business, but if they run off some of their customers, those costs will be even more difficult to manage.
If you look at all the big box stores, they will take back almost anything under almost any circumstances. Even with the new iPhones, you get a 15 or 30 day trial period where you can send it back if you don't like it. That must cost them a fortune. But, they realize that repeat customers are important. No op wants someone bellyaching on the internet about their business, and they want those glowing referrals when someone asks who to dive with. How much is that swing from a negative to a positive worth to their business? Way more than a free dive, that's for sure. Instead, the OP could have been on here talking about how the Op really took care of him when he got screwed by some random DMs.
A buddy once told me that his business partner wanted to screw everyone that came in the door and he operated that way for years. He admitted, yeah you can make money doing that in a large metro area, because there are so many potential customers. He didn't want to work like that and preferred to try to win customers over, so he sold out for various reasons. So either model works, but as customers we try to navigate around those types when we can, which is why we have all the posts asking who to dive with, right?