And you would be what we call an exception to the rule....freak
Is it just MY instructor?
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maj2
Contributor
I certainly have had no bad experiences with certification courses. For my OW, we were expected to purchase mask, fins and snorkel (I already had them), but course materials, gear rental, etc. were all included. We did have to pay a small park fee at the actual dive site ($8 or $10/day).
Every cost was laid out ahead of time, and nothing was "sprung" on us.
One important lesson that was taught to us was that the relationship between you and your dive shop is a valuable one. It is unfortunate that your shop/instructor does not seem to share this philosophy.
Definitely communicate your frustration to the shop, and if there is no satisfactory resolution, I hope that there are alternative shops available to you.
Good luck, and I your future dive experiences improve (they will!):blfish:
Every cost was laid out ahead of time, and nothing was "sprung" on us.
One important lesson that was taught to us was that the relationship between you and your dive shop is a valuable one. It is unfortunate that your shop/instructor does not seem to share this philosophy.
Definitely communicate your frustration to the shop, and if there is no satisfactory resolution, I hope that there are alternative shops available to you.
Good luck, and I your future dive experiences improve (they will!):blfish:
ktarlecky
Guest
I also remember being quite surprised by all the additions at first...quarry admission, rental equipment, purchasing fins, mask snorkel and weight belt. My course included 11 weeks of pool sessions and class sessions, equipment for all pool sessions, books and tables for $250. The basics. The important thing here is even though a startup kit and certification for SCUBA is expensive and continues to be an expensive sport as i purchase more and more of my own gear (which requires $ for service), I would never go back on getting certified and shelling out the extra cash. Learning SCUBA and actively diving is one of the best things I have ever done with my life.
Well we tell our students everything up front. I am glad we are in the Boston area, because in Florida, we would not be able to pay our instructors anything... and we would lose money on the course...
ANyways, here's what we charge for OW certification:
Books and Materials: $75
SSI Logbook : $15, 29 or 49 (your choice)
Mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit boots: $200-350 (your choice)
Pool and Class tuition: $245
OW dives: $75
Rental for OW weekend: $80
We also give our students a $50 gift certificate they can use towards any gear purchases.
This is actually the going rate up here in MA...
Total cost is around $ 640- 825
Thats if you dont own your own mask, snorkel, and fins...
ANyways, here's what we charge for OW certification:
Books and Materials: $75
SSI Logbook : $15, 29 or 49 (your choice)
Mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit boots: $200-350 (your choice)
Pool and Class tuition: $245
OW dives: $75
Rental for OW weekend: $80
We also give our students a $50 gift certificate they can use towards any gear purchases.
This is actually the going rate up here in MA...
Total cost is around $ 640- 825
Thats if you dont own your own mask, snorkel, and fins...
The shop I deal with charges $400.00 CDN for an OW class. You show up with $400.00 (plus taxes of course) and your swim gear, 4 - 6 weeks later you are certified. The only extra cost to you is your own gas money and lodging at the lake for your OW dives. Everything is included from head to toe. As a result, they have lots of students, who buy lots of gear without being told they have too. Customer service sometimes means NOT "selling" gear, but rather letting the new diver try out any gear they want while training and letting them "buy" the gear they end up liking on their own time when they can afford it.
It works very well, the shop is growing very fast.
It works very well, the shop is growing very fast.
You are deffinately not talking about Ian Sutherlands operatiion are you?(or is this Ian,or are you really Ian
)Who is the new store? Next time I'm in town I would like to drop in.
Ron
RICHinNC
Contributor
definitely buy the rest of your gear somewhere else
ouachita
Registered
My wife and a friend took OW classes where I was certified recently. My wifes friend had her own gear and the owner told her "let me take a look at that and make sure it is safe" (The divemaster for the class heard it exactly that way as did the girls). At the end of pool/class he handed out bills which included $200 for her equipment service and also $20 per student for the Dive Log modules that he had taken out of their boxed package of books from PADI.
I can understand a charge for equiptment service if you are told up front. This equipment was a little over a year old and should have been serviced where it was purchased. When a reg is serviced is it customary to change the battery in the computer? Her's went out during her OW lake dives. So much for this loser making her equiptment safe. He also charged her for air fills during class.
And the $89 rental gear fee conveniently changed to an instructors fee when he handed those bills out.I guess he figured he would get my wifes friends $89 one way or the other.
When I called him and told him I thought I knew him better and that this was pretty low he gave me the long line about losing money on classes and using "marketing gimmicks" to keep his low advertised prices looking good. All this after a two year relationship with a FULL set of top of the line equiptment purchase through him with no dickering.
Needless to say all my business goes to a dive shop in Little Rock now, as will further training. I have looked at their literature and it lists out itemized prices on what you have to pay, and lists what gear you will have to own/rent.(BTW this is the shop my wifes friend wanted to go to for training, and I talked her into staying local!!!)
I can understand a charge for equiptment service if you are told up front. This equipment was a little over a year old and should have been serviced where it was purchased. When a reg is serviced is it customary to change the battery in the computer? Her's went out during her OW lake dives. So much for this loser making her equiptment safe. He also charged her for air fills during class.
And the $89 rental gear fee conveniently changed to an instructors fee when he handed those bills out.I guess he figured he would get my wifes friends $89 one way or the other.
When I called him and told him I thought I knew him better and that this was pretty low he gave me the long line about losing money on classes and using "marketing gimmicks" to keep his low advertised prices looking good. All this after a two year relationship with a FULL set of top of the line equiptment purchase through him with no dickering.
Needless to say all my business goes to a dive shop in Little Rock now, as will further training. I have looked at their literature and it lists out itemized prices on what you have to pay, and lists what gear you will have to own/rent.(BTW this is the shop my wifes friend wanted to go to for training, and I talked her into staying local!!!)
Ron Brandt once bubbled...
You are deffinately not talking about Ian Sutherlands operatiion are you?(or is this Ian,or are you really Ian
Who is the new store? Next time I'm in town I would like to drop in.
Ron
Nay, eats note Ians Stoor (bad attempt at a Scotish accent) The store is called Underworld Scuba & Sport, 1841 1/2 Portage Ave. Its on the North side of Portage about 4 blocks west of Polo Park Center. Drop in and have a look around next time your in the city.
P.S. Riders Suck
Go Bombers!=-)
Thanks , I will or at least have a friend of mine and his wife drop in the next time she visits her mother.
Who is running it? What agency ?
P.S. Bombers Suck
Go Riders !=-)Ron
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