LDS Charging to TRY ON wetsuits???

[FlyingPig]

I would understand why dive shops do this, but I do not agree with the practice.
Unless you are a warehouse that quarantees to have the right wetsuit for a person, this is just a dishonest and unethical practice.
It's pretty easy to find a wetsuit that fits me. I'm of "regular" shape. But even that, I have only purchased from 50% of the shops I tried something on. I can imagine how difficult it would be for someone with less mainstream shape or for ladies.
There is no adjustment for the fit, you have to find something that's pretty damn near 100% for you.

If you are one of the unlucky ones to be near one of those shops, I would suggest not putting up with it. Either find other shops or locate the nearest warehouse or distributor.

Everything else I would buy without try on, but never the wetsuit. I find a wetsuit that fit and I buy.

 

[FlyingPig]

BTW, to combat this poor practice. Buy them all and try them on at home. Take them back if they don't fit. If they refuse to take it back, cancel the charge on the credit card. Let credit card company deal with the dishonest folks over there.

 

[KarolinaKid]

...
Show of hands ... how many will pay to try on clothes in a store??? Anyone?????????

Not me...EVER.

The only suit I ever tried on in a shop I bought. While looking at it and the detailed sizing information on the tag to determine how it might fit, the owner walked up and said "If you find one that fits, I'll take 20% off the price". So, I tried it on to be sure, and bought it. Did he make money? Yes. Was I happy to get a discount? Yes. Was the price competitive with the 20% discount? Yes. Could I have still saved a few bucks online? Yes. However, the gap between LDS price and online price had been reduced to reasonable.

Remembering back to my shopping during OW training, I asked the LDS associate that was assisting me why the price was so different on a set of fins I had picked...after all, being a smart shopper I had looked online to get a ball-park budget established. I was told that if I bought the fins online the shops insurance would not cover me using them in their pool while I was taking OW class. So, being new to diving and not wanting to get "the look" again for continuing that line of questioning and wanting to be "safe", I paid $65 more for the same set of fins...lesson learned quickly thereafter.

Not the same shop I bought the wetsuit from by the way...

 

[mdb]

This store is well known as a retail + store. Those who like it will take the full price offer.

 

[vladimir]

I was told that if I bought the fins online the shops insurance would not cover me using them in their pool while I was taking OW class.

After all, how could they guarantee the integrity of your fins--and therefore your safety--if they were purchased online? Makes perfect sense. The DAN incident files are replete with cases of death and injury due to disintegrating fins during pool sessions.

 

[Seraphimx]

I have an update! I just found out that not only does the Aquatic Center of Rochester charge $25 to try on a wetsuit, but they also charge $50 if you'd like to try on a drysuit. I asked if it was refundable or credited toward a purchase of either and they said "Yes. As long as you buy a wetsuit or drysuit from us within 24 hours." OMG I can't understand how they're still in business.

On a brighter note, I called Pisces , the alternate LDS. I inquired about any charges that applied toward trying things on. He laughed and said, "Trying things on is free. Why would we charge to try things on?" I told him about the Aquatic Center and he said, "They're crazy. That place is full retail. We do our best to actually compete with internet prices."
When it's time to visit the LDS, guess which one I'll go to?

Wow, and if you had to take a day to think about it? No 25$?

2 words: Retarded Practice

 

[Davemohio]

25 dollars to try on a wetsuit..

I do not use my LDS as a fitting room either. If I try something on, I have intentions to purchase.

My reaction would be: My jaw would drop.

Then I would walk out.

 

[Brissy Diver]

I can understand them charging to try on the wetsuit especially with so many people using the LDS as a fitting room, but I have to agree that they should give it as credit if you purchase it there.

$25 is not a bad amount when you think about it, it will take 30 minutes of the staff's time to get the right suit, try it on give advice and so without consider any of the overheads.

 

[mike_s]

well... I personally think the LDS wouldn't have this issue if they would have competitive prices. It sounds like to me that the reason they can't sell a wetsuit is that their prices are WAY too high.

All they are doing with this is ticking off more customers, who will then go and buy online or elsewhere, but not in their shop.


Business practices at some dive shops simply amaze me sometimes......

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Not to try and hijack the thread, but while we're on the subject of LDS's and pilfering from customers here's a little thing that happened to me along those lines.

I broke the purge cover on a scubapro reg.
I took it in to LDS to have them order me another one.
They made a call to SP and found out that body parts for a G200 are no longer available (1998 model).
But they said SP has an upgrade kit but one of the conditions to be able to get one under warranty is that you have to prove you brought your reg in for service annually or else you can't get one covered. I skipped a few years here and there so therefore I would have to pay over $300 for this new body kit.
I told the shop thanks anyway I'll look for one elsewhere maybe on e-bay or whatever and so could I have my reg back please. They said I had to pay them something for their efforts to find me a purge cover before they would hand my reg back to me, even though it was a 5 minute phone call to SP which is their job as a dealer anyway. They charged me $8.00 and I walked out the same as I walked in, with a broken reg and no part, less the money I needed for lunch. There were no other customers in the store at the time so they didn't lose a damn thing by trying to help me. And also, that was the shop I bought all my stuff from originally at full price. It's not so much the $8.00 it was more the principal of the thing, and then they wonder why the attitude?
Yeah, thank you very much for nothing and screw you too!

Next day I put something up on scubaboard about it and the next thing I know I have two of them in the mail from fellow SB'ers.

From now on whenever I walk into an LDS where ever it may be I'm going to ask straight off if they charge to try on wetsuits or other gear and do they charge to see about ordering parts wether they can get me a part or not, and see their reaction.