ItsBruce:
I agree, drop the class and demand a refund. Call PADI even if you get a refund.
BTW: The #1 rule is "Don't inhale water."
I disagree bruce
Rule # 1 is : Always keep the amount of descents & Ascents equal, else you might be having problems
For this issue, being a LDS Owner myself, i admit that this attitude is really wrong, many guys have different techniques and so forth, but every course is different. It's true that some commercial divers, or tek divers or DIR or whatever else have a way of doing,.
But i also have the feeling that they are wise enough to accept the fact that the basic course stays basic, and that the training provided is a first level, therefore they won't start hitting all their "science" into the head of their partner after the first dive...
If The attitude of the shop is wrong according to the PADI Standards you may use the Quality assurance process to try and make a move on them, from a store point of view or an instructor point of view it certainly might have them twitch.
As per the payment etc, talk to the business owner with your wife being present, in a calm office space or so, and try to see what he says. If he sticks to his "super knowledge", let him know about your disapointment and how you feel that the training is not up to the standards etc that first you expected, secondly that you know directly from padi source... see how he reacts to that. Don't hesitate to let him know about your own personal feelings about this issue, it's not because you're a qualified diver that you need to take **** from him... and as someone said, he might have felt "diminished" by you... in this case he just has to master it as any pro would do it, and as you might have done in front of other much more qualified professionals in your dive life beforehand (no?).
If he doesn't budge an inch, well... QA with PADI, call the main office, explain, but get names, dates, and witnesses of the discussions if you can, so that they can't confront you ... In my view the DC should never let this happen, because it's such bad publicity, and really... it gives the whole diving industry a bad name...