LDS - They have a bad attitude.

[SteveBF]

Boy I feel pretty fotunate... My LDS has been nothing but great to me... maybe b/c I did my OW with them but I have brought them used gear to inspect and even brought in a reg and octo that my wife got me for christmas from Divers Supply (they are NOT an Oceanic dealer and told me they couldn't perform service on it) but they were happy to install a low pressure line... I have, however, bought a lot of my equipment from them... My instructor also works there as sales staff and he always treats me like a long lost friend when I show up. On the other hand... I have heard ALOT of the local divers here say they hate the place but I've never had a bad experience there and will continue to give them my business... at least until they piss me off.

Anyway maybe they are not all bad!

Cheers!
Steve

 

[redacted]

Really? Because you can buy gas for a car most anywhere.


I see the LDS as a gas station, they don't make much on the gas but it's the other items that keep brick and mortar stores open. Of course there's never a good excuse for being rude for the sake of being rude.

I guess this is a shot at the old where will you get your tanks filled argument

I'm not in a terribly popular diving area yet I find I have a number of choices for getting tanks filled. Most of my dive destinations have local fill capabilities, some independent of any LDS. And, when all the LDSs are gone (I don't see that happening), I guess I will buy my own compressor or turn to an independent dive club that has a compressor. I just don't see that anyone should put up with, never mind support, bad dive shops just so the shop will be there to pump gas if they so choose.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

I guess this is a shot at the old where will you get your tanks filled argument

I'm not in a terribly popular diving area yet I find I have a number of choices for getting tanks filled. Most of my dive destinations have local fill capabilities, some independent of any LDS. And, when all the LDSs are gone (I don't see that happening), I guess I will buy my own compressor or turn to an independent dive club that has a compressor. I just don't see that anyone should put up with, never mind support, bad dive shops just so the shop will be there to pump gas if they so choose.

We had four LDS's including the one I worked at last year. There is one now. Better start saving your pennies for a compressor, O2 bottle rentals, analyzer, purity tests, hyper filters.....

 

[redacted]

We had four LDS's including the one I worked at last year. There is one now. Better start saving your pennies for a compressor, O2 bottle rentals, analyzer, purity tests, hyper filters.....

I figured you were an LDS insider.

When one cow gives you all the milk you need, why would you want to feed four of them?

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

I figured you were an LDS insider.

When one cow gives you all the milk you need, why would you want to feed four of them?

Oh that's a hoot. I said there was one left, I didn't say how long it would be before he folded. I wish him the best of luck. I also think you seriously underestimate the cost and equipment of the average fill station, I'm sure you know best in which direction the industry is taking so keep working with that

 

[smurf doc]

We had four LDS's including the one I worked at last year. There is one now. Better start saving your pennies for a compressor, O2 bottle rentals, analyzer, purity tests, hyper filters.....

Do the places that fill the medical tanks have the same standards as those that fill Scuba tanks? I'm guessing they do, but I'm not 100%.

When I worked EMS for a private company in Trenton, NJ we would periodically drop off the empty oxygen tanks at a local business and pick up full tanks. I'm assuming they can do the same thing with air.

If those places can fill Scuba tanks then you probably have more options than you think. It'll just take a little bit of research to find them.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

Do the places that fill the medical tanks have the same standards as those that fill Scuba tanks? I'm guessing they do, but I'm not 100%.

When I worked EMS for a private company in Trenton, NJ we would periodically drop off the empty oxygen tanks at a local business and pick up full tanks. I'm assuming they can do the same thing with air.

If those places can fill Scuba tanks then you probably have more options than you think. It'll just take a little bit of research to find them.

Yes, aviator grade and medical grade can typically be purchased from the same gas supplier.

 

[redacted]

Oh that's a hoot. I said there was one left, I didn't say how long it would be before he folded. I wish him the best of luck. I also think you seriously underestimate the cost and equipment of the average fill station, I'm sure you know best in which direction the industry is taking so keep working with that

While divers may have to go through some temporary inconveniences, I just don't believe that any area with a viable diving population is going to be left without services to support the activity. Sure, areas that have few divers and little to no local diving may end up with no services; but areas that supported 3, 4, or 5 shops are not just going to be left permanently without scuba support. The 2 shops in my area that are still working out of a high of 5 shops seem to be doing reasonably well so I doubt if I will get to test my theory. Maybe you will be able to test it, but I doubt it. In FL, it basically looks like a question of whether it will be a 1 gallon of gas trip or 2 or 3.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

While divers may have to go through some temporary inconveniences, I just don't believe that any area with a viable diving population is going to be left without services to support the activity. Sure, areas that have few divers and little to no local diving may end up with no services; but areas that supported 3, 4, or 5 shops are not just going to be left permanently without scuba support. The 2 shops in my area that are still working out of a high of 5 shops seem to be doing reasonably well so I doubt if I will get to test my theory. Maybe you will be able to test it, but I doubt it. In FL, it basically looks like a question of whether it will be a 1 gallon of gas trip or 2 or 3.

When supply goes down price tends to rise. It's just economics. Hope it all works out for you

 

[Medicdiver0125]

I have about 6 LDS in my area and I use 2 of them regularly, and receive very good service from both. I have been to all of them in my area and only one had bad service.

I also buy stuff online, but I found that my main LDS will come within a few dollars of online prices.