New diver getting my certification, is my instructor doing it wrong?

[flots am]

I returned the rental gear back today. He wouldn't sign off that I returned it in good condition, which I did. I had to hire a master diver to help show me how to properly clean the gear. My major question is does any body know exact violations from naui he broke? Specifically, having me be in a pool for only 30-45 minutes. Asking me to stay alone in the open water without an instructor. Not covering my dive injury. Not showing me entry and exit for open water. Not knowing how to use my gear. BC with a leak in it. Keeping me in the water when I complained of ear pain (now have water in my ear and 3 ear infections). I need these regulations to get back my 3000 dollars. Please help!

Just file a complaint with your credit card company and they'll take care of it.

flots.

 

[crosshairs]

I need these regulations to get back my 3000 dollars. Please help!

OMG!!!!!! you really need to name this guy......$3000.00 for what you described is criminal ....you could have taken a weeks vacation and got certified in the Caribbean for less money

 

[TSandM]

The class you signed up for would cost $250 at our local dive shop, plus whatever you had to spend for mask, fins, booties, and gloves (maybe, at worst, another 300) and the price of PADI materials (maybe another $150). Heck, the GUE open water class, which is one of the longest and most expensive open water classes you could take, only runs in the neighborhood of $1000. You have been royally scammed.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

3000??? How could you spend that kind of money without researching costs?

This guy is a crook.You have not been scammed you have been robbed. If it is credit card payment you have to bock the transaction. Besides reporting I would also recommend that you post his guys complete details on scubaboard so that we know who to avoid. He is fraud, dangerous and criminal!

After reading this post I am thinking of making a website of scam scuba instructors along with their horror stories.

 

[261311]

Not to make you feel bad but my posts were made on the basis of my own experience, especially according to 'two wrongs not making a right'. I assumed your course fees were reasonably similar to mine (total of $250+tax CAD, that gets you course, material and instructor and gear rentals for the duration). $3000 I'm sure I don't need to tell you is highway robbery and you need a refund on every penny of that.

I agree with Quero, call NAUI- you don't need to know any of the regulations violated, if you had a poor time learning or understanding the material and the instructor wouldn't help you is basis to call them, and that's if they weren't putting your life in danger and charging you copious amounts of money doing so. I'd be surprised if NAUI didn't investigate him and attempt to reach out to others certified underneath him to compare experiences and see if he's able to be charged in a criminal manner.

 

[vincent54]

In Bailey's defense, how would one know what a fair fee would be? Most people would go to a shop that is near where they live, and may not even question the fee because there is nothing to compare it to. I think the certifying agency should know and act accordingly, it undermines the credibility of other shops having this particular person operating this way. Good Luck and enjoy your vacation.

 

[261311]

Personally speaking, a few hundred dollars- I'm fine with spending on a service and can accept if I see the cost/ benefit as worth it. You start talking thousands and I go, ok wow- what do others charge? I did that with gear even.

 

[Colliam7]

I returned the rental gear back today. He wouldn't sign off that I returned it in good condition, which I did. I had to hire a master diver to help show me how to properly clean the gear.

This situation seems so extraordinary, I am having a bit of concern. There is just something strange about the whole situation. I have never heard of a shop forcing someone to hire another person to help them clean gear. And, a sum of $3000 for OW training, even private lessons complete with gear purchase (not just rental) seems absurd.

My major question is does any body know exact violations from naui he broke? Specifically, having me be in a pool for only 30-45 minutes. Asking me to stay alone in the open water without an instructor. Not covering my dive injury. Not showing me entry and exit for open water. Not knowing how to use my gear. BC with a leak in it. Keeping me in the water when I lcomplained of ear pain

I agree that the best course is to call the NAUI number provided earlier, and simply relate your experience. Before you call, you may want to make notes, about a) exactly what specific skills you practiced in the pool, b) the precise sequence of events at the ocean Site, c) how far the instructor was from you when you were left alone in the water, d) exactly what he did, and in what time interval, after you complained of pain in your ear, and e) the specific words he used when you expressed concern.

The amount of time in the pool is not the issue. Rather, WHAT was and was not covered in the pool (eg gear assembly and use, entry / exit procedures, etc.) is the issue. You described a situation of being left alone, UNDERWATER. A detailed description of that is critical. The 'leaky' BCD will probably not garner much attention, nor will your assessment of whether he 'covered your injury', or how many ear infections you have (I am intrigued that you have '3'). What would garner attention would be a physician's statement of your medical conditions, related to the event.

NAUI will not pass judgment simply on the basis of your side of the story - the organization will ask the instructor for his recollection of events. The more specific, detailed, and accurate you can be, the better the chances you have of helping them conduct a competent investigation. Don't embellish, don't exaggerate. Be objective, dispassionate (but firm), and have the facts.[

I need these regulations to get back my 3000 dollars.

NAUI will probably NOT be able to help you with a refund (although mentioning the exact amount - and exactly what it was supposed to cover - will help them get a 'big picture'). For that issue, you probably need to work with your credit card company, and the local Better Business Bureau. It will help if NAUI pursues a QA action against the instructor. Don't expect to this to happen quickly.

 

[danvolker]

So how many shops are there in Los Angelos that are NAUI and where this could have been the shop???

 

[Quero]

So how many shops are there in Los Angelos that are NAUI and where this could have been the shop???

LA is a big place, so it could be any one of a number of them, but I found a small one (for which the only instructor listed on the website is the owner) that requires the same kind of purchase that Bailey was asked to make (what struck me was the requirement to buy a hood), and the course price is listed as about $300, so maybe she just made a typo and added an additional zero:

THE COST FOR [Dive Center Name withheld] SCUBA DIVER CERTIFICATION COURSE IS;

$299.00, which includes the following:

1. All classroom materials online or hard copies including dive planning tables.
2. Rental Gear consist of a wetsuit, BCD, tank, weights and air delivery system for the duration of the class
3. Log book
4. Worldwide Diver certification card upon completion

THERE ARE ADDITIONAL COSTS;
Two open water boat trips are required. These boat trips vary from $75.00 to $135.00 per trip, depending upon which boat trip you choose, contact the dive professionals at [Dive Center Name withheld]. The student is responsible for purchasing their personal snorkeling package which includes mask, fins, snorkel, hood, gloves, booties and a gear bag. These items need to be purchased before the start of the first confined pool session.