The Great local dive shop vs. online debate

[OkieDiver]

This was a JOKE - right?

.....scubapro sells online and in catalogs under the name of TUSA.

If not you might want to check your sources.

 

[Scrappy Doo]

LDS all the way baby!

They provide me with outstanding service, pricing, a place to hang out, diving, air fills, education, we watch movies, play PS2, share stories and most of all they are my friends.

We all have gone around with the LP, diversdiscount, ETC…..but the bottom line is my dive shop works with me and every customer I have seen walk through their door. It is a give and take relationship and I will admit I was doing all the taking and none of the giving. I soon realized what a valuable asset my LDS was and the fact they were doing all they could for me I started doing more for them. I started bringing my friends in to buy and take classes. I felt like I was a part of the dive shop and started promoting them to my non-diving buddies that I have been egging on to get certified. They are not becoming rich in no means, but we are all smiling having a good time and that is what it boils down too. You CAN NOT get that from an on-line seller, period!

The shop I am with does sell on-line, but you need to ask for a quote and Chris gets involved with every sale. It is just like if you walked into his shop. Everything has to have a personal touch and prices vary. If he can get a good deal from a vendor he passes it on to the customer, if his hands are tied he will tell you. Truly a great place to hang out, buy equipment from and be a part of.

To each his own on how they go about purchasing equipment, maybe I am in left field, don’t know. All I know is I am happy and having FUN…..thanks to my LDS!

 

[okiediver1]

I have learned the hard way--use your local dive shop because they will service your equipment and give you information that the internet cannot give. You will pay more for this, but it will be worth it in the long run.

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Krisscuba once bubbled...
Sounds like Redleg is in Bens shop.

the joke there was that when you went into his shop, he would dive so deep and so fast into your wallet you would get the Bens, (BENDS).

I have been certified since 74 and have dozens of instructor certs. I stay as far away from dive shops as possible. I do not remember the last tiem I was in a dive shop or bought air from one. I live in Florida and one of my local dive sites is Morrison Springs. The shop has no gear for sale, and very little for rent. Thye provide air fills and diving. Often I fill tanks therer and take the boat out somewhere else. I have 7 tsanks due hydro. I have never taken one to a dive shop, I take them to to local fire safety/inspection place etc.

If you get involved in the local vol fire dept/rescue. they have a compressor. Normally a compressor that would darf a dive shops. After all when there is a fire, several truck have to get a hundred cylinders charged very quickly.

I am angry with that piece of garbage mag Dive Training. The crap on the back page about suportiing your local dive shop. It is not my responability to support a dive shop. It is the shops responability to make me want to come in. Unfortuantly, a lot o fland locked dive shops only chance at making money is to nail the first timer for gear and leasons. Shops in Hawwaii and the Keys have very little gear for sale. They know you will rent it regular when you go diving, even if only once a month. Email Dive training at divetraing@spc-mag.com

Great places to buy gear online are divers direct and discount divers.they also offer instrucotr discounts.

the smae is bothering me about the expiration of c card garbage. Supported by dive shops to ofset their failing business ability. The industry started regulating itself with Open water certifications and instructor certifications to prevent the government from getting involved. If the shops do not stop,.. we will have to ask the government to step in to restrict the regulations!

You can buy the same gear online, scubapro sells online and in catalogs under the name of TUSA.

I am not asking for the 25 cent airfill to come back, but, perhaps it is time to bring back the traditional dive club. Dive clubs did not start with dive shops putting on a meeting trying to well trips. It begain with a group of divers pooling gear to dive. Perhaps we need to start a dive club and aquire a compressor.

Anyone interested in such a club in the Florida pan handle, please let me know.
The dive flags up and I think i have the bugs out of the outboard, so I amm heading up the Mills Pond run in Marrrianna, I havd to abort the past two days. An aborted trip on the water is better then dreaming of it in a landlocked/Midwest locations

Tanks

Drop me a line, go on a road trip and lets go diving.

Check out Vortex web site, they are about 7 miles from me, they have web cams.

www.vortexspring.com

Kris

Wow, sounds like you have a bad taste in your mouth... Unfortunately, only a few things of way you said is true. Your reply was loaded with more crap than I have ever read on scubaboard.

You, sir, have NO idea what the he** you are talkin about..

TUSA stands for TABATA USA. They are a Japanese company that makes their own equipment... Scubapro doesnt make this stuff for them.... You, my friend, need to get your FACTS straight before you start flappin your mouth...

PM me if you would like to discuss this further...


Chuck

 

[Laser]

$180 Fins?? Yikes.

 

[LUBOLD8431]

this is actually the retail price for alot of fins, Mares Volo fins MSRP is $189. SHerwood Trek MSRP is 175, Aqualung V Tek split fin MSRP is $185...

Of course, NOBODY sells them online for MSRP. They can actually sell these fins online for 10% above cost...

Dive shops can not survive on 10 % above cost. Markups are generally more than that for everything in a dive shop. Most LDS's should also provide you with outstanding customer service and some type of return policy...

Our return policy is 60 days... if used, store credit; still new, unused, in original packaging, money back. We know we cant compete with the internet, but we try to make up the difference with service, and our knowledge of the product...

 

[Krisscuba]

You dive shops with your panties in a bunch need to get off scuba board. Your clowns.

Real divers have severd the cords

Anyone in the US can buy gear wholesale, i.e. Masks for $12 - $18 that you sell for $75 - $105.

Some of you shops get together and but them for $5 ea in Qty of 3,000.


You can ppick a dozen manufacturers, or so called manufactures and they all have their gear made buy the same company in Tiawna.

i.e. the dive shop at least four in georgia do it, have spec s and buy Qty's.

 

[LUBOLD8431]

First of all buddy, this is the US of A. Everyone has a right to their opinion. Just because I work at a shop doesnt mean I dont have a right to post on SB. You can take that comment and shove it.

Secondly, you dont seem to know your a$$ from a hole in the ground... Why dont you try to get your facts straight buddy...

Wholesale on masks is a he!! of alot more than 8-12. You are smoking crack...

Why dont you stay off SB until your IQ goes up a few points...

Also, there may be some shops who buy together to get better prices, but that would be stupid, because if you are an authorized dealer, and dont make purchases, you will lose the dealership. I dont think Scubapro would think very fondly of having an unathorized dealer selling scubapro regs, bcs, and computers...

Your comments make no sense...


You sir are the CLOWN!!!!!!




P.S.-- our masks sell for $52-65...

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Krisscuba once bubbled...

Some of you shops get together and but them for $5 ea in Qty of 3,000.
i.e. the dive shop at least four in georgia do it, have spec s and buy Qty's.

The Dive SHop is a chain, and its all owned by the same person...

LDS that are chains would most likely get a better price from the manufacturer, just because of the sheer numbers they would be doin... There is nothing wrong with that. Most LDS's would then pass the savings onto the consumer. Saving them money.

But what you are saying is inaccurate. We dont get a mask for $8 and then sell it for $75. That just doesnt happen...

 

[scubasean]

Redleg once bubbled...
Hello I recently signed up for a diving class through my local dive shop. After purchasing a set of personal gear from the shop which was required because I had received a discounted price on the class. When I arrived home I wanted to do a comparison of some prices. I managed to find almost every piece of equipment I puchased from the store for drastically lower prices (The fins that the diveshop charged me $180 were $80 online, The $80 mask from the dive shop was $25 online) I am by no means a cheap person I wanted some quality equipment however almost every piece of equipment I bought from the store was at least 50% cheaper online. Needless to say since my only source of information on equipment was from the dive shop I felt that I had basically been RIPPED off by what I believed to be some very helping and kind people. The next day I returned to the dive shop to try to reach some type of agreement. Ideally I would of wanted the shop to match the price that I had found at another retailer but I was willing to agree to a 10% markup due to the reccomendations, service and support that you just can't get from an online dealer. However when I walked into the shop which had an ALL SALES ARE FINAL disclaimer on the announcement board (which was not there the day before). The manager became very defensive when I informed him/her about the price difference between what I was charged and what I could purchase the same equipment for online. After being told there is no way they will change the price I was sold the items for I asked if I could make an exchange for a cheaper set of personal gear to use as a back up which they also refused to do. I consider myself a huge supporter of local business and will always go out of my way to shop at a Mom and Pop style store there is a customer service and an expertise that you get that these large retailers normaly just can't match (in most cases). The Manager also informed me that these online retailers are running all the little businesses out of the water (no pun intended). Is this true that most of these small businesses just can't compete with these huge online dealers? Is it also standard practice in the small diving shop community to have a no return or exchange policy? I would like to support my local business but I am also a consumer who is going to look for the best possible deal. With most online dealers I at least have a 30 day money back guarantee, I aslo would have saved hundreds of dollars? This has been a very disappointing start to what was obviously a very exciting beginning in the sport of diving

Well, your first line said that you had received a discounted price on the class. How much of a discount? If you had bought online, the price of the class would have been whatever full price is, right?

Also, had you bought the items online, you wouldn't have tried those items on first at the LDS would you? That wouldn't be fair....So, you mask might not have fit, the fins might not have been the right size, etc.

Last, I'm skeptical of the sign "All Sales Final" that you say appeared before you went to return the gear but wasn't there when you bought the gear....Although my LDS seems to have a liberal return policy, I would respect their decision to have an "All Sales Final" policy, if that was their business decision.

Just my .02...

--Sean