The Great local dive shop vs. online debate

[USMC Diver]

CincyBengalsFan once bubbled...


I just put in my 2 psi. Sorry to hit such a sore spot with you. LMAO.

LMAO LMAO STILL.

"Ignorance must be battled on every street corner. Let no child be left behind."

I guess this was RichLockyer's battle with you.

 

[CincyBengalsFan]

USMC Diver once bubbled...


"Ignorance must be battled on every street corner. Let no child be left behind."

I guess this was RichLockyer's battle with you.

I guess....

We at least know who doesn't support their LDS. I don't really give a damn anymore. I think it will be funny when people have to purchase their own compressor and maintain it too. Or I know what will happen. Someone in the "DiveTeam" will purchase the compressor and it will get worked to death and never maintained properly. Osha does have 1 regulation regarding air quality with SCUBA. I wonder how many people know about this?

 

[USMC Diver]

CincyBengalsFan once bubbled...


That's exactly put. People wonder where their money goes when the spend it on line or thru a catalog. The money has officailly left your local economy. It went to the fat cats.

Have you guys seen BestScubaPrices on Ebay yet??? Send your money to my local economy...

The internet may not be the "local economy" but it is the Purchasing Economy of the future. If "bestscubaprices.com" can offer me the best service and options then they are going to get my buisness. I am not going to buy a Scubapro Reg when I want an Apeks simply beause that is all the LDS has on stock. They don't have the financial means to make it in this economic battle then they need to back out.

LDS's need to make a paradigm shift from making money of of equipment to making money off training and dive trips/clubs, special offers. Hell, the LDS down the street will buy anyone, any type of gear they want, they will ORDER it for you. Then they go in the back and order it online and mark it up for you. I watched the owner do this for someone that wanted a BCD that the LDS didn't sponsor.

 

[CincyBengalsFan]

USMC Diver once bubbled...


The internet may not be the "local economy" but it is the Purchasing Economy of the future. If "bestscubaprices.com" can offer me the best service and options then they are going to get my buisness. I am not going to buy a Scubapro Reg when I want an Apeks simply beause that is all the LDS has on stock. They don't have the financial means to make it in this economic battle then they need to back out.

LDS's need to make a paradigm shift from making money of of equipment to making money off training and dive trips/clubs, special offers. Hell, the LDS down the street will buy anyone, any type of gear they want, they will ORDER it for you. Then they go in the back and order it online and mark it up for you. I watched the owner do this for someone that wanted a BCD that the LDS didn't sponsor.

NO NO NO BestScubaPrices is a user name on Ebay not a website. He's got some of the best prices on the planet at times. I'm pretty sure he'll have some stuff on there next month for Christmas sales....

The LDS will never be able to make a ton of money off of classes due to independent instructors giving away classes. I know of an instructor at the other dive shop in town that teaches on the side and gives the dag gone classes away. Rescue diver for 75.00 Free Peak Performance Bouyance classes. O/W classes for 100.00 cert. included. I'm sure these are not high qualility classes..But you get my point.

 

[USMC Diver]

CincyBengalsFan once bubbled...

The LDS will never be able to make a ton of money off of classes due to independent instructors giving away classes. I know of an instructor at the other dive shop in town that teaches on the side and gives the dag gone classes away. Rescue diver for 75.00 Free Peak Performance Bouyance classes. O/W classes for 100.00 cert. included. I'm sure these are not high qualility classes..But you get my point.

ff: ff: ff:

This is a completly different conversation now. I agree with your above statement. Dive shops, IDC's in particular, need to regulate who they make instructors and control thier product more. The IDC owner/operator gets greedy for the 1000 doller class fee. The problem is (uhoh her comes the "E" word again) Economics has dictated the laws governing SUPPLY AND DEMAND. There must be a higher level of quality control for instructors. I have seen people go from OW to OWSI in less than 6 months. That person doesn't work for the dive shop and they aren't affiliated with any dive operation. That is what I refer to as "SH&^#ING in your backyard." Greed will always loose to the economic rules of supply and demand.

 

[CincyBengalsFan]

USMC Diver once bubbled...

This is a completly different conversation now. I agree with your above statement. Dive shops, IDC's in particular, need to regulate who they make instructors and control thier product more. The IDC owner/operator gets greedy for the 1000 doller class fee. The problem is (uhoh her comes the "E" word again) Economics has dictated the laws governing SUPPLY AND DEMAND. There must be a higher level of quality control for instructors. I have seen people go from OW to OWSI in less than 6 months. That person doesn't work for the dive shop and they aren't affiliated with any dive operation. That is what I refer to as "SH&^#ING in your backyard." Greed will always loose to the economic rules of supply and demand.

Topic is basicly economics.. But right on!

 

[OneBrightGator]

Give me a break, USMC Diver, you have no earthly clue as to what you're talking about.

USMC Diver once bubbled...
I don't have enough money to make my LDS owner fat and happy (even though most LDS owners around here are portly).

People don't own dive shops because they want to make easy money, they are only trying to make enough money to cover their shop expenses and pay their electric bills with equal markup of every other retail business in town with every other customer coming in and complaining about prices and "I can get this online for this much" and so on.

USMC Diver once bubbled...
I brought four new OW students to the LDS for classes. I do this every two or three months. Do I get anything out of it? NO.

What exactly do you want out of it? Dive classes aren't the money makers, everyone knows that, on top of that you're probably telling them all to buy their stuff online and screw the LDS, you should be lucky you're allowed in your LDS spouting drivel like this.

USMC Diver once bubbled...
They sell PIC cards for 25 dollers when they are 13 online direct from PADI. Just making a buck. If I pay 200 dollers or so for a dive class, why do I still have to pay for AIR? PIC CARD?

13 dollars for PADIPros, not for Joe Average Diver and there's a reason, because Joe Average Diver CAN'T SIGN A PIC CARD so what good is it to him? $200 dollars for a class? Why don't you sit down and figure out how much renting the class space, shop insurance, pool space, equipment, repair, compressor and maintaince, instructor and his insurance would cost and you'd see you're paying about their cost, all while stiffing the instructor. Who cares if they have to buy a weightbelt? They are going to need one at some point, even if they buy a WI BC, and it's twenty freaking bucks, get over it.

USMC Diver once bubbled...
Do your research before you make blanket accusations

Man, that is some sage advice. Get a clue before ranting and raving about something which you obviously have no experience in.

Ben

 

[Laser]

CincyBengalsFan once bubbled...


I hate to hear this for you. But what can you expect with everyone telling everyone about the internet and people all over this board telling people to buy buy buy on-line, etc.

It's ashame that people think so little of themselves that they will buy lifesupport equipment at the cheapest possibly price from someone they have never met and have no idea what type of shape it really is in. These same people preach safety first.....

That life support equipment purchased at the LDS is manufactured at the same place to the same specs by the same people as the life support equipment I get at a fraction of the cost at places other than the LDS. If they were competetive I'd buy locally. Interesting that every internet shop also has a local presence, so they are someone's LDS. I wish there was one in my neighborhood.

 

[OneBrightGator]

USMC Diver once bubbled...
LDS's need to make a paradigm shift from making money of of equipment to making money off training and dive trips/clubs, special offers.

What the hell? You just finished complaining about how costly the classes were, now you're saying they should be INCREASED?

LDS's run trips and have clubs, most people won't spend the money on trips through the shop, even when it's somewhere the club WANTED to go, along your line of thinking why should customers pay more for a trip when they could do it themselves?

Ben

 

[ScottyK]

Putting economics aside, and getting back to the idea of life support......

What about divers in my situation? Between student loans, bills and the generally ridiculous cost of living in the NY metro area, I have a certain set amount I can spend on diving anually.

Do I purchase top of the line gear online, or mid level stuff at my LDS, as it's all that I can afford there, especially with two divers in the family???

Hmmm.... spend the same amount of money, and get the best of the best, or adequate, run of the mill gear????

I obviously buy online, and have yet to see a convincing argument that it's in my best interest to do otherwise. I've also "been there, done that" with regards to offering them the option of matching prices.

Just last weekend I had a problem with Jens BC knife, and had to grab her another one on short notice. I went into the LDS that certified me, and a place where I've probably spent close to $8,000 over the years. He ripped me $45 for a teensy TUSA BC knife that LP has for $17.99. I mentioned to the OWNER that I thought the price was too high, and I'd appreciate a break based on being a long time customer. I got a "take it or leave it" shrug.

Oh well, another customer lost through poor service. He'll probably be the next ex owner on here griping about how unfair life is