Using LDS for a fitting room

[MXGratefulDiver]

How's that for playing both sides of the field?

... and a mean sax to boot!



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[scottsax]

... and a mean sax to boot!



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

:blush:

Aw, shucks...!

 

[sharknut]

i buy my wet sutis at the LDS, i like to make sure the fit is right and i like support my local stores

 

[Whitewatermike]

3- Good going
4- Why would they do that, it is absurd and would tell them I'd never shop there again in my life. Seriously, If I buy a Honda in NY and try to service it in NJ, why would the mechanic in NJ tell me he won't accept it there. Same principle applies. I'm always amazed by the stupidity of some LDS and sometimes the way they are truly dangerous to some divers.
5- Can you seriously think it's unbiased if the sell only that brand/model and even if they are honest people they will be subconsciously or partially biased.

I appreciate your feeback Seraphimx, but let me expand on my perspective:

I didn't mean to imply that this was a good business practice, nor do I agree with it, but the two shops I frequent operate like this. It does little or nothing to earn that person's business. Right or wrong, my LDS would rather you learned what a hassle it can be to get service through an online store, as opposed to a dive shop, so maybe next time you buy from someone who makes your post-sales experience painless.

I'm not sure buying a car is quite a fair comparison. If you send a piece of dive equipment in for warranty repair, the dive shop incurs handling cost and makes no money unless they are charging you for repairs. An auto-dealer is going to make money on the repairs, where the LDS may simply be filling out paperwork, getting a return authorization, boxing, shipping, receiving back the gear, and then calling you to come pick it up.

I did not say, "unbiased." Certainly almost anyone, in any business, will give preference to the brand of merchandise from which they profit. I said, "honest," and framed it as coming from someone with actual experience with a particular piece of gear. I believe the best way to evaluate gear is to try it for yourself. Many dive shops will let you do that. Just the other day, I was considering a pair of Mares Razor free-diving fins and the shop owner told me to try his personal pair first. His motivation most likely being that he wants me to make sure they work for me first, before I plop down $125 and then come back unhappy that I didn't like them. In another instance, I lost a weight pocket. I went to order a replacement and the shop owner pulled one out from under the counter, handed it to me, and said, "don't lose another one!" Would he do that for anybody? Certainly not, but at least you can build that sort of relationship with an LDS that is not possible with online stores. What is service like that worth?

Most dive shops, are small businesses with the flexibility to negotiate pricing. I've gotten fair-to-excellent prices on just about everything I've bought from my LDS. Most shops, I would hope, want to build loyal customers rather then snatch a quick sale. In this age of information, if someone gets screwed on a purchase, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Personally, if I were a shop owner and someone brought me defective gear they bought online, I would take care of them and use it as an opportunity to show them why they should have bought it from me in the first place.