Watch out for JoeDiverAmerica.com!

[Diver Dennis]

Yeah, dopey me, I never figured I'd have to go check out all of a web site's contact info first; I'm one of those too trusting kinda guys. After the fact, I checked out www.scubapoll.com and found out they ranked a 1.76 out of 10 as an online merchant of scuba gear. Thirty-eight web sites ranked above them, only two below them. I'm going to post my message on all the scuba forums, plus a number of sites that log complaints about Internet retailers in general.

I agree with the other poster about this poll. You don't have to have ever been to or used a certain company to vote. Scuba Toys is one of the best online companies I have ever used and I'm sure many more people on SB would agree, and yet they rate very low. I didn't see any total voting numbers.

 

[highdesert]

From the website:

Do you have an 800 number?

Sorry, but Joe insists on maintaining "the best value for the dollar" philosophy. "An E-commerce site should be just that - E-commerce, not telephone or phone sales", says Joe. "There are sites that employ teams for phone support that incur telephone and staffing costs and who do you think pays for those costs?" We won't need to pass those costs on to you if we don't incur them. Besides, there's usually less order errors when we have a 'paper trail' to follow.

If sincerly concerned about an order on the internet, then prior to ordering a phone call is in need to ensure that there is no problem. Anytime that a blind order is placed the consumer is at risk and it should be the consumers responsibility to minimize the risk for low cost merchandise. If not...then that is what LDS's are for.

OK, call me an idiot for assuming that I would be able to go to a "Contact Us" page and find a real-time way to do just that. It's been fairly well established in this discussion that it is not the case at the web site in question. Give me my 20 lashes with a wet sea plume for ordering from them on my incorrect assumption.

And given JoeDiver's stated philosophy for not employing an 800 number, his prices should be cheaper by the amount he saves not having one. His prices don't reflect that, so I put no stock in his "excuse". Additionally, I wouldn't care if I had to pay for the call; I would happily have done so had he listed a toll number on his contact page. That would be an up-front way for him to defend his "no phones" philosophy while giving the consumer a choice if the need arose to contact them.

 

[highdesert]

I agree with the other poster about this poll. You don't have to have ever been to or used a certain company to vote. Scuba Toys is one of the best online companies I have ever used and I'm sure many more people on SB would agree, and yet they rate very low. I didn't see any total voting numbers.

If you'll look back at post #20 in this thread you will see that I also agree about Scuba Toys' excellent service. I would have to say they're my #1 goto when I need something. Again, it was only a matter of availability on a given day that caused me to look elsewhere.

 

[Diver Dennis]

I did see that but since you brought up the poll, I was just commenting on it. I don't really have an opinion about JoeDiver.

 

[covediver]

I have read the thread and found it interesting that no one really asks if he went through a LDS first to try to get the items.

Internet commerce is great, ebay has worked pretty well, but I always make it a habit to try local dive stores first, where you not only get a physical location, you get a phone number, name, and a body. And I will not do business with some lds because of their customer service.
I do buy gear over the internet, but not much. Some of it has been High ticket. The items I have have worked very well. When one figures in shipping to the great north it is often break even on the small stuff. It is often a matter of whether the local lds has the stock.

A lot of Ebay stuff is lds selling out the "back door" which still gives you more info than you might get on the web.

Depending on your comfort level, it may be wise not to do business with anyone on the web whose contact info does not contain a phone number and a physical address. E-commerce is great but some things need to be resolved by telephone. There are a lot of sites that seem to want your business, don't take it to a place that does not give you the info you require.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I read the thread.. I cetainly won't be ordering anything from Joe Diver... Why bother?

There are many other reputable companies that provide gear on the web and have demonstrated that they will treat Scubaboard members well.

 

[highdesert]

I have read the thread and found it interesting that no one really asks if he went through a LDS first to try to get the items.

For those of us who live in the sticks, going down to the corner LDS isn't the same deal as for city folk (by that I mean a town that has more than 15,000 people). The web isn't just for giggles; it's a real tool for rural types. I spent about $40,000 on the Web when we built our house, not particularly out of choice.

 

[covediver]

For those of us who live in the sticks, going down to the corner LDS isn't the same deal as for city folk (by that I mean a town that has more than 15,000 people). The web isn't just for giggles; it's a real tool for rural types. I spent about $40,000 on the Web when we built our house, not particularly out of choice.

I guess I still think of Anchorage as "rural" with moose running through the yard, although we certainly are not the "bush" as the term is used up here. I guess it, like "rural" is a relative term.

E-commerce being impersonal means the old marketplace maxim "buyer beware" applies even more.

I do a fair amount of purchasing on the internet, its great for us "non-rural, non-bush" types at the far end of the retail supply chain. When I do, I try to deal with businesses that have a real store as well as a cyber presence, for the reason you describe. For me, if they can't ship by USPS I won't do business as USPS Priority tends to be the least expensive to here. Until recently everything had to go by next day air.

I love dealing with businesses that say "we only ship to the continental US" by asking them, "what continent do you think Alaska is on?"

I so share your frustration with poor customer service, especially as it relates to dive equipment and a Christmas gift to boot! I do hope that you get the gear you want and enjoy it when you do.

 

[ScubaMilo]

Highdessert,

Did you ever get a response from them?

Milo

 

[highdesert]

Highdessert,

Did you ever get a response from them?

Milo

They claim in their response in this thread that maybe their e-mail, if they sent one, got screened by my e-mail system. I heard nothing like a firm response of, "We e-mailed you on this date and here's what we said." And no phone call. So it appears at this point that I still have received no response. Additionally, in my original contact of them I asked for a credit to my card, which takes but a few keystrokes. Twelve days later, there had been no action, so I initiated a claim of charged-for but undelivered merchandise to my credit card company, and they handled it from their end.