What is the line you draw for patronage of a shop?

[bracko]

after I did my OW and AOW in consecutive weekends then went to the red sea to dive I shopped around a few stores and then quickly went back to the store i did my courses at.

2 of 3 stores I will never enter again. the first because they were aggressive and when I made it blatantly clear they were not getting my money that day accused me of shopping around for information then buying it over the internet as i wasn't a "serious shopper". FFS, if I'm spending over $AUD2k I'm not going to do it on a whim, which seemed foreign to the attendant, who did admit he was on a commission basis. email went to said store politely explaining my experience, no reply.

shop 2 decked me out in gear that I specifically said i didn't want (BP&W) because it was "better" [I was still very much a noob] then when it was obvious i was uncomfortable, changed tact and went for the top of the line Mares gear and gave me a price tag of something like $3600 for a complete kit... they signed me up to their social group on the spot and fed me the information about their rescue, DM and instructor courses and showed me how i could be an instructor within 9 months. back.the.hell.off!

Shop 3 were okay but no real feeling to the place, uninterested in me past my $$.

So i guess there are two lines for me... one, aggressive money grabbing and overzealous and two, lack of interest. the LDS is also likely the diving club and is also likely the training institute you spend your precious time and money at, they need to excel at all 3 areas.

 

[lionfish-eater]

I quit using a LDS when I was actually cheated. After returning from a dive trip with perfectly functioning gear, I dropped it off for yearly service. Told it would be ready in two weeks. Went to pick it up after three weeks, but was told it wasn't ready, come back next week. Next week I return, still not ready, but they will have it for me by the end of the week. This time I call before I go. Still not done. I finally told them how I felt instrong language and was promised it would be ready by noon tomorrow. Pick up my reg and I am told that they discovered a small leak in my HP hose for my SP console. The hose was fine for 16 dives the week before I dropped it off. They told me that it only appeared when under high pressure on the bench. It was under 3400 PSI just a few days earlier! They told me they put a new hose on and charged me close to $100. After I paid my bill and was on my way out, I asked about the length of the hose because it seemed a little longer, and I asked if he had my old hose so I could compare them. He said yes it on the bench, he went to hand it to me but he hesitated and had a strange look, he then took a pair of snips and cut the hose. When I asked what that was for he said so I didn't mix them up. I looked him straight in the eye and said my hose never had a leak and you just lost a customer. I knew I was right when he just stood there with nothing to say. I walked out and will never go back.

 

[bracko]

oh, in reference to the service kits for the OP... there may have been more to the story. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that there is an exclusive contract between the equipment supplier and the store so the store doesn't onsell to other shops, obtaining a bulk discount and profit on the side. It's pretty standard in my line of work to do this (I come from experience in setting up maintenance suppliers for heavy equipment)

additionally I think for the store there is some liability in selling kits, if you were a certified repairer surely that would allow you access to the equipment supplier to buy kits directly? I'm not privy to the process of being a certified equipment service tech for diving gear but this is not uncommon elsewhere (pro sound being an example I'm aware of)

 

[mcguiver]

oh, in reference to the service kits for the OP... there may have been more to the story. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that there is an exclusive contract between the equipment supplier and the store so the store doesn't onsell to other shops, obtaining a bulk discount and profit on the side. It's pretty standard in my line of work to do this (I come from experience in setting up maintenance suppliers for heavy equipment)

additionally I think for the store there is some liability in selling kits, if you were a certified repairer surely that would allow you access to the equipment supplier to buy kits directly? I'm not privy to the process of being a certified equipment service tech for diving gear but this is not uncommon elsewhere (pro sound being an example I'm aware of)

That's pretty accurate, very few manufacturers will sell parts to end users and none of them are the big names in the industry. And in most cases there is no question that if any dealer sells parts kits they WILL lose their dealership status.

 

[clownfishsydney]

Do not run down your opposition. Do not try to sell me a brand if I ask specifically for a brand and model and you do not carry.

 

[FuzzyNutz]

Don't show me retractors when I ask for bolt snaps and cave line. Don't show me BC's when I ask for harness webbing. Don't show me trimix computers when I ask for a cheap bottom timer. Don't show me bone saws and machetes when I ask for a small blunt knife. Don't correct my pronunciation of far away destinations with an attitude. Let me use your pool for 30 min after I spend a few hundred bucks. Don't tell me that diving with sharks is stupid, then ask me to dive with sharks at the aquarium.

I think I make it worse for myself though. For example, I went in once looking for snaps, line, and a bottom timer. I knew before I went in that I would probably be shown the retractors and really fancy computers, and/or try to be converted to the style of the masses... and then it played out just like I predicted and I get pissed.

It wouldn't be bad if I asked for a bottom timer and they say something like, "sorry, we don't have any but I can show you these computers or order X in for you." But no, it had to be a "no, you really want a computer and this is what we have, and this is THE ONE you should buy (of course, loaded with all sorts of gadgetry).

And if it's a music store, if the employee knows for a fact that he can order me a midi to 1/4 inch cable, I will walk out and never return. For any music people out there, this one cracks me up the most!!!

 

[fjpatrum]

Wow, thanks for the input folks. I've seen a lot of threads/posts about what people like and don't like about shops and this one has turned out to be more or less the same... no surprise there I guess.

To those commenting on the service parts, yes I know I can not buy kits as an end user. I also know that both of the kits I was looking for are available (or could be assembled from individual parts quickly and cheaply) and the manufacturers of the regs are out of business. There is no manufacturer backing up that claim that they're not allowed to sell the kits because the manufacturer says so. That said, I didn't expect any of my local shops to sell me full kits, even for those regs. I don't want them telling me that I can't service perfectly functional gear that they won't service themselves, however. I get that the shops have liability concerns and I don't want them doing something that could feasibly get them put out of business by lawsuits, but telling me the manufacturer doesn't allow it when I've told you the gear is from a defunct manufacturer is just silly.

I've found places I can buy parts or kits and I've serviced the gear myself, but it would be much easier to do so if I could buy locally, which I actually try to do when it's feasible.

 

[TONY CHANEY]

For me I tend to agree with everything stated by others. I think I have had each and everyone of the mentioned "problems" happen at one time or another. I would like to include the overpriced low filled tanks. Damn, nothing pisses me off more than the damn total tank fill price for a top off and then it is still a low fill when you pick up the tanks. Shop owners should know that divers can get almost any piece of gear online but, not gas fills. No shop will last too long giving divers tanks that are under filled.

 

[turnerjd]

I tend to agree with everybody here. For me a LDS has to feel right. Good knowledgable staff that are friendly. A good atmosphere, and no doubtful commercial tactics.

A LDS that when I come in and browse that doesn't take offense if I don't buy immediately is also essential. If they are awake they will realize that over time I look, think, look again, and eventually buy. Most often from them, very rarely online. Equally, I will treat them correctly by not using them as a fitting room to then buy online. One LDS sales guy thought I was doing this recently, and his boss put him right very quickly, and apologized to me as she has seen me come in regularly over the last few years and knows what I have bought.

Jon

 

[BVickery]

For the whole 'The Manufacturer Doesn't let me" aspect of this post, and please correct me if I am wrong (without flaming), doesn't Scuba Pro and/or Aqualung keep a VERY tight leash on who is allowed to have their service kits? I could have sworn that some people who service their own SP regs would say how they got 'secret' suppliers, yet don't mention the names, or refer to EBay for some.