WHAT!! you didn't buy from me!!!!!

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Scuba once bubbled...
Unless you walk in for the first time, and without buying anything, your LDS gives you free stuff or provides a free service in the hopes of enticing you back, (It is the duty of the business to attract and keep customers) whatever freebies you get are probably bought and paid for - bundling.

Agree...and I think the reason people feel differently about this ultimately comes down to a difference in personalities.

It would appear that some people in this thread walk in to a store wth a massive chip on their shoulder just looking for a reason to walk out angry and hurt.

Every relationship is give and take and every relationship involves compromise. With my LDS, I trusted the guys I was talking to...they had come with good recommendations from my buddies. I browsed the store a number of time without buying while they answered all my questions without ever getting pressure to buy.

Now, after having spent some money there, we have an implicit understanding between responsible business and loyal customer. I buy a drysuit and say "you guys will throw in the drysuit cert. into this price won't you?" and they say "of course...whaddidya think?"

Did I have to make the first move? Yes. Is that the way it should be...I don't know. Obviously, in the minds of some of the people who have posted to this thread, I, and customers like me are part of the problem in perpetuating poor LDS service. So be it. I try to be a good customer and a good business parter and if that means that I have to be the one to take the first step partially on the basis of good faith and little more...again, so be it.

This is just my personality. I don't yell at the people at the airline ticketing desk about the flight being late when there is nothing they can do about the weather. But, I know people who do and I don't doubt for a second that some people who have posted to this thread would accuse the airlines of terrible service in such circumstances.

Life is too short for me to get involved in that kind of silliness. I'd rather go dive.
 
Its all relevant in today's market. My point is that some domestic industries have survived intense competition by providing customer service and value. Quality must always be measured against price. My frustration is that while I would much prefere to spend my money locally, the local choices are so expensive and unwilling to deal with price that I can't justify spending the extra. I would like the kind of shop available to me that some posters have.
 
This is just my personality. I don't yell at the people at the airline ticketing desk about the flight being late when there is nothing they can do about the weather. But, I know people who do and I don't doubt for a second that some people who have posted to this thread would accuse the airlines of terrible service in such circumstances.

Airlines are legendary for lying to their customers about the cause of delays.

They do it out of the profit motive - a little-known fact (which is going away as the paper ticket disappears) is that you can endorse a ticket over to ANY airline, and if it is on the same route, they can recover from the issuer the face value!

So, here you are in Chicago, with a flight due to leave for LA. Its on United. They KNOW they have a mechanical problem with the plane and it will be an hour late leaving - if it leaves at all.

Two concourses over, American has a flight going to LA 30 minutes later.

Now, as the United Gate agent, do you tell the truth, and have me, as the customer, turn around and walk down the two concourses, fly standby on the American plane - and have your company EAT the price of my ticket? Remember, that really didn't cost your company anything (you didn't take me anywhere if that happens), but you WILL have to fork up the money to American.

Or you can lie. You can tell me the plane is boarding "in 15 minutes", and that they are just about done solving the problem.

If you do that, and I buy it, I sit there and wait. The American flight departs. You now have my stuck in a box, and even if the plane NEVER leaves the ground, you have my money.

So sorry, so sad, so nice.

Think this doesn't happen DAILY? It certainly does! In fact, its part and parcel of these "agents" TRAINING to lie to their customers in such a situation.

You want to see me get mad at an airline counter? Lie to me about the status of the flight and by doing so keep me from getting where I need to go, and you will make an enemy out of me.

The Federal Government recently started threatening to FINE carriers over these practices. Their "solution"? Getting rid of paper tickets so that you no longer have anything to endorse over! So, in response to the government stepping in AS IT SHOULD and keeping people from LYING for financial gain, the companies again, instead of responding to the problem, eliminate their cause of concern.

Oh yeah, now you'll get the truth about the delay once the paper tickets have gone the way of the dinosaur. You just won't be able to do a damn thing about it.
 
yknot once bubbled...
In respects to LDS's in Florida, why do you think the service and prices are so poor?......... What this should show is that what we have been led to believe with basic economics- supply and demand, excellent customer service overcoming poor prices, etc. doesn't apply to scuba vendors in some markets.

Dalton's Law of Stupid Supply (DLSS) - "There is no end to the supply of stupid people willing to stand in line to do something for an ever decreasing dollar amount if a) they think it is fun; or b) it strokes their ego."

Dave D.
 
Genesis once bubbled...


Airlines are legendary for lying to their customers about the cause of delays.

They do it out of the profit motive - a little-known fact (which is going away as the paper ticket disappears) is that you can endorse a ticket over to ANY airline, and if it is on the same route, they can recover from the issuer the face value!

So, here you are in Chicago, with a flight due to leave for LA. Its on United. They KNOW they have a mechanical problem with the plane and it will be an hour late leaving - if it leaves at all.

Two concourses over, American has a flight going to LA 30 minutes later.

Now, as the United Gate agent, do you tell the truth, and have me, as the customer, turn around and walk down the two concourses, fly standby on the American plane - and have your company EAT the price of my ticket? Remember, that really didn't cost your company anything (you didn't take me anywhere if that happens), but you WILL have to fork up the money to American.

Or you can lie. You can tell me the plane is boarding "in 15 minutes", and that they are just about done solving the problem.

If you do that, and I buy it, I sit there and wait. The American flight departs. You now have my stuck in a box, and even if the plane NEVER leaves the ground, you have my money.

So sorry, so sad, so nice.

Think this doesn't happen DAILY? It certainly does! In fact, its part and parcel of these "agents" TRAINING to lie to their customers in such a situation.

You want to see me get mad at an airline counter? Lie to me about the status of the flight and by doing so keep me from getting where I need to go, and you will make an enemy out of me.

The Federal Government recently started threatening to FINE carriers over these practices. Their "solution"? Getting rid of paper tickets so that you no longer have anything to endorse over! So, in response to the government stepping in AS IT SHOULD and keeping people from LYING for financial gain, the companies again, instead of responding to the problem, eliminate their cause of concern.

Oh yeah, now you'll get the truth about the delay once the paper tickets have gone the way of the dinosaur. You just won't be able to do a damn thing about it.

Chill out, Karl. Better watch it our you'll end up in some kill file Dungeon.

How much blood pressure meds do you take, anyway? (Don't prompt me to research it, you might not like the results).
 
Wow....you have many "issues"

Were you beat up a lot as a kid??
 
What are your LDS's doing to fend off internet competition? Anybody here ever try on a pair of shoes at one shoe store and then buy them somewhere else? Ever look at new cars without buying one? Every time someone suggests looking at gear at your LDS and buying online for less they get slammed as if this is unethical, immoral, whatever. Why is an LDS's time more valuable than a shoe salesman's? And for whoever was wondering about who will train people if all LDS's are gone: at one time I though YMCA did alot of training. Anybody here buy their gear at the Y?
 
the funny thing about the "Y" training is that it wasn't a "C-card mill" like some of the so-called "professional" orgs are.

Funny, that.
 
Genesis once bubbled...

You want to see me get mad at an airline counter? Lie to me about the status of the flight and by doing so keep me from getting where I need to go, and you will make an enemy out of me.

The mention of airlines was merely an analogy to demonstrate that you and I probably have different ways of dealing with "customer service" issues.

Your response is fairly clear and while I respect your right as a paying customer to deal with a business' obligations to you in any manner you see fit, I would do things a bit differently...not better, not worse, just differently.

My point in the previous thread is that, in my humble opinion, our difference in attitudes is as much responsible for our differce in experiences at the local LDS as anything else.
 
yknot once bubbled...
What are your LDS's doing to fend off internet competition? Anybody here ever try on a pair of shoes at one shoe store and then buy them somewhere else? Ever look at new cars without buying one? Every time someone suggests looking at gear at your LDS and buying online for less they get slammed as if this is unethical, immoral, whatever. Why is an LDS's time more valuable than a shoe salesman's? And for whoever was wondering about who will train people if all LDS's are gone: at one time I though YMCA did alot of training. Anybody here buy their gear at the Y?

Real Simple. Great Service, nice people, equipment assembled to my specifications by people I trust. Add in a pleasant atmosphere, great return policy (those rare times that it has been needed) and a great group of dive buddies. Finally, access at all hours and free delivery to my house by the owner if it comes to that.

And to answer your question. No. If I ask to try something on or to test drive a vehicle, it is because I'm interested in buying from the person or store.
 

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