MiniMe once bubbled...
PADI is not the only option - fair enough. However, the store mentioned is a 5-star facility. In PADI terms this is a very high rating and a store requires to maintain high quality staff and offer high programs to stay a 5-star facility.
That just isn't true. I think PADI chose the 5 star name as a
deliberate deception so that people would assume it has some correlation to quality, as with the Michelin rating guide for hotels and restaurants, which
is an indication of quality. Assumptions like yours prove their deception works to a large degree.
All the PADI 5 star appellation means (note that it is
not a rating) is that a particular shop is 100% PADI. It does not use any other training materials, it does not issue certifications from any other agencies, and it goes PADI all the way. (There are basic requirements that other agencies have also, like a shop being a legitimate dive shop and not something like a bait shop teaching diving on the side.)
It is equivalent to the Mr. Goodwrench program from General Motors. They will use
only GM parts, unlike independent repair shops that may use parts that are less expensive yet equal or superior in quality.
PADI 5 star designations have nothing to do with quality. Notice that there are no 1-4 star designations, unlike the Michelin Guide and any others that do report on quality and don't use marketing deception. There are no roving bands of quality assurance inspectors checking up on PADI dive shops (5 star or otherwise) and making sure they measure up to some nebulous idea of what constitutes quality.