WHY Dive shops make you Feel GUILTY ???

[wolf eel]

Lets see. If I worked at an LDS then I could tell you about my experiences with Apeks ATX 200's and Scubapro MK25/S600's since I own and use both. Now that leaves out a whole lot of other regs that a typical LDS sells.

Thats true and your comments about that reg are going to be accurate and honest.

Most people that work at a shop don't have access or time to try out all the different gear.

Thats the shops problem they should allow demo for the staff and for the client taking the course.They do with skis which cost about the same.

A sales person will do a clinic on all the other regs. What does a clinic do for a sales person? It allows them to regurgitate the facts put forth by a manufacture.

Thats what happens all the time for every product out there it also answers all those questions a sales person would have, which inturn is better for the client.

You don't need to be a diver to be able to do that effectively and honestly

You do really because you need to have an idea as to what questions a client may ask. The online shops are great fro those who know what they are ordering but for those who need to ask and then the touchy feely kinda person also needs the shop.

 

[lorien]

MK25/S600 works well in cold water and I liked the weight and fit. I also liked the venturi knob that helps prevent free flow. A lot of divers recommended it too

I agree, I also have the MK25/S600 and it is a really nice reg. I dive in colder water alot so that is a big consideration. It also breathes really well in all positions and is always dry, not something I can say about most of the other regs I have tried. BTW the R190 is only available with an unbalanced 1st stage. I myself also like the Sherwood Blizzard.

 

[Johnny Quest]

I am getting back in to diving after many years away, so I have not found the one LDS that I will do most of my business with yet. There are about 6 -7 shops in the area. I have not visited all of them yet. Two of them are within driving distance during my lunch hour. I have visited both and I do like one over the other. The one I did not like, all but actually said that the certifying agency my cert is though is not good. They, of course mainly teach though a different agency. I was in there to get back into scuba diving and possibly buy some gear. But I will not be buying anything from them now. Another dive shop I visited is the one that I am going to sit in on one of their OW classes so I can get back up to speed with diving procedures again. And this one is about 40 miles from my house, which is really not a big deal, because it can be 40 miles just driving to the other side of town. I did not get my basic gear, mask, snorkel, fins, boots, from him though. I found a LDS that was going out of business and got everything including a dive watch from them. The thing is that the LDS that I am sitting in on the OW class is taking over the LDS that is going out of business, which is a little closer to my house. The two owners are friends, so I do not think the one will be too upset that I did not get any gear from him, at least not yet. The one LDS close to my office also sales on the internet, I did buy a mesh bag from them. His price tag was $ 10 less than the LDS I am taking classes with and he gave me an additional $ 10 off that price. So he was $ 20 cheaper than the other LDS. That and a hanger is all I have bought from him. I am sure I will do business with both, one for the convience of being able to go there during lunch and the other for classes and joining the local club to dive in the nearby quarry. I may even take dive trips with both LDS. Can you be loyal to two LDS without one getting upset?

 

[OE2X]

You do really because you need to have an idea as to what questions a client may ask. The online shops are great fro those who know what they are ordering but for those who need to ask and then the touchy feely kinda person also needs the shop.

I've also gotten some profoundly stupid advice from some of the dive shops around here. One in particular told me that Jet Fins weren't made in XXL. Instead what I should do is to cut down the center of the top of the boot cavity and then lace it up.
Not only did they not know the product, but I was also given a truly inovative solution to a problem that didn't exhist! The same shop also told me that they couldn't fill my tanks with 32% because I didn't have the big Nitrox bands on them. This was despite the fact that the VIP very clearly stated that these tanks are cleaned for up to 40%.

 

[wolf eel]

Bad advice comes in all shapes and sizes and it does not only happen at your LDS. But to not shop them is going to cost us all.
The bad advice is coming from the store owners they are not teaching the product to the sales person or they fail to understand we the diving popules are tired of nonsense dive shops. Look at the advice that was given from my LDS they told a guy to literly tie (tie with string) his weight belt to himself. It took so long to get that off him he parished bad advice to the max.

I guess we should all complain to the shops OWNERS and explain why you feel or how you feel they could improve. Maybe like the silters if explained in a proper way they might just make some changes. Or we could all just complain on the board and hope they read it.

 

[FZJ80]

Can you be loyal to two LDS without one getting upset?

Not where i'm from.

Shop #1 is SSI and sells Aqualung, Atomic, and Mares.
Shop #2 is a PADI shop that sells Scubapro and Oceanic products.

I took SSI OW from shop #1 and bought my mask, snorkel, and fins from shop #2.
I took SSI AOW from shop #1.
I bought Regs and my first BC from shop #1.
I took SSI Stress and Rescue from shop#1.
I took SSI DiveCon at shop#1 and worked classes for free for 6 months.

When it came time for me to decide whether or not to become an instructor I looked into all of the locally represented agencies and decided on PADI. I enrolled in an IDC at shop #2.

Since then I have been blacklisted by shop #1.

Diving seems to be a very cutthroat industry here in freshwater Utah.

 

[pilot fish]

I agree, I also have the MK25/S600 and it is a really nice reg. I dive in colder water alot so that is a big consideration. It also breathes really well in all positions and is always dry, not something I can say about most of the other regs I have tried. BTW the R190 is only available with an unbalanced 1st stage. I myself also like the Sherwood Blizzard.

Ahhhhhh, you're a woman of distinction, and you know regs

 

[pilot fish]

I've also gotten some profoundly stupid advice from some of the dive shops around here. One in particular told me that Jet Fins weren't made in XXL. Instead what I should do is to cut down the center of the top of the boot cavity and then lace it up.
Not only did they not know the product, but I was also given a truly inovative solution to a problem that didn't exhist! The same shop also told me that they couldn't fill my tanks with 32% because I didn't have the big Nitrox bands on them. This was despite the fact that the VIP very clearly stated that these tanks are cleaned for up to 40%.

Does my memory serve me correctly? -I rememebr a member of this board, and he posted this info on the board, called an online dealer to buy jet fins xxl and they told him he could get xl and cut the foot part to resize it to fit his foot?

 

[Johnny Quest]

Not where i'm from.

Shop #1 is SSI and sells Aqualung, Atomic, and Mares.
Shop #2 is a PADI shop that sells Scubapro and Oceanic products.

I took SSI OW from shop #1 and bought my mask, snorkel, and fins from shop #2.
I took SSI AOW from shop #1.
I bought Regs and my first BC from shop #1.
I took SSI Stress and Rescue from shop#1.
I took SSI DiveCon at shop#1 and worked classes for free for 6 months.

When it came time for me to decide whether or not to become an instructor I looked into all of the locally represented agencies and decided on PADI. I enrolled in an IDC at shop #2.

Since then I have been blacklisted by shop #1.

Diving seems to be a very cutthroat industry here in freshwater Utah.

Both the LDS are PADI. They just do not sale the same brand of equipment. So I hope that neither gets too upset that I do not buy everything from them.

 

[OE2X]

Does my memory serve me correctly? -I rememebr a member of this board, and he posted this info on the board, called an online dealer to buy jet fins xxl and they told him he could get xl and cut the foot part to resize it to fit his foot?

If you are refering to me, then your facts are wrong.
I believe I did mention this in a prior post. My experience happened with a shop near my home in Seattle and not an online retailer.