Bob3
Contributor
Makes me kinda glad that I have only 1 card, or what's left of it.theskull:
It's smaller than some postage stamps but at least it's made outta paper & not cuneform clay tablets.
WOW.. How incredibly rude
- Thread starter RockyTop
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It's smaller than some postage stamps but at least it's made outta paper & not cuneform clay tablets.
brssmnky
Contributor
RockyTop:
I am fairly new to the sport (and love it), too, and recently bought my own gear. It's a good idea. My LDS touts Scubapro as the cat's meow and after much research I ended up buying the SP Mark 16 / G 250 (partly because they have a GREAT warranty and good yearly service costs). The thing is though, they told me that the competetor, Apeks (which they don't sell), is just as good a product. We discussed what type of diving I want to do, and the pros and cons of the different designs (I was also looking at the Oceanic Blizzard, which they sold). Basically, you can bank on an LDS that thinks any product they don't sell as "crap" as not having your best interest in mind. Er, as far as buying on-line... watch out for the "gray market." Many things you buy from on-line stores don't have the manufacturer's warranties. check for that.
Oh, check out what people here have to say about things, but do some independent research on this stuff, too, because most of the postings on here are OPINION.
Well, he is trying to make some money! If he doesn't carry the brand you're looking for he may as well try to get you interested in something he can actually sell. Didn't work this time obviously but when you're in the sales business it's worth a shot rather than letting the customer "walk out the door".
Unless he was insolent in his tone then I'd describe him as "salesminded" rather than rude!
Unless he was insolent in his tone then I'd describe him as "salesminded" rather than rude!
RichLockyer
Guest
That would be Atomic.RockyTop:
He may not be tactful, and may be a bad businessman (and is wrong that Oceanic is better than SP), but he's not wrong about the new Atomic line. The M1 set is one of the best regs available.
RichLockyer:
You mention the M1 as being one of the best regs available. What other regs would be considered amongst the best? How or where might folks find the information that demonstrates the performance of various regs?
So far I've spent $105 for my certs. $60 for OW in 74 and more recently $45 on Nitrox. All other certs were provided by a shop that wanted my help.MikeFerrara:
Hey, it's all about customer service, Rich. Too many business people (scuba and otherwise) don't get the fact that every type of business involves customer service. Making the customer/client feel welcome, feel that their input is respected, and providing solutions to their problems are all part of most business activities, from working in a fast food joint to designing pharmaceuticals. (I've worked that particular spectrum over the last 25 years or so!)
Dive shop owners seem particularly prone to getting too involved in controversies over training agencies and gear choices. I've been lucky enough to find great LDSs in Charlotte and now in South Florida, but in the process of identifying them, have run into my share of high pressure salesmen, opinionated bigots, and folks that alienated me before they had made any money off of me. One Florida shop owner even tried a high pressure push to get me to buy new fins when I was in a hurry for a fill and hadn't expressed any interest in fins at all. I had to wait for him to finish his spiel, ask again for him to start the fill, listen to more spiel, etc. Guess who won't be getting any more fill business from me? And all I wanted was $4 worth of air!
I think the attitudes expressed in this thread reflect poor business practices and are detrimental to diving in general. All it takes is one bad experience to push someone who's tittering on the fence off in the non-diving direction.
Whew! Too much coffee for me this morning!
Dive shop owners seem particularly prone to getting too involved in controversies over training agencies and gear choices. I've been lucky enough to find great LDSs in Charlotte and now in South Florida, but in the process of identifying them, have run into my share of high pressure salesmen, opinionated bigots, and folks that alienated me before they had made any money off of me. One Florida shop owner even tried a high pressure push to get me to buy new fins when I was in a hurry for a fill and hadn't expressed any interest in fins at all. I had to wait for him to finish his spiel, ask again for him to start the fill, listen to more spiel, etc. Guess who won't be getting any more fill business from me? And all I wanted was $4 worth of air!
I think the attitudes expressed in this thread reflect poor business practices and are detrimental to diving in general. All it takes is one bad experience to push someone who's tittering on the fence off in the non-diving direction.
Whew! Too much coffee for me this morning!
Robinhood
Contributor
Awww man, that made me laugh so hard my stomach hurt! You just posted what alot of people were thinking!! Ha ha!MikeFerrara:Rich,
I was going to list all my certs in my sig line but it would take several pages and my wife was kind enough to point out that spending all that cash for what I got was nothing to brag about and my buddies would never let me forget it. I'm thinking about just including the total cost. What do ya think?
Just razin ya
yknot
Guest
I would rather a salesperson extol the virtues and superior characteristics of their product rather than slam the competiton. You might as well say that your product is just less junky than the stuff you don't sell. Just a fact today for all products that some perfere this method.
Those in the retail end could clarify but around me, ScubaPro gear looks like an all or nothing franchise. Aqualung is becoming another large player and I don't see Aqualung and ScubaPro sold side by side. Maybe the shop you called was denied a dealership, couldn't afford it, etc.
Lastly, to M Ferrara- could you please start a poll as to which wood is preferred? I'd like to see some websites, including links to plans for the DIY crowd. Just think of the subcategories we could argue about: splinters, dry rot tendencies, varnish -vs- polyurethane.......
Those in the retail end could clarify but around me, ScubaPro gear looks like an all or nothing franchise. Aqualung is becoming another large player and I don't see Aqualung and ScubaPro sold side by side. Maybe the shop you called was denied a dealership, couldn't afford it, etc.
Lastly, to M Ferrara- could you please start a poll as to which wood is preferred? I'd like to see some websites, including links to plans for the DIY crowd. Just think of the subcategories we could argue about: splinters, dry rot tendencies, varnish -vs- polyurethane.......
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