Is my LDS getting too Greedy?

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jdb

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Location
Mobile, Al
A friend of mine recently decided to take up scuba lessons. There are two shops to choose from here in town, One is the new kid in town a PADI operation who does weekend certs and the other is a SSI who does the six week classes. Under my recommendation he chooses to go with the SSI. The instructors there all tell him that they can work around his schedule with no problem, ( he works offshore 14 out 7 in ) Well, all is going great untill time for his Open Water. Now they don't seem to remember saying that they would work around his schedule. The earliest open water that they will schedule for him is in August unless he wants to pay an additional $180, then they will go when ever he wants. He has already paid $280 toward his Open Water and I don't feel that they are living up to their end of the bargin to work with him. I understand that they must try to schedule several checkout dives together in order to make it more profitable but he has paid $535 already and now they want $180 more which would bring the total to $715, $460 of that for just the checkout dives. He could go throught the complete PADI course for $199 and that includes his checkout dives. Does anyone know if this is the average cost today? Does it seem to anyone else that the shop might be getting a little too greedy?
 
I can't believe they got that amount of $$$ out of him for BOW to begin with.....

But all that aside...they should be willing to work with him on his check-out dives...as for instruction...I'm not going to say for certain, but do you think he has gotten better instruction than he would have in the bargain 199$ course?
 
Big-t-2538 once bubbled...
I can't believe they got that amount of $$$ out of him for BOW to begin with.....

But all that aside...they should be willing to work with him on his check-out dives...as for instruction...I'm not going to say for certain, but do you think he has gotten better instruction than he would have in the bargain 199$ course?

Sounds like what he has learned is about business rather than about diving...

I agree with Big-t, they should be willing to work with him. They are cutting their own throat by making such a mess of this.
 
PADI OW for me cost $325, not including the cost of providing my own mask/snorkel/fins/boots (which added another $225). The course is 4 weeks (3 weeks of 1 session per week, with 2 sessions on the 4th week), and then open water check outs on a weekend. There are 4 students, and 2 instructors, yet we're still behind. Instructors are willing to go another pool session until we're all proficient.

As for an additional $180 for check outs, I have seen places that if you decided to check out elsewhere (and not pay their $180 fee), they charged you $30 to prepare the paperwork, and this was not optional.

But let me get this straight, after taking the SSI course, he can either pay $180 to prove he's worthy, or take the entire PADI course (extra instruction is never bad) for $199, which includes the checkout? I think you just answered your own question.
 
Our local PADI shop does the OW for 150 bucks while the SSI shop does OW for 350. So 280 sounds cheap by comparison.

OH and around here you'll get the better instructors at PADI. Yes they are cheaper but they also will give you all the pool time you need instead of rushing you through the course.

As usual I feel it's more about the shop than the organization.
 
It doesn't matter if they charge 100.00 or 1000.00 as long as all fees are agreed upon by both parties up front. It problem seems to be bad communication, not money. It seems like a lot of dive shops are very casual about saying things in casual conversation that should have been in writing, and then later getting into trouble when the two parties remember the conversation differently.
 
jdb once bubbled...
A friend of mine recently decided to take up scuba lessons. There are two shops to choose from here in town, One is the new kid in town a PADI operation who does weekend certs and the other is a SSI who does the six week classes. Under my recommendation he chooses to go with the SSI. The instructors there all tell him that they can work around his schedule with no problem, ( he works offshore 14 out 7 in ) Well, all is going great untill time for his Open Water. Now they don't seem to remember saying that they would work around his schedule. The earliest open water that they will schedule for him is in August unless he wants to pay an additional $180, then they will go when ever he wants. He has already paid $280 toward his Open Water and I don't feel that they are living up to their end of the bargin to work with him. I understand that they must try to schedule several checkout dives together in order to make it more profitable but he has paid $535 already and now they want $180 more which would bring the total to $715, $460 of that for just the checkout dives. He could go throught the complete PADI course for $199 and that includes his checkout dives. Does anyone know if this is the average cost today? Does it seem to anyone else that the shop might be getting a little too greedy?

How did we get from $280 to $535...? Is the other $255 for equipment? When they said they would work with him, they probably meant that he could attend any scheduled OW dive, and accomplish the cert. that way. Apparently neither side confirmed whether that's what was meant. since they seemingly *didn't* expressly say that they would schedule personal one-on-ones, then I am not sure I would expect them.

Is this the shop getting greedy? Well, the instructors I know are affiliated with a shop, but are independent as to scheduling. It is quite possible that the $180 is to compensate the instructor(s) for the extra effort.

Are you negotiating with the instructors? Or were the folks that told you about "working around the students' schedule" the shop folks collecting the cash? Just curious...
 
Let me clear up something. The classes cost $255 and the checkout dives cost $280. He paid for the entire amount up front, a total of $535. Now they want an additional $180 to do his checkout dives or he can wait till the end of august and they will be covered by what he has already paid. My problem is that the end of August is too long to wait inbetween class six and your dives. Thats two months away. They refuse to do checkout dives unless they have 4 total in the class. I know that they could get 1 possibly 2 others to checkout at the same time he does but it is not 4 total so they wont.

I do feel that he received better instruction at this shop than he would have received in one weekend at the other, nothing against the other instructors I just feel that a two day course would not have suited him.

No problem with the $535, that was agreed upon before the classes started, but He was told by the owner that they would accomodate his schedule and work with him. I don't see paying $180 extra working with him.
 
Well, I only get $ 325 for the whole thin including checkout dives but that doesn't mean anything cuz I'm going out of business, LOL. I agree the important thing is that the rules are disclosed up front.

JBD, why don't you do a referal for him?
 
JBD, why don't you do a referal for him?

If I could I would. Unfortunately I am JDB not JBD.
Think I might try to change my screen name today to avoid any more confusion. Anyone know how to do that?
 

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