Mike
Contributor
I think the $25 charge is rediculous.
Fortunately I don't have to worry about it since I will only fit into a custom made suit.
I get my suits from a custom builder down in Long Beach and his prices are higher than an LDS but the quality of material and craftsmanship is way higher than anything available at any retail outlet be it online or LDS. My suits last twice as long as anything I've ever purchased off the rack. The cost of the suit might be 20 to 25% more initially, but in the long run I save money, plus I know that my money went to a guy in the USA to make it and not some Chinese sweat shop.
You should go to your custom suit maker, have him do all the fitting, measuring, then take the numbers and go to customwetsuitmaker.com and have it made online for 4% less. You shouldn't rock the boat like you are. Apparently it's cool to screw the LDS, as long as the consumer saves a buck that's all the justification required.
When you're as cool as me, you'll copy me and do what I do, I take it to the next level compared to all you amateures. Before I go on a dive trip I go the my LDS, try everything on, play in the pool with it for hours, then I leave it in a wet lump in the dressing room, slip out the back and order everything online. Then when I return from my dive trip I return it all, works great, new dive equipment on every trip, plus I screw the LDS and the online shop, a trifecta of blind consermerism, and puts me leagues ahead of you guys who are just screwing the LDS!
I really don't agree or disagree with this dive shop and their $25 fee, I find it interesting that the state of divers and how they do this type of thing so much has effected the industry so much that dive shops are exploring different methods and techniques such as this one.
It's a simple reaping of what you sow, in my opinion.