The Truth about Dive Paradise and the ScubaBoard Invasion

[Wookie]

I've stayed out of this because I wasn't there, am not likely to go, and don't imagine I'd find the type of diving I like to do at that venue. I would like to comment from the dive operators point of view, however.

Yes, we offer perks to the trip organizers. Those perks take the form of free spots for each spot sold, and in the form of commissions. For those organizers, we expect them to earn those perks. If someone is late paying, we go to the individual first, then we go to the organizer. When someone is lost at the airport or between the airport and the boat, we expect the organizer to go fetch them. When someone is arrested (Sorry, officer, this is what I was wearing the day I was born) we expect the organizer to go bail them out of jail. Organizing dive trips for 4 of your buddies isn't a big deal, but organizing one for 100 is an amazing headache, and the organizer EARNS those free spots. Sometimes the organizer hands them off to his minions to do the diver wrangling, sometimes they use them themselves and they do their own wrangling, but no one should feel bad that the folks who put in hundreds of hours to make this work got to ride the plane and the dive boat for free. It wasn't free, folks.

As far as commissions go, typically clubs or loose organizations return the commissions to the trip either in the form of reduced booking fees, or one of my favorites is when the club/organization tells the operator to use the commission for crew tips. When used for tips, the crew knows that they are covered, the customers know that they have tipped the correct amount, and the diving is then all inclusive. Shops and travel agents use the commission as commission, which keeps them organizing more trips in the future. That's good for business.

I don't see that anything that Cardzard or ROXANNE did was unreasonable, underhanded, or sneaky. It just isn't anyone's business if, or how much they were compensated. If you feel you were treated poorly, organize your own trip.

 

[Brules]

Amen....thread can end on that note.

 

[Mossman]

As far as commissions go, typically clubs or loose organizations return the commissions to the trip either in the form of reduced booking fees, or one of my favorites is when the club/organization tells the operator to use the commission for crew tips. When used for tips, the crew knows that they are covered, the customers know that they have tipped the correct amount, and the diving is then all inclusive. Shops and travel agents use the commission as commission, which keeps them organizing more trips in the future. That's good for business.

I don't see that anything that Cardzard or ROXANNE did was unreasonable, underhanded, or sneaky. It just isn't anyone's business if, or how much they were compensated. If you feel you were treated poorly, organize your own trip.

As you say, clubs and shops handle the freebies differently. Shops use them for the coordinator, usually the owner or a lucky instructor, and if the group is big enough, friends and family can sometimes get in on the perks. Clubs, on the other hand, convert the freebie back into a discount spread over all their members on the trip, or as you suggested, they might leave it for the tip (though how the freebie offered by the owner gets converted into a tip for the crew is a mystery).

Hence my confusion over wondering where the perks went. Shops have customers, they're in business to make money, it's hard work leading a trip, yada yada. So they get the perks. Understood. Clubs have members, the club leaders volunteer to call the travel agent to make the reservations and take point directing people around at the hotel and dive op, and the perks go back to the members. So when I heard of this trip where the trip participants are called "members" and the trip is only open exclusively to "members", well... Don't clubs have members? It's that member/customer dichotomy that I couldn't get my head around. I've been straightened out now.

No, I wasn't treated at all poorly. And it seems everyone had a great time. I'm very glad for that

I would organize my own trip, but first I need to organize my own scuba diver BBS and drum up customers, er, I mean members. Too busy right now as I'm preparing to beat the world's record longest non-continuous dive being pulled by a sled, at least as soon as my sponsors materialize (see the SoCal forum). Anyone?

(If Netdoc kicks in half the costs, I'll paint Scubaboard all up and down my brand-new sponsor-provided drysuit. Think of the advertising potential, especially if a shark chases me and Discover channel notices. But I digress.)

 

[Leann H]

Cardzard and ROXANNE,

You both did an outstanding job of organizing this event. I can't imagine having to babysit 100 people!
In my opion, you deserve the whole damn week for free!!!!!

 

[FuzzyNutz]

I'm gonna be hypothetical here...

Lets say the 2 organizers got their hotel and diving for free ($1000 bucks each) AND got free plane tickets - add another $1000 each to make sure that covers it. That's $4000. Now if they decline and decide to split that money between the entire group of 100, everyone gets $40. You're complaining about FORTY F'ING DOLLARS. Get real.

Edit: That was fun... I actually wanna give them another $1000 bucks each for pocket change. $6000 total. Split that up to to whopping $60 for everyone. hahaha.

 

[Mossman]

Actually, given that it's usually 1 for every 10, I'd figure on 10 person's worth of perks, or $10K. That's $100 discount per person, or 10%, plus whatever group rates could be negotiated on top of the perks since 100 people is a lot of bargaining power. But I'm not complaining since I wasn't there. What do I care? hahaha

 

[mselenaous]

Cardzard and ROXANNE,

You both did an outstanding job of organizing this event. I can't imagine having to babysit 100 people!
In my opion, you deserve the whole damn week for free!!!!!

And they deserve a another week all-expenses paid vacation for having to work so hard during their "vacation".
They are the BOMBDIGGITY!

 

[FuzzyNutz]

Actually, given that it's usually 1 for every 10, I'd figure on 10 person's worth of perks, or $10K. That's $100 discount per person, or 10%, plus whatever group rates could be negotiated on top of the perks since 100 people is a lot of bargaining power. But I'm not complaining since I wasn't there. What do I care? hahaha

Ewllllll, wowwwwww, what a difference. and who cares?? well, besides the one person I can think of.

 

[The Chairman]

If Netdoc kicks in half the costs,

I'll donate all of the profits realized from the Coz Invasion.

 

[Jax]

Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe it.