The squeaky wheel gets the oil. I don't see the point in waiting in a store for an hour. If this owner doesn't want your money you shouldn't put up with his bad service. If I were you I would put on my new rig and parade by his storefront at least once a week. Make sure you have a wide mask so he can see your smile when you wave.
Anyone have this happen to them?
- Thread starter OceanicRocks
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The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
I have to wonder...
Are the Local Dive Shops
READING THIS???
We have had 6 shops close this past year (or so) in just the Central Florida area. I believe that they are their own worst enemy, though some blamed the internet for their demise. Talk about arguing with a sign post and taking the wrong way home.
Rockhound76
Contributor
When I started diving the LDS model was more service oriented ( heaven-forbid, anecdotally speaking). I bought my gear from my instructor. He offered his own Lifetime Warranty that included labor to go with the Manufacturer's Lifetime Warranty on Parts. He ran weekend trips to Florida and provided the transportation in the form of his van or converted school bus (big deal to a cash-strapped teen). Gear rentals for the first 3 OW trips with him post-certification were free. If you bought your gear from him, even years later, you got a good discount for loyalty. You want to try out the jet fins? He had a set for use in the pool. The new backmounted bc? No problem. Here it is, bring it back tomorrow.
Are you a bored teen? Come by the shop and he'd show you how he serviced the regs or let you look at the latest training films, no charge. Want to go diving this weekend? Help with the trip and pay for the gas and you're in...
Did he make a lot of money? Probably not. He once told me that if he counted all the hours he spent at the shop or teaching or diving with students on trips, he made much less than minimum wage. But, a few years ago, I dropped in to say hello, as I'd heard business had been down due to some new competition and he was feeling blue. I asked if there were "any regrets". "No" he told me, "He stilled loved it and only the tax man or the bill collectors would make him quit."
After 30yrs of good times and bad, he's still in business. His model has changed a little (liability concerns and insurance took away the van and bus.) He no longer offeres lifetime labor, since he's sold so much gear, he needed to hire a tech for service these days. But his commitment to his customers remains.
A few years ago, I decided I wanted to open a dive shop. I sat down, worked through all the numbers and realized that I couldn't afford it, especially if I built a truly customer based, service oriented LDS. I had a good job, making good money. Even if I were willing to take the pay cut, I couldn't feed my family on what I had left after paying the bills."
Am I saying you should do everything through your LDS out of some misguided empathy? Nope. Within 10 miles of my home are at least 4 dive shops. Three of those are as you described. I've walked in the door of several of them and walked out a few minutes later, vowing never to return. I bought several thousand dollars in gear from one of them over the years, yet every time I go back, I feel like I'm intruding on their special little clique. Service? What's that?
As a result, the last time I bought gear for myself, I bought it online. The service was personable, the gear was quality and warranteed. Better yet, I paid nearly HALF of what my old LDS wanted to charge me for the same stuff.
When my son took lessons over the summer, I took him to a new shop. It turned out to be great operation, very similar to the one where I first learned to dive. The owner told me he was an "instructor first" and that "gear salesman" was a very distant second. I believe he's lived up to that statement.
His shop is very active in local events, he runs frequent nearby trips, he focuses on ALL of his customers, many of whom are firemen and paramedics and young teens who don't have a lot of money to spend. He makes them all feel important. His shop is run out of a guest house on his property and it almost like he's always open. On most weekend nights, he opens his Tiki Bar for a social hour. No invites or cash needed.
When it came time to buy my son's gear, I could have beat his price a little online (not a lot), but I felt the extra service he provided was worth a little extra support from me. Funny, when we sat down and want through the gear I wanted to buy, he even directed me to a few less-expensive options that were more appropriate for the kind of diving my son would do. When I had a problem with my own gear, bought from that other shop, he fixed it for free (and this was before I'd decided to buy my son new gear. I had plenty of extra gear already.)
I don't know how he can offer this kind of service, but I'm glad he does. I plan to support him as much as I can....
Btw, I ride bicycles a LOT and I hear similar complaints about Local Bicycle Shops. There are the same stories about buying online due to poor service from the owners and about poor treatment of customers in general (I'm also lucky to have found a good one in that regard.).
Are you a bored teen? Come by the shop and he'd show you how he serviced the regs or let you look at the latest training films, no charge. Want to go diving this weekend? Help with the trip and pay for the gas and you're in...
Did he make a lot of money? Probably not. He once told me that if he counted all the hours he spent at the shop or teaching or diving with students on trips, he made much less than minimum wage. But, a few years ago, I dropped in to say hello, as I'd heard business had been down due to some new competition and he was feeling blue. I asked if there were "any regrets". "No" he told me, "He stilled loved it and only the tax man or the bill collectors would make him quit."
After 30yrs of good times and bad, he's still in business. His model has changed a little (liability concerns and insurance took away the van and bus.) He no longer offeres lifetime labor, since he's sold so much gear, he needed to hire a tech for service these days. But his commitment to his customers remains.
A few years ago, I decided I wanted to open a dive shop. I sat down, worked through all the numbers and realized that I couldn't afford it, especially if I built a truly customer based, service oriented LDS. I had a good job, making good money. Even if I were willing to take the pay cut, I couldn't feed my family on what I had left after paying the bills."
Am I saying you should do everything through your LDS out of some misguided empathy? Nope. Within 10 miles of my home are at least 4 dive shops. Three of those are as you described. I've walked in the door of several of them and walked out a few minutes later, vowing never to return. I bought several thousand dollars in gear from one of them over the years, yet every time I go back, I feel like I'm intruding on their special little clique. Service? What's that?
As a result, the last time I bought gear for myself, I bought it online. The service was personable, the gear was quality and warranteed. Better yet, I paid nearly HALF of what my old LDS wanted to charge me for the same stuff.
When my son took lessons over the summer, I took him to a new shop. It turned out to be great operation, very similar to the one where I first learned to dive. The owner told me he was an "instructor first" and that "gear salesman" was a very distant second. I believe he's lived up to that statement.
His shop is very active in local events, he runs frequent nearby trips, he focuses on ALL of his customers, many of whom are firemen and paramedics and young teens who don't have a lot of money to spend. He makes them all feel important. His shop is run out of a guest house on his property and it almost like he's always open. On most weekend nights, he opens his Tiki Bar for a social hour. No invites or cash needed.
When it came time to buy my son's gear, I could have beat his price a little online (not a lot), but I felt the extra service he provided was worth a little extra support from me. Funny, when we sat down and want through the gear I wanted to buy, he even directed me to a few less-expensive options that were more appropriate for the kind of diving my son would do. When I had a problem with my own gear, bought from that other shop, he fixed it for free (and this was before I'd decided to buy my son new gear. I had plenty of extra gear already.)
I don't know how he can offer this kind of service, but I'm glad he does. I plan to support him as much as I can....
Btw, I ride bicycles a LOT and I hear similar complaints about Local Bicycle Shops. There are the same stories about buying online due to poor service from the owners and about poor treatment of customers in general (I'm also lucky to have found a good one in that regard.).
Obviously not. In the last year or so two LDS went out of business in my area. I suspect they did not have a clue. Both shops had the same attitude the OP described. True enough, if the online market was not prevalent they might still be in business, but the bottom line is they drove their customers away.
Not always. For example, I went to my LDS to buy a Halcyon wing which they had for €550. Instead, thanks to their advice I ended up getting a DIR Zone for €430. Sure, I could have found the Halcyon online for €500 but then I would have spent more for an equivalent product with a dodgy inflator.
Maybe the guy could have made a bit more money in that first deal, but instead he got me as a customer along with the €2,500 or so I've spent there since...
jakeeib
Registered
I guess I have been very lucky I have been to LDS in 11 different states and 6 different countries, not counting the vaction shops, I have had very little in the way of problems from them. Customer service has been great at most of them. I try to buy something from them also even if its just a Tshirt or a strap. I have bought stuff online also and never had a bad experiance either. I dont mind spending the extra $$ at a LDS, if they deserve it, treat me like crap and I'll spend my hard earned $$ somewhere else. There is always a someone willing to go the extra mile for me.
Anyway, There is not a LDS that I got a good vibe from near me, so I drive 2 hours to a great shop that is very helpful. I'll make the 4 hour trip for just 30 min in the shop.
Anyway, There is not a LDS that I got a good vibe from near me, so I drive 2 hours to a great shop that is very helpful. I'll make the 4 hour trip for just 30 min in the shop.
OP
OceanicRocks
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OceanicRocks
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hey ROCK... thanks for your imput. One of the LDS hapens to be the place where I was certified and what you felt I did too. they were cool when I got my certs (than again I spent moneythere hmmmnnn) anyway I decided to try and go back. what a mistake that was. No matter I got a NEW local dive shop from 1000 miles away. Better service, better attitudes better knowlege, better options and gear selection and shall I mention better price.
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OceanicRocks
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I see hat ou are saying and you are right. The thing is that I can't whipethe smile off my face and the real sad thing is that they will probably be out of buis. sooner rather than later. But i'm no longer one who feels sorry. I did what I could and the guy steped on my foot so... :mooner:
I'm from Gainesville, Fl, and there are 3 or 4 dive shops in the town, and another 3 or 4 within an hours drive. I've been treated poorly at almost every shop....not every visit, of course, but I'm never happy with each shop.
Except this one shop, about 30 minutes from my house. They cater to technical divers, and really know what they are doing. They have great prices on everything, can order me anything I need, and themanager will cut you a deal.
There's a caveat: I've learned to never go there when the manager isn't there. The other employees aren't as nice, as knowledageable, and can't cut you deals. Infact, I really dislike some of the employees there moreso than the employees at the dive shops in town.
I priced a BP/W rig at Scubatoys, and went to this guy and said "here's what I want, what can you do for me?" He took my list, walked around the room and pulled down everything, and got out his price book/catalog, and started playing with numbers until he came within about $30 of the ST price. I was fine with that, and purchased $400 worth of stuff from him that day. A month before, I bought two tanks for $250 said and done. I'm more than willing to drive out of my way to get air there, if just to shoot the breeze with the manager.
The consensus seems to be that the SCUBA industry is lagging behind, and is no longer always giving the customer what they want. Some stores are doing the best they can to make up for the manufacturer's ineptitude, and those are the stores that will hopefully stay in the business. I'm doing my part to keep them in business!
My advice is to find a store that treats you right, and then go there exclusively if you can, and let everyone you know how that store treats you right. Don't go out of your way to badmouth other stores, but don't be afraid to let people know why you support this or that store.
Except this one shop, about 30 minutes from my house. They cater to technical divers, and really know what they are doing. They have great prices on everything, can order me anything I need, and themanager will cut you a deal.
There's a caveat: I've learned to never go there when the manager isn't there. The other employees aren't as nice, as knowledageable, and can't cut you deals. Infact, I really dislike some of the employees there moreso than the employees at the dive shops in town.
I priced a BP/W rig at Scubatoys, and went to this guy and said "here's what I want, what can you do for me?" He took my list, walked around the room and pulled down everything, and got out his price book/catalog, and started playing with numbers until he came within about $30 of the ST price. I was fine with that, and purchased $400 worth of stuff from him that day. A month before, I bought two tanks for $250 said and done. I'm more than willing to drive out of my way to get air there, if just to shoot the breeze with the manager.
The consensus seems to be that the SCUBA industry is lagging behind, and is no longer always giving the customer what they want. Some stores are doing the best they can to make up for the manufacturer's ineptitude, and those are the stores that will hopefully stay in the business. I'm doing my part to keep them in business!
My advice is to find a store that treats you right, and then go there exclusively if you can, and let everyone you know how that store treats you right. Don't go out of your way to badmouth other stores, but don't be afraid to let people know why you support this or that store.
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