raposarose
Guest
Sometimes it doesn't pay to go to the small local dive shop.
I bought my gear at a very small shop and got a lot of help on it which was very good.
Later I had to return one item though. I knew beforehand that the policy was returns for store credit only so that was ok, though I prefer more flexible policies.
In the meantime though, I had found one item at a local sporting goods store for $15 instead of the $26 at the LDS. When I mentioned it the dive shop owner first said that it must have been a different item. I said it wasn't and he just gruffly muttered "well buy it there then!" When I mentioned that I already had purchased the item he just walked away and wouldn't even talk to me.
I understand that local dive shops can charge a little bit more for their service but it would be nice if at least the service was good or if they were a little bit competitive with pricing (I didn't ask them to meet the other store's price, but just a small discount would have made me happy enough). The salesman felt so bad about the owner's treatment that he gave me the difference from his own dive instruction budget. I didn't ask for that but I appreciated it. But next time I went there the other salesperson spent a long time trying to make me feel bad for accepting $10 from the first salesperson!
If they had just approached me face to face and said that they can't afford it I wouldn't have minded. But if you are the most expensive shop in town at least you can be friendly too!
I found another dive shop that is bigger and more corporate seeming, but still a dive shop. They have been very friendly about everything...they allow returns and exchanges, and they match competitors prices. It seems that sometimes small and local is not equal to better.
I bought my gear at a very small shop and got a lot of help on it which was very good.
Later I had to return one item though. I knew beforehand that the policy was returns for store credit only so that was ok, though I prefer more flexible policies.
In the meantime though, I had found one item at a local sporting goods store for $15 instead of the $26 at the LDS. When I mentioned it the dive shop owner first said that it must have been a different item. I said it wasn't and he just gruffly muttered "well buy it there then!" When I mentioned that I already had purchased the item he just walked away and wouldn't even talk to me.
I understand that local dive shops can charge a little bit more for their service but it would be nice if at least the service was good or if they were a little bit competitive with pricing (I didn't ask them to meet the other store's price, but just a small discount would have made me happy enough). The salesman felt so bad about the owner's treatment that he gave me the difference from his own dive instruction budget. I didn't ask for that but I appreciated it. But next time I went there the other salesperson spent a long time trying to make me feel bad for accepting $10 from the first salesperson!
If they had just approached me face to face and said that they can't afford it I wouldn't have minded. But if you are the most expensive shop in town at least you can be friendly too!
I found another dive shop that is bigger and more corporate seeming, but still a dive shop. They have been very friendly about everything...they allow returns and exchanges, and they match competitors prices. It seems that sometimes small and local is not equal to better.