Does anyone still believe in "Support Your LDS"?

[Nemrod]

When first started diving, at least in my area, there were no stores. The instructor who gave classses at the Y did sell some gear. Later a few stores, a feed and seed/hardware store and a pharmacy sold gear. I did a lot of mail order from Central Scuba. Then Wards, Sears and Pennys had gear as did K-Mart. Good gear too for the time. Then along came the "LDS" concept. Now I am back to mail order but it is via computer.

N

 

[bl6394]

When I started diving - I did my business with a LDS that, in my opinion, had a pretty toxic business model - a three part strategy really: Step 1) Sell a bunch of overpriced, unneeded gear to the new diver. Step 2) promote the Divecon training program to the OW diver - so they can sell a bunch more gear / training. Step 3) either use the Divecon trainee as free labor in the LDS's privately owned underwater attaction - or just start over with a new OW student and repeat... In my opinion, they offered a poor value to the customer - and demonstrated a lack of integrity - but made lots of money with the short term relationship they established with new divers / dive students.

As a more experienced diver - I can't find much of the gear I bought from the original dive shop still in use... And the impressions I formed drove me to Internet based sellers - who have done a fantastic job earning my business. Divegear Express, Dive Right in Scuba, North East Scuba Supply and Diveseekers have gotten a ton of my money - and I've always felt great about the value I received, service, and support.

More recently, I've been very impressed with a different LDS in St. Louis who demonstrates a great commitment to their customers. They consistently offer good value - and don't berate me for taking my business elsewhere when my needs or circumstances prevent them from being the best solution to my immediate needs. Their interactions always demonstrate integrity - and I consistently am impressed with the value they give, quality of their service, and support. As such - I WILL support this LDS - even if on occasion it does sometimes cost me a bit more. Their longer view of a customer / LDS relationship is the key to this feeling. Rather than trying to rip me off and then move on to the next new diver - they sought to cultivate a long term relationship - hence the loyalty to the LDS.

Bjorn

 

[dfx]

Being in Canada, things are a little bit more difficult for me. If I buy online from a store like LP or scuba.com, I have two options:

1) Have it delivered to an address in the US, just across the border. It lets me take advantage of any free shipping offers there may be. I have to drive down there, cross the border, pick it up and take it back home. I can either try to "smuggle" it across the border, or declare it and pay the local 13% tax/duty on top of the retail value, which is in addition to whatever sales tax the store already made me pay. Not a lot of people know about this option.

2) Have it shipped home. There's no free shipping, instead shipping is more expensive, and I have to pay the local 13% tax/duty plus some outrageous "brokerage" fee the shipping company charges on top of everything else. However, even with this option, stuff still comes out way cheaper than buying it locally from any of the 5+ dive shops that would be closer than the US border, sometimes less than half price.

If online retail of dive gear is such a great business that's able to put all the LDS out of business, why aren't there any competitive Canadian online stores? Sure, most of the dive shops here sell stuff online, but all for the same ridiculous prices as in store, and the selection is usually extremely limited. Amazon has some diving stuff for sale, but you gotta be real lucky to find there what you're looking for. I'd be happy to pay a little bit more at a LDS in return for the personal service they have to offer, but not twice as much. I don't mind for small purchases, but for more expensive stuff it makes a lot of difference.

 

[Insta-Gator]

LDS changes personnel as they need to. I understand they have business decisions to make. They also change brands from time to time, also a business decision. I understand that.

The internet and the related social media (SB for instance) and shopping options have enabled me to perform a great deal of research on products I am interested in. Once I make up my mind as to what product meets my need, it's a matter of price. My selection and the LDS availability/price may or may not coincide.

I hope they understand that.

For what it's worth, if you own a LDS and you are not also selling via the internet you are missing a great deal of business opportunity.

 

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

For what it's worth, if you own a LDS and you are not also selling via the internet you are missing a great deal of business opportunity.

Funnily enough my girlfriend bought some gear for me for Christmas from an online seller, as I was about to do my open water. She wasn't necessarily looking for someone local, but the service was good and the shipping was fast. As soon as I started looking for more gear I discovered that this seller was in fact just up the road from me, so they went from online business to having me come in and try stuff on. Then because they do free shore diving I pretty much got signed up for their dive club as soon as I was certified, so now they get my rental business as well.

Having yourself well positioned from having a good online store through to taking divers out every weekend puts you right at the centre of the local scene.

Abyss Scuba in Ramsgate NSW for you Sydney divers.

Abyss Scuba Diving - PADI Learn to Dive Lessons, Scuba Gear

 

[fnfalman]

I can count the number of times I bought any dive gear online with one hand.

 

[lamarpaulski]

My former LDS sold me an air card then went out of business the next day. My next LDS hydroe'd my tank (sent it out) then charged me 15$ for a visual inspection on the newly hydro'ed (Passed with flying colors) tank. They could not really explain why my freshly hydroed tank needed their visual inspection too or what value I got for the 15$ annual VIP immediately after passing hydro ? Just one of them things LDSs now do to their customers apparently. I called the actual testing outfit that did the hydro and they told me they always visual it first and last (for obvious reasons) as part of the hydro protocol. So what did I get for my 15$ quick peak VIP, immediately after a passed hydro, by a teenager with a light ? ????????? Enough to make you shop around for best deal on the internet for equipment and most all else. Just one of them things. I have found the internet vendors as ethical or better than LDS.

 

[mac.calder]

I would argue >75% of online vendors are someones LDS. The ones that end up being big trusted online vendors usually get to be so by being trusted LDSs first. You have had a bad experience with 2 shops. It happens. Soon you might find an awesome LDS, then you will see why some of us would do anything to support our local shop.

 

[ajduplessis]

Only if they believe in "Support your local diver"

 

[chillyinCanada]

I have an awesome LDS and I support them. They are the local tech store but also serve divers that don't lean that way. Whatever I want that they don't have in stock, they'll bring in for me. I've found that the deals they offer me along with the amazing service, more than make it worth my while to buy from them. Plus I just love to browse in there.