DSS (Deep Sea Supply)---Warning

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You are right, you have no business here because you don't know what you are talking about. The DSS Torus wing has does not have an accessible bladder. The shell is sewn shut, so you need to send it back to DSS for repair. The LCD wing does have an accessible bladder, BUT DSS does not recommend patching the wing and does not sell the bladders. The only way to get a new bladder is to sent the damaged wing back to DSS for a bladder replacement. So the OP's only choice is to buy another wing or stop diving until Tobin decides if and when to open up again.

Well, hello and good day too you sir! Sorry I was saying misinformation about those wings and thanks for correcting me. Oh wait I didn't say anything about those wings. So I don't know why you are directing your anger at me? Do you talk to people like that in person? if so that must be fun.

To answer your question, I would say until Tobin re-opens his business you have to assume the possibility of him never going back into business and you have to plan accordingly. If he does go out of business then he has no legal/moral/ethical obligation to fix something that was 8 months out of warranty. Its just one of those risks you take when doing business with anyone.
 
What attitude? Please send me a link.

Lololol. Are you new to Scubaboard? Do a search and you’ll find dozens of examples of rudeness, crassness, “my way or the highway” and FUs. He is known for two things: A cult-like group of devotees and a rude and demeaning attitude to customers if they disagree with him in any way.
 
This is not a universal consensus by a long shot. There is nothing special about DSS gear, it is not any better in quality than most other gear on the market. Anyone that says that it is either his friend or has nothing else to compare it to.

I have no relationship to Tobin or DSS and I'd compare my stack of "other gear" to anyone on this board. There's nothing I have from DSS, from BPs to wings that I don't have several other versions of from other folks over the years.

While there are, of course, competitors with quality gear, to suggest that DSS gear is not top tier or is merely comparable to "most other gear on the market" is simply inaccurate. Is it in every case the very best? Of course not. No one's is. But is it top tier, yes.

If you're customer service experience was bad or you chose to patronize someone else, that is certainly fair and is your right, but let's not conflate the issues.
 
How do you know you don’t just have very fragile skin and are blowing this whole thread out of proportion.
(This post is not meant to insult you in anyway just to create a bit of perspective from his point of view, especially as he’s not here to defend himself and this is extremely embarrassing for him). This is just for perspective.

Moral of the story:
1. Get thicker skin.
2. I think it’s ridiculous that you’re trying to slander and harm his name relating to his business which is his only source of income on a forum that lots of people will see...that to me is criminal at the very least.

What an idiotic statement! Perhaps you should consult a lawyer on the legal fine points of slander, and the criminality of the word/action. If not based on a lie, criticizing a vendor on a public forum for what can be legitimately perceived as poor customer service is appropriate and protected speech. Just because the comments may not be liked by the vendor or his acolytes, that has no bearing on a person's rights to voice dissatisfaction with the vendor. Of course, no vendor wants to be criticized in public, but such criticisms are often the result of the vendor failing Customer Service 101. Good customer service is not based on whether or not the vendor is having a bad day. As Skyflyer has the right to post a criticism, you can defend the vendor to your heart's content. However, like others on this board, my take on many of Tobin's posts over the years is that he has done more damage to his business than the complaints of other divers.
 
How do you know you don’t just have very fragile skin and are blowing this whole thread out of proportion.
(This post is not meant to insult you in anyway just to create a bit of perspective from his point of view, especially as he’s not here to defend himself and this is extremely embarrassing for him). This is just for perspective.

Imagine what it must feel like to be moving an entire business 1000 miles on his own. He’s probably getting less than 6 hours sleep a night and probably answering 200 phone calls a day, when half of them are from people who don’t know he’s temporarily out of business and who are moaning to fix their wing for free that is out of warrant, on top of that, he probably had a really stressful day...

Have you ever bitten someone’s head off when they were only nice to you? Of course you have, everyone has and you feel bad about it afterwards.

Moral of the story:
1. Get thicker skin.
2. I think it’s ridiculous that you’re trying to slander and harm his name relating to his business which is his only source of income on a forum that lots of people will see...that to me is criminal at the very least.

3. If you’re this unpleased about the bloody situation, call him upfront and tell him that, don’t go straight behind his back and do this. This is horrible. That’s what 12 yr olds in my opinion do (I’m not calling you a 12yr old).

Would you like it if someone did this to you when you were going through a hard and stressful time?

Not to defend either side in this debate, but your argument does not hold water. Many companies move. That is not an issue by itself, but it also is not a defense. If you are going to move your company, then plan for it. If customer service is important to you, then make sure your move does not overly inconvenience your customers. It can be as simple as emailing or snail mailing a notice to all of your customers advising them that you will be moving, and doing this sufficiently in advance so that if they do need service they can get it before the move. Or it can get much more involved ( I once worked with a company back when I was consulting that hired us as a team of 4 people to assist in planning their move.)

Or not - Tobin's choice But my views on customer service have already been stated.

There is an interesting framework (described in the book "Exit, Voice, and Loyalty" by A. O. Hirshman; Harvard University Press) that suggests three ways an unhappy customer can respond. Exit means they just stop doing business with you and say nothing - bad because you lose the business, do not know why, and therefore cannot improve. Loyalty means your customers just accept the bad service (your notion of getting a thicker skin), remain loyal, and say nothing. Bad because you don't even know you have a problem and therefore cannot improve. Voice means your customers voice their displeasure. Yes, it can be uncomfortable but is the only way to learn about your service issues and to (hopefully ) strive to mitigate them and improve your service. It should be the goal of all companies to create a means by which unhappy customers can easily give voice directly to the company. And when there is no opportunity to give voice via more "civilized" or company-supported means, sometimes you have to give voice via other means (like an online forum). And in today's world where we can all get on the web to vent our displeasure to the world at large, companies would be advised to create more customer-friendly means to give voice privately so that customers do not have to vent online (whether appropriate/justified or not).

Just a thought....
 
How do you know you don’t just have very fragile skin and are blowing this whole thread out of proportion.
(This post is not meant to insult you in anyway just to create a bit of perspective from his point of view, especially as he’s not here to defend himself and this is extremely embarrassing for him). This is just for perspective.


3. If you’re this unpleased about the bloody situation, call him upfront and tell him that, don’t go straight behind his back and do this. This is horrible. That’s what 12 yr olds in my opinion do (I’m not calling you a 12yr old).

Would you like it if someone did this to you when you were going through a hard and stressful time?

To point one, go back and read statement/posts/threads from Tobin here and on many other threads. He has years of history of acting like an a-hole and being exceptionally demeaning to people that don't agree with him.

To the second point: Tobin has shown himself over the years to be hot-headed. Disagreeing with him over the phone or telling him what you think of him has a 50% chance at least of not being pleasant.

So, do some research on Tobin, then feel free to comment. His gear is awesome. He is not (and it's a well-known laughable joke in the industry)
 
Don't even consider buying from this guy. He is absolutely overwhelmed with the move to Nevada, unable to provide customer service to his past customers and ruder than ever. I called DSS to ask about taking care of a leak in my wing that occurred on the very first dive (after buying it about 20 months ago) down in COZ. I understand his warrantee is only 1 year, but I was hoping to at least see if he would back up his gear (that apparently is the best in the WORLD) or buy another wing. After being berated because he has equipment in 3 different states and is overwhelmed and it's my fault, I should have let him know what I think of him, his business and his customer service, but I politely listened, thanked him and said goodbye.

I HIGHLY suggest that you go elsewhere for your gear, if you ever are able to buy from him again. I've been around the world many times and have dealt with all kinds of wonderful and not so wonderful people, but he is at the top of the ego/jerk list. I've been nothing but nice and respectful to him but he doesn't have a clue how to treat people, especially those who have given him their business. I'm done with him and have to swallow the cost of replacing the bad wing (the best one IN The WORLD) with another one, hopefully from a company with great customer service.

If you chose to buy from DSS in the future, do so at your own risk. Some people just don't deserve our time or our money.
I was under the impression DSS went out of business a month or two ago. Last I heard - from the horses mouth as they say, they might or might not reopen at some undefined time in the future probably in another state. Has that changed?
 
I was under the impression DSS went out of business a month or two ago. Last I heard - from the horses mouth as they say, they might or might not reopen at some undefined time in the future probably in another state. Has that changed?

From the DSS website:

Due to the relocation of DeepSeaSupply’s Manufacturing Facility from Pasadena California to Northern Nevada sales of all goods have been suspended as of 4/20/2018. The date for restarting sales is unknown but will be at least 6 months.
 
If a company is shut down and is not honoring warranties and not providing any support for previous customers, then it seems prudent to assume that a company no longer exists.

This assumption seems more realistic than believing that some time in the future, months from now, the “company” is going to be reinstituted and is going to start provide ongoing support etc.

I don’t think I have ever heard of a company doing something like this except maybe after a disaster or fire or something???
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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