A retail dive store is a retail store. I don't ask myself if I had a great experience in Kinkos or Best Buy? I just go in, get what I need and leave. What is up with all the love and hate and love an hate on retail dive equipment stores?
It is a store, you go in, you buy something, you go out with it in a plastic bag.
I don't get it. I am not asking them to marry me or anything.
N
Maybe you need to go to a different shop!
I walked into my LDS (
www.DiveSeekers.com) about a year ago with a fistfull of dollars, intent on buying a new 40lb Halcyon Evolve wing for a three-week trip to Truk lagoon. I already had a 60lb Evolve for diving steel doubles here in the Northeast, but didn't want something that would be overkill for double AL80's in Truk, where I planned on doing approx sixty significant, tight penetration dives.
One of the owners, Wayne - who had been on the Truk Odyssey a few months earlier - said "Yeah, that's the way to go. The 60 Evolve will be too much with AL80's and flop all around," as we're walking over to the Halcyon display. "See...this is my Evolve 40, that I dove in Truk. Much more streamlined."
Me: "Cool I'll take one."
He: "Take this one..." handing me his
Me: "Hmm, hadn't thought of buying a used one."
He" "Good, I wasn't thinking of selling you one."
Me: "Huh?"
He: "Just borrow mine."
So, I walked out with my money still in my pocket
and the gear that I needed. That's the kind of sales/service I get from my LDS. In fact I also ended up leaving that day with some gear for one of the crew members on the Truk Odyssey. After his trip, Wayne had sent some stuff to this guy, though he had recommended he include a crotch strap, etc. The crew guy emailed Wayne to say "You were right, I should have gone the other way. Oh well, will add it someday." This guy had no-idea I was gonna be onboard a few weeks later; Wayne simply gave me the new bits and pieces, showed me what needed to be done to swap the parts, and sent me on a 9,000mi service call.
So not only did he NOT sell me a $450 piece of gear I walked in for with cash in hand, he also gave me some free gear to bring to a customer he'd never see again.
:cool2:
PS - the guy on the Truk Odyssey almost died when I boarded and said to him "Nice to meet you...Wayne sent me to install this crotch strap for you."
:shocked2: