Here we go again, our LDS is offering another Groupon

[Heatheroe]

LDS is offering another Groupon. This time he put in the clause that you cannot purchase equipment prior to the class. What does that mean? I think you know. Does anyone know how to write a review of these Groupons so I can tell people what to expect?

 

[flots am]

LDS is offering another Groupon. This time he put in the clause that you cannot purchase equipment prior to the class. What does that mean?

If it's this one, it says:

"Must purchase snorkel equipment through Sink or Swim or have own equipment that meets safety standards."

This apparently means you can buy your own mask/fins/snorkel before the class, but if you don't have it when the class starts, you have to buy it from them.

The English translation is "I think my customers are stupid, but will be out of business soon anyway."

flots.

 

[boulderjohn]

The last time someone tried to do that here, he did a blanket condemnation and then had to eat his words when the shop's course he was condemning (simply because it was offered via Groupon) turned out to be a great deal with excellent instruction. You can't generalize with any degree of accuracy. Some shops will do an excellent job with this, creating a great deal for students. Others won't.

 

[oly5050user]

If it's this one, it says:

"Must purchase snorkel equipment through Sink or Swim or have own equipment that meets safety standards."

This apparently means you can buy your own mask/fins/snorkel before the class, but if you don't have it when the class starts, you have to buy it from them.

The English translation is "I think my customers are stupid, but will be out of business soon anyway."

flots.

sorry , but do not see a problem here. If it is ok to own their own gear before the start of class, as sometimes happens as perhaps a friend/relative gave them gear, why condem the LDS? The LDS says its ok.. If a student shows up with faulty or inappropriate gear such as a really cheap mask/snorkel/fins that are sure to break during use then the student needs to purchase real scuba quality gear. I have seen them show up with mask/fin/snorkel sets that are toys for kids to play with in a 3' deep backyard pool purchased at a Walmart /Kmart/CVS type store. Sometimes the mask is ok ,not the best ,but ok. Usually the fins are crap and worthless.

 

[TMHeimer]

If you don't purchase from them, how does any LDS know when & where you purchased anything?-- even after the class starts. Could you just not say, "Oh, I forgot my fins and mask last time, now I have them". Instead of saying you bought them new elsewhere. Even if they surmized the stuff is brand new, would they still not want your enrollment in the class anyway? I must be missing something.

 

[flots am]

sorry , but do not see a problem here. If it is ok to own their own gear before the start of class, as sometimes happens as perhaps a friend/relative gave them gear, why condem the LDS?

They can't prevent anybody from buying anything, anywhere they want, any time they want.

If I lived closer, I'd buy the groupon and stop down with a walmart special and a lawyer just to see how far the shop would go.


---------- Post added December 17th, 2012 at 07:29 PM ----------

The last time someone tried to do that here, he did a blanket condemnation and then had to eat his words when the shop's course he was condemning (simply because it was offered via Groupon) turned out to be a great deal with excellent instruction. You can't generalize with any degree of accuracy. Some shops will do an excellent job with this, creating a great deal for students. Others won't.

I have no idea what the class is like. My only issue is with the "you have to buy your stuff from us" clause in the groupon ad, which I find completely ridiculous and right out of the 1980s.

I wonder if the shop buys all their telephones from the Verizon?

flots.

 

[Heatheroe]

I must disclose that we were students in this scenario however we paid full price when the rest of the class (all of them) purchased the groupon. I feel the groupon put extra strain on the instructor therefore not leaving him enough time to do our classroom and CW portions of the class before what was to be a dive vacation. Adding to this is that we paid for the class in July, started class work in September and didn't get to do our CW portion until Oct 1st after which the weather turned unseasonably cold. I just want people who purchase this groupon to understand that although the "required" equipment, whether purchased through this shop or otherwise, would be mask, fins, snorkel, reg necklace, etc that the OW equipment needed for NC in a quarry in the winter would be much more, meaning 5-7 mil booties, gloves, hood and full wetsuit. Where are these newbies going to get this equipment? Because shop in question does not rent any of that. He will want them to purchase this cold water equipment from him. He even tried to sell a newbie who was going to Hawaii in December, a dry suit. Seriously? Anyway, my objection is not to slander any shop or person but to inform potential groupon customers of exactly what they might be in for.

 

[Scuba_Noob]

An LDS without rental equipment for OW classes? That seems a little strange.

How does it expect to get any business if everyone has to buy a full kit beforehand or from the shop?

 

[farsidefan1]

Dunno, I'd consider a wet suit if I was always diving in Hawaii . Of course my picture is next to "Warm water wuss" in the dictionary. Please ignore me, I actually don't know, what is a groupon? If I knew then perhaps I would have something constructive to add. Otherwise I'll confine myself to an occasional attempt at humor.

 

[boulderjohn]

I must disclose that we were students in this scenario however we paid full price when the rest of the class (all of them) purchased the groupon. I feel the groupon put extra strain on the instructor therefore not leaving him enough time to do our classroom and CW portions of the class before what was to be a dive vacation. Adding to this is that we paid for the class in July, started class work in September and didn't get to do our CW portion until Oct 1st after which the weather turned unseasonably cold. I just want people who purchase this groupon to understand that although the "required" equipment, whether purchased through this shop or otherwise, would be mask, fins, snorkel, reg necklace, etc that the OW equipment needed for NC in a quarry in the winter would be much more, meaning 5-7 mil booties, gloves, hood and full wetsuit. Where are these newbies going to get this equipment? Because shop in question does not rent any of that. He will want them to purchase this cold water equipment from him. He even tried to sell a newbie who was going to Hawaii in December, a dry suit. Seriously? Anyway, my objection is not to slander any shop or person but to inform potential groupon customers of exactly what they might be in for.

What you are describing has nothing to do with Groupon. It has everything to do with the way the specific shop you were dealing with chose to do business with its customers.

Just to be clear, I have nothing whatsoever to do with Groupon. I just have a problem with people taking a bad experience they had with one shop and generalizing it to all shops in the world. Not everyone has the same bad sense of business ethics.