Is this possible?

[Jupiter31]

The most important thing is you are the consumer and have the right to decide where you are going to spend your time and $$$.

You are lucky in that you live in the Tampa Bay area, and there are plenty of dive shops who would be happy to have your business.

Look at it this way - you would not employ a contractor to work on your home if you had reservations about the quality of their work, or their integrity, or frankly if anything about them bothered you - remember the golden rule "He/she who has the gold rules"

 

[Sas]

The dive industry is not like the mob. You are free to join other "families" and leave entirely any time you want.

Sometimes it does feel like the mob...

A lot of LDS owners take offense to you not buying all your gear at their shop. Is it right? Nope....but does it happen? Yup, unfortunately. For that reason, I've given up shopping at a couple of the LDS around my area....now instead of getting some of my business, they get none of my business, just because they started acting petty.

Yes I have had exactly that situation occur with the shop I did my OW training with. If I never go back into that store, it will be too soon. It started when I bought a drysuit elsewhere at one point and received an email basically saying they could have done it a lot cheaper for me (except they'd gotten the price I'd bought it for wrong and he'd said his price, which was actually $200 more expensive than what I paid at the other store ). I got emails saying I'd void my reg warranty if I took it to another store too (not true as I found out when I rung Scubapro) when I mentioned their price was too expensive. They have even sent out newsletters warning of the danger of "online stores" and so on. Just ridiculous really and harmful to their business in the long term.

So to the OP, do not feel like you need to be loyal to a dive store. I use many different stores now as not one store can provide all of what I need diving wise. All the stores other than the shop I did my OW course with are fine with this and do not diss me out for shopping elsewhere. As a result they will get more of my business and the original store, none.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

You should try to pick one dive shop and patronize that shop whenever you can. Hopefully they will cut you slack on a fill here and there and VIP's etc. I try to spend $500 or so on an air fill card at a time, to get a little discount and make them happy.

I gave up asking my local shop to match internet prices on gear, they SAY they will but when you bring them the add, they get pissed and say they will loose money on the sale and refuse. They also have a policy of refunding money if you buy something from them and later find the item cheaper else where.

I shudder to think of the discussion we might have if I HAD bought something from them and then asked for the retroactive price match (plus 10%) that they advertise. I know they wouldn't do the refund and I would be livid, so I pretty much gave up on buying ANY gear from any local shop and exclusively use the internet or buy used gear.

 

[diver 85]

"I like my Dive Instructor. I like my LDS. What i do not like, however, is my Dive Instructor's integrity and way of running his LDS and some of his attitudes."......

Those statements make no sense to me???...How can you like someone with bad integrity?..I would head to the PADI guy---quick---& tell the SSI to go fly a kite, or put his 'stuff' where the sun don't shine, whichever comes out 1st......























'

 

[Ponyfeathers]

thanks everyone!

you are all absolutely right. Im definetly not going to train with the dive shop that spits out half truths all the time, and i forgot that i can find dive trips through SB! Once I get my cert card ill be searching here for dives instead of through that shop.

 

[Ponyfeathers]

"I like my Dive Instructor. I like my LDS. What i do not like, however, is my Dive Instructor's integrity and way of running his LDS and some of his attitudes."......

Those statements make no sense to me???...How can you like someone with bad integrity?..I would head to the PADI guy---quick---& tell the SSI to go fly a kite, or put his 'stuff' where the sun don't shine, whichever comes out 1st......













'

i liked the place and the instructor until my dive buddy and i got to the first pool session where we realized how he twisted information. For example, we asked what to wear to the first session and what to bring. He told us we would be using his rental wetsuits, so we didn't need to buy our own wetsuits. When we showed up to class, it was "Oh by the way for the first class we are not using wetsuits". If we knew we were going to be swimming around in just our bathingsuits we would NOT have worn bekinis. He had lots of unproffessional comments and little things he did while at the pool session that made us not want to continue training with him.

When we went to go to our dive site for the second set of dives we got a little lost because his map didnt have north or south on it. We called him, and after basically calling us stupid for not knowing that this place was north he told us to go home because it would take an hour for us to get there (instead of the 40 mins he told us about five times the week before). Very frustrating.

So, when you're just chatting with him about diving and all the possibilities and places you can go and what you can see hes an awesome person, but once you start getting into buisness transactions and instances where he is in charge he gets kinda....eh.

Anyways, we're definetly going to the PADI store for everything else, the whole shop has a more friendly attitude anyways

 

[don Francisco]

You met 100% of your obligation to the first hop when you paid for what you bought. After that you're a free agent, and can should vote with your dollars.

The only way you'd owe any loyalty to the first shop is if they went above and beyond for you somehow, which it doesn't sound as if they did.

There might be the possibility that later on the SSI shop notices that you're coming on their trips with new equipment that you haven't bought from them and tries to make an issue of it. But that's a bridge you'll cross if and when you get to it.

 

[matt_w]

I don't think there is anything wrong with what you want to do, but I would be concerned about sticking with the other shop for your local diving. If you are concerned about their integrity, you should consider finding some better options for local diving. Look for local forums here, a dive club or some other way to meet up with other divers.

I believe diving with people you are uncomfortable with will lessen your enjoyment and ruin the experience for you. Diving should be fun and relaxing Congratulations on getting certified. I think you will find Divers are a great bunch of people and you will not have any problems finding great local buddies without the LDS your not happy with.

Ok, im in a little bind.

Im almost done with my SSI OW cert. I like SSI. I like my Dive Instructor. I like my LDS. What i do not like, however, is my Dive Instructor's integrity and way of running his LDS and some of his attitudes.

I know of another dive shop around the corner that is PADI. I went in today and they have much better policies and are more upfront on costs and requirements.

I did not want to go in there and badmouth my current LDS, but when they asked if i had a weight belt and i told them he said we had to buy a weightbelt and weights or buy a BC with weights (instead of letting us buy weights for the rental BCs) they knew who my LDS was.

Anyways, I've decided to switch to the PADI store after I finish my OW cert. However, the PADI store doesn't do too many local dives, whereas the SSI store does one or two at least every week.

Would it be considered bad to do my training and big dive trips with the PADI store, but to do local smaller dives with the SSI store and get gear wherever it is cheaper?

As a consumer i feel i should be able to, but i also feel guilty about going to another LDS.

Sorry for the long post, feedback would be appreciated.

Ponyfeathers

 

[NudeDiver]

He told us we would be using his rental wetsuits, so we didn't need to buy our own wetsuits. When we showed up to class, it was "Oh by the way for the first class we are not using wetsuits". If we knew we were going to be swimming around in just our bathingsuits we would NOT have worn bekinis.

Well, to be fair, it's entirely possible that he fully intended on having you wear wetsuits - but when he showed up and saw a couple of hotties in bikinis, he decided he would rather look at some skin than a wetsuit.

Try to take it as a compliment

There might be the possibility that later on the SSI shop notices that you're coming on their trips with new equipment that you haven't bought from them and tries to make an issue of it. But that's a bridge you'll cross if and when you get to it.

If that happens, tell the guy that you shoplifted the gear from the other shop, and to please not say anything to them about it.

 

[Divenomad]

If one shop provides a certain service that in your opinion is superior to another, buy that service from that shop. If a comment is made as to your "disloyalty" simply explain that the "this' shop does X better, and the other shop does Y better. Let them know what the problem is, and let them fix it or not. Many shops have shortcomings, no one is perfect. A good shop will appreciate honesty and make some effort to correct a defect or will offer some sort of explanation as to why not. Shops operate under considerable financial pressure, and some things cannot be corrected.Behavior,well, you have a right to expect professionalism and respect.

A bad shop deserves a quick death.

Ultimately, you choose what sort of service you want. Explain if they want your education business, they need to have these things addressed. Do the local dives, it makes your argument stronger, not weaker. It makes it hard for them to offer an excuse that you are a "difficult" customer. Money talks. So does money being spent elsewhere.

I wish divers would be clear about what they expect, and that shops would be clear about what they can offer, and not act like the mob. Serving divers is fun, and a privilege. constructive feedback ought not to be taken personally.

'Deep breath' I'll shut up now, because this whole thing is a peeve of mine, and I see everyones point. Divers should be treated with more respect, and divers need to have reasonable expectations. When these things happen, you can build lifelong, great relationships. -Nomad