The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
The "If I don't dive, teach or sell it, then it must be crap!" mentality is prevalent. It kinda worked before the internet, when they controlled the knowledge. Not so much now.
LDS Disparaging Other Shops and Brands of Scuba Shops
- Thread starter Lewis Hoffman
- Start date
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drk5036
Contributor
I don’t feel bad about purchasing things on the internet, because I’ve never visited a dive shop that I felt actually knew what they were doing and knowledgeable about a wide product base, focusing only on the manufacturer they’re somehow stocking. Don’t tell me I’m crazy because I’m interested in diving a BP/W and how what I really need is some huge, expensive, oversized BCD.
Funny, when I saw the title, I said to myself I've seen the same where I'm from. I could even name the shops I've seen it happen. Then I read your post and realized we are talking about the same shops. RUN from the ones that are negative about other shops and especially stay away from any that say the gear they sell is the ONLY gear to buy.
I patronize two local dive shops.
One goes out of his way to deliver amazing service. Two examples. 1) When I bought my Transpac at the height of COVID, I brought in all the lights, compasses, SMB's and other stuff I might want to carry, and he spent more than an hour helping me figure out how to attach everything and stay trimmed up. In the process, he pulled out various clips, bungies, and other attachment helps as needed to secure my accessories--and just gave them to me. 2) One day when I was busy and needed to pick up some tanks for the next day's dive, he dropped them off at my house on his way home. That and a healthy veteran's discount keeps me coming back.
The other focuses on relationships. I took several courses from them. They have a deeper bench than the smaller operation, and I think it's important to learn from a variety of instructors.
Both shops know I have relationships with the other. Neither shop talks about their competitors. They talk about what they offer.
One goes out of his way to deliver amazing service. Two examples. 1) When I bought my Transpac at the height of COVID, I brought in all the lights, compasses, SMB's and other stuff I might want to carry, and he spent more than an hour helping me figure out how to attach everything and stay trimmed up. In the process, he pulled out various clips, bungies, and other attachment helps as needed to secure my accessories--and just gave them to me. 2) One day when I was busy and needed to pick up some tanks for the next day's dive, he dropped them off at my house on his way home. That and a healthy veteran's discount keeps me coming back.
The other focuses on relationships. I took several courses from them. They have a deeper bench than the smaller operation, and I think it's important to learn from a variety of instructors.
Both shops know I have relationships with the other. Neither shop talks about their competitors. They talk about what they offer.
100days-a-year
Contributor
Some shops earn all the derisive attention they get. I rarely pay attention when anyone in the industry speaks about anything but if they go out of their way to praise or condemn someone or something I'll check it out to see if there is fire under the smoke. Taking it the point that we're call gonna die is usually a coverup for their own deficiencies.
im lucky as im a naui /padi sdi/tdi ( acuc since resigned ) if another shop slags me i call them up and say remember the ethic cluase in your agency agreement about disparaging another instructor from that agency .........it stops right away ......if they are smart , only had 1 real issue that almost went to court , papers are now filed with my lawyer waiting for the idiot to do it again ........that's why you don't slag other stores it can get real messy
Not a lawyer, but my belief is as long as you state verifiable facts (and not opinions), you are fine. "Their training sucks" is different than, but could very well be equivalent to, "they conduct open water courses with students on the knees". If the latter is a fact, it is a fact.
Some instructors in my area get pissy when I recommend a dive shop in my area called Eight, which is the only shop of which I'm aware that teaches open water neutrally buoyant from the first pool session by all of their instructors. I don't say anyone's training sucks, but I am not shy in expressing that teaching on the knees is inferior. And I only recommend that one shop for that reason alone. By deduction, I am slagging on the training provided by all other shops, but that won't get me in trouble. If someone were to call me and threaten a lawsuit or to contact my agency, I'd laugh and say go ahead.
I'm pretty sure I know which shops you are speaking about.
About 5 years ago, I was a new diver looking for a "home" shop. While eating at the Mcalisters in Moore, a group of people next to me heard me and my wife talking about a dive trip and came and introduced themselves. I recognized one as being an employee of another shop that was close to my office. Shane was opening Sharky's Scuba in Moore and they have been my shop ever since. Shortly after they opened, we were leaving to go to Cozumel and I realized I did not have some small piece of gear... maybe a fitting for a reg hose? Shane had forwarded the store number to his cell and he agreed to meet us while we were on the way to the airport at 7:00 am to get me the part. Other times he has offered to let me use shop equipment until what I needed came in. Just a few weeks ago, he let me use their pool to try a new to me wetsuit. I use them for airfills for my personal tanks as well as class tanks and even when I load them up with 10 tanks, they are always filled quickly, usually immediately, and fills are always full to tank limits.
I divemaster for a competing training facility and still get treated like a member of the family. Great family owned and run scuba shop. I can't say enough good about them. Just a great shop. There are several choices in the OKC metro area, Sharky's is mine for lots of reasons.
Good luck,
Jay
About 5 years ago, I was a new diver looking for a "home" shop. While eating at the Mcalisters in Moore, a group of people next to me heard me and my wife talking about a dive trip and came and introduced themselves. I recognized one as being an employee of another shop that was close to my office. Shane was opening Sharky's Scuba in Moore and they have been my shop ever since. Shortly after they opened, we were leaving to go to Cozumel and I realized I did not have some small piece of gear... maybe a fitting for a reg hose? Shane had forwarded the store number to his cell and he agreed to meet us while we were on the way to the airport at 7:00 am to get me the part. Other times he has offered to let me use shop equipment until what I needed came in. Just a few weeks ago, he let me use their pool to try a new to me wetsuit. I use them for airfills for my personal tanks as well as class tanks and even when I load them up with 10 tanks, they are always filled quickly, usually immediately, and fills are always full to tank limits.
I divemaster for a competing training facility and still get treated like a member of the family. Great family owned and run scuba shop. I can't say enough good about them. Just a great shop. There are several choices in the OKC metro area, Sharky's is mine for lots of reasons.
Good luck,
Jay
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