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LDS Purchases
- Thread starter kd5izq
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Spray25
Contributor
Are you sure you didn't make a wrong turn and end up at MY LDS?
OP
kd5izq
Guest
This post has gotten alot of great responses with some real world reasons why some people feel this way about certain LDS's. I for one am very lucky, we hav a great LDS and they will get most all of my business as far as I'm concerned, but I was mostly curious to see if others had the same problems as some of the folks from our outlying areas here have had. Thanks for all the stories. As far as that paticular LDS is concerned, I think I'd find another LDS as soon as possible, because with an attitude like that I wouldn't think that he would last very long. But that's just my opinion.
z28pwr
Guest
I bought some stuff from the local LDS where I'm getting certified through but I couldn't afford to buy everything there, it was just not reasonable. They wanted 180 for my fins and 180 for my girfriends fins when LP had them for $99 that's $160 dollars I saved by buying them from LP. That's almost a new regulator.
I know they have to make some money since they are paying rent and employees but if you are 50-80% higher then online then there is a problem.
I purchased $1,100 dollars worth of equipment from LP which would have costed me over 2K at my LDS.
I'll still try to support my LDS by buying the small stuff from them.
I know they have to make some money since they are paying rent and employees but if you are 50-80% higher then online then there is a problem.
I purchased $1,100 dollars worth of equipment from LP which would have costed me over 2K at my LDS.
I'll still try to support my LDS by buying the small stuff from them.
The shop (PADI) I used to go for my refills (with pre-paid refills' card) is just about working on its 5* rate.
When I started looking for AI, IDC and IE I obviously had to look somewhere else.
My current Course Director is also the shop owner.
I have to drive there half an hour compared to the former 15 minutes (out of town vs. downtown Brussels), but since I have to go there anyway for the course it doesn't really matter.
Since starting AI I've bought a pair of gloves, booties and regularly fill my tank there.
I'm seriously thinking about changing my BCD, guess where I'm inclined to look?
During pool sessions we get free use of tanks and free refills.
This is not the case with the other shop, and I know it for sure, because we attend two different pools, one with the Course Director's club, the other with our local club (where only Open Water students get tanks for free, hey, I'm a student as well :upset: ).
When I started looking for AI, IDC and IE I obviously had to look somewhere else.
My current Course Director is also the shop owner.
I have to drive there half an hour compared to the former 15 minutes (out of town vs. downtown Brussels), but since I have to go there anyway for the course it doesn't really matter.
Since starting AI I've bought a pair of gloves, booties and regularly fill my tank there.
I'm seriously thinking about changing my BCD, guess where I'm inclined to look?
During pool sessions we get free use of tanks and free refills.
This is not the case with the other shop, and I know it for sure, because we attend two different pools, one with the Course Director's club, the other with our local club (where only Open Water students get tanks for free, hey, I'm a student as well :upset: ).
plsdiver4377
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So far my primary shop has been good to deal with (there are 4 within a 40 min drive). They have been very understanding about the fact they don't always carry what I'm looking for, so of cousre I will buy it elsewhere.
The biggest problem I have is with the owner of 2 of the shops (2 different towns), he's way to pushy even to the point of saying equipment he used to sell is bad unless it happens to be what he sells now. I realize he's trying to make a living, but he won't do it on my dime with that kind of attitude.
The only other problem is getting Nitrox fills since 3 shops use Partial Pressure and my primary LDS uses the Membrane system. Therefor all of my tanks have to have a Nitrox sticker on the regardless of whether filled that way or not.
Cheers
The biggest problem I have is with the owner of 2 of the shops (2 different towns), he's way to pushy even to the point of saying equipment he used to sell is bad unless it happens to be what he sells now. I realize he's trying to make a living, but he won't do it on my dime with that kind of attitude.
The only other problem is getting Nitrox fills since 3 shops use Partial Pressure and my primary LDS uses the Membrane system. Therefor all of my tanks have to have a Nitrox sticker on the regardless of whether filled that way or not.
Cheers
lawofgravity
Guest
From a different angle.
For the last two months, I've been slowly putting together my equipment. I've snuck into four different dive shops to get the feel for the stuff I want to get. All of them have been great and very helpful. So how do I repay them? I get my reg set from a dealer in Ontario, Canada, a BCD and a Vyper from ebay. In total, I figured to save around $800 Canadian, which will be used to get a drysuit sometime in the summer. My bank account is still in the black, but I feel horrible using the LDS's especially since the diving economy here has been extremely slow for the past two years. I figured I'll repay them by taking some speciality courses with them, but then again, that's not much of a revenue generator.
For the last two months, I've been slowly putting together my equipment. I've snuck into four different dive shops to get the feel for the stuff I want to get. All of them have been great and very helpful. So how do I repay them? I get my reg set from a dealer in Ontario, Canada, a BCD and a Vyper from ebay. In total, I figured to save around $800 Canadian, which will be used to get a drysuit sometime in the summer. My bank account is still in the black, but I feel horrible using the LDS's especially since the diving economy here has been extremely slow for the past two years. I figured I'll repay them by taking some speciality courses with them, but then again, that's not much of a revenue generator.
Spray25
Contributor
Interesting story. You are correct, that was not very nice. I would not have done that. I have been careful to not use an LDS's time if I do not plan to buy from them. I do not encourage this practice at all. However, I will say that it is an inherent risk in any business that you may spend time with a customer, time that you deem valuable, only to have them buy somewhere else.
The client that did not buy from you was obviously missing something he wanted. Most (but not all) recognize that there is more to value than price alone. There is service also. The balance between price and service is diferrent for every customer though and you will not get them all. If an LDS refuses to discount at all then he is not going to sell to very many people that do there own research and simply are looking for a competitive price.
Lawofgravity, are you by chance affiliated with an LDS?
lawofgravity
Guest
No, I'm not affiliated with an LDS. However, because I'm in most of these shops quite often, I'm pretty much recognized whenever I walk in the front door, so much so that I usually stay an hour or two at a time, chitchatting not only about equipment, but what dives I've been doing and what dives they've been doing. For the most part they lay off the sales pitch. That's why I feel guilty about not buying MAJOR equipment from them. But like most people here, I can't justify spending twice the amount at an LDS. We live in a free market society and we certainly have the right to spend our hard earned cash where we want to. I fear though, that if the LDS and the dive companies don't get together to remedy the situation, stores will be going out of business left, right and centre.
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