LDS Rip off?

[pinhead]

hi all i'm a newbie just getting into diving, hope that its not all like this:

i have booked my OW course for next month while at the LDS i thought i mite aswell get the gear (mask,fins,snorkel...etc)
the shop was doing packages so i went for the mares quattro fins as they seemed to be very popular.

anyway..when i got home i hads a look at the fins and noticed they were mares avanti X3 which are at least £20 pound cheaper than the quattros. i phoned the shop and spoke to 1 of the instructors who sold me the fins. he then went on and said these fins are the newest ones out, i stated that these are the cheaper version and allot of people reccomend the quattros. he went on to say that the X3's have only been out a few months and that most people who use quattros would be buying the X3's soon.

i said ok and looked up a bit more on a few websites only to realise that he was talking rubbish, i went to the shop armed with proof from the websites and saw another member of staff he said that they would exchange the fins but never had any quattros in stock (suprise suprise). so i told him i was in no rush as my course does not start for a month and now they are gonna contact me when the quattros are in stock so i can exchange them.

does this bad service happen allot in diving as i understand the need to make a profit but now i'm thinking maybe do my course then buy my future equpment elsewhere, so they would lose possibly over £15oo worth of future sales. go figure. just cos i'm new doesn't mean i have not researched the sport and some of the equipment used. i may bring it up next time i see the instructor as i was a little to polite to the other member of staff who i think new wot had happened. just looking for some views as this is supposedly a very reputible shop....

regards pinhead :^)

 

[cobaltbabe]

I know that most of the dive shops (the small ones anyway) don't keep alot of stock on hand, so it is very possible that they don't have them in stock. I am extremely lucky that my LDS carries and keeps alot of stock around, even though it is a smaller business. Best of luck with you OW's. Diving is a blast.

 

[scubasean]

How come this (sending you home with the X3's) can't be tagged as an innocent mistake?

Did you specifically tell someone you wanted a given fin type, only to be provided with a different type at the same cost(cost is part of it...was it at the same cost, or did you get a price that reflected the fins you went home with?)?

And, you noticed this when you got home (rather than when you received the fins at the store?

Also, when you went back, did you return the ones you just purchased? By doing that, you assure yourself of having the controlling position...since you can go elsewhere to get the fins if you need to do so.

Rather than bringing it up with the instructor, talk with the owner....But be nice...explain the facts, and try to keep emotions out of it.

 

[pinhead]

sorry maybe i should have explained it better. the shop does stock the quattro fins but i think because they had run out they tried to fob me off with the cheaper model but yet still charge the price of the quattros..then when i questioned them they then tried to say i had infact got a better deal out of it by getting a newer better fin. which unless i researched a little i would be none the wiser. hope that explains it better :^)

 

[rdriver]

That's Why I buy most of my things on line now, I got tired of the 200% markups and attitudes of my LDS, now if I make a mistake it's nobodies fault but my own........ if I need service I am glad to pay for there expertise, but I don't like giving money away just for the sake of it.
Rob

 

[jonnythan]

pinhead once bubbled...

does this bad service happen allot in diving

Yes, it does. The dive shop guy doesn't always know much at all about diving gear. If they make up crap on the spot and tell it to someone who hasn't even taken OW yet, no one will contradict them, so who cares?

Arm yourself with information from many sources *before* you trust the LDS guy.

I believe you've already learned this lesson though.

 

[Cinjodi]

When I signed up for OW with a dive school, I went shopping for my gear (and my dive buddy's) at various places in town. Some of our gear I bought at the same shop as where we were taking the class, and some I bought elsewhere. It depended on the pricing and selection. One item was a much cheaper price at a different shop and I mentioned to the one where I was taking the course that I would buy it from them if they could match the price or even come close and the owner blew his hatch. He told me to go take my class somewhere else if I wasn't going to buy my gear from him. I told him that it was of no matter to him where the heck I got my gear - I could be borrowing it from my sister for all anyone cares- and he would be making a big mistake to push my (and my dive buddy's) business out the door. He calmed down then and we were able to strike some deals on that piece of equipment and I bought other stuff too.

sheesh. Yes, they get defensive and possessive. Stick up for yourself and get what you want.

 

[scubasean]

pinhead once bubbled...
sorry maybe i should have explained it better. the shop does stock the quattro fins but i think because they had run out they tried to fob me off with the cheaper model but yet still charge the price of the quattros..then when i questioned them they then tried to say i had infact got a better deal out of it by getting a newer better fin. which unless i researched a little i would be none the wiser. hope that explains it better :^)

So return the fins you have, and wait until the new ones that you want arrive...

And take your training and new gear purchases elsewhere.

Problem solved...

 

[pinhead]

i just get sick in this day and age of people trying rip me off.
i pay for a good service and would be be happy to pay a little over the odds for that "personal touch" for certain things i would of course shop around but i feel the main point of a buisness is to make money. but to do that you have to get customers coming back, to do this does it not make good sense to build a good rapour with the customer, and earn their trust as after all it is expensive and life giving equipment you are purchasing from the shop. i would hope that they had a good knowledge of the products they stock.

i just feel at the moment i have paid in full for the course and starter gear so i dont want to stir things up or i may lose a big chunk of my money if i get angry and demand a refund.

or maybe i should carry on and when i see the guy again just make a joke of it but let him know that i am not that gullable, and point out if he tries it again i'm off as soon as i complete my coarse. or maybe i just take things to personal... ermm thats probably it

 

[scubasean]

I still haven't figured out if you are interacting with the owner, or are instead still talking with the underling instructor...

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