LDS - They have a bad attitude.

[TCWayne]

I'm fortunate in that I have multiple shops to chose from. I've had good experiences with all of them.
My regular shop is less than a mile from me. The first time I went in there I was greeted with a smile and was offered assistance. I was afraid I would feel as if I wasn't part of the club so to speak but not the case. I have since bought all my gear there and at this point I'm a regular and they know my name and say hello every time I go in. The first impression is what kept me coming back. Had that not been a good experience then perhaps I may have not even gotten certified at all or at least tried somewhere else.
I haven't bought a thing online because I want to touch and feel what I'm buying. This shop has always been very helpful in explaining the plus and minuses of gear. Hell they even checked out and approved my girlfriends gear that she bought at another shop.
I know that customer service is what the OP was going for here but I did want to mention that This shop will match internet pricing. That will keep people coming back for sure. Surprising more shops do not do this.

 

[captain]

Oddly, if I look back at the dive shops that have gone out of business locally over the last seven or eight years, many were owned by some of the most affable people in the business. I can think of at least three who were owned by really great people, who tried hard to be accommodating to both their clients and their competitors ... and went out of business because those people took advantage of their acommodating nature.

So I can see two sides here ... sure, nobody wants to do business with a jerk. But the other side is that there are an awful lot of people out there who would be more than happy to "cheat" any advantage offered by an LDS owner trying to give them a break. And when your actions end up costing the guy money, you reduce the chances that he'll be in business a year from now.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Being affable and being a good businessman are not one and the same.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Being affable and being a good businessman are not one and the same.

Granted ... but I still think that in order to have a good business relationship, both parties have to make an effort toward a successful transaction. There can't be winners and losers, or the business relationship isn't sustainable.

In some cases, I think customers have as much to do with a negative experience as the shop owners do ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ringmod65]

It all come down to this: "Don't be a dick." This applies to both customer and proprietor.

The way I had it explained to me is that a lot of dive shop owners are ex-military / ex-law enforcement who are enthusiastic divers and figure that they will take their early retirement and pension and open a dive shop. The problem is that many of these folks have terrible interpersonal skills and lousy business sense. This has been borne out by personal experience on several unfortunate occasions. Not only will I never return to a shop run by a jackass, I will let it be known far and wide how shabbily I was treated. (F2F, I don't bash online)
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The disruptive effect of the internet has hurt many businesses. Boo-effin-hoo! I spent years working in an independent record store. Not too many of those post-Napster? If you are a dinosaur, it's probably not a good idea to hasten your inevitable demise.
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I count my lucky stars that L/P is my LDS. No matter how packed and crazy it is, Ben or Brett always greet me as I step off the elevator. They have gone out of their way for me time and time again and will always be my "go to" retailer. Many times I have received even greater discounts in store than are advertised online. A few times I've left the showroom with so much gear that I feel as if I somehow ripped them off. Oh, and I dive with them several times a year.

The game is over. The internet won. Dive shop owners: Adapt your business practices (especially customer service) to conform to the new reality, or accept the fact that you now own a pricey combo fill station / dressing room.

Best.

 

[macado]

Glad I'm not the only one surrounded by dive shops like this. I had a post in the Whine and Cheeze forum about my LDS's. There are 4 in my area, one that has no interest in having anyone in their shop, another where they're super rude and won't budge on prices, another near where I work that has ONE guy who is interested in actually selling something and a fourth that is just too far away. It kind of sucks, especially since there is some great diving around here.

Kristopher

I'm actually generally curious what dive shops in Mass you're referring to. You don't need to mention them in the thread.

I've had some so-so experiences with a lot of Mass dive shops but I have found a couple I like. I usually always go in with an open mind.

Unfortunately an increasing majority of my gear is becoming more tech oriented which has been forcing me to look online a lot more.

 

[k ellis]

Granted ... but I still think that in order to have a good business relationship, both parties have to make an effort toward a successful transaction. There can't be winners and losers, or the business relationship isn't sustainable.

In some cases, I think customers have as much to do with a negative experience as the shop owners do ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Well there is an old thread on here that kind of tells how sometimes only one side of the story gets told. Its easy to remember while we hear a diver come on here and tell us how evil the shop was and so forth we rarely hear from the dive shop themself.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...ing/169222-diving-lessons-disappointment.html

As you can see in this old thread a customer become upset over an experience that happend in a dive shop and really became upset with them. As the dive shop themself came on the board and posted their reply we then began to have the other dive shops in town chime in and really became a cluster of he said she said.

Now the truth is we all have a right to be upset over an experience or sale but sometimes we should sit down take a deep breathe and think things over. After all sometimes something trivial can really turn a simple bad experience into a full blown fight.

Yes you are right Bob that the customer can sometimes be just as to blame as the shop owner.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I had a friend once that rented some gear at at our local shop and while he was finishing his dive at the ocean a wave claimed one of the rental fins.
When he went back to turn in the one fin they charged him full retail to replace the rental fins. He was all pissed off and threw a fit claiming they robbed him. He felt they should have just charged their wholesale price to replace the fins.

If he would have read his rental contract it's specifically stated that if any rental gear is lost or missing the full retail price will be charged for replacement, and if that model isn't available anymore the next model up or a suitable equivalent product would be substituted.
He didn't read that part.

On another note, I think some of this LDS problem is regional for sure. I live in California where commercial property rentals are amongst the highest in the nation. We also have some of the highest sales tax at an average of 10% now (some counties higher and some lower), and some of the highest insurance rates in the nation..

When I can order a piece of gear from Leisure Pro 3000 miles away and pay no sales tax, no shipping, and the product is at least 25% less and delivered to my door. As opposed to my LDS, I have to burn $4.00 worth of gas to get there, pay full retail, and pay an additional 9.5% sales tax.
I'm just saying.

 

[vladimir]

On another note, I think some of this LDS problem is regional for sure. I live in California where commercial property rentals are amongst the highest in the nation. We also have some of the highest sales tax at an average of 10% now (some counties higher and some lower), and some of the highest insurance rates in the nation..

When I can order a piece of gear from Leisure Pro 3000 miles away and pay no sales tax, no shipping, and the product is at least 25% less and delivered to my door. As opposed to my LDS, I have to burn $4.00 worth of gas to get there, pay full retail, and pay an additional 9.5% sales tax.
I'm just saying.

While few people who order from online retailers actually pay the sales tax, they do owe the sales tax.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

While few people who order from online retailers actually pay the sales tax, they do owe the sales tax.

Owe the sales tax to who?

If I buy a product from a retailer in NY then I don't pay any sales tax to the state of CA because the sale didn't originate here.
If I was required to pay sales tax to NY they would have collected the tax with the sale. If I sell one of my products out of state I do not collect sales tax because the item was shipped out of CA.
I know this because I have to send the board of equalization sales tax that I collect every year. One of the exemptions is out of state sales. It's the same for other states.
Retailers in other states are not going to collect sales tax for California.

 

[Bratface]

I must be going to the wrong dive shops. I've been diving nearly 8 years and have been treated well in the home town dive shop (Raleigh, NC, Key West, FL and St Thomas, VI). I have even visited the "other" shop in these towns and been treated very well. I have also traveled internationally and visited shops, made purchases or sometimes didn't and was made to feel welcome. I suppose I am one lucky woman.