Local dive shops are really taking the pi$$!
- Thread starter Freeflyer
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Scott M
Contributor
Agreed,
Ours was a little more motivated, like do something or starve.
Scott
Ours was a little more motivated, like do something or starve.
Scott
Yeah - they're mad at their customers, which is really the dumbest thing in the world. The customer isn't the cause of the problem...
Scott is right on. I used to play this "pit one against the other" game all on my own and was very successful at it - as one buying company. You would not believe how aggressive the pricing can get if you time it right and make the correct arguments.
Of course you have to be able to back your bluster with a purchase order.
I'm not trying to be harsh. I don't have a problem with making a buck. The fact is, it's my job to keep as much of my money as possible. I do buy from my LDS when they are competitive.Dive Source once bubbled...
This is WAY harsh !
Last time I checked LP and other online discounters they are also out to make money and are not up for sainthood.
There are good and bad shops in every business and to paint every LDS with your description in prejudiced and unfair.
I am sorry to see that your experiances have been so bad that you would paint everyone who runs an LDS with such a dirty brush as I do not think most people feel this is true.
Ouch...Comments like yours hurt those who never hurt you or anyone else for that matter and have worked hard for their customers and the betterment of the sport.
As for my LDS experiances most of them have been poor. I have had one shop tell me that I shouldn't buy from a .com shop (that was also my LDS), because they sell old stock and used stuff as new. Nice! Many places, not all places, I've been to from FL to CA have told me why I should have bought something they sell insted of what I have. I consider my purchases to be good ones. I have been told my Air Z nitrox computer, Air2, Apex BIO fins, dry snorkel, mask,Spare air, mask defogger,and back inflate BCD,are all no good for one reason or another. Granted I wasn't told all this by the same place, But that's the point.
I didn't create the price fixing industry your trying to make a living in, I've just adapted to it. So if you think your not competing with the outfit in Spain your right. Your competing with the .com store that's across town that will match the price.
On this board you will find replies that state "Find a LDS that you trust". Why is that?
Why can't you trust them all? After all, in some cases your only trusting them with your life. I didn't cause the bad perception of the industry, I only have one.
It is too bad that not all dive shops are filled with knowledgeable, experienced divers with their hearts in the right place. It's clear, at least to me that a a large number of divers could use some guidence.
The ONLY time you're life can be put on the line by a dive shop is during training or when you let them fill your tank.
To undergo training with or buy gas from some one you don't trust is of the purest form of silly.
Trust is part of every business or personal relationship and is a two way street you travel everyday of your life.
Yes, trust can cause you harm and that harm can come from other directions than just your Local Dive Shop.
-Do you trust the Pharmicist who decants your prescription drugs?
-Do you trust the mechanic who fixed your brakes?
-Do you trust the doctor who diagnoses your ailment?
Etc, Etc...
All of them are more likely to harm you than any LDS as you are exposed to them more in your day to day life. Can you honestly say you treat all other businesses with the passion shown on this board or is the passion shown on threads like these disproportionate to the issue.
I do a good job and so does my staff, most of the time. Overall I would say we get an A+ but not a grade of perfect, as that is not obtainable. (It is however a worthwhile goal we have set )
There are LDS's who deserve your business and those who don't, all I am saying is don't let only the occassional bad issue you read here be a basis for all your decisions as they are not balnced with the many good things the LDS does for the sport.
Just my two cents...
Trust comes from a relationship. I don't have a relationship in each place I've been diving. So you must assume some risk.
Do you take your own compressor when you travel?
Have you ever gotten a fill from someone you didn't know or do you trust everyone meet?
Do the majority of first time divers know their instructors before they took the course?
So then, the only time you put your life on the line by a dive shop is when you let them fill your tank. How many times have you dove with an empty tank?
Pure silly?
Divers argue trust when buying a reg yet they purchase gas and training wherever it's convenient. My intention was to call BS on the trust argument
Purchases from a dive shop do not significanlt effect the probability that you will live with the exception of....
Training ... Poor training can indeed get you hurt during or after.
Many students don't know anything about their instructors and that is indeed unwise in my opinion and experience. I would do some research before choosing an instructor in ALL cases. The newer the diver the more important this is IMO.
Gas...Bad gas can indeed hurt you right now.
The question is do you trust the equipment and procedures. I analyze my gas for O2 content in most all cases. If I purchased trimix I would smlilarly see to the helium content but so far have always mixed my own (even on the road).
As far as contaminants, I expect to see an air quality certificate on the wall of a fill station. That isn't a problem in this country. In the case of a private owned compresor, I know the person and and "trust" the equipment. Of course it helps if I know that he dives it. I also try to get a look at the equipment. Looks can be decieving but can give a hint. If anything about the oporation doesn't seem right, I'll get my gas some place else.
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