PADI update from DEMA

[Capt.Bob]

I'm sitting in the PADI DEMA update seminar. Shocking development: PADI has rolled out some changes in the discover dive program. Not surprising: all DSD divers must now be registered (so PADI can market them) AND local dive shop must use original DSD brochure (~$7 cost per diver). PLUS, PADI offering a variety of benefits to these DSD'ers including eLearning trial. Here is the kicker - if they enroll, they become affiliated with the DSD shop.

This means that LDS in the midwest that get students that tried scuba on vacation do not get any revenue for the eLearning. Those tropical shops will see a nice revenue bump as their DSD customers go home and get certified.

In sum, interior US PADI dive shops will now lose revenue from PADI eLearning while putting another dollar into the PADI coffers buying DSD brochures....

Some day, this has to stop!

 

[mdb]

I'm sitting in the PADI DEMA update seminar. Shocking development: PADI has rolled out some changes in the discover dive program. Not surprising: all DSD divers must now be registered (so PADI can market them) AND local dive shop must use original DSD brochure (~$7 cost per diver). PLUS, PADI offering a variety of benefits to these DSD'ers including eLearning trial. Here is the kicker - if they enroll, they become affiliated with the DSD shop.

This means that LDS in the midwest that get students that tried scuba on vacation do not get any revenue for the eLearning. Those tropical shops will see a nice revenue bump as their DSD customers go home and get certified.

In sum, interior US PADI dive shops will now lose revenue from PADI eLearning while putting another dollar into the PADI coffers buying DSD brochures....

Some day, this has to stop!

Capt. Bob: It will not stop.

 

[flots am]

Some day, this has to stop!

Actually, it doesn't have to stop.

The only thing that will make it stop for a dealer/instructor is to vote with your wallet and ditch PADI.

flots.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Are you then going to do something about it or just complain on the internet?

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[oly5050user]

Could always have a price system for the course that if eLearning is done and the shop does not get the credit for it the shop can charge the difference, or simply accept the loss as the cost of doing business. I do not think this will impact many LDS where it will make a difference.

 

[Diver0001]

I'm sitting in the PADI DEMA update seminar. Shocking development: PADI has rolled out some changes in the discover dive program. Not surprising: all DSD divers must now be registered (so PADI can market them) AND local dive shop must use original DSD brochure (~$7 cost per diver).

This was already rolled out a while ago.

PLUS, PADI offering a variety of benefits to these DSD'ers including eLearning trial. Here is the kicker - if they enroll, they become affiliated with the DSD shop.

This means that LDS in the midwest that get students that tried scuba on vacation do not get any revenue for the eLearning. Those tropical shops will see a nice revenue bump as their DSD customers go home and get certified.

On the surface of it, that doesn't seem fair at all. Maybe it has something to do with the new OW standards. The standards have been raised by quite a bit so it will hard(er) for resorts to run an OW course within standards on their schedule.... so students will be needing to get trained by shops that aren't as much under time pressure.... Maybe giving the resort the kick-back from e-learning was a way to compensate them for the revenue that they'll lose by not being able to run as many OW courses.

Just thinking out loud.

R..

 

[HIGHwing]

I don't offer Discover. I don't see the value, or the conversion rate worthy of the investment of resources.

 

[Bratface]

I live on an island where there are plenty of DSD-ers crossing it off their bucket list. If there is anything to make it safer for the "students", (or sway them to just go snorkeling), I see it as a positive thing. I have been on the boat with plenty of them. Some of these people terrify me.

 

[TSandM]

We were talking to one of the dive shops in MX, when we were there last month. They're furious about the changes in the OW class, because Dive 1 now has skills -- which means that their DSDs no longer count for Dive 1 of the OW class, and they can't upsell to the customer by saying, "You've already got one of the four dives done!" So nobody's happy.

 

[Capt.Bob]

Actually, it doesn't have to stop.

The only thing that will make it stop for a dealer/instructor is to vote with your wallet and ditch PADI.

flots.

We do alot of DSDs and OWs. And we are making a change. We added NAUI, and are looking to add SSI. Our DSDs will not be "PADI" - ever - so we will not be buying those brochures or giving PADI our customer lists.

We will push non-PADI OW - and up charge the PADI version.

Only reason we will keep PADI is to appease those seeking the PADI name brand - giving us a chance to also persuade them to broaden their education with different agencies.

Lower in this thread, one person surmised that the MX shops aren't happy because OW Dive 1 now requires skills (accept PADI said the original course can continued to be taught - for now). But it can still be done in conjunction with an OW DSD - they can adapt pretty easily.

What I see: PADI lady today said that they guesstimate that 1M DSDs occur each year - so to require registration = $7M new revenue. Since this is a big item in the tropics, they are appeasing those shops by giving them the residual eLearning referral fees. The only ones to lose - non vacation destination shops - the actual training facilities, by in large. So PADI has chosen the inland shops to be the sacrificial lambs. Nice.

This roll out may have been announced previously, but like all the eLearning price bumps, we didn't see, hear or read about it - until now.