Renting dive gear

[don Francisco]

For those considering shipping their stuff in advance, here are a couple of sample costs for ground service (cheapest)

600-1000 miles eg. New York to Chicago about 2-5 days, 50# = $21.00, 70# = $25.00
1800-2800 miles eg. New York to Denver or Los Angeles, 4-6 days, 50# = $37.00, 70# = $44.00

Accurate quotes may be had by visiting the UPS or Fedex net sites or by calling their toll free numbers. Be carefull to make sure all the fuel and other surcharges are figured in.

Whether shipping makes sense depends on lots of factors, such as the distance, and actual weight. For example most airlines surcharge luggage over 50#, and have progressively higher charges for extra bags, Both Fedex and UPS rates are actually lowest per pound in the 50-70# range. Also if you have a friend who is a commercial shipper with either company there are even better rates available.

Convenience is another factor, depending on things like airport connections vs. the closeness of a dropsite near home. On some trips where I needed a ton of stuff, or my bike ($100.00 extra on planes, and lots of grief) it was so nice to ship it all out in advance, confirm it's safe arrival before leaving home, and hop a flight with a carry-on bag only.

When all is said and done, figuring risk of loss or damage, inconvenience, delays and cost, the ship ahead option makes lots of sense for certain situations. Just be sure to get all the ducks in a row before trying it. dF

 

[Palaupete]

I kept my original post brief in the interest of brevity and because I don't type fast. I could have mentioned that as part of my trip I have a business meeting/dinner in Singapore where my wife and I have to take appropriate clothing which takes up half of one suitcase. Throw in hiking boots and related items for trekking in Bali, underwater video camera and accessories and it becomes very difficult to pack light. A week in Bonaire? - no problem. But a 2 week trip to Asia with multiple destinations makes it tough. I have decided that a couple of the posters gave a good compromise idea of just taking the regulators as its the BC's that cause most of the bulk. I never use my BC anyway. My main point of the post was the way the airlines are dishonest in the way they price their tickets. One poster mentioned that gas was $4 a gallon - the difference is that when you go to the gas station the pump says $4 / gallon. With an airline ticket, they advertise a fare that is only 60-80% of what the ticket actually costs. A recent special I saw said $499 R/T to Hawaii. However , if you actually booked that ticket at their website the total price came to $765. What other industry do you know of that gets away with such blatant dishonesty in their advertising? I hate to say it but I think with today's travel environment that congress should take a look at re - regulation of the airline industry - at least to regulate how they price their product and how they treat their customers.

 

[SteveAD]

I kept my original post brief in the interest of brevity and because I don't type fast. I could have mentioned that as part of my trip I have a business meeting/dinner in Singapore where my wife and I have to take appropriate clothing which takes up half of one suitcase. Throw in hiking boots and related items for trekking in Bali, underwater video camera and accessories and it becomes very difficult to pack light. A week in Bonaire? - no problem. But a 2 week trip to Asia with multiple destinations makes it tough. I have decided that a couple of the posters gave a good compromise idea of just taking the regulators as its the BC's that cause most of the bulk. I never use my BC anyway. My main point of the post was the way the airlines are dishonest in the way they price their tickets. One poster mentioned that gas was $4 a gallon - the difference is that when you go to the gas station the pump says $4 / gallon. With an airline ticket, they advertise a fare that is only 60-80% of what the ticket actually costs. A recent special I saw said $499 R/T to Hawaii. However , if you actually booked that ticket at their website the total price came to $765. What other industry do you know of that gets away with such blatant dishonesty in their advertising? I hate to say it but I think with today's travel environment that congress should take a look at re - regulation of the airline industry - at least to regulate how they price their product and how they treat their customers.

If your business meeting for which you need the fancy clothes is in singapore (where it seems there are custom tailors on every corner) why not aquire appropriate attire on site and save the suitcase room?

 

[hypertech]

Your right, its far too common, but at least you should know what to expect. It happens in other industries too. I just paid my phone bill my $24.99 monthly service is somehow $34 after all sorts of made up taxes and fees.

 

[don Francisco]

I'm not defending the airlines' pricing and advertising schemes here, but this is part of general trend in business. Faced with rising costs and declining profits businesses get amazingly creative in hiding price or quality changes..

Few consider that if some of that talent and effort went into quality and service, they could get the price they need to prosper. Some feel they have no choice except to join the race to the bottom.

Most prefer to lower the quality through cost-cutting - not only airlines, but manufacturers, and service companies in all catagories. What have you bought recently that wasn't re-engineered, re-formulated, or didn't have standard features reduced to extra cost options? You don't really believe that "new and improved" means that, do you?

Others companies including most of the airlines, opt to unbundle prices, hoping to raise some dough at the fringes, or conversely offering some folks lower prices by not making them pay for services they don't need or want. At a certain level this seems fair and logical.

Lastly, don't forget the role of government. Money hungry governments all over the world see fliers as a non-voting piggy bank to shake just a bit harder whenever times are tight. Have you looked at how much of your air ticket is taxes and fees (a more politically savvy term for taxes)?

In the end, knowing this won't make you any happier, but things aren't likely to improve any time soon, if ever. You might as well bite the bullet, and adjust to the new reality as best you can.

Buy smarter - shop harder for the best deal for your particular needs, consider alternatives, check the fine print, buy only what you need, verify TOTAL cost before buying, and vote with your dollars by spending with those companies whose policies best match how you feel business should be done.