Rolling Eyes at LDS

[piikki]

back to your original post........ the nitrox tank issue is purely going by the standards laid out in the nitrox course. Rule #1: You don't dive a tank that you personally haven't analyzed. For liability reasons, the dive shops follow this so if a person dies from going too deep on the % that was logged in the book, they have no resposibility. If you really want to pick up your buddy's nitrox tank, then go ahead and rent both tanks for yourself, analyze them, pay for both, and it is all on you if something goes wrong. Simple and less drama.

But the shop has no liability if I give my tanks to somebody else either.

I do not rent. I have my own analyzer and re-check tanks before I dive. The shop knows this as they sold the analyzer to me. They also pretty much know the people I dive with have analyzers, and know what they are doing.

I am not really fighting people doing it by the book if they feel they can protect someone that way, whether it be themselves or ignorant divers. I am just rolling my eyes on the fact how silly it is because it is no guarantee, and it creates an extra hurdle for me.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

I love the post "For liability reasons, the dive shops follow this so if a person dies from going too deep on the % that was logged in the book, they have no resposibility"

Dude, wake up - this is America, the Land of Litigation.

You don't even wake up in the morning with "no responsibility", so having someone (who's identity was not actually verified and documented) sign a piece of paper (that in most cases is not archived for retrieval later if required) surely doesn't let anyone off the hook for anything.

If a diving fatality occurs, you can bet the shop, the boat, the tank manufacturer, other professionals on the boat, etc will all be named in the lawsuit. The legal community refers to it as the "deep pockets" - sue them all, you'll end up with something!

So, the bottom line, and I don't mean to sound critical, but you are NEVER without responsibility, in whole or in part, for anything you are involved, especially at work.

 

[Hoomi]

So far, I don't think I've had any eye-rolling from my LDS. One of the shop owners came real close for someone on the phone one day, when they called asking him what cold medicine they should take before the dive. I lost count of the number of times he went back and forth with the person, telling them, "If you have a cold, skip the dive." Apparently, someone had mistakenly informed them that the shop owner had previously told another person to take such-and-such cold pill, and they'd be fine for diving.

Our LDS hasn't seemed to have any grief about used equipment we've bought to save money, but I suppose it helps that we're in there regularly spending money on other stuff anyways (including stopping by each week to make payments on the Fiji trip next year).

I did have the mutual eye-rolling experience at an LDS up in the Phoenix metro when we were first getting started, when I commented I'd picked up a BC from one of the folks here on Scubaboard. He made a disparaging comment to the effect of I'd bought a death-trap, and I made a comment to my wife when we left that we wouldn't bother going back to that shop again.

 

[sabbath999]

OK, eye rolling experience...

I have one tank where the tech put the sticker on too low and the boot covers up the cert date. Fair enough, the first time I had this one place fill it they refused until they could see the sticker so we took the boot off and they found it was fine.

No problem.

I burned through the tank, and brought it back into the same place later that evening, and the SAME guy said he wouldn't fill it until we pulled the boot off again. I was like "dude, we just went to the pool with YOUR instructor and burned off this gas, and brought the tank right back"...

Rolls Eyes.

 

[sabbath999]

Dude, wake up - this is America, the Land of Litigation.

I wonder how long it is going to be before we have to start signing waivers of liability for simple 21 percent air fills...

 

[piikki]

Ok, my next rolling eye moment.

I told the LDS I wanted to buy tanks. The shop only had two tanks in their inventory. An Al tank and some old Faber tank that was coming to hydro. To be fair they might have had some pony tanks too.

So I said I want to buy 4 steel tanks. Prices were checked. Palms were sweaty. Anxiety was palpable. Then eyes started rolling.

There is a minimum order from the mfr and "my" order was like 70 bucks short of free shipping. What a pain it would be for the shop to order the tanks, such a nuisance. Would maybe have to wait for someone else to be interested in tanks too. My eyes were rolling now. How about using my order and filling the stock a bit? We are short like one tank here.
I am sorry to be such a nuisance and buying expensive tanks from you!

 

[tomboyy]

Why might dive shops roll their eyes about gear bought on the internet? Well - it's a bit like buying a car - has it got a service history? What do we know about this stuff? Does it work - has it got problems we don't know about?

A "mechanic" who looks at your car when you bring it into get it looked at after you've bought it could care less of the "service history" or if it Has problems he doesn't know about. If you ask him to fix it cause something is wrong he will. If you ask just to look it over and see if its alright he will.... he won't roll his eyes at you cause you bought it from the " buy here pay here" lot. So you analogy is abit slanted on the LDS's side. If you bring you equipment into a LDS and ask for it to be fix or looked at they should do and charge a fair price and keep there eye rolling to themselves.

For the poster who had eyes rolled at him because they wanted to buy a bp/wing - I'd ask the same question - why so you want this?
C.

Why would you ask this? whats it to you that a diver want to try something new... Why do they have to explain themselves to you? Thats exactly why people go online to buy equipment.

I roll my eyes at our one shop's adamant insistence that my "tech s*&%" (DIR setup) is inappropriate for local recreational diving. They don't quite come out and say that I am going to die, but they're thinking it . . .

I get the same vibe from some people, including my LDS (at first) It's like hey .. your not in a cave ... why are you wearing that setup... jessh

 

[BerryDiveCenterdotcom]

I'm with Dive Right In on this one. If your a certified Nitrox diver that brings 2 tanks in for a fill and its for a father and son.
"The father tells you its for him and his son" are you not going to fill them? As soon as you say nope we can't fill it unless your sons here. The father will just change his story and say there both for him.
Time is money for people these days and not every one can make it to the LDS for a fill. So i see no problem with filling a few tanks for a certified diver. As long as they Analise them and sign off on them.
We do not fill nitrox at our store but as a diver store owner i wouldn't see a problem with it.

I think the real problem is most dive store owners are divers and not businessmen.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

So we often read the stories how people buy gear on the internet, then happily go get their service at the LDS, and are surprised when they receive the cold shoulder as the people at LDS notice what is going on. Seems to be pretty common.

I am curious as to what else gives you the up turned nose and rolling eyeball at your local shop... and rolls your eyes in return. I have heard some pretty funny and crazy stories, and been surprised myself a few times too.

I’ll start. I get the Rolling Eyes at LDS if I try to get nitrox fills for another nitrox certified diver.

As in, I am nitrox certified but I cannot have another nitrox certified diver pick up and sign my nitrox tanks nor can I pick my buddies nitrox tanks. Not even if I inform beforehand that this will happen. They need to be signed by the owner of the tanks. I roll my eyes on that big time.

"Air" is "Nitrox"

 

[all4scuba05]

I don't want to buy, I want to try. And yes, I want to try it because of what I have read on the internet.

It seems like a bad idea to me to take a salesman's word on what is right for me when they have a extremely vested interest in selling that product. Getting huffy with a customer because they pose the idea that maybe you're word isn't gold dose not seem like a great practice to me. Just like not making informed equipment choices.

You're messing up their plan!!!

You see, first you need to by a basic BC. Then next year you need to upgrade to a weight-integrated BC. Then next year you need to upgrade to the backplate/wing for the tech class you're taking.

It's a conspiracy I say!!!