Ripple in still water
Contributor
I just want to recognize Blue Planet here for good, friendly service, in unfortunate contrast to another shop in the DC Metro area, which shall remain nameless.
This weekend I picked up a new regulator on close-out at a great price from "Shop X." This freed up my old regulator, an Aqualung Calypso, to give to my wife, a relatively new diver. At my request, Shop X swapped out some hoses from the Calypso to the new regulator. While doing so, Shop X's tech went on at some length about how my Calypso, which has seen some wear and tear, could fail. The clear import was that I should just pick up another new regulator on close-out.
The suggestion that my old regulator was dangerous struck me as odd because I had had it serviced less than a year ago, the tech who serviced it then said nothing about it being worn out, I dived it less than a year ago and it was fine, and, it's known as a simple, durable, and bulletproof regulator.
In any event, I took the Calypso to Blue Planet today to have them look at it. They tested it extensively and said there was nothing wrong with it. I didn't have an LPI hose on the regulator set, and they offered me one gratis. They spent a good deal of time talking to me about the equipment. Then, when I offered to pay for the inspection, they told me not to worry about it.
Two different dive shops, two different experiences. One chose to sow Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt, presumably to sell me a new regulator, another had the same opportunity (though Blue Planet, an Aqualung dealer, could also have tried to sell me a full overhaul) and instead went out of its way to build a good relationship with a new customer.
So, I found these guys trustworthy, and will go to them when I need an overhaul, and probably for other stuff, too.
Hope other Mid-Atlantic Bottom Feeders find my experience helpful.
This weekend I picked up a new regulator on close-out at a great price from "Shop X." This freed up my old regulator, an Aqualung Calypso, to give to my wife, a relatively new diver. At my request, Shop X swapped out some hoses from the Calypso to the new regulator. While doing so, Shop X's tech went on at some length about how my Calypso, which has seen some wear and tear, could fail. The clear import was that I should just pick up another new regulator on close-out.
The suggestion that my old regulator was dangerous struck me as odd because I had had it serviced less than a year ago, the tech who serviced it then said nothing about it being worn out, I dived it less than a year ago and it was fine, and, it's known as a simple, durable, and bulletproof regulator.
In any event, I took the Calypso to Blue Planet today to have them look at it. They tested it extensively and said there was nothing wrong with it. I didn't have an LPI hose on the regulator set, and they offered me one gratis. They spent a good deal of time talking to me about the equipment. Then, when I offered to pay for the inspection, they told me not to worry about it.
Two different dive shops, two different experiences. One chose to sow Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt, presumably to sell me a new regulator, another had the same opportunity (though Blue Planet, an Aqualung dealer, could also have tried to sell me a full overhaul) and instead went out of its way to build a good relationship with a new customer.
So, I found these guys trustworthy, and will go to them when I need an overhaul, and probably for other stuff, too.
Hope other Mid-Atlantic Bottom Feeders find my experience helpful.
