The cost of Padi

[loosebits]

Thought I'd weigh in here: OH MY GOD.

Ok, thank you, moving along.

 

[Ron Brandt]

Yup, that's a dive centre thing, not a PADI thing. There was a minimal increase in the manuals.

Also, you don't HAVE to buy the manual from the dive shop - they want you to and encourage you to, but PADI itself can't force you to. But that ain't the agency, it's the shop.

Wrong....The latest TB states that all students of all courses MUST OWN their own manuals...no exceptions and is a violation of standards for them not to have them.

That being said,do I agree? NO. I do not agree with this policy.
Befor becomming an instructor I allways bought my texts....did I ever go back to look at them? No. Still sitting is a box someware.

I work in education as a text book buyer. Students do not want to spend the money on something they will not or hardly ever use again,let alone require them for a class. Used books are in high demand and a big business.

The general public just wants to dive and not be dive educated. They may not want to take their texbook back on the plane due to overweight charges....

This textbook requirement also places a burdon on the dive center and private instructors in the way of excess inventory and PADI does not take returns on books like a regular publishing house or wholesale distribution center does.

Ron

 

[nyprrthd]

So, to recap for a minute:

The original poster was concerned about the price of a PADI book in his country, and we found out that, most likely, it's the cost of getting the books there that drives up the price, and not PADI. The fact that the book is not published in the native tongue of a country where PADI is operating is just plain wrong.

The PADI logo police have enforced their copyrights, and have made unauthorized people remove the PADI logo. If the logo isn't worth anything, why use it? If it has some value, and displaying it enhances your image and reputation, and brings you more customers, pay the fee. They built the brand, they get the money = capitalism.

I suspect that there might be several (not all) dive shops opened by divers who think it would be "neat" to open a shop, without ever doing a business plan or feasibility study. (Similar to restaurants that are opened by folks who are great cooks) Then they are shell shocked when they lose money, and can't meet their overhead costs. Oh boy... I better put on my flame resistant suit!

 

[Christi]

I didn't call it profit - I called it gross profit - That's the revenue minus direct costs.

Now, net profit, which you are referring to is revenue minus all costs (Direct costs + Overheads). If you have big overheads, then it might not be profitable - if you don't, it might.

Stuff like equipment and tanks etc is covered by depreciation - They loose value over their lifespan, and you write that off at the end of each accounting year.

Insurance and rent is all part of the overheads..

I would expect (in most industries) that the direct costs of a service is substantially higher than the indirect costs. (When you calculate the indirect cost per unit) In retail generally, the gross profit is between 10% and 30%. In diving, I expect it is a lot higher. Certainly the shop I work for has a very high profit margin on their courses - But then they don't teach that many students, being based in London, UK, and they have the shop overhead which is high.

Just out of curiosity, if the instructor takes 40% of the course cost, he gets paid $120 per student??? 8 students per course, 5 courses a month, you're looking at an instructor salary of $4800 a month? Somehow i don't believe it...

First off, no need to patronize me and give me lessons in depreciation, gross profit and net profit. I have an MBA and have been running a successful dive operation for close to five years now. I am fully aware of these things...I was speaking in very general terms without going into a full course on accounting!

Second, you are off the mark with your blanket statements and assumptions about dive shops. ALL dive shops are differnet and have different policies and procedures. In my shop for example, you would NEVER, EVER have eight students taking the course together. ALL of our instruction is private. The ONLY exception to that is if a couple or a family is taking a course together and they WANT to be together in the course. In that case, the course fee is obviously adjusted.

We average about 10 certifications a month and not ALL are OW courses. I have two instructors on staff. They work as divemasters leading dives when they are not teaching.

My point here is not to argue with the PADI membership fees...I never complained about them, simply stated my experience with the logo issue and the lack of follow-through and service from PADI...this was in response to Catherines post and several questioning her claims...I posted to confirm that the same thing happened to me and another firiend of mine with a dive shop here in Cozumel. If you read my post again, you will see that I never debated the $750 and was prepared to pay it until the hurricanes came through. At that point, obviously I had other financial obligations that took priority over joining PADI for the few benefits it provides. I earn my business by word of mouth...I don't gain any benefit from PADI in that regard.

My whole point to you is that operating a dive shop is MUCH less profitable than you and many people out there believe. As I always say...I didn't get into this business for the money...I had a solid high paying career for 12 years before giving it all up. I got into this business because I LOVE what I do and I wanted to live my life happy...not wealthy, but happy. The truth is that this is a very stressful buesiness and one of the biggest frustrations is constantly having to set the record straight from all of the misinformation delivered by armchair divers. I just have to set the record straight when people start spewing off at how much dive shops make and how overpriced everything is...because it's simply not the case.

Rant off.

 

[freediver]

Did you guys realize that more polar bears are drowning because there is more open water they have to cover, due to the melting ice, due to global warming.
Freakin PADI!!:furious: ..............................

 

[Cacia]

No, I don't think PADI is blamed for "everything", freediver. I do, however perceive a change in the air about how they are perceived in the dive community. Maybe this will not really be significant, in any way. I am betting that the resistance is going to grow and we will see some changes....I am totally impartial, merely an observer, with my finger in the wind. No vested interest, whatsoever, other than I believe since they are "my" certifying agency it makes more sense to question their practices and offer feedback than to criticize someone else's agency.

 

[boulderjohn]

Did you guys realize that more polar bears are drowning because there is more open water they have to cover, due to the melting ice, due to global warming.
Freakin PADI!!:furious: ..............................

It's incredible how few people realize that increasing ocean temperature is a direct result of PADI lowering dive standards, which increases the numbers of divers adding their body heat to the oceans. Since they have been overcharged for everything, they are really steamed, which makes it so much worse.

And don't get me started on why PADI killed JFK!

 

[matts1w]

It is no coincidence that the time PADI began to lower standards can be correlated to the dolphins beaching themselves in the Keys.

 

[stu_in_fl]

things have been on a downward spiral since PADI sunk the Titanic (read it on the internet so it must be true)

 

[Scuba_Steve]

Wrong....The latest TB states that all students of all courses MUST OWN their own manuals...no exceptions and is a violation of standards for them not to have them.

That being said,do I agree? NO. I do not agree with this policy.
Befor becomming an instructor I allways bought my texts....did I ever go back to look at them? No. Still sitting is a box someware.

I work in education as a text book buyer. Students do not want to spend the money on something they will not or hardly ever use again,let alone require them for a class. Used books are in high demand and a big business.

The general public just wants to dive and not be dive educated. They may not want to take their texbook back on the plane due to overweight charges....

This textbook requirement also places a burdon on the dive center and private instructors in the way of excess inventory and PADI does not take returns on books like a regular publishing house or wholesale distribution center does.

Ron

Yeah a real crap sandwich for us isn't it Ron.

Now again, it's our fault and a "violation" when a student doesn't own a book.

Yeah yeah I know I hear the legaleze mubo, I don't buy it either. If a student doens't own a book and they go out and kill themselves, I doubt book ownership would have been the pivotal factor.

Lets face it yet again, this is pure and simple greed yet again, with us being the poor sap that'll get our heads taken off as per RonFranks posts.

LOL we must do it for the enjoyment, cause there truly is no real reason whatsoever to be doing this much for nothing in return, by way of the agencies. I missed the one-way sign I guess........lol

Sooner or later when we're done selling books, pics, gear, trips etc, we might just get around to teaching somebody how to dive, and to do it safely too........ lol.

Instructor??

Nope, I'm a door to door salesman selling encyclopedia's Why do you think I put a bag over my head <avatar>.