ScubyDoo
Contributor
I love my LDS to death. But thier prices are just too high. Im loyal to my LDS, but not loyal enough to pay a 150 to 200% markup. They wanted $850 for a Suunto Cobra dive computer with compass.....I got it at DiveInn for $440 plus customs charges of $16.
Im an architect and work with contractors on building sites all the time. Some times we make mistakes and sometimes the contractor makes mistakes. Something a contractor told me once really stuck with me, and it somewhat applies to dive shops as well. He said:
"Im in the business of building buildings.....not paying for them!"
I feel the same way about dive shops. I love my dive shop and wish to support them with my business, but I dont want to pay thier mortgage for them! If they really really want my business, they should try harder to compete for it. They know online retailers are eating them up, but they dont do anything about it.......except try to make the consumer feel guilty. The owner of my dive shop went so far as to run the serial number on the aforementioned Cobra computer to determine where I got it. He then told me "His typical clientale doesnt shop online", implying that I wasnt like the rest of his customers. He said if all his customers were like me, he would go out of business. So its the customers fault if he goes out of business??????
This is the guilt trip the LDS tries to put customers on in order to twist thier arm into buying from them and pay twice as much. Won't work on me! I just told him straight out.....I love you to death, but I have to look out for MY best interests....not yours. If you want me to buy big ticket items from you....then offer competitive prices.
Im an architect and work with contractors on building sites all the time. Some times we make mistakes and sometimes the contractor makes mistakes. Something a contractor told me once really stuck with me, and it somewhat applies to dive shops as well. He said:
"Im in the business of building buildings.....not paying for them!"
I feel the same way about dive shops. I love my dive shop and wish to support them with my business, but I dont want to pay thier mortgage for them! If they really really want my business, they should try harder to compete for it. They know online retailers are eating them up, but they dont do anything about it.......except try to make the consumer feel guilty. The owner of my dive shop went so far as to run the serial number on the aforementioned Cobra computer to determine where I got it. He then told me "His typical clientale doesnt shop online", implying that I wasnt like the rest of his customers. He said if all his customers were like me, he would go out of business. So its the customers fault if he goes out of business??????
This is the guilt trip the LDS tries to put customers on in order to twist thier arm into buying from them and pay twice as much. Won't work on me! I just told him straight out.....I love you to death, but I have to look out for MY best interests....not yours. If you want me to buy big ticket items from you....then offer competitive prices.