"Baby, light my fire!"

[Noboundaries]

Man, that shop could certify people on self-destructive business practices.

At this stage of the game is isn't about the agency so much as the people who are going to train you. Shop around with the other two SSI shops in town. Then keep shopping for training until you know it just feels right. Tell them you already have your own gear and are just looking to get trained. A smart shop owner will know your affiliation will pay off in the long run with dive trips and upgrades as your experience grows.

 

[Kim22]

There's a shop like that in Clearwater, FL (Mac's Sports). A guy signed up for class, bought his gear elsewhere, and when he showed up for class they told him that he had to return his gear and buy from them or he could forget about training with them. Needless to say he left immediately and signed up for classes at another shop. I understand that they make $$$ on sales, not classes, but you would think that they would want to give people a positive experience and get them excited about diving, instead of potentially running them off.

 

[castanagajt]

The reason that I am set on SSI and not go PADI is because my bad experience with a PADI instructor whi8le I was stationed in Okinawa. Needless to say he did my whole class through and through except sending in my paperwork to PADI and of coarse my money was all spent for nothing. Why SSI over everyone else? the system of their program just appealed to me even though the initial price is higher than most agencies.

Thanks for all your contributions to this.

Rogue and PaulWall thanks for the exact address for desert divers. I will definitely give them a call.

Rogue,

Many thanks for supporting our troops.

As for testing out different products. I tried the scubapro knighthawk and loved it in Okinawa. I worked in Sport Chalet fora brief period but got to try some of the SeaQuest, Mares, Sherwood Scuba BCD. Out of the three brands Sport Chalet carried I liked the feel of the Seaquest Balance.

After reading and researching for many months I have concluded that I will want Zeagle the most out of manufacturers like cressi, seaquest, sherwood, mares, scubapro, tilos, many others.

So yesterday, my brother and I went to a local dive shop called "Neptune D Divers" the owner was very nice and very apathetic for my bad experience at "Gr8divin." The deal fell short with scubatoys, my fault for running my credit card up, majority of the card ran up was my pooer judgment and most was for helping my younger sibling back on his feet

. So "Neptune Divers" owner let me try on the ZEagle RAnger and had my younger sibling he also loved it so I just had to get that Zeagle. He came up with the idea that I can start a layaway plan that we both can agree on me paying 125.00 every month for a full year. In the mean time I will just do my SSI courses while I keep on chipping away to someday own my own total dive gear system.

 

[Noboundaries]

So yesterday, my brother and I went to a local dive shop called "Neptune D Divers" the owner was very nice and very apathetic for my bad experience at "Gr8divin."

......He came up with the idea that I can start a layaway plan that we both can agree on me paying 125.00 every month for a full year. In the mean time I will just do my SSI courses while I keep on chipping away to someday own my own total dive gear system.

Sounds like you found a place to call home for your bubble makin'.

 

[Mominnv]

I believe you remember the situation as you want to. Ron and Vicki are two of the most honest people that I have ever met. The are very up front about the cost of the class, purchasing equipment and what the expectations are. We purchased fins masks and snorkel. We got certified and bought all of our gear there. What great prices they gave us, full package deals. Isn't that what SSI is about also, purchasing the total dive package at a place that knows your gear and can service it? After that sale we discussed upgrading my husbands mask to one he could put his prescription in and explained we really did not like the fins. They took the fins back and even wanted to take back the mask and refund full price. This is not someone who takes advantage of others, this is someone who helps others.
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[vladimir]

Welcome to Scubaboard. The thread you resurrected is 16 months old. Your first post does little to rehabilitate the reputation of the shop in question, in my opinion, since you bought all your equipment and training from them. If they can't treat you well, what is left for them? The OP's problem was that he did not want to buy his equipment from them, just his training.

I guess they are not really in the business of selling training by itself. Apparently they made that clear to you, which is good, but wouldn't it be easier if they just set the prices of their equipment and their training where they would be happy to supply either one?

I did not know that SSI was all about compelling your choice of gear supplier--interesting.

 

[Thalassamania]

Try and find an independent instructor who does not need gear sales to make him or her happy. Granted, that means something other than SSI.

 

[fnfalman]

Thanks bud, I looked up all of them from what you have mentioned. All does PADI I will keep on searching before I must throw in the towel and go back with them. It's sucks that I want to go for SSI but I had to be treated like a piece of trash in the process.

PADI opening water course is just as good as anyone else's. It's the advance courses that are inferior to Naui and SSI.

Take the OW class from another store.

 

[tfsails]

We have an SSI shop in town that tells its potential students that if they have have not bought their personal gear from them then they can't get their training there. I've never heard this from shops who are not affiliated with. SSI. I wonder if this is a coincidence or a trend.

 

[meesier42]

personal gear- like mask, fins, snorkel
or
personal gear- like I own my reg and bcd

I seem to recall that for OW, there is an insurance issue with bcd/regs. Since the students are not yet certified, the shop's insurance hold the shop accountable for the gear that students use during their OW class is working properly and has been properly serviced. That to most shops means that if they didn't rent it or sell it to you they can't account for its history and will not allow you to use it.