do you ever notice negativity between dive shops?

[redacted]

I agree with the general consensus that it's wrong to refuse to service gear that hasn't been bought at a particular LDS, but I don't really see any ethical problem with charging a higher price, within reason, for servicing gear that was bought elsewhere.

Let me explain with an analogy--every time I've gone back to the US to live for a few years, I've bought a new car. With each new car purchase I have received a coupon book good for discounts on regular maintenance. The coupons are good only at the dealership's repair shop and they are given only to customers who have purchased their vehicles at that dealership. If I decide, for example, that because I can get a better price on the car at the dealership in the town 100 miles away instead of at the one in my own town, I will buy my car in that farther away town and for the sake of convenience simply get my scheduled service performed at the store in my town. In this case, my coupons won't be any good and I'll be charged a premium price for the service by the dealership that didn't make the initial sale. Seems fair and logical to me to reward a customer who makes the initial big-ticket purchase with you.

So to apply this principle to maintenance of scuba gear, all a LDS would need to do is establish a price schedule for basic service and charge the same base price to everybody, but give discounts to those customers who actually purchased the gear at the shop. It's transparent, and instead of having some customers feeling p.o.'ed that the prices are raised for them, you have other customers feeling pleased that the prices have been discounted for them.

Charging a higher price or providing a special discount - it is not just a matter of semantics but also a matter of attitude.

I have seen shops that provided discounted (or free) annual service on regulators they had sold. I think that is a good business practice and a great way to get around the Scubapro and Aqualung price controls.

I have also seen shops that charge more than the standard price for parts and service for grey market regulators that were purchased from Leisurepro. Some may even explain this practice to students as a warning against buying online.

 

[warmwaterturner]

I see quite a lot of back stabbing here. We even see it reflected on the local SB sub-forum in my area. It's true that for such a small place (with a total population of perhaps 300,000 in the entire province) we have an abundance of dive operators, each trying to survive. The biggest wholesaler here once told me that they deal with 80 registered trade shops on the island, and that's not counting the shops so small they don't make the minimum sales cut off or the independents. So you can sort of see that everybody is trying to get or keep customers, and some are even trying to poach them.

I have always contended, and run my business under the principle, that if we all collaborate and make nice, our customers will see this place as one of happiness and good times. They're on vacation, and our island should be a magical place where they can forget all that crap. Negativity, even when it's not expressed openly, poisons the atmosphere, and customers pick up on it. I've actually had customers tell me that they chose me because of my upbeat approach as contrasted with some of my colleagues' negativity.

Anyway, being more than halfway through my life, I don't have time to waste on negativity or gossip or envy. I'd rather put the energy those things take to work making my customers' visits enjoyable.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. It really becomes very boring after a while. Arguing about gear, qualifing agencies, LDS vs on-line...etc. Just makes you want to turn the computer off and go diving!

 

[Quero]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. It really becomes very boring after a while. Arguing about gear, qualifing agencies, LDS vs on-line...etc. Just makes you want to turn the computer off and go diving!

Let's go! I'm ready and waiting!

Charging a higher price or providing a special discount - it is not just a matter of semantics but also a matter of attitude.

I have seen shops that provided discounted (or free) annual service on regulators they had sold. I think that is a good business practice and a great way to get around the Scubapro and Aqualung price controls.

I have also seen shops that charge more than the standard price for parts and service for grey market regulators that were purchased from Leisurepro. Some may even explain this practice to students as a warning against buying online.

Point taken, and well explained!
The end result may be the same, but the approach is diametrically opposite.

 

[LakeCountyDiver]

This is a very long thread explaining the same thing over and over. LDS's dont like divers buying online.
LDS's like to shoot themselves in the foot and make nothing rather than service gear they did not sell.
Online sales hurt LDS's but that is the way it is and it wont change intill the LDS's put there foot down and start being compeditive with online sales.
The economy is in no shape for Local businesses to be stubborn and not try to compete.
This is not the 90's 80's 70's or 60's GET WITH THE PROGRAM. Internet sales are taking over but divers still need LDS's for air fills and repairs.
I just dont get what is so hard for these shops that they dont get it.

 

[peterbj7]

In Britain I've not come across shops that won't service gear bought at that shop, though I have seen shops that won't at normal prices service or work on gear that was bought over the internet or by mail order. It's anti-internet and mail order sales, because neither has put one penny/cent into the retail trade. I have no problem with that, though I'll do it but at a substantial premium.

I remember being in the shop that I used to DM for (but had no other connection with) when someone came in with some boxes of gear just received by mail, and asked if the shop would assemble it for him. The answer was yes, but only so long as the customer also paid for the time & equipment to check the gear was correctly adjusted and working correctly - much of the cost of an annual service in fact. The reason wasn't that the shop owner was snooty about gear bought by mail, but that he knew from experience that a lot of gear is defective straight out of the box, something that I now know to be all too true from my years of owning a scuba business. The customer said no, he only wanted it assembled, and as it was Scubapro gear and we were a Scubapro dealer he expected it done for free. When that was refused he took offence and stalked out. I can't imagine what stories he then spread about that shop, but what was the shop owner to do? I've done much the same thing a number of times since I've owned my own shop - I won't assemble gear that for all I know may be faulty, when I know that if it is that will rebound on me.

 

[LakeCountyDiver]

In Britain I've not come across shops that won't service gear bought at that shop, though I have seen shops that won't at normal prices service or work on gear that was bought over the internet or by mail order. It's anti-internet and mail order sales, because neither has put one penny/cent into the retail trade. I have no problem with that, though I'll do it but at a substantial premium.

I remember being in the shop that I used to DM for (but had no other connection with) when someone came in with some boxes of gear just received by mail, and asked if the shop would assemble it for him. The answer was yes, but only so long as the customer also paid for the time & equipment to check the gear was correctly adjusted and working correctly - much of the cost of an annual service in fact. The reason wasn't that the shop owner was snooty about gear bought by mail, but that he knew from experience that a lot of gear is defective straight out of the box, something that I now know to be all too true from my years of owning a scuba business. The customer said no, he only wanted it assembled, and as it was Scubapro gear and we were a Scubapro dealer he expected it done for free. When that was refused he took offence and stalked out. I can't imagine what stories he then spread about that shop, but what was the shop owner to do? I've done much the same thing a number of times since I've owned my own shop - I won't assemble gear that for all I know may be faulty, when I know that if it is that will rebound on me.

I could agree with that (charging for a set up). I mean after all as a shop you are willing to help/service gear that you did not sell. For me it would be what you were wanting to charge. If I felt you are spiking the fee in spite of not having had sold the gear I would walk out too. If it was a fare amount then we would for sure do business. I love SCUBAPRO and am willing to spend the extra money to get the warranty.

 

[redacted]

In Britain I've not come across shops that won't service gear bought at that shop, though I have seen shops that won't at normal prices service or work on gear that was bought over the internet or by mail order. It's anti-internet and mail order sales, because neither has put one penny/cent into the retail trade. I have no problem with that, though I'll do it but at a substantial premium.

I remember being in the shop that I used to DM for (but had no other connection with) when someone came in with some boxes of gear just received by mail, and asked if the shop would assemble it for him. The answer was yes, but only so long as the customer also paid for the time & equipment to check the gear was correctly adjusted and working correctly - much of the cost of an annual service in fact. The reason wasn't that the shop owner was snooty about gear bought by mail, but that he knew from experience that a lot of gear is defective straight out of the box, something that I now know to be all too true from my years of owning a scuba business. The customer said no, he only wanted it assembled, and as it was Scubapro gear and we were a Scubapro dealer he expected it done for free. When that was refused he took offence and stalked out. I can't imagine what stories he then spread about that shop, but what was the shop owner to do? I've done much the same thing a number of times since I've owned my own shop - I won't assemble gear that for all I know may be faulty, when I know that if it is that will rebound on me.

I can see charging a reasonable price for a service ($20 for assembly and verification of safe function). I can not see insisting on substantially more service than the customer requested (much of the cost of an annual service).

I would tend to not do business with a shop that thinks punishing customers who do business on the internet is justified. Especially when they almost surely do business via the internet: http://www.ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/dive.html Which one is yours?

 

[redacted]

It is OK. I did not expect you to proudly advertise which shop is yours in this case. But it does tell me that you do understand how your position of punishing internet buyers might not really be an asset if you are trying to run a dive shop and appeal to customers.

 

[BoltSnap]

Why do you look at it as "punishing internet buyers" as opposed to "rewarding loyal customers"?

On one hand we want extra service and more value from the LDS but you also want them to give the same to folks who side step the LDS and not do business with them? I think it is unfair to put the entire burden on the LDS. If am going to spend $$ with the LDS, I'd like to see that they would treat me better than the person who doesn't. There has to be some perks that other people who don't support my LDS don't get.

Many other industries reward loyal customers with few perks to encourage these clients to continue to do business with them. The airlines are one example. Since I do lots of travel (around 150 - 200K miles a year), I am very careful on who I travel with for me to keep earning miles and thus I am flying either of two airline, Swiss/Lufthansa or Emirates.

 

[Jax]

Charging a higher price or providing a special discount - it is not just a matter of semantics but also a matter of attitude.

I have seen shops that provided discounted (or free) annual service on regulators they had sold. I think that is a good business practice and a great way to get around the Scubapro and Aqualung price controls.

I have also seen shops that charge more than the standard price for parts and service for grey market regulators that were purchased from Leisurepro. Some may even explain this practice to students as a warning against buying online.

Agreed! My LDS doesn't charge "a premium", simply gives a discount and free parts to the gear purchased from him. It's not a lot, but he is tiny, in a small town, and I am perfectly happy to pay for his services. My husband's gear came from him, mine was purchased online (both were Christmas presents). So mine costs an extra $40 . . . that's okay.

But he doesn't refuse or charge extra for anything.