do you ever notice negativity between dive shops?

[MD_Diver]

As a part time employee at a Dive shop, I am blown away by the attitudes of some of the LDS commented on here.
At the Shop I work for, we could care less where you bought your gear, we'll service it, no problem..
Want to make a trip with us but were certed at shop B,C, or D? No problem.
What to buy (insert gear here) but found it cheaper on the Net, give me a chance to get close to the internet price.
Bought gear (BCD, Regs, etc) and what to check it out before a trip? No problem, We'll "rent" you a tank (no cost) and give you pool time to check it out.
Bought your tanks and get them VIPed at Shop B but want them filled with O2 clean air or a specific EAN mix? Bring'um over we'll fill'em, no problem, no extra fee.
Of course, while your waiting on the air fill or dropping your gear off for service I'm gonna talk about the latest gear we just got, mention upcoming classes, or point out what trips we have coming up.
Its all about balancing customer service and profit margin, What can I do as the LDS to get you coming back to the shop.
There was a Shop in my area that wouldn't let you take any courses unless you bought your gear from his shop, charged a rental fee for BCDs and Regs during the open water courses, and bashed all the other shops in the area. like I said WAS in the area.
Remember you have the money, let it speak.

 

[scubamarketing]

So far, the only business that any dive shop has bad mouthed is Leasure Pro - which seems to be the universal villain of the LDS.

I was once diving on holiday and the LDS owner was so outraged when I told him I bought all my gear from Leisurepro that he considered kicking me off his boat. I sympathise with the struggles of LDSs, but don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

I know I have heard local Dive shops tell me if I bought from Leisure pro they would kick my rear end. I just cant imagine why if I get the exact same product from leisurepro for 139 dollars I would want to go to an LDS and pay 218 (This is a quote off of some gear I bought there)

The only thing I see them doing is bypassing price fixing and selling a product at a REASONABLE price. I used to be an aqualung fan but not anymore. I try to buy from manufacturers who allow free market sales such as Mares.

I too understand the struggles of LDS but sometimes I get the impression they dont give a hoot about the struggles of the diver.

I wrote this article before I started with LP: What do Apple, Amazon and Google have in common?

Before I took the job, I asked both PADI and the LDS that trained me what they thought. They both responded that LP helps grow the industry through equipment sales, so there would be no bad blood.

I have seen a new LDS come into my local market within the last few years and their business has grown dramatically. Why? Good service, great instruction, plenty of experiences, competitive pricing and nice people.

 

[k ellis]

I wrote this article before I started with LP: What do Apple, Amazon and Google have in common?

Before I took the job, I asked both PADI and the LDS that trained me what they thought. They both responded that LP helps grow the industry through equipment sales, so there would be no bad blood.

I have seen a new LDS come into my local market within the last few years and their business has grown dramatically. Why? Good service, great instruction, plenty of experiences, competitive pricing and nice people.

That is a great article indeed. One thing I must say is the average person is now tired of running 24/7 We work hard at work and in this economy many of us are working all the O.T. that comes along. When we are done with the running we come home to families and children who then demand attention. I.E. kids have sporting events, school events and who could forget time with the one we love.

We then have to sort through bills and try to pay them with our under paid checks from employers who vacation weekly in exoctic locations but claim they cant afford to pay a reasonable wage.

When we are not sorting out who gets paid when and where then we have house work to do. Mow the yard, fix household needs such as leaky faucets and the list there goes on and on.

Then we decide we are going to try to get some sort of sleep some how some way in what little time is left during the week (Or weekend depending on schedule) so we shuffle that into the mix

With all the running we have to do why spend even 10 minutes going to an LDS (Or any market for that matter) and see a small limited supply of merchandise and then have to spend over an hour looking for that perfect item only to have to fight that traffic to get home in rush hour?

With the internet people have the ability to now look on a lunch break at items with full details. they can sit at home cooling down from mowing the yard and sit at the computer and sort through hundreds of competitors looking to sale them the merchandise they so need.

We can get off work late in the evening or night when the LDS (Or again what ever retailer we are looking for merchandise from) is closed for the evening and the internet never sleeps so its like a candy store that never closes.

Your right with the click of a button ability the internet provides it will continue to become more and more powerful of a marketing tool and it will never go away but instead only suck up more buisness from those who still believe in the old ways of price gouging.

LeisurePro is in fact leader in the industry but not because they sale grey market items. They are because they for once availability of REASONABLE priced gear for the diver. so they are only a villan to those who seek out ungodly profits and try to get rich off of a handful of divers needing merchandise.

When we look back all change has always been looked at as evil. When the train first came into this country all of the local delivery companies complained how trains were evil. We know from history who won that one.

Then we look at the automobile. People wanted them because they were unique yet horse and buggy companies tried to tell how bad they were. Again we see where that went.

We look at ship companies. They would spend millions if not billions building lavish ocean liners and eventually the air plane put them out of buisness for the purpose of trans atlantic travel. The ship companies complained but now we can travel the world over in a matter of days not months.

Change is good and it always improves the quality of life for everyone except the greedy minded competition.

 

[scubamarketing]

Wow, your description of a typical week is dead on

 

[scubamarketing]

I would encourage anyone who goes to DEMA next year to take part in a little experiment with me:

Flip your badge around if it identifies you with any agency in any way. Go to each of the certification agencies and tell them you are a divemaster with Brand X and aren't sure if you're going to stay with them moving to instructor. See what the response is. Is it competitive or trying to build the industry?

I did this at the 2009 show. PADI said it was great I was thinking of moving up, Brand X was a great starting point, then proceeded to show me their competitive advantages and told me what to do if I wanted to crossover. I thought this was a bit over the top friendly, so I tried again with two different people (three total) with the same results.

In the experiment, SDI/TDI was decent. There was a brief dig on PADI, then an offer to answer any questions I had. Not very outgoing, but not terribly rude either.

SSI told me I had wasted my time previously and I might as well start over before even considering becoming one of their pro's.

The first time I went to NAUI, I was escorted over by a celebrity that was partnering with them on some distinctive specialties (he was a friend of my sisters). In front of this third party who isn't a NAUI pro, they laid into PADI and how terrible their programs are and worthless their instructor programs are and it would be foolish of me to even consider sticking with them.

I visited the non-PADI agencies twice, PADI got three times because I went to them last and was shocked that they didn't act like the others.

For those of you who are around when manufacturer reps visit (I hear that's increasingly rare these days), ask them about their competition and see if they understand their competition or just badmouth them.

What I'm getting at is that I think LDS (or LDS vs Internet) badmouthing is actually starting at a higher level.

 

[k ellis]

Wow, your description of a typical week is dead on

Thank you. I just would rather spend my few moments of time I have to myself by shopping the net then when faced with a lot of free time Id rather be in the water then in a shop

By the way pass on to the fellas there that I appreciate everything you guys are doing for the diving community!

 

[Farback]

It's a cut-throat industry. Also, some instructors may have worked with the competitors previously and there is bad blood.

Also...there's lots of strong personalities in scuba diving..

You're right on the mark there. I've only been here for a week and I've noticed several Type A to the 10th personalities. I'm on a PSD board with a lot of tightly wound people, and it's a love-in compared to some threads here.

Kirk

 

[BoltSnap]

This is an interesting thread because just today I was talking to a couple dive shops in NYC. One of the shops asked where I normally dive. I told the guy in Missouri, however I will be here in NYC during the summers for a while and soon permanently for a few years. So I wanted contacts here in NYC for when I am here. He asked me where I would do my training, should I decide to do more( and I will), and I said probably in Missouri where I started. I was looking for dive buddies, tank rentals, weights, and repairs of needed. Maybe some gear sales if I need something. But I just wanted to network and meet divers. He refused to talk to me after that. He said unless I changed dive shops to his, he didn't have time to talk to me. Said not to come back until I changed my mind. He was incredibly rude and MUCH different than the dive shop at home in Missouri. At home, the instructors are incredibly nice. If they don't have something, they'll get it. If I have a question, it's answered. And they are always happy and friendly there.

Thankfully the second shop was a little better. He wasn't warm and welcoming at home, but he did answer questions and say I was welcome to come see them when I get here in the summer.

I lived in NY for 20 years and owned a dive shop in Rockland county for about 10 years. I can offer some guidance concerning the dive shop choice. PM me if you want.

 

[Moonglow]

Nick,

From whom and where does LP get Scubapro and Aqua Lung equipment?

 

[BoltSnap]

Nick,

From whom and where does LP get Scubapro and Aqua Lung equipment?

I think that this is one of LP's most treasured secrets.