rizzo587
New
A situation has come up that I am unsure how to handle. I was told very negative things about a dive shop and their instructor and do not know how to go about finding out what is true or not. Which made me think how do most divers find out if a shop is reputable and safe. I am new to diving, less than 2 years, and so I do not have the advantage of experience to know how to proceed. I am withholding the names because I do not know whether the accusations are true and don't want to damage anyone's reputation.
I was certified through a dive shop that I totally trust, and have only gone through them. I am helping to find a shop for a group of people to get certified, and for monetary reasons they will not go through the shop I went to. A friend, I'll call Joe, is affiliated with a chain of dive shops that has multiple locations, I'll call it Company X. He was certified through location 'A' within last 3 years and just got an instructors certificate. Initially the group was going to get certified through location 'A', and Joe was going to teach the class. But there was a problem getting Location A manager to return phone calls and emails so it was decided it wouldn't be good to go there. I was recommended by two people to try the location B. One of them goes to the shop frequently and her boyfriend was certified through them. The other person is friends with the manager. I let Joe know that the group was looking to get certified at location B. He told me he didn't recommend that because that shop was not good. He said the instructors were bad and unsafe, and that the shop mishandled an accident recently. Joe recommended that we go through Company Y and that he could teach the class.
I am unsure of how to know whether it is true that Company A, Location B is really bad. Joe told me that I shouldn't tell anyone he told me this and that if people knew he said something it would get him in trouble. I wasn't able to get any details about what exactly happened or why he believes the instructors are bad or unsafe.
I would appreciate any advice I can get. Thanks.
I was certified through a dive shop that I totally trust, and have only gone through them. I am helping to find a shop for a group of people to get certified, and for monetary reasons they will not go through the shop I went to. A friend, I'll call Joe, is affiliated with a chain of dive shops that has multiple locations, I'll call it Company X. He was certified through location 'A' within last 3 years and just got an instructors certificate. Initially the group was going to get certified through location 'A', and Joe was going to teach the class. But there was a problem getting Location A manager to return phone calls and emails so it was decided it wouldn't be good to go there. I was recommended by two people to try the location B. One of them goes to the shop frequently and her boyfriend was certified through them. The other person is friends with the manager. I let Joe know that the group was looking to get certified at location B. He told me he didn't recommend that because that shop was not good. He said the instructors were bad and unsafe, and that the shop mishandled an accident recently. Joe recommended that we go through Company Y and that he could teach the class.
I am unsure of how to know whether it is true that Company A, Location B is really bad. Joe told me that I shouldn't tell anyone he told me this and that if people knew he said something it would get him in trouble. I wasn't able to get any details about what exactly happened or why he believes the instructors are bad or unsafe.
I would appreciate any advice I can get. Thanks.