Blackmail by 'professionals"?

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To make things maybe more clear, this was my full email:
Thank you for your enquiry for our Divers Lodge Lembeh (since2002). Proud sister resort of Weda Resort (Halmahera) and Magic Bay Rao (Morotai). By staying in our resorts you directly contribute to our conservation and education projects.

We would be proud to show you the best of Lembeh Strait in the best way. Which means that two of you would be diving with only an excellent private guide but no other guests. We do not have limits on dive-time, as long as it is safe. We offer Nitrox 32 here, tanks in several sizes and excellent rental gear. Further, you would be staying at the most beautiful location of Lembeh Island.

Easy booking: we can keep a temporary reservation for you for seven days, without any obligation for you. This will give you time to purchase your flight-tickets. After this week we would like to receive a scan/copy of your flight-tickets by email. After receipt we will send an email to confirm your reservation with us. We do not ask for a deposit and you can cancel without any costs. You can pay when you check out: cash, by internet-banking or by credit card (CC +2%).

To prevent the risk of fluctuations in the exchange rate, you can choose to pay a part or the full amount of your reservation when you make the booking. If you let us know for which part you would like to receive an invoice, we will send you a bill promptly and you will get a 10% discount on the due amount. Please note that there is never any refund of the in advance paid amount in case you cancel, for whatever reason.

Tupai and Paniki are still available at the moment. Eco Resort - Divers Lodge Lembeh - Lembeh Strait

We do not offer packages other than according to your preferences. You can decide to make a reservation for the transfers and accommodation only, and decide on the dives once you are here. For example, many of our guests highly enjoy the self-guided dives at our house-reef. The price per dive, per person is only IDR 100.000/USD 7, -.

If you prefer, you can also let us know what you would like to pre-book and pre-pay, and you would receive a discount of 10% over that part of your reservation: Prices and Booking - Divers Lodge Lembeh - Lembeh Strait

We do not offer special discounts for Instructors, KITAS holders or Indonesian citizens. I never really understood why we should? The only reason people always give me is: others do it too.

The internet connection is excellent here. There is WiFi in the restaurant/lounge and we have a back-up too. Telkomsel offers 4G. Of course we are happy to arrange all transfers with our own cars/drivers and boat for you: How to Get Here - Divers Lodge Lembeh - Lembeh Strait


Please have a thorough look at our website as well and let me know if there is other information you need.

We hope we may welcome you here at Divers Lodge Lembeh.

Would you anyway please be so kind to confirm the receipt of this email?

Best regards,

Rob Sinke
If you really answered with only the quote about Kitas holders, then it was a not so friendly reply, but now in another contest, nothing wrong with it. Sounds like a nice place to stay and 7 usd for a housreefdive is nice. Then he still wanted 10% discount?
The not refund options is also mentioned, so I don't see the problem with this email.

But maybe a next time not mention the kitas scentence and then you won't get the angry email back? I think I won't have answered that scentence, only the 10% when prepaid. Then you offer discount, but not because they are instructors.

But for me, your email doesn't sound angry, it gives the information I need if I want to stay there.
My extra question would be: I think there is no problem to do solodives on the housereef if you can show experience or a card. haha.
 
Solo dives are strictly forbidden by Indonesian Law. We cannot allow that. But our guides are happy to join you without interfering at all.
 
Solo dives are strictly forbidden by Indonesian Law. We cannot allow that. But our guides are happy to join you without interfering at all.
Nice to here you cater also single divers/solotravelers :wink:. I have seen that divecenters did not know what to do with solotravelers. Then they offer unlimited diving for example, but if you travel alone, then they cannot promise this.
Asia is a great place to travel alone to. Some people don't come with family, so if you cater that divers no problem. Both will have fun then.
I have been to Java and Bali a long time ago alone and it is really a nice country. Even above water. Lembeh never been, but it is on my list.
 
If you want the free marketing I provide, then make it worth my while. I'll never bash or threaten a dive shop. But don't expect me to support you or otherwise promote you. It's not personal: it's business.

Whatever happened to giving those who occupy your site some honest feedback? From what you say above you'll never give a dive shop a negative review no matter what, but conversely, if they throw you a few freebies you'll give them some free marketing?

What about the dive center that gives an excellent service to divers but no freebies to professionals, have they not earned an honest review, regardless whether they comped the professional?

Cathal
 
you'll never give a dive shop a negative review no matter what,

In short: it's not ethical for me to do that.

I will never lie on this forum. If I have nothing good to say about a shop, then I simply remain silent. If it's a mix, I let them decide if I post it or not. No, they don't get to change my post, but I give them the right of refusal. I never, ever want a shop to feel like they are being held hostage by my opinion. That would be an unfair advantage.

In the past, I have made a few threads where I went out of my way to not identify the dive op, while still sharing the experience. Whoa. People figured it out PDQ and called the shops in question. "NetDoc just posted about you!" The blow back was not what I expected. Gilligan lost his job and the other shop wouldn't talk to me for a year. How would that make you feel? I only post happy stuff now. Ergo, I cross that line rarely and then only if others are being hurt physically or fiscally. Silly? Sure, but I've met manufacturers, resorts and dive ops that were afraid of my "power" and so I take this extreme measure to put them at ease. Fortunately, there's lots of fun to post about, so I am never at a loss for material. Here are the two threads in question.

Does Peggy work at your LDS?

What would YOU do if the first mate on your charter was a Gilligan?
 
In short: it's not ethical for me to do that.

I will never lie on this forum. If I have nothing good to say about a shop, then I simply remain silent. If it's a mix, I let them decide if I post it or not. No, they don't get to change my post, but I give them the right of refusal. I never, ever want a shop to feel like they are being held hostage by my opinion. That would be an unfair advantage.

In the past, I have made a few threads where I went out of my way to not identify the dive op, while still sharing the experience. Whoa. People figured it out PDQ and called the shops in question. "NetDoc just posted about you!" The blow back was not what I expected. Gilligan lost his job and the other shop wouldn't talk to me for a year. How would that make you feel? I only post happy stuff now. Ergo, I cross that line rarely and then only if others are being hurt physically or fiscally. Silly? Sure, but I've met manufacturers, resorts and dive ops that were afraid of my "power" and so I take this extreme measure to put them at ease. Fortunately, there's lots of fun to post about, so I am never at a loss for material. Here are the two threads in question.

Does Peggy work at your LDS?

What would YOU do if the first mate on your charter was a Gilligan?

Dear The Chairman, I have deep respect for you that you not only admit that you underestimated your influence, that you regret what happened and that you are brave enough to share this.
 
Sure hope to be able to visit Indonesia and maybe Indah's resort in the coming years. This thread so is quite saddening. Obviously it is hard to see the threat of negative reviews of anything one has no first hand experience with as anything other than black mail.
But man, do Instructors take a beating here! Makes you wonder if one can trust anything "they" say or recommend.... Well, obviously one has to learn to filter the good ones from the black sheep. There are some good ones! But man, this thread casts a dark shadow on some aspects of the industry... Saddening!
 
Hate to say this but my last trip showed me the worst diver I have ever seen (and I have seen quite a few) and she was a dive professional with a big camera. Been diving for ever, has had every camera...blah blah blah. The destruction that followed her was so bad that other divers filmed her destroying coral and critters alike so that she could be stopped. It made us so mad that we actually questioned if humans should be allowed to dive at all.

Sure hope to be able to visit Indonesia and maybe Indah's resort in the coming years. This thread so is quite saddening. Obviously it is hard to see the threat of negative reviews of anything one has no first hand experience with as anything other than black mail.
But man, do Instructors take a beating here! Makes you wonder if one can trust anything "they" say or recommend.... Well, obviously one has to learn to filter the good ones from the black sheep. There are some good ones! But man, this thread casts a dark shadow on some aspects of the industry... Saddening!

In my experience there are goods ones but they aren't flaunting their "experience or expertise"... sometimes they don't even show their highest cards. The good ones listen to briefings because they know how rude and frustrating it is when people don't listen. The reason you don't hear about them or notice them is because they are behaving like the professionals they are. They just want to enjoy their vacation like the rest of us.
 
In my experience there are goods ones but they aren't flaunting their "experience or expertise"... sometimes they don't even show their highest cards. The good ones listen to briefings because they know how rude and frustrating it is when people don't listen. The reason you don't hear about them or notice them is because they are behaving like the professionals they are. They just want to enjoy their vacation like the rest of us.
Very much agree.
That's why this thread is so saddening.
If I was a good dive professional I'd be quite pissed at those dive professionals that by their manners, words, teaching and / or actions cast this kind of a shadow on the profession. As I am not a professional, I can stop at just being saddened about it. In the case of this thread the source of sadness would be "entitled" @The Cat Man ).
De-touring from the thread a bit, in other cases like the one you described it makes sense to try to stop destructive action, which whether done by actual professionals by no pro divers, still always reflects bad on the profession. All destructive divers were taught by a pro. Often they are guided by a pro. Saddening... or worse.
I really like "the good pros"...
 
Hello,
I am the Dive Instructor that this resort is referencing. I feel I have to respond to give the entire premise and NOT just a point from the email.
As a group of 4 instructors traveling (yes real instructors, no entitled millennials), we researched an area and sent our requests for booking and of course with request for professionals discounts. This is the reply we received from this resort owner:

"We do not offer special discounts for Instructors, KITAS holders or Indonesian citizens. I never really understood why we should? The only reason people always give me is: others do it too."


AFTER we had made our choice to stay at a different place, and not as a rebuttal, I sent this reply:

"
Greetings Rob,
...
Our stays and recommendations are ours.

Just read your post. You sound like a pompous ass. As a fellow instructor I'm now concerned that I'll have to explain to thousands of divers every day that you do not represent the attitude of the vast majority of instructors.

You've been a professional for SIX WHOLE YEARS?? Wow... we should all bow in your presence. Maybe one day you'll gain enough experience to have real perspective.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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