Flower Garden trips CANCELLED

[Lake Travis Scuba]

I have a idea. For all of you who don't agree with the Fling, pull your money together and start your own operation and compete with the Fling. This way you can dictate the terms of the charters and run the business the way you see fit.

 

[donhealy]

I know where there are two live aboards right now that can be bought real cheap. Call Nekton's bankruptcy's legal team. Im sure they could help out.

 

[Lake Travis Scuba]

Why?

This isn't about BP and it isn't about the oil spill. The Fling's participation in the clean up isn't going to change outcomes in the slightest.

It comes down to this: they could make $X with divers and they could make $X + $Y as a floating dorm. To make $X + $Y they unilaterally abrogated the contract they had with their divers this summer and returned their money.

This is ALL about the oil spill. If it were not for the oil spill they would have continued business as usual, unless someone can prove otherwise. Their effort will not singlehandedly change the outcome but they are part of the solution to address the mess in a way they can provide assistance.

Fling returned the money, unlike the Nekton mentioned in a previous post who screwed their paying customers by taking their money, not providing a service and then filing for bankruptcy to protect their ass-ets.

 

[fire_diver]

This is ALL about the oil spill. If it were not for the oil spill they would have continued business as usual, unless someone can prove otherwise. Their effort will not singlehandedly change the outcome but they are part of the solution to address the mess in a way they can provide assistance.

Fling returned the money, unlike the Nekton mentioned in a previous post who screwed their paying customers by taking their money, not providing a service and then filing for bankruptcy to protect their ass-ets.

This is why you can't understand our displeasure. You refuse to see it as a business. Business seeks out customers, and fosters a feeling value in those customers. That is how EVERY business, survives, grows and thrives. The fling just" flipped off" thier customers because more money was available elsewhere.

Lets look at this from other business perspectives.....

You and your family plan a trip. After researching, and booking the trip, you schedule your vactions away from work. You wife (or any significant other) takes thier vacation. Then, one day the hotel you were booked at says, "sorry, someone offered us more money for your room, we gave it to them." You can't find vacancies at any other area hotel. Your vacation is ruined by the greed of the hotel. Now, you can't give back the vacation days, you have to use them.

Will you have anything positive to say about this hotel? Will you ever book through this hotel again? There is no difference between this and the fling.

 

[mike_s]

I know where there are two live aboards right now that can be bought real cheap. Call Nekton's bankruptcy's legal team. Im sure they could help out.

yeah but neither one of their boats can make it to the end of the canal that their boatyard is on w/o a tugboat.

Those boats aren't going anywhere until the IRS Tax Liens are paid either...

 

[Guba]

Lets look at this from other business perspectives.....

You and your family plan a trip. After researching, and booking the trip, you schedule your vactions away from work. You wife (or any significant other) takes thier vacation. Then, one day the hotel you were booked at says, "sorry, someone offered us more money for your room, we gave it to them." You can't find vacancies at any other area hotel. Your vacation is ruined by the greed of the hotel. Now, you can't give back the vacation days, you have to use them.

Will you have anything positive to say about this hotel? Will you ever book through this hotel again? There is no difference between this and the fling.

But to extend your hypothetical analogy one step further (and maybe even make it more accurate), let's say that the hotel is a struggling establishment, and you were one of the few patrons for that week's stay. The hotel that canceled your reservations did so when the govt leased the entire facility to provide shelter to the victims of a massive flood. These people have lost their homes and livelihoods, and the hotel was contracted by the govt to give them a place to live until the emergency was over.

Now do you completely fault the hotel management?

 

[GaryBDavis]

I'm with Guba and Robert on this one. Ever notice how a few people really get in to being "customers" and just don't seem to be happy unless they are complaining about something. Heaven forbid they should be inconvenienced by anyone. The rest of us understand the business issues at hand and move on. It's interesting how some folks never grow up no matter how old they get.

 

[ZzzKing]

You complainers could always rent a boat and compressor for a week or two and go out there on your own. Maybe you could rent out any empty bunks to help with the cost. Maybe your trip would be so successful that you decide to go into the liveaboard business yourselves. Then we can join you in your great boycott of the Fling and visit the Flower Gardens in your new tricked out boat with the kind of personal service we are accustomed to at the worlds finest hotels but the price tag of a Motel 6. The name for your boat could be "Wetdream" or "Sour Grapes" or "The Customer is Always Right" or "Damn the Fling" or something along those lines.

Please post when you're up and running. I'd like to be on the first trip.

 

[Joe-Diver]

Maybe they'll take this extra money they're making and re-invest it in the boat....then when they start running trips again, they'll be even better....

 

[chinacat46]

But to extend your hypothetical analogy one step further (and maybe even make it more accurate), let's say that the hotel is a struggling establishment, and you were one of the few patrons for that week's stay. The hotel that canceled your reservations did so when the govt leased the entire facility to provide shelter to the victims of a massive flood. These people have lost their homes and livelihoods, and the hotel was contracted by the govt to give them a place to live until the emergency was over.

Now do you completely fault the hotel management?

Well I don't see all the details here. Is this the only hotel that could help out or are there hotels that could provide this service. i.e. is the fling performing an essential service that no one else can provide or is it screwing it's customers to make more money. A company builds good will towards it's customers and not honoring a prior commitment so it can make more money is not gonna foster any good will. What about people who were comming from out of state and had made plane reservations will they be fairly compensated?