VIP Inspectors: Identifiable vs Identified
- Thread starter lowviz
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your previous post states VIP are $25. I assume it includes a fill. that would be a saving of $20.
But you didn’t know about the $5 “hoops” fee, so call it $25 saved per VIP. But then that means you have to pay $10 for a fill since you don’t own a compressor.
that ends up being $15 saved per VIP
you have four single tanks you VIP yourself (out of a total of 10).
That’s $60/year of VIP savings.
This is before adding in the cost of buying VIP equipment. And time spent doing the VIP. And the liability.
a VIP course probably costs $250 average. Good for three years. Renewal is probably around $150.
unless it was for the education, the math doesn’t work out.
My course was less than that due to currency exchange between US and Canadian dollars. I didn’t know about the change in policy when I took the course in August. If I had known about policy at the time, I don’t know if I would have done the class, although the education was valuable and knowledge is never a waste.
No
There is zero liability doing VIPs. Nobody has ever been cited or sued for doing a substandard VIP ever - its a voluntary program and has no force of law unless you are doing a requalification - which is exclusive to DOT authorized hydrotesters (every 5 years). This is just more arm waving justifying the arbitrary and shifting demands of scuba shops.
I have heard of some individuals that have their own stickers printed. It says something like "Inspected to CGA and PSI/PCI Standards" but they are not certified by them. How do they know they did them to the standards? They bought the book and tools. The number on it is one they made up and the shop is their garage with an email address instead of a phone number.
It's mainly for travel to out of state locations that want a shop name on it. The fillers think that this relieves them of liability even though no law requires a visual other than at the time of hydro in the US.
It's an industry standard. Even then it's more of a guideline because a shop could fill without a current one and unless there was an accident, no one would care and there would be no legal consequences if they filled a tank out of vis.
There is also some misconception about when the sticker expires depending on where you go. I've seen a shop deny fills on the 5th for a June sticker. They said the vis was due June 1st so it was out. Another shop knew it was good til the end of the month punched. Depends on the fill person working.
It's mainly for travel to out of state locations that want a shop name on it. The fillers think that this relieves them of liability even though no law requires a visual other than at the time of hydro in the US.
It's an industry standard. Even then it's more of a guideline because a shop could fill without a current one and unless there was an accident, no one would care and there would be no legal consequences if they filled a tank out of vis.
There is also some misconception about when the sticker expires depending on where you go. I've seen a shop deny fills on the 5th for a June sticker. They said the vis was due June 1st so it was out. Another shop knew it was good til the end of the month punched. Depends on the fill person working.
with somewhere north of 26 tanks.... it pays for itself.... 
I was given wrong info
Lowviz is getting the rest of my VIP stickers. Pitched the rest of my tools into the trash. At least I had very little money in them.
JBFG
Contributor
Yikes
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