Pompano Dive Center and charters going out of business...

[OceanEyes]

According to my understanding, this saga has been in the works since before this past Thanksgiving, when PDC opted out of their status as a Scubapro dealership. At that time the scuttlebutt was that PDC did not wish to be in direct competition with other gear retailers, as these same retailers would refer their customers to the PDC for dive operations. Several of the employees assumed that their employment would be terminated immediately. The retail shop, fill station, and dive charter operations did however continue until today, when the last charter trip was run, and the shop is currently being stripped bare.

I read about this closure a few hours ago when I came upon this thread. I immediately headed up to the shop to pick up a few tanks that I’d left there for VIPs and hydros, as I did not wish to lose them altogether should the premises be vacated immediately. (The VIPs were completed and those bottles were filled. Hydros have been returned to PDC and await fills.)

As was described to me a few hours ago, current status is as follows:

PDC will no longer exist in this location as of the end of the month. They will continue to maintain opening hours for as long as they are able, and allow customers to pick up any of their items at the shop. Any gear left for servicing may be picked up before the end of the month, and they hope to be able to fill any cylinders that have been left in the shop.

In the interim, some of the staff have been able to arrange for other employment. One gent has accepted a full time position outside of the dive industry. Two of the women that I spoke with today have new jobs that begin this week; one at DGX, and the other at SSI headquarters. I do not know about the job status of the other staff members, but were I in a position to do so, would hire any one of them. They have earned my trust over the course of many years, and I’ve only the best wishes for them all in the future.

 

[RyanT]

In the interim, some of the staff have been able to arrange for other employment. One gent has accepted a full time position outside of the dive industry. Two of the women that I spoke with today have new jobs that begin this week; one at DGX, and the other at SSI headquarters. I do not know about the job status of the other staff members, but were I in a position to do so, would hire any one of them. They have earned my trust over the course of many years, and I’ve only the best wishes for them all in the future.

Thanks @OceanEyes. I've had the good fortune to get to know these folks and I agree, they are really extraordinary people. I was super relieved to learn that they've found other jobs!

 

[Norrm]

Jeremy the owner of PDC is a good guy.

I wonder how good he is. On the FaceBook thread announcing the closure on the PDC page, several responders have stated they've got unused air fill cards and one poster said he's got $700 in unused trip tickets. Is Jeremy going to refund those divers for what they paid for those soon to be useless items?

Of course he isn't. It's very telling that the PDC owners have responded to several questions but have ignored those pertaining to unused trip and air fill cards.

 

[Wookie]

I wonder how good he is. On the FaceBook thread announcing the closure on the PDC page, several responders have stated they've got unused air fill cards and one poster said he's got $700 in unused trip tickets. Is Jeremy going to refund those divers for what they paid for those soon to be useless items?

Of course he isn't. It's very telling that the PDC owners have responded to several questions but have ignored those pertaining to unused trip and air fill cards.

If one of those folks Jeremy owes money to isn't you, why are you involved in spreading dissension? If you feel Jeremy owes you money, take it up with him. Whining about it on ScubaBoard may not be the bet approach to take.

You sound like one of the folks who complained that they would never get a refund when I went out of business. Those folks who actually spent money for a trip and received a voucher got a refund. Those who won a free trip for whatever reason did not, but I addressed everyone individually. And I'm sure Jeremy is doing the same, not responding to the whiners on Facebook.

 

[Mouth Breather]

I wonder how good he is. On the FaceBook thread announcing the closure on the PDC page, several responders have stated they've got unused air fill cards and one poster said he's got $700 in unused trip tickets. Is Jeremy going to refund those divers for what they paid for those soon to be useless items?

Of course he isn't. It's very telling that the PDC owners have responded to several questions but have ignored those pertaining to unused trip and air fill cards.

No truth in this at all. I went to PDC yesterday to pick up tanks and my fill card was refunded without even asking. I never had anything but a great experience with them in the 8 years I've been diving with them. A terrible loss to the diving community here.

 

[Norrm]

No truth in this at all. I went to PDC yesterday to pick up tanks and my fill card was refunded without even asking.

Good to hear. I do wonder why he hasn't responded to FB posts about this, including the one about the $700 unused trip vouchers.

It also should have been added to their going out of business announcement. Something to the effect of "please stop by the shop for a full refund of unused airfill cards and trip vouchers".

 

[Bubblesong]

Once PDC is gone, i predict price of diving at this Harbor location will go up as it has a great convenience factor. I enjoyed a couple trips to Sands Harbor Resort and Marina and tried out three dive shops from that hotel. PDC had quality gear to rent at fair price and I have recommended it.
I can’t dis or recommend other shops at this time because this is quite a shakeup. Perhaps i will get to Pompano area this summer and see in person where this has evolved. I did notice an absence if a big gear selloff, could it be they are making plans to re-open somewhere else?

 

[Johnoly]

Once PDC is gone, i predict price of diving at this Harbor location will go up ...

{Pure Speculation Follows} There is a LONG history in Florida of new owners coming into a marina and pushing Dive Operators out of their marina. The question is always WHY, WHY, WHY. The simple answer is that the new marina owner's have a dream and a vision for changes to the marina and it DOESN'T include dive boats. Diver's don't spend money at the marina, it's come and then go. I've seen it happen 3 times just in Jupiter over the years. One, several years ago said they didn't like the sound of tanks banging at 7am every morning - Get Out !!

Time will tell how the Sands marina changes and how dive boats are apart of it.

 

[tomcatbubba]

Not surprising if the owners of the Marina are the same bunch that took over the resort. We did a shop trip down there last February. About half of the rooms had bed bugs. To the point we wanted to vacate early and get another place. No such luck, they wouldn't refund any unused nights, and were downright rude about the whole thing.

The dive center will be missed. They were a class act all the way.

 

[tekkydiver]

These dive ops come and go. At least in this case it seems like the owner isn't fleeing with a sack of other peoples money. Remember when Silent World guy fled the Country?