And another sale gone, another one down... another one bites the dust!

[yknot]

Lead Carrier- scuba gear retailing is an industry, like auto retailing, where haggling over the price is possible. Comparisons to things like groceries don't apply.

Lawman- are the warranties as written by the scuba manufacturers even enforcible and or defensible? The warranty for my regs only state yearly service by auth. dealer to remain valid.

 

[norcaldiver]

yknot once bubbled...
Lead Carrier- scuba gear retailing is an industry, like auto retailing, where haggling over the price is possible. Comparisons to things like groceries don't apply.

I disagree. You can't haggle at the grocery store, auto parts store, petco, burger king, walgreens, the gas station, a plumber, and on and on. Why does everyone thing that they should be able to haggle at a dive shop. Not that I'm against it, my shop cuts deals all the time.

But how about this for example, I'll give you a deal, but you give me a tip, let's just add on anywhere from 8 to 15% of the total - for the time I take to help you get fitted for a BC, and running back and forth to the stockroom, and explaining pros and cons of each one, and answering your questions to the best of my knowledge or going to the books and finding all the specs between the 2 models that you're looking for. I mean, you tip the DM or the boat captain, right? you tip waiters and waitresses for doing the running of your food....

Granted not every shops is helpfull, but what about the guys that are?

 

[metridium]

norcaldiver wrote...


I disagree. You can't haggle at the grocery store, auto parts store, petco, burger king, walgreens, the gas station, a plumber, and on and on. Why does everyone thing that they should be able to haggle at a dive shop. Not that I'm against it, my shop cuts deals all the time.

With sufficient volume, you can haggle over practically anything.

As for your question: Why not?

 

[redacted]

norcaldiver once bubbled...

Granted not every shops is helpfull, but what about the guys that are?

Because "helpful" doesn't make too many people go too far out of their way. So the price constraints keep the field nice and level where both the good LDS and the bad LDS can almost eak out a living. If they were allowed to compete, good LDS's which operate with good business practices would be able to put bad LDS out of business. Then good LDS could be rewarded with volume business and could actually begin to compete with Leisurepro.

 

[Epinephelus]

I always give a customer the benefit of the doubt, giving freely of my time and knowledge to help them make an informed decision on what they need and want in the way of hardware. If they take my time and knowledge and then apply it to an internet purchase, they fall into the "special price" category. The next time they come in, I know nothing, and the prices are very high. Hopefully high enough that it'll be the last I see of them.
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
E. itajara

 

[redacted]

Epinephelus once bubbled...
I always give a customer the benefit of the doubt, giving freely of my time and knowledge to help them make an informed decision on what they need and want in the way of hardware. If they take my time and knowledge and then apply it to an internet purchase, they fall into the "special price" category. The next time they come in, I know nothing, and the prices are very high. Hopefully high enough that it'll be the last I see of them.
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
E. itajara

A satisfied customer is a business asset. A dissatisfied one is a liability. Screwing with a customer may be good in the short run for your mental health. But it is not going to help your business. Do you just do this as a hobby?

 

[Scuba]

I think we are all being taken for a ride here!

Since it appears that a fair number of LDS's can afford to turn away any customer that doesn't bend over backwards for them - business must be pretty good.

 

[Lawman]

is that some of you must buy
A LOT of scuba equiptment!

Hell, other than small items I
I don't buy much. Same computer
same BC. Same stuff. I don't buy
enough to have a LDS markup
amount to much. Certainly
not enough to haggle with them
about.

 

[metridium]

Epinephelus wrote...
I always give a customer the benefit of the doubt, giving freely of my time and knowledge to help them make an informed decision on what they need and want in the way of hardware. If they take my time and knowledge and then apply it to an internet purchase, they fall into the "special price" category. The next time they come in, I know nothing, and the prices are very high. Hopefully high enough that it'll be the last I see of them.
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
E. itajara

I understand your frustration, but is bridge-burning really that profitable?

I can't imagine word-of-mouth from those customers about your hyper-inflated prices is very helpful, either. Their friends and acquaintances might not even bother stopping by your shop for a quote, not realizing your prices aren't that high to normal customers.

 

[redacted]

Scuba once bubbled...
I think we are all being taken for a ride here!

Since it appears that a fair number of LDS's can afford to turn away any customer that doesn't bend over backwards for them - business must be pretty good.

I think they are just that stupid. And it even makes it harder on the good (smart) ones that are out there.