Another Thing that bugs me about dive shops

[deeper thoughts]

I also like to shop locally first but within reason. I priced a dive mask at my lds it was 110 dollars at LP it was 41. Where would you buy the mask?

 

[D_B]

I would buy the mask at my shop after they discounted it .. How much discount that would need to be I'm not sure, but I'm willing to pay a bit more for some things.
if they wanted more than say $55 I might tell them no thanks

 

[Gregordo]

On-line is almost always cheaper, but if you have a problem it's much easier to go to your LDS and say fix it. I can stand and talk to a person holding the BC and say this doesn't work. With an On-line shop I've got to describe it over the phone or email and maybe ship it back and forth.
I'll buy a simple piece on line but would rather get the bulk of my gear from a human at a place.

 

[james croft]

[QUOTE
I'll buy a simple piece on line but would rather get the bulk of my gear from a human at a place.[/QUOTE]

Most of the humans I have dealt with at "a place" try to sell me something other than what I want or are clueless about the product or how I intend to use it. I do my own research before buying gear and know what I want. Many of the humans I deal with at scuba shops are not very knowlegeable on the type of diving I indulge in.

In short, I just want the best deal from whoever can offer it to me. Sometimes it is my LDS, sometimes the internet.

 

[vtxkev]

I was not going to comment on this thread, but I feel I had to after doing some research. I went to my LDS and wanted to get into an open water class and buy the necessary items needed boots, fins, mask, snorkle plus hood and gloves (because it is cold where I am). I did not do any research on any of these items and honestly didnt know if I was going to walk out of there spending $100 or $1000 dollars. When they gave me the fins to try on there were a couple of different kinds and they told me that they wanted me to be comfortable with my equipment, which ones felt more comfortable to me was their question. The same went for the mask and so on. I picked out all my gear and then I was informed that most of what I picked was the cheaper of my options. They said they did not sell based on price and they dont push you to make a choice. I was also told that when I do my pool and open water sessions if something doesnt fit right or I do not like it they will take it back and we can try something until I find what I want. With that said this thread made me look up my purchase on the internet and here is what I found.

Mares Avanti Superchannel fins - LDS @ $90.00 / Scuba Toys @ $110.00
Genesis Tri-View Mask LDS @ $80.00 / Leisure Pro @ 60.00
Oceanic Ultra Dry Snorkle LDS @ $44.95 / Leisure Pro @ $44.95
Henderson 5mm Gripper Boots LDS @ $35.95 / Leisure Pro @ $47.99
Akona Deluxe Gloves LDS @ $29.95 / Internet @ $29.99
Henderson 7/3mm Hood LDS @ $29.95 / Internet @ $39.99

Please note that I looked at Scuba Toys & Leisure Pro first and then if they did not have the item I went to any other internet dealer. Also that I did not use any sale price that they have showing because there is no way to know if that sale price was in effect when I purchased the gear.

So the outcome was LDS @ $332.56 with tx, I got to try it all on and if something doesnt fit right after using it in the pool and open water I can exchange it for something that does fit right.

Internet @ $332.88 no tax, no shipping, didnt get to try any of it on uless I go to my LDS first, and if it doesnt fit right after my dives would they still take it back ( it would be used).

In closing I didnt have to haggle price with my LDS and they wanted me to be as comfortable as possible without putting price first. They will take it back if I do not like it or it doesnt work properly and I am building a reputation with them. Is the internet shop going to answer my questions when I have them (except for you awsome ScubaBoard members), is the internet going to let me swim around in their indoor heated pool before I leave the snow and ice for tropical water just as a refresher for FREE. To each their own but I think I will stick with my LDS and show them the support.

I

 

[D_B]

Keven .. Good points on the LDS and there policy of being able to return something if it doesn't fit/work for you .. Mine had the same policy when I took open water . I changed my BC twice and size once

 

[psychocabbage]

I was not going to comment on this thread, but I feel I had to after doing some research. I went to my LDS and wanted to get into an open water class and buy the necessary items needed boots, fins, mask, snorkle plus hood and gloves (because it is cold where I am). I did not do any research on any of these items and honestly didnt know if I was going to walk out of there spending $100 or $1000 dollars. When they gave me the fins to try on there were a couple of different kinds and they told me that they wanted me to be comfortable with my equipment, which ones felt more comfortable to me was their question. The same went for the mask and so on. I picked out all my gear and then I was informed that most of what I picked was the cheaper of my options. They said they did not sell based on price and they dont push you to make a choice. I was also told that when I do my pool and open water sessions if something doesnt fit right or I do not like it they will take it back and we can try something until I find what I want. With that said this thread made me look up my purchase on the internet and here is what I found.

Mares Avanti Superchannel fins - LDS @ $90.00 / Scuba Toys @ $110.00
Genesis Tri-View Mask LDS @ $80.00 / Leisure Pro @ 60.00
Oceanic Ultra Dry Snorkle LDS @ $44.95 / Leisure Pro @ $44.95
Henderson 5mm Gripper Boots LDS @ $35.95 / Leisure Pro @ $47.99
Akona Deluxe Gloves LDS @ $29.95 / Internet @ $29.99
Henderson 7/3mm Hood LDS @ $29.95 / Internet @ $39.99

Please note that I looked at Scuba Toys & Leisure Pro first and then if they did not have the item I went to any other internet dealer. Also that I did not use any sale price that they have showing because there is no way to know if that sale price was in effect when I purchased the gear.

So the outcome was LDS @ $332.56 with tx, I got to try it all on and if something doesnt fit right after using it in the pool and open water I can exchange it for something that does fit right.

Internet @ $332.88 no tax, no shipping, didnt get to try any of it on uless I go to my LDS first, and if it doesnt fit right after my dives would they still take it back ( it would be used).

In closing I didnt have to haggle price with my LDS and they wanted me to be as comfortable as possible without putting price first. They will take it back if I do not like it or it doesnt work properly and I am building a reputation with them. Is the internet shop going to answer my questions when I have them (except for you awsome ScubaBoard members), is the internet going to let me swim around in their indoor heated pool before I leave the snow and ice for tropical water just as a refresher for FREE. To each their own but I think I will stick with my LDS and show them the support.

I

My first comment is WHY WAS THIS THREAD RESSURECTED???

Now.. Why did you buy a $45 snorkle? We dont even take ours out with us. I would not trust any dive shop that let me buy a $45 snorkle when I am a total noob..

 

[Troy32]

I purchased the majority of my gear online and began diving before getting certified. When I decided to get certified I went to a few shops and started to work with one. I did my OW and Nitrox courses along with my girlfriend and brother. I bought about $1000 of stuff for my girl and a birthday gift for my brother. So with the training I spent a total of $2500 with the shop in a few weeks. He charged msrp for everything. My brother and I decided to buy 2 steel LP tanks from him. The 2 tanks cost about $800. Once they were delivered we asked that he fill them. He charged us for the airfills. My brother even asked if the $400 tanks come with a free air fill and he said "No. An air fill is $7."

I now refuse to buy anything from the shop other than airfills.

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

I'm not.

Me either, they made sense to me. The poster wants to build a relationship and the dive shop is treating him like an idiot: the relationship isn't being built two ways. I don't see what the issue is with his post.

The LDS that I go to has internet in the middle of the store that I have used to look up prices and get reviews.

That's a good start. Although if a dive shop wants my business (and maybe I'm just some rare case: so whether or not catering to shoppers like me is smart business sense or not, I have no idea), they need to get their products and prices online. I still prefer making most decisions in the low pressure, casual, take as long as you want environment of home (plus it is kind of a pain for me to get to the dive shops since I don't have a car normally: so I kind of feel like I have to leave with something when I go (which isn't a good thing if I don't know what they are offering ahead of time))

 

[Orsk]

I guess I got lucky with my LDS. Cheap training, Cheap prices, free air for me(I DM for them) $3 normal, no taxes. The only catch is you have to have the right ID card to shop there, and they don't always have the exact gear you are looking for, but they will order about anything you want. I couldn't find any cheaper training than them, $180 for OW including rental and nothing required to buy but books. Since I DM for them I get specialties for the price of a PIC card as long as I help out with the class, and other than that they are $100 for everyone else. The other shops in the area don't like them much, but they only provide service to about 0.5% of the divers out of the 3 large cities in the area. They like to blame them for their lack of sales, but I have a feeling that it could be the other 30 dive shops that are around and competing that are having an effect on their sales. There's also always someone around to help out out if you need advice. They have a Course Director, 5 Instructors, and at least 15 Divemasters that are always in and around the shop. The only full time employees are the CD, a single DM, and a gear Tech. The rest of them are either evening/weekend instructors or DM's who volunteer. I'm sure that if I get stationed somewhere else I'll have trouble finding another place like this, but I'm going to enjoy it while I have it.