Aqua Ventures Dive Center Hudson, NH= Thumbs Down

[lord1234]

Ok folks,
It takes a lot for me to personally bad mouth someone on the internet, because it is seen by so many and can affect their business, but now that this issue is resolved, I am going to do it. As some of you know, I got certified through NAUI for my OW in May of '05. I took my certification class through Aqua Ventures Dive Center in Hudson, NH because they were close to me, and when I went in and talked I got a good feeling. The class went ok, and I recieved my certification but here is where the problems began.

After our last day of OW class, it turns out our instructor was newly minted so didn't have a NAUI instructor # yet. He just signed our log books but didn't put down his instructor number. Same with our temp cert cards.

Ok, I think, no problem...NAUI should send out my perm card shortly anyways...no big deal!

So I go, dive like it was 1999, and wait for my card....and wait...and wait...2 months roll around, and I call the store, and say "hey whats going on, where's my card", oh we'll call you back...this happened for about 2 months running so I finally call NAUI. There is no record of me ever taking a class through NAUI. I once again call the shop and now get the standard line of "oh i'll call you back". That is IF I can get through to the shop, because they hardly ever pick up the phone.

At this point I am frustrated with NAUI, and this shop, and am about to call it a loss. However, I would like to thank Easy Divers for being a NAUI representative at Sea Rovers this weekend. Fred has been able to take care of my issue, and I am glad to say I will shortly get my card...

While I certainly could care less about having the card, it woudl be nice for future certification classes to have, as well as to put in my wallet.

I will be filing a BBB complaint about the shop shortly and suggest that none of you give them your business in future since they obviously don't care about the customer.

--Lord1234
PS: as a side note, I saw a fellow OW classmate at Sea Rovers, only to find out that she also had yet to recieve her C card.

 

[MSilvia]

Wow... that stinks. I'm glad you got it resolved though. It's nice to hear Fred was able to help you out.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Why would you be frustrated with NAUI? It's the shop's responsibility to get the paperwork to them. Granted I've had an occasional problem with paperwork getting lost in the shuffle at NAUI (generally when we email stuff) but if the cards aren't here in 4 weeks I call to find out where they are and re-send the paperwork if necessary. Any time I've had to re-send paperwork those cards were in my little paws in a couple of days. Your shop and instructor let you down not the agency.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[lord1234]

because when I called them they were completely helpless, I even filed a complaint with them, and it has been a month and have gotten no response from them...nor has the shop called me wondering why naui had called them(so I am guessing they have done nothing)

 

[ericfine50]

lord

that sucks - contact the instructor directly. Light a fire under his butt to get the paperwork in.

 

[daniel f aleman]

What you experienced from your dive shop is so unusual that NAUI probably has no formal routine to address it - nor should they. Just odd.

Send a letter of the facts as you see them (retrace all events) to NAUI in Tampa, with a copy to your dive shop. Just the facts, no emotion. You are now a member of NAUI, do your part in making it better. (I would say the same if it were PADI, SSI, etc.)

 

[mike_s]

Actually, I had a similar (but not the same) problem happen to me with a NAUI shop. But I don't blame NAUI for it since they were involved in this... My problem wasn't that I couldn't get my card though, but that I signed up for a class and the dive shop went out of business.

At first I thought I was "screwed" out of my money, but I was able to track down the shops owner (and instructor) to find out that he had just closed his shop but was still teaching on the side. Luckily I got to finish the class and got my card for this class.

The reason I make this post is that regardless of agency, there is the problem with these small mom-and-pop shops going under and the certifying agency is often the only place that the people have to call.

Another local SSI shop went under a few years back and it turned out they had been teaching people and not turning in the paperwork but making their "own homemade" certification cards. Most of those folks had to end up re-taking the class through another shop to be "officially" certified. So it can happen with any agency.