Aruba -BEWARE booking w/ ARUBAPRODIVE

[zinfin]

We just got back from 10 days in Aruba. We booked with Caroline for 5 days of two tank dives through Prodive ( www.arubawavedancer/arubaprodive ).Their selling point is SMALL groups etc. We have all been on a cattle boat some place , so I figured for a few more bucks let's get the tlc. I asked all the normal questions about the shop , the boat, the dm , where to leave your gear etc. They were all answered in a routine manner. When we were picked up @ 8:15 for our first day by a van called Aruba Fly n' Dive . We wound up at their shop .Discussed where is Aruba Pro Dive?? Where is the center console w/ maybe 4 other divers??(ie. the picture on the web) Why am I standing here with 15 other divers at the Fly n' Dive shop?? John ,the owner, very nicely and professionally explained that Aruba PRODIVE AKA "SANE DEVELOPMENT" IS A WHOLESALER .They may have dove in the past. There is no brick and mortar shop. They make resrvations and fit you into dive companies on the island. Another couple from Chicago had the same bewildering experience on our second day of diving . Fly n'Dive was great. They were professional . They had 3 boats. We had our own gear , but all the people that rented had no problems. They had experienced DM ,clean boats , and friendly staff. I would book directly with them again . Beware Sane Development Books for other companies on Aruba !! Ask before you book if you are actually dealing with the shop or are you being sold to a shop by a booking agent!!
Stay well !! Have Fun !!

 

[butchpalmer]

Zinfin -

How was the diving in Aruba? My company is sending me there for about 3 months on a start-up and I plan to dive as much as possible on the weekends.
Love to have your feedback on sites and thanks for the info on FnD.

Thanks in advance

Butch

 

[ScubaSteve]

So, the only real complaint is that the company you booked with was a phantom company booking for others that you did not know about? That I can understand but as long as there was no safety violations or cost issues, then I would say perhaps the "BEWARE" in your thread title might be a bit over the top. It is great that you are telling people that this company really is just a booking agent for other shops on the island. This way people can go into the transaction knowing what to expect. But again, I think this is more of a case of "Know what you are entering into" and less of a "BEWARE of this shop".....unless you have confirmed that you did in fact unknowingly pay a premium to use their booking services.

 

[irie1029]

butch you lucky guy... I would talk to JP at JADS and set up a plan with him. He is swell and not into ripping you off. I had several... 20 dives with them on 2 occaisons and they are really a good outfit and have dozens of sites. I wish I could be stuck there for 3 months... rocky beach was my favorite dive. Commedor drift dive was great too.

 

[zinfin]

Zinfin -

How was the diving in Aruba? My company is sending me there for about 3 months on a start-up and I plan to dive as much as possible on the weekends.
Love to have your feedback on sites and thanks for the info on FnD.

Thanks in advance

Butch

Dear Butch,
The diving was great . We dove wrecks ( Antilla, Ys-11 airplane, Perdinalis), reefs and structure. John at Aruba fly n'dive was very accomodating . The boats were safe. Their price was reasonable for a dive package. Their equipment was fine, but we had brought our own. I would email them , get a list of dive sites and stop in and set up a series of dives. They seemed very accomodating - stay well

 

[zinfin]

So, the only real complaint is that the company you booked with was a phantom company booking for others that you did not know about? That I can understand but as long as there was no safety violations or cost issues, then I would say perhaps the "BEWARE" in your thread title might be a bit over the top. It is great that you are telling people that this company really is just a booking agent for other shops on the island. This way people can go into the transaction knowing what to expect. But again, I think this is more of a case of "Know what you are entering into" and less of a "BEWARE of this shop".....unless you have confirmed that you did in fact unknowingly pay a premium to use their booking services.

Dear Steve,
I really have to disagree with you . Never once during our conversation did Prodive indicate that they were a booking agency. They did not say we will place you with a company . They did not indicate we would not be diving with them . I asked about storing my gear at their shop ! Their selling point is small groups ie. less than six! Most of our dives had 14 - 20 people on them. We were not on the center console boat in their web photo. I inquired how much shade the boat had. Another couple from Chicago had the same experience as us, with the same expectations . All in all ,these people are making a living . I emphatically feel it is their responsibiliy to tell people to"Know what you are getting into" if you book with us. As for payment , they wanted up front, in full, over the net before we got to Aruba. Remember, the bottom line was book here for small groups and TLC. We lucked out on the TLC , so my thread title was beware. Stay well , blow bubblles have fun !- Zinfin

 

[ScubaSteve]

Just for what it is worth, ScubaBoard maintains a record of letting companies know that they are being discussed on a thread in their board. While I do not represent or work on behalf of ScubaBoard, I did take it upon myself to notify them so they could join the conversation should they want to. I personally think that it is important to allow a business to defend themselves in a situation like this and really respect ScubaBoard for their standard. It sounds as if ArubaProDive will not be joining ScubaBoard for just this thread, however this is their reply:

Stephen,
Thanks for the heads up. I AM GUILTY!!!!!! I booked him for a 10 dive package with Fly n Dive. The pricing was not increased and Fly n Dive is a quality company doing very good business on Aruba. He went with John with a group of six divers on their own boat and had a blast. He called me to complain and I explained to him that I have been booking divers in Aruba since 1988 and have quite a following of fans. They contact me for the small group operators and really do not care who they go with as long as they are with a reputable company and not on a cattle drive. They know when they contact me they will get in the water and have a great dive experience. We are in a transition period with Aruba Pro Dive at the moment and are not taking divers. However the divers I have had the pleasure to know want me to book them because they know I will get them on a quality dive with a quality company. They have sent their friends and through word of mouth mostly I have become an "agent". It is not a dirty word at all. Most of my bookings are repeats and referrals. So that is what I am guilty of..........hooking them up with a reputable dive shop for great diving. I did tell him I will explain the company better next time and did. The guy I was then booking said, "Do I need to know all this?" I said, "Not necessarily but some do. Just an FYI." So I agreed the BEWARE is a little extreme and definitely misleading. And he is accusing me of being misleading!! Oh well. BTW there is no picture of a dive boat with a center console and 4 divers on our website. Again thanks for the heads up.
Caroline
P.S. If you want to put this up as a response it is okay with me as I am not registered on this site.

While I may not see entirely eye to eye with the OP, nobody was injured or financially impacted with this event, so I will not clutter the thread more.

 

[BDSC]

Zinfin,

All in all it looks like your dive vacation went OK and I'm glad for you. Thank goodness the dive outfit you did dive with was a good one.

I would like to add that I agree with you about the "Beware" comment. If you go to the "Aruba Pro Dive" website you are totally misled about who and what the company actually is. I just checked their site and anyone looking at it would think there is a dive shop on the island called Aruba Pro Dive. As a matter of fact it says right at the top of their webpage, "The Best Little Dive Shop in Aruba". So let's really call their webpage what it is.......A LIE! A honest business would be right upfront and say they are a booking agent for other dive shops. Why don't they do that? My guess would be because they know they would lose some business by doing it the honest way. People would just call and deal with the dive shops on the island direct thus leaving them out.

In the end you had a good dive vacation but that does not in any way excuse Aruba Pro Dive from lying in their advertising. Thanks for the heads-up because I would now never do business with them. It amazes me that this Caroline person would think the word "Beware" is "extreme and definitely misleading". Wonder what she thinks of the word "Liars"!

 

[tiggrr]

Zinfin,

All in all it looks like your dive vacation went OK and I'm glad for you. Thank goodness the dive outfit you did dive with was a good one.

I would like to add that I agree with you about the "Beware" comment. If you go to the "Aruba Pro Dive" website you are totally misled about who and what the company actually is. I just checked their site and anyone looking at it would think there is a dive shop on the island called Aruba Pro Dive. As a matter of fact it says right at the top of their webpage, "The Best Little Dive Shop in Aruba". So let's really call their webpage what it is.......A LIE! A honest business would be right upfront and say they are a booking agent for other dive shops. Why don't they do that? My guess would be because they know they would lose some business by doing it the honest way. People would just call and deal with the dive shops on the island direct thus leaving them out.

In the end you had a good dive vacation but that does not in any way excuse Aruba Pro Dive from lying in their advertising. Thanks for the heads-up because I would now never do business with them. It amazes me that this Caroline person would think the word "Beware" is "extreme and definitely misleading". Wonder what she thinks of the word "Liars"!

Totally agree with this post.

The big crime IMO is the loss of choice from 6 pack to cattle boat. If you specifically are choosing to find a charter with small boats and end up on a cattle boat, that's a ripoff right there. That is a make it or break it as far as dive ops go and I would not choose to dive with them.

Thanks for the heads up on their business practices.

 

[zinfin]

Just for what it is worth, ScubaBoard maintains a record of letting companies know that they are being discussed on a thread in their board. While I do not represent or work on behalf of ScubaBoard, I did take it upon myself to notify them so they could join the conversation should they want to. I personally think that it is important to allow a business to defend themselves in a situation like this and really respect ScubaBoard for their standard. It sounds as if ArubaProDive will not be joining ScubaBoard for just this thread, however this is their reply:



While I may not see entirely eye to eye with the OP, nobody was injured or financially impacted with this event, so I will not clutter the thread more.

Dear Steve,
Thanx for getting the operator involved(No sarcasm intended ). Other people who book with them will be informed by the operator. That was my intent. Topic closed. stay well have fun , blow bubbles - Zinfin