blackmailed into spending more money to get certification

[alfred1]

I am really disappointed with a basic SSI course I just finished.

I had to take 6 pool lessons, 6 theory ones and 6 open water dives.
I took and succeeded in all this, then in my last dive I am "suggested" (odd term, given circumstances) into doing that expensive 2 extra dives which I gently declined last time it was offered.

By the way, they were at all times advertised as suggested but not compulsory in any way.

Now, odd coincidence, everybody who did that 2 "special" dives (either as extra on the total 6 dives required to get certified or as part of those 6) is "OK" to get certified indipendently on his/her real skills, while everybody who has 6 dives but didn't spend money on those 2 special dives, is asked to do these and not yet talking about getting certified

 

[Wookie]

What did these special dives consist of?

 

[alfred1]

What did these special dives consist of?

Nothing special, just two training dives performing exercises (same as the other dives) but in a better-looking place and at an extra cost from which the instructor surely gets some extra income.

This is why I am so p...... off. Only thing which differs is some extra money, really.

 

[Wookie]

I'm not an SSI instructor, and I can't speak for them, but in PADI they can not withhold your certification if you have performed the required skills. Is your logbook signed off for the required dives, and have you completed the skills for class?

It is highly unlikely anyone from SSI comes here to read this, the folks from PADI are not allowed to either. If you feel you have completed your training dives, your next step is to go into the shop and inform them of your dilemma. They will respond that you have or have not completed the course, and that your instructor will need to issue the card or why he has not. If you have completed 6 open water sessions of the required 4 and you still haven't completed the skills through no fault of your own, they need to put you back in Open Water and finish you up.

However, they can make your life miserable, offering the skills at a time you aren't available, etc. Did you piss them off somehow?

 

[alfred1]

I'm not an SSI instructor, and I can't speak for them, but in PADI they can not withhold your certification if you have performed the required skills. Is your logbook signed off for the required dives, and have you completed the skills for class?

It is highly unlikely anyone from SSI comes here to read this, the folks from PADI are not allowed to either. If you feel you have completed your training dives, your next step is to go into the shop and inform them of your dilemma. They will respond that you have or have not completed the course, and that your instructor will need to issue the card or why he has not. If you have completed 6 open water sessions of the required 4 and you still haven't completed the skills through no fault of your own, they need to put you back in Open Water and finish you up.

However, they can make your life miserable, offering the skills at a time you aren't available, etc. Did you piss them off somehow?

I completed all the required steps and weren't told I was doing anything wrong, other than in my last dive in which things were like "I suggest you should do those 2 special dives...etc., only thing odd is that this only applied to people who didn't take part to that extra income masked as special dives and there were people showing better skills than some of those who participated to those extra dives).

I asked an instructor to sign a divelog page once, but was told that it wasn't necessary as now SSI has online divelogs and that's all it's needed.
However my SSI status is still lacking the proper activation (due to instructor negligence, always postponing) and I probably have no dives yet on my account.

All I was required was: taking 6 theory lessons, 6 practice pool lessons and 6 open water dives, I did all of those without any dents other than the occasional "try again this exercise...(I try again)...now it is ok" while underwater.

I don't think I ever pissed them off, was always kind enough to offer my service in equipment hauling etc. Only thing I was always off from was participating in non-required activities, which always came at an extra price.

 

[undrwater]

When you told them: "Thanks for the suggestion! I'll decline those 2 dives, and just take my certification card now, please."

What was their response?

 

[tursiops]

What country was this in?

 

[tstormdiver]

Sounds fishy to me. It isn't SSI, it is the instructor, maybe shop. After the 4 RSTC required training dives & all required skills are successfully completed, certification can not be withheld. I would highly recommend calling SSI headquarters & seeing what you need to do to start a complaint. You may have to also have a written account of what happened sent to SSI.

Our shop very highly recommends for our students to do a 5th dive with their buddy in the class, without the instructor. Let them enjoy a dive without the stress of being watched & no compulsory skills. 99.99999........... % do it.I only know of 1 or 2 that did not take it up. We supply the students with a full cylinder to do it, they already have rental gear to use, it is at the current dive site (a quarry) in which we've been training, so no additional costs to the students. We encourage them to get more experience & give them the means to do it.

 

[alfred1]

When you told them: "Thanks for the suggestion! I'll decline those 2 dives, and just take my certification card now, please."

What was their response?

They let us choose where we would like to do our 6 required dives for Open Water Diver SSI certification.
I choose all dives whose cost was already included in the course, so my option was, about choosing my 5th and 6th dive, to
either do them in a lake or at sea in a touristic location.
I chose lake as these were already included in the course cost, while that touristic location (what I called a "special" dive, strongly suggested to us but never compulsory) required some extra money.

What country was this in?

Italy, Europe.

Sounds fishy to me. It isn't SSI, it is the instructor, maybe shop. After the 4 RSTC required training dives & all required skills are successfully completed, certification can not be withheld. I would highly recommend calling SSI headquarters & seeing what you need to do to start a complaint. You may have to also have a written account of what happened sent to SSI.

Our shop very highly recommends for our students to do a 5th dive with their buddy in the class, without the instructor. Let them enjoy a dive without the stress of being watched & no compulsory skills. 99.99999........... % do it.I only know of 1 or 2 that did not take it up. We supply the students with a full cylinder to do it, they already have rental gear to use, it is at the current dive site (a quarry) in which we've been training, so no additional costs to the students. We encourage them to get more experience & give them the means to do it.

This seemed way fishy to me. I can stand that not all of us are equal, but when I see that the only thing that makes them put thumbs up instead of thumbs down is having spent extra money in those 6 required dives or in extra dives (which obviously aren't covered in the course costs), it doesn't take much to smell blackmailing.

May I use this form to contact SSI?
https://www.divessi.com/contact

Thank you

 

[tstormdiver]

This seemed way fishy to me. I can stand that not all of us are equal, but when I see that the only thing that makes them put thumbs up instead of thumbs down is having spent extra money in those 6 required dives or in extra dives (which obviously aren't covered in the course costs), it doesn't take much to smell blackmailing.

May I use this form to contact SSI?
https://www.divessi.com/contact

Thank you

I would use this contact, as that is in your region.

Area Office[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] - 717001[/FONT]
SSI EMEA - Italia
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Salita Bonsen 4[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]GE 16035 Rapallo[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Italy[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Phone: +39 (0) 0185 - 2011[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]eMail: [/FONT]italy@divessi.com

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Being that you are in Italy, the requirements may be a bit different than in the US. I apologize, I assumed this was in the US. By contacting your regional office, they can guide you in what is required & what may need to be done to begin a complaint. [/FONT]