Bloody dive shops...

[Marie13]

Same here - No Facebook for me, but I have no issues with trips - did Bonaire last fall, just got back from Cayman Brac and heading to Fiji next summer with our Dive Shop - website, e-mail, texts and in perosn or phine calls do the job just fine!

No Facebook for me, but I have no issues with getting on trips - did Bonaire last fall, just got back from Cayman Brac and heading to Fiji next summer with our Dive Shop - website, e-mail, texts and in person chats or phone calls do the job just fine!

I’m talking about the people who want to set up their own charter on a 6 pack, for example, want to fill a few space with people outside their little circle. Belly ache that they can’t get people to fill spots, but won’t use FB or even Meetup, if it’s a dive club on Meetup.

 

[W W Meixner]

Not necessarily. There is no way I will be on Facebook but I manage to go on trips that Merry and I set up ourselves. We make our own reservations for the dive operation, hotel, and planes. Also, we usually dive together or solo, so we're never looking for buddies.

MBT...

We all do what works best for ''ourselves''...I've dove three quarters of the way around the world...and back...as many of you have...and have never once been at a loss for someone to dive with...

Last year I was introduced to one of the best dive partners I've ever had...and it was more by accident than good planning...and more than once...''chance encounter partners...were better than planned partners...

What the hell did we do for ''partners''...diving or otherwise...before social media...

The trips I currently make...are trips for one...the charter boats have more solos than they do partners...I look to see who of the solos appears to be of like mind...start a conversation...and I have a partner for my entire trip...

I did find earlier that being the only one on the boat with a rebreather that most people tended to shy away...but now that the rebreathers are gone...no problem at all in finding a partner for three days of diving...even if its three different partners...

Two years ago...I paired up with an 81 year old...small...frail...who dove with double 133's...he referred to my rebreather as ''the widow maker''...we had a blast...so much so...that I extended my stay...sometimes...good things come without searching...

Just my preference...

W.W...

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I've had plenty of dive buddies. Still do. Many were first met through the dive shop, courses, photo clubs and dive clubs. In fact, every friend I have is a diver. I simply prefer solo diving to group diving. The places I travel to do not require buddy diving. Our groups of a dozen or so tend to dive either solo or in pairs. It is unusual to see more than two or three divers together.

I organized a six pack trip last month and had no problem getting six divers with three more on a waiting list, all through email and phone contact. I don't even know if more than two of those nine divers have a Facebook page.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Sounds like you already have a good group of divers already setup, but it isn't like that elsewhere. And often Facebook is invaluable for finding dive buddies.

 

[pauldw]

My two cents is that I don't trust businesses that don't have a web site, but only have a Facebook page. It's a red flag for me that they may not be very well established. Facebook is a place for people to chatter, not a place for running a business.

That said, the dive shops around me have web sites that all are substandard. They clearly prefer Facebook, although their web sites don't push people that way. Facebook is where they'll occasionally say something. Most of the web sites look similar, in a way. Cosmetically, they're all different, but the structure is largely the same and seems like a PADI-provided thing, perhaps. They all go on and on about all the classes they offer, but it turns out they don't actually offer them. It's just a list of classes PADI has, with the web sites all breaking them up into pretty much the same categories. Trying to get solid information on what the shops actually offer is hard to find. Almost always there's a monthly calendar buried in the web site with single, short entries, and that's not very helpful. Nothing about prices. They may have a link to products, but virtually nothing on products aside from an article on what kind of gear people should buy. And so forth. There aren't Yellow Pages anymore, there's the web. Make it work, dive shops!

 

[formernuke]

I have two shops I frequent both offer fantastic customer service and advice. They match or go under internet authorized dealers. One of them I walk in for a 5 minute quick purchase...... 3hrs later I realize it's time to stop talking get home and start cooking. The other it's closer to one hour later.

I always shop local because the price is the same sometimes a little lower and I don't want the hassle of my own compressor.

With that being said where I did my OW was horrible. Not sure if he is still around or not.

 

[Joneill]

I’m talking about the people who want to set up their own charter on a 6 pack, for example, want to fill a few space with people outside their little circle. Belly ache that they can’t get people to fill spots, but won’t use FB or even Meetup, if it’s a dive club on Meetup.

Ok - understood.

 

[Divectionist]

Here's another example from 20mins ago.

On Friday I text the owner of a dive shop that I'll be picking up 2 tanks on Tuesday am. All good.
On Monday I call the shop again to make sure my tanks will be ready the next day, as I am sure it was forgotten, and clarify when i will pick them up. All good.

I show up and the lady at the counter - same one I phoned 24h earlier - says "oh, we are quite full today, let's see if we can even give you one". Some instructor lady suggests to the counter lady that I may only get some of their small tanks, which I refuse. They then go down the list of divers once more and are nice enough to give me 1 tank in the end.

Now I am just going by myself for a dive with a small tide window today, so I can actually do just fine with one tank, but if my buddy would've shown up and we would've planned for a couple of drift dives either side of the tide, I would've rocked up a tank short, with little chance to organise another one on such short notice.

What really gets me is that despite checking twice, I almost would've had my dive cancelled by the force majeure that is the local dive industry. No apologies either.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Here's another example from 20mins ago.

On Friday I text the owner of a dive shop that I'll be picking up 2 tanks on Tuesday am. All good.
On Monday I call the shop again to make sure my tanks will be ready the next day, as I am sure it was forgotten, and clarify when i will pick them up. All good.

I show up and the lady at the counter - same one I phoned 24h earlier - says "oh, we are quite full today, let's see if we can even give you one". Some instructor lady suggests to the counter lady that I may only get some of their small tanks, which I refuse. They then go down the list of divers once more and are nice enough to give me 1 tank in the end.

Now I am just going by myself for a dive with a small tide window today, so I can actually do just fine with one tank, but if my buddy would've shown up and we would've planned for a couple of drift dives either side of the tide, I would've rocked up a tank short, with little chance to organise another one on such short notice.

What really gets me is that despite checking twice, I almost would've had my dive cancelled by the force majeure that is the local dive industry. No apologies either.

There are great shops and bad shops. One of the bad shops where I used to teach, it turns out the owner would take your money, but never order the equipment. I found a customer here on SB who was visiting the area, spent about $15K, but the owner didn't order all the stuff. The poor guy had to fight to get a refund for $2K of gear NEVER ORDERED.

It is almost like some LDSs don't want to stay in business. Fortunately, that one didn't. Once it was gone, the other LDSs picked up the slack and took better care of these customers without exception.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

My two cents is that I don't trust businesses that don't have a web site, but only have a Facebook page. It's a red flag for me that they may not be very well established. Facebook is a place for people to chatter, not a place for running a business.

That said, the dive shops around me have web sites that all are substandard. They clearly prefer Facebook, although their web sites don't push people that way. Facebook is where they'll occasionally say something. Most of the web sites look similar, in a way. Cosmetically, they're all different, but the structure is largely the same and seems like a PADI-provided thing, perhaps. They all go on and on about all the classes they offer, but it turns out they don't actually offer them. It's just a list of classes PADI has, with the web sites all breaking them up into pretty much the same categories. Trying to get solid information on what the shops actually offer is hard to find. Almost always there's a monthly calendar buried in the web site with single, short entries, and that's not very helpful. Nothing about prices. They may have a link to products, but virtually nothing on products aside from an article on what kind of gear people should buy. And so forth. There aren't Yellow Pages anymore, there's the web. Make it work, dive shops!

As a PADI instructor and former manager of a PADI 5 star IDC Center, there is no PADI provided website AFAIK. What I will say is that many dive centers can't afford a high-end build for a site and thus you see a lot of sites built with templates. Many of them utilizing the same or similar templates.

Once they have these, the centers will just grab info from a PADI site, such as all the specialties, and post them rather than posting the ones their instructors can actually teach. It is a bad side of the industry. As divers we all want our LDS to have websites that are great. We go to other sites for other industries and see these amazing sites with high-end functionality and get highly disappointed when the LDS does not have the same type of functionality. However we also have much less money in the dive industry and many divers who, as seen in this thread, refuse to spend money at a LDS. It is a vicious circle. Unless you start the business being capitol rich, you can't spend the large amount of money it takes to have one of those other sites that everyone seems to want. That is unless you know a programmer who can build one for you at a reduced price.

Dive center owners usually direct the instructors they have hired to run social media and websites. Some even task instructors to build the site. Instructors are being asked to be marketing experts, social media managers, web designers, sales clerks and much more. Yet another downside to the industry but again, all part of the lack of profits seen in the dive industry. You have to wear multiple hats, some of which you may not be qualified to wear.

I myself manage social media, have built websites and had to run marketing Mind you, I am not an expert in any of those fields. Yet the centers can't pay someone who is an expert to do it.

I do not have all the answers to solve these problems. I am not making excuses for the dive centers as I too look at websites when looking for a new place to teach and the bad sites make me cringe. They also make me not want to work there. These are just the facts of the industry that I have seen since being in it. When I do find the answers to these problems, you will know because I will then have my own center and invite all of you to come dive with me......via Facebook of course