Thanks to everyone who has participated in this thread. It has given me much food for thought. As a result, I would like to take this opportunity to offer a wrap-up post, after which I will withdraw from this discussion.
First of all, let me say that I am sorry that Alex was disappointed in his dealings with Red Sea Relax. It was my belief that our email correspondence had set things up with him, and we were expecting him to come to the shop on the morning of his first diving day. While the shop was closed when Alex came after hours, our hotel staff were available to tell him what time to come into the shop the next morning and to let him know that his concerns would be addressed at that time by me personally or by one of the dive professionals on duty. However, as he insisted on speaking to me that evening, the hotel staff, as a kindness, agreed to phone me. Because I was busy at a family event, I did try to keep the call as brief as possible rather than get into long explanations of why I couldn’t provide exact details as to dive sites, expected profiles, number of divers on the trip, etc. Since we had not even collected a deposit from Alex, we were clearly not attempting any sort of bait-and-switch tactic.
As it turned out, Alex did not end up using our services at all, and yet he posted a negative review on a popular travel website, which was subsequently removed by site administrators. Nevertheless, the review remained visible for some time, and when I saw it, I unfortunately over-reacted and shot off an angry email to Alex. I deeply regret having done this, and I have learned a hard lesson in the process. In apology to Alex for that email, and as a gesture of goodwill, I would like to offer him a 10% discount on a dive package of his choice during his next visit to Dahab.
Over the past eight years during my association with Red Sea Relax, my team and I have nurtured and watched RSR grow from a small PADI dive center to a 5 star instructor development resort.
We have 6 certificates from PADI for Recognition of Excellence.
We are 1 of only 3 PADI centers in Dahab who hold National Geographic status. (There are over 70 dive centres in Dahab).
Our on site bar was voted Best Pub/Bar in the Telegraph’s 2010 best of British awards.
Our on site hotel has awards for best hostel in Africa and Egypt 2008, 2009,2011.
We currently hold the TripAdvisor 2012 Customer choice award.
If you find your dive travels bringing you to Dahab, please take the time to checkout Red Sea Relax, either by diving with us, staying with us, or dropping in to the bar for a beer after a fun days diving. I’m confident that you will find us to be a friendly and safe dive operation.
P.
Dahab Hotels|Dahab Diving
First of all, let me say that I am sorry that Alex was disappointed in his dealings with Red Sea Relax. It was my belief that our email correspondence had set things up with him, and we were expecting him to come to the shop on the morning of his first diving day. While the shop was closed when Alex came after hours, our hotel staff were available to tell him what time to come into the shop the next morning and to let him know that his concerns would be addressed at that time by me personally or by one of the dive professionals on duty. However, as he insisted on speaking to me that evening, the hotel staff, as a kindness, agreed to phone me. Because I was busy at a family event, I did try to keep the call as brief as possible rather than get into long explanations of why I couldn’t provide exact details as to dive sites, expected profiles, number of divers on the trip, etc. Since we had not even collected a deposit from Alex, we were clearly not attempting any sort of bait-and-switch tactic.
As it turned out, Alex did not end up using our services at all, and yet he posted a negative review on a popular travel website, which was subsequently removed by site administrators. Nevertheless, the review remained visible for some time, and when I saw it, I unfortunately over-reacted and shot off an angry email to Alex. I deeply regret having done this, and I have learned a hard lesson in the process. In apology to Alex for that email, and as a gesture of goodwill, I would like to offer him a 10% discount on a dive package of his choice during his next visit to Dahab.
Over the past eight years during my association with Red Sea Relax, my team and I have nurtured and watched RSR grow from a small PADI dive center to a 5 star instructor development resort.
We have 6 certificates from PADI for Recognition of Excellence.
We are 1 of only 3 PADI centers in Dahab who hold National Geographic status. (There are over 70 dive centres in Dahab).
Our on site bar was voted Best Pub/Bar in the Telegraph’s 2010 best of British awards.
Our on site hotel has awards for best hostel in Africa and Egypt 2008, 2009,2011.
We currently hold the TripAdvisor 2012 Customer choice award.
If you find your dive travels bringing you to Dahab, please take the time to checkout Red Sea Relax, either by diving with us, staying with us, or dropping in to the bar for a beer after a fun days diving. I’m confident that you will find us to be a friendly and safe dive operation.
P.
Dahab Hotels|Dahab Diving
