Crowley and Jim, your analysis makes sense however the reply is really not professional by any means, if he want to save the reputation it shouldn't be like this IMO
Dahab - Rude Manager at Red Sea Relax. Buyer beware
- Thread starter black_sea
- Start date
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lv2dive
Formerly known as KatePNAtl
Exactly what is that blacklist? I am not familiar with that practice.
CDWS had a set of rules that a dive center has to pass through to be qualified and certified as a CDWS approved center. Rules were targeting safety, tanks, operations...etc.
IMO the rules were mostly good and for the benefit of the diver, still however there were some of them hard to fulfill especially for smaller dive centers.
Centers that were not certified were listed in the CDWS blacklist
IMO the rules were mostly good and for the benefit of the diver, still however there were some of them hard to fulfill especially for smaller dive centers.
Centers that were not certified were listed in the CDWS blacklist
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I would not have written a bad review of a dive center based on your posted experience.
however...
the email response you received would give me pause.
however...
the email response you received would give me pause.
Hickdive
Contributor
I'm afraid the review says rather more about the reviewer than the reviewed. It would seem that TripAdvisor agree in that they've taken down the review.
DevonDiver
N/A
First: It's hardly cause for complaint that the guy wouldn't engage in a long telephone call out of working hours. If that were me, I'd assume the guy was busy/relaxing and conduct the discussion in the morning. At most it is a minor inconvenience, at the least - it is to be expected.
Second: Leaving a critical/negative review on Tripadvisor for that matter IS vindictive. It's damaging their business.
Third: You can only leave reviews on Tripadvisor if you were a customer of the business. You weren't their customer - you opted not to use their business. Therefore, you report on Tripadvisor was technically fraudulent, contrary to their terms of service... and you lied on their submission disclaimer.
Forth: I understand why the manager concerned was angry. You made unreasonable demands and when those weren't fulfilled you took action to damage the business concerned on tripadvisor. You then did the same here. You are a dive instructor... and therefore you should know better.
Fifth: The OP/complainant is a PADI Instructor. I'll remind him of the Professional Membership Standards - Membership Agreement, as laid out in his Instructor's manual. When debating 'professionalism', it's better to not cast stones when you're standing in a glass house:
Personally, I would suspect that there is more story to tell here - as I can't see why anyone would get so incensed over a short telephone call as to publicly berate a business on tripadvisor. I mean... really that petty?
Just to ensure transparency, I've invited Paul to view the thread.
Second: Leaving a critical/negative review on Tripadvisor for that matter IS vindictive. It's damaging their business.
Third: You can only leave reviews on Tripadvisor if you were a customer of the business. You weren't their customer - you opted not to use their business. Therefore, you report on Tripadvisor was technically fraudulent, contrary to their terms of service... and you lied on their submission disclaimer.
Forth: I understand why the manager concerned was angry. You made unreasonable demands and when those weren't fulfilled you took action to damage the business concerned on tripadvisor. You then did the same here. You are a dive instructor... and therefore you should know better.
Fifth: The OP/complainant is a PADI Instructor. I'll remind him of the Professional Membership Standards - Membership Agreement, as laid out in his Instructor's manual. When debating 'professionalism', it's better to not cast stones when you're standing in a glass house:
PADI Instructor Manual:
Personally, I would suspect that there is more story to tell here - as I can't see why anyone would get so incensed over a short telephone call as to publicly berate a business on tripadvisor. I mean... really that petty?
Just to ensure transparency, I've invited Paul to view the thread.
Last edited:
Good afternoon all.
A few of the dive centres in Dahab and a couple of friends on this forum have suggested that I need to respond to Black_sea's post, but I think that you have already done a fantastic job for me.
I may have been a little harsh with my email I sent him but when somebody writes a review of your dive center and resort on TripAdvisor without actually staying or diving with you enough is enough..
I am a great believer in freedom of speech and I believe that every body has the right to their opinion but unfortunately with today's social media options everybody has a chance to voice that opinion and call themselves an expert on whatever subject they choose ..
Unfortunately a lot of people choose to use it to do more harm than good and if people weren't able to see through this gentleman's comments for what they are he could possibly have put people off coming to Red Sea Relax.
But from what I have read on here I dont think that is going to happen so thank you all for your comments and if anybody would like some infomation on Red Sea Relax or Dahab then please feel free to get in touch ... BEFORE SIX PM!!!!!!
I am not 100% sure but in it not against the forum rule to post somebodys email address and private corrospondance on a puplic forum with out their permission.
If this is the case can somebody tell me how I go about reporting this to the moderators ?
Cheers,
Paul.
A few of the dive centres in Dahab and a couple of friends on this forum have suggested that I need to respond to Black_sea's post, but I think that you have already done a fantastic job for me.
I may have been a little harsh with my email I sent him but when somebody writes a review of your dive center and resort on TripAdvisor without actually staying or diving with you enough is enough..
I am a great believer in freedom of speech and I believe that every body has the right to their opinion but unfortunately with today's social media options everybody has a chance to voice that opinion and call themselves an expert on whatever subject they choose ..
Unfortunately a lot of people choose to use it to do more harm than good and if people weren't able to see through this gentleman's comments for what they are he could possibly have put people off coming to Red Sea Relax.
But from what I have read on here I dont think that is going to happen so thank you all for your comments and if anybody would like some infomation on Red Sea Relax or Dahab then please feel free to get in touch ... BEFORE SIX PM!!!!!!
I am not 100% sure but in it not against the forum rule to post somebodys email address and private corrospondance on a puplic forum with out their permission.
If this is the case can somebody tell me how I go about reporting this to the moderators ?
Cheers,
Paul.
macrobubble
Contributor
OK, the email was somewhat rude - but if caught on a bad day I can´t vouch for myself not reacting in a similar way... 
But there is something else bothering me:
Why is it, that in the dive-industry some customers believe the instructor/manager/guide has to be available 24/7?
Why do they feel it is absolutely OK to call after hours, wake them up to inquire if Sharks close their eyes when biting (has actually happend at 2 am to a guide on the Maldives) and/or think they have bought you and your soul and your time and everything line hook and sinker for their one or two weeks vacation?
A diver once said to me:" C´mon, during those two weeks I´m here you can be there for me 24 hours a day" - and he was dead serious!!!
The guy was a lawyer - I was wondering, what he would say if someone calls him at night to inquire about some legal issue (free of charge.of course!). Another time I was sitting on the porch of my house during a day off, reading a book, when a diver walked by and saw me sitting there. "Hi, I´m coming for a coffee, you don´t really know what to do on your day off anyway!"
Why do some think that this is absolutely within their rights
You have not bought me!
You have bought my services, my time and my experience, my attention and my care - for a given period!
I am a human being with a right to have undisturbed times of privacy!
You need some info or advice, have some questions during these times? Tough luck, forget it!
You have an emergency, get sick, need a doctors address? Call me any time!
Don´t bother me with BS when I´m not on duty!
That´s just my opinion, I may be wrong...
But there is something else bothering me:
Why is it, that in the dive-industry some customers believe the instructor/manager/guide has to be available 24/7?
Why do they feel it is absolutely OK to call after hours, wake them up to inquire if Sharks close their eyes when biting (has actually happend at 2 am to a guide on the Maldives) and/or think they have bought you and your soul and your time and everything line hook and sinker for their one or two weeks vacation?
A diver once said to me:" C´mon, during those two weeks I´m here you can be there for me 24 hours a day" - and he was dead serious!!!
The guy was a lawyer - I was wondering, what he would say if someone calls him at night to inquire about some legal issue (free of charge.of course!). Another time I was sitting on the porch of my house during a day off, reading a book, when a diver walked by and saw me sitting there. "Hi, I´m coming for a coffee, you don´t really know what to do on your day off anyway!"
Why do some think that this is absolutely within their rights
You have not bought me!
You have bought my services, my time and my experience, my attention and my care - for a given period!
I am a human being with a right to have undisturbed times of privacy!
You need some info or advice, have some questions during these times? Tough luck, forget it!
You have an emergency, get sick, need a doctors address? Call me any time!
Don´t bother me with BS when I´m not on duty!
That´s just my opinion, I may be wrong...
Shasta_man
Contributor
While the OP was unreasonable in expecting you to discuss business after hours, your response went way off the deep end for the "damage" you actually received. You lost maybe five minutes of your evening talking to him which, agreed was unnecessary, but hardly the end of the world. You are running the business so sometimes you deal with this stuff which you deftly handle and go on your way because you run a business. You certainly did have a beef with his unrealistic expectations and conclusions but stick to the issues in your responses. Responding with a personal rant over a simple issue is not going to be positive. The only real loser will be the business because any customers you lose because they didn't like your response will be greater than the zero it could have been.
Being available 24/7 is often one of the terms of being a dive shop owner / manager. Yes, I don't always find it cool when guests call up at 10pm to book for the next day - but I much prefer this to losing the booking. I know for a fact that many of the bookings we "win" are caused by the fact that we do answer the phone and emails at all hours, and that we do take those extra 10 minutes to give an elaborate answer. Sometimes I'm annoyed, but most of the time it's actually something I really enjoy, making sure the guest has the best possible experience and goes to the suitable dive sites etc etc. Whether the expectations are appropriate or not is one issue, but my experience in this business (7th year now) has shown me that running a dive centre is not a normal 9-17 job, there is no such thing as a "do not disturb sign".
To me, the difference is whether guests appreciate the extra effort or take it for granted. If I had been a bit short on the phone, because I was actually cooking a souffle or giving a speech - or maybe having a personal discussion - after shop hours, I would have been extremely sad (and angry) to get such a review on TripAdvisor. So many people read those reviews, and if our overall performance and professionalism as a dive centre / business is judged by a 5-minute phone conversation after work hours about a non-urgent matter, it's horribly unfair.
Yes, I wouldn't have written that kind of reply - I would have slowly counted to 4.587 before responding, but I have a lot of understanding for people who do (I bet our owner, Paul, would have ). When attacked personally (which this was), it is very difficult not to take it personally.
Or said a bit more briefly: the review was unfair, but reflects the common expectations in the business - and the answer was unprofessional, but understandable. Would this stop me from diving with that company: absolutely not.
Greetings from the beach
Karin
To me, the difference is whether guests appreciate the extra effort or take it for granted. If I had been a bit short on the phone, because I was actually cooking a souffle or giving a speech - or maybe having a personal discussion - after shop hours, I would have been extremely sad (and angry) to get such a review on TripAdvisor. So many people read those reviews, and if our overall performance and professionalism as a dive centre / business is judged by a 5-minute phone conversation after work hours about a non-urgent matter, it's horribly unfair.
Yes, I wouldn't have written that kind of reply - I would have slowly counted to 4.587 before responding, but I have a lot of understanding for people who do (I bet our owner, Paul, would have
). When attacked personally (which this was), it is very difficult not to take it personally.Or said a bit more briefly: the review was unfair, but reflects the common expectations in the business - and the answer was unprofessional, but understandable. Would this stop me from diving with that company: absolutely not.
Greetings from the beach
Karin
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