Did I get taken for a ride??

[diver 85]

The o-ring must have been good enough to fill the tank. The shop's handling of this incident stinks. But the majority of the fault is yours. Rent tanks a couple hundred miles away, fail to check pressure and o-rings before you leave the store, and fail to carry spare o-rings. And not a spare o-ring among the three of you!!!!!

Besides in the save-a-dive kit, you might want to carry spare o-rings attached to each regulator.

Have to agree here ie checking pressure so far away from dive site.......My wife would call it my anal retentiveness(lol), I call it saving a dive.........pressure those tanks up with a regulator, it might save a dive or 2........

 

[DennisW]

Visually inspecting an o-ring does not guarantee that it will work. Besides, a customer is valuable and it is just plain stupid to lose one over a tank rental (something that is a cash cow for an LDS, it basically costs the LDS nothing). I have rented tanks and didn't inspect the o-rings, I have rented them and inspected the o-rings. Every once in a while you get a bad one. Even those that were inspected. The LDS is at fault here, plain and simple.

 

[RiverRat]

Oh now, that is going a little too far. I have other things on my mind, like breakfast.

Nice!!! Hey I'll come out and dive with you anytime! You hook me up with breakfast and I'll bring the o-rings!

 

[Martinez]

We as divers are suposed to inspect the life support equiment we are taking down. So for that part the diver is the one to blame, for not checking and not having a esential and cheap part like a tank o-rin. However the shop owner is an ***, and not very smart for bussines, for a few bucks he lost a client and gained bad publicity.

 

[RiverRat]

You guys are concentrating on the "bad attitude of the dive shop owner", I'm concentrating on the diver.

Maybe you should concentrate on your replies
I think we all agree divers must be self sufficient. But as a professional you need to temper your responces a bit. A big part of being a professional is how you respond and interact with the general public, including internet forums.

 

[D_B]

Maybe you should concentrate on your replies
I think we all agree divers must be self sufficient. But as a professional you need to temper your responces a bit. A big part of being a professional is how you respond and interact with the general public, including internet forums.

Well said ... Oh, thats right, I have less than 100 dives so I'm not supposed to comment on anything

 

[Guba]

Okay, let's try an acid test.
Rent another tank from the LDS. Take it, use it, and return it. However, before you return it REMOVE the o-ring.
My thinking...yes, it is conceivably the diver's fault for not "inspecting the rental equipment". However, I can see the diver's point, too. The tank was filled successfully, so it's not a long leap to expect that it should be useable upon delivery. True, the diver should have had a backup. Still doesn't detract from the idea that he expected the equipment to be serviceable upon receipt. For the LDS to absolve itself of any responsibility at all means the owner/operator must believe that o-rings are the responsibility of the customer.
Therefore, if the LDS owner questions the missing o-ring on the returned tank (assuming he inspects the tank upon return and discovers the ring missing), the diver is justified in saying that it's not HIS problem. Since o-rings are the in the renter's domain, he/she can do anything with them they choose.
The "common sense" solution? Diver's should be prepared for just such eventualities. However, it is also common sense that an LDS operator should be willing to bend a bit in order to preserve customer relations. Store credit (or even a 50 percent discount--since there was blame enough to go around) for another fill would have been a satisfactory compromise.
But that's just my opinion. While I don't have scads and oodles of dives to "quantify and justify" my view, I have been a citizen of the planet for quite a while and I've dealt with a LOT of people. That should be enough to allow me to voice an opinion on the nature of fair play without labeling me as either "stupid", "arrogant", or otherwise unworthy of having a say in the matter.
Have a great day!

 

[MBH]

This is just one of those times where everybody dropped the ball. The OP and his buddies should have had spare o-rings, the lds should have given credit for the rental tank and unused air.

The biggest loser is the lds. they made a dumb business decision in refusing credit for something as minor as a tank rental and air fill. I give my customers all kinds of freebies and price breaks. It makes me more money in the way of repeat business and loyal customers.

Of course, if that lds regards it's customers as a PITA, they shouldn't worry, I suspect they'll soon run of of them and their problem will be solved!

 

[vistasbelow]

I am sure the LDS felt the o-ring was ok because they were able to fill it. the customer should inspect the equipment before leaving the store. The LDS also has to have policies in place to protect his business such as- you took the tank away for the day, what you did with it is not the issue, you took it so the LDS could not rent it to someone else so you got to pay for it. Of course all policies can be bent and broken, but maybe the person at the shop that day had no authority to do so. Or maybe the LDS belives as I do, that people should take personal responsibility for their mistakes.

 

[JeffG]

Maybe you should concentrate on your replies
I think we all agree divers must be self sufficient. But as a professional you need to temper your responces a bit. A big part of being a professional is how you respond and interact with the general public, including internet forums.

Because he calles it like he see's it?

I agree with Mr Aleman.

The solution was easy. Inspect it before you take it and if you don't inspect it, take responsibility for it. All the OP had to do was take an o-ring off of one tank and put it on. Big whoop.

Instead he goes on the internet and whines about some LDS, when all he is showing is his own incompetence.