Dive shop requirements for equipment purchases

[redacted]

The LDS I worked out of in Canada, had a basic policy that they would not sell you any gear until after you've finished the course. This is done out of goodwill towards the customer/student, as, let's face it, before any course you really haven't got a clue what you would really like for gear.

Presented as a recommendation. with explanation, that policy would come across as "goodwill towards the customer" and earn my respect. Presented as a refusal to sell would just piss me off and send my business elsewhere. Right now, it comes across as the later.

 

[Robert Gillcash]

Presented as a recommendation. with explanation, that policy would come across as "goodwill towards the customer" and earn my respect. Presented as a refusal to sell would just piss me off and send my business elsewhere. Right now, it comes across as the later.

It was always explained why they did not want to sell you the reg/BC/expensive gear before you learn. Of course they would help you with the mask, snorkel, fins, etc....but would let you know it's probably best to rent some gear so you can get a bit of experience in different styles/brands/sizes/features first.

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This guy was diving before. He indicates he knows what he wants. While I do agree in principle with not selling someone a full gear set before they even take a class, just because some shops will try to push the most expensive, gimmicky, and unnecessary junk to new people, this is not the case here. No reason he can't walk into any shop or go on line and buy everything he needs, including tanks and a compressor if he wants to.

The gentleman who started this thread "25 year laspe. I dived for about twenty years before I quit." started diving 45 years ago and hasn't dove for 20 years. Sure, he says he knows what he wants, but really, does this sound reasonable? Where would he find this out firsthand?

 

[Them]

The gentleman who started this thread "25 year laspe. I dived for about twenty years before I quit." started diving 45 years ago and hasn't dove for 20 years. Sure, he says he knows what he wants, but really, does this sound reasonable? Where would he find this out firsthand?

You are missing the point.

Suggest a customer hold off on buying gear? That's fine. I'll say "no" and buy what I want, very little harm done.

Refuse to do business with a customer for unilateral reasons? Claim there is some rule/law that bars the sale? You can go to whatever punishment domain your religion postulates, doing anatomically unlikely things to yourself along the way.

It doesn't matter how unwise you think it is to spend that money. Different people have different financial constraints.

For example I (and I'm not the OP) purchased my BC (actually a BP/W) before OW certification. Do you know how big a risk that was? Less than a day's wages. Counting possible resale/trade value it was at most a few hours and that's a stretch. Arguing with me about whether I should buy something could easily cost me more than the potential loss from buying and selling off the gear at a loss. Pushing me to drive to a more distant shop WILL cost me more than I could lose - that's probably the only reason I'll be in your store, since most gear is less expensive online. I know that. You can't, without knowing more about me than I usually tell store clerks, know just how much your products cost the customer in real terms...hours of work spent to afford the purchase. Keep that in mind and let the person with the information - the customer - make the decision.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Internet, local shop, other divers. those would be the places I'd look first.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[redacted]

It was always explained why they did not want to sell you the reg/BC/expensive gear before you learn. Of course they would help you with the mask, snorkel, fins, etc....but would let you know it's probably best to rent some gear so you can get a bit of experience in different styles/brands/sizes/features first.

If you refuse the sale, you are wrong in my book. It is just absurd. If your customer rejects your recommendation, then you should both be happy with the transaction. It sounds to me like you are refusing the sale. Just crazy.

If you really think that is the right way to do business, why don't you name the shop.

 

[blc]

It was always explained why they did not want to sell you the reg/BC/expensive gear before you learn. Of course they would help you with the mask, snorkel, fins, etc....but would let you know it's probably best to rent some gear so you can get a bit of experience in different styles/brands/sizes/features first.

---------- Post Merged at 04:10 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 04:09 PM ----------



The gentleman who started this thread "25 year laspe. I dived for about twenty years before I quit." started diving 45 years ago and hasn't dove for 20 years. Sure, he says he knows what he wants, but really, does this sound reasonable? Where would he find this out firsthand?

Hmmm first hand? Well I admit when I started diving I began with a US Divers double hose regulator, 72 cf steel tanks and no bcd what so ever for years. Over time I moved thru Voit, Dacor, US Divers and Scuba Pro gear. When I stopped diving I was usuing a Scuba Pro Mk 7, 1st stage, 109/156 second stage, Atpac, Scuba ProJet Fins, Scuba Pro wide angle masks.

With a small amout of research I see that the regulator designs have not changed all that much. Most new regulators are built on the same principles as the old Conshelfs and Scuba Pros of the early days. Backpack and wing designs have improved somewhat over the old ATPac I used at the time. I also see, by the many posts here, that many people still dive with some of the same equipment as this.
The biggest changes I see so far is the tremendous push by LDS,s to convince thru imtimadation that the latest greated equipment they sell is what they will recommend. I spent almost two hours trying to convince the dive shop pro I was not interested in a jacket style bc and that I was perfectly comfortable with a simple backpack wing in spite of his strenous objections. Side mount diving is relatively newer in concept and i could easily see that training or experience would be to anyones advantage considering this.Which i am not. Caring an optipus or alternate air source was not in the normal back then but is certainly not so unique in nature to be pass the skill of an average diver to understand what to purchase.

My previous diving experience ran from recreational diving to wreck diving, search and body retrevial for local law agencies and resue squads, personal property retrevial rfom everything to boat motors to expensive hunting guns, jewlery and stolen property searches including cash registers, safes and stolen vehicles, All in rivers, quarries, lakes and in general, areas with little or no visibility and often high currents. All before there were any training or certifications available for this sort of thing. Most of these dives were solo as there were very few divers available in my area that could or would door this sort of thing at that time.

At my age, 62, I plan to do none of this type diving ever again. I am strickly just looking to do some recreation diving maybe in quarries and a few trips for reef diving in the Keys. My most advanced diving if I choose to do it may be some offshore diving in NC but only then on a good day if I can catch one. I do plan to do a new OW certification as my old one is military and long lost and to get a refresher as well.

So to answer your question I fell I have dived a number of years, under a multiude of circumstances with a varied amount of equipment and just about know beyond any doubt what I will choose to start back with with out a lot of influence from a local dive shop who is more concerned with gimicks and promoting their particular gear. Fortunately I have enough experience not to fall for you gotta have the latest greatest or you are unsafe if you dont approach.

All I was looking help with was the purchase of a backpack wing set up. Being out of diving for so long I did not realize that the jacket style bcds were in vogue with all the LDS's. Now after visiting several dive shops I see the trend. Unfortunately the first LDS I visited (the one this thread is about) was the least technical shop I visited and I come to realize they knew almost nothing about them in the first place.

 

[Robert Gillcash]

If you refuse the sale, you are wrong in my book. It is just absurd. If your customer rejects your recommendation, then you should both be happy with the transaction. It sounds to me like you are refusing the sale. Just crazy.

If you really think that is the right way to do business, why don't you name the shop.

Wasn't my shop, I just instructed through them......Don't even live in the same country any more.

I can see your point, but surprisingly, the majority of that shops customers didn't have a problem with that way of doing things, they were quite happy that the shop appeared to be acting in their best interest.

 

[DukeAMO]

At my age, 62, I plan to do none of this type diving ever again. I am strickly just looking to do some recreation diving maybe in quarries and a few trips for reef diving in the Keys. My most advanced diving if I choose to do it may be some offshore diving in NC but only then on a good day if I can catch one. I do plan to do a new OW certification as my old one is military and long lost and to get a refresher as well.

This summer we had lots of nice weather on the NC coast. People kept talking about "lake Atlantic". Fingers crossed for another calm year next year...
I missed what part of NC you're in, but you're welcome to join the Raleigh Area Divers Facebook group if you like. People get together for quarry dives every week, and boat dives off the coast all summer. You just have to figure out which boat dives are the "easy" ones.

 

[CindyMac]

I just bought my daughter a wetsuit this past weekend. We joined the local quarry (PRDA) and she needed a flotation device. I found that a wetsuit (5mm) was more cost effective than a good quality life jacket. She also has a hood, gloves, booties, snorkel fins & mask. The stores I dealt with had no problems selling me her stuff. She will never dive (breaks my heart), but she will be able to snorkel. Loves her wetsuit.

I was able to purchase gear prior to certifying. I've only had to show my card for air/nitrox fills.

I live in the Charlotte area. You can PM me if you want any suggestions on LDSs (I've been to most of them).

 

[iluvtheocean]

none of the dive shops i've been in around here have any qualms about selling you gear but fills are another thing of course. I don't really consider the dreaded Diver's Direct to be a LDS even though have a physical presence) I don't buy a lot from there, I prefer to support my LDS but getting the gopro dive housing locally, DD was the only place selling it.
I look at this this way - you can buy whatever you want - but you can't dive if it won't get filled w/o a c-card. Yes you can be unscrupulous and get a friend to get it filled for you. But there has to be some sort of check N balance for liability purposes. i like the car analogy from a prior post. Anywhere in the states you can buy a car, new or used as an adult, but you need a license to legally operate it on public roads. And Depending on the state, you do not need a permit to own a gun either, just 18/21 & pass the background waiting check. No certification for paintball either just age limit.