Tim Ingersoll
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Divi Tiara-Cayman Brac
- Thread starter Diver Lori
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DivePartner1
Contributor
This is astounding. Even on a boat ride out of Divi, only what--5 minutes are spent on the boat with dive gear on? Okay if the boat catches on fire, runs aground, collides with a submerged container when everyone's ready to go, but sheesh, this is a shockingly cavalier view of marine safety.
I can't believe the folks at Divi share this view. Licensed crew certainly should not.
OP
Divepartner....I agree. Call me odd, call me crazy....but as a Coast Guard veteran and a whitewater kayaker....I have a thing for PFD's. (lifejackets)
It sounds like nothing has changed at Divi Tiara from Aeolus post of his/her recent visit. Quite sad as they have a primo location.
Mchiapetto echoed my thoughts to the letter. I think Max is just a good letter writer and only has a conscience AFTER the deed is done, albeit a lame one. If he was serious, he would have contacted my buddy and I by mail soon after we left. We've heard nothing from him or the corporate office.
Dividiva, I'm not a new or inexperienced diver. I've got varied experience from British Columbia rock n roll dives to caves to quarries to caribbean fare. I take my gear seriously, I take my safety seriously and I take my buddy seriously.
My buddy submitted a review to Undercurrent a few weeks ago...hopefully in time for the next publication of the ChapBook.
Safe diving to you all.
It's funny how when you read or hear something about someone or something that is dear to you and you get the tight chest, all you want to do is say your piece, be heard and hope that it makes it all better. Lori I am truly sorry that you had a bad experience and I wish that you could of seen divi back when I was there. (Not saying that it was good because of me) The people that were there were amazing! We had a first class crew of people that loved their jobs and did everything within there powers to make all the guests vacations relaxing adn enjoyable. For anyone who has not been to the Brac please do not be detoured because of these posts. The diving is absolutley beautiful. I am not saying that you have to dive with Divi there is Reef Divers and Little Cayman Beach Resort, but it is a place that that should be on peoples list of places to dive. It is awesome! (Don't go there if you are a shore diver though)
In regards to the BCD as a life vest if you are uncofortable with that then ask for one to put on. If you are wanting to wear one on the ride no one would have a problem with that. I was just stating my oppinion and not that of the resort. I would much rather reach for my gear than a life vest if there was boat problems. In my whole entire career in diving I have had three people ask me for one and that was for their children and not themselves, which I respected them for asking as it shows they have a great concern for the safety of their children if not for themselves.
Ultimately each person is responsible for themselves when it comes to their diving. What it all comes down to is diving within your limits and with what you are comfortable with. I made a statement on the o'ring issue, but I also did state that if you are not comfortable with that then have it changed.
Lori I never at any point said that I thought you were a new diver only that there are a lot of new divers on board and the rules were put into place to stop accidents from happening adn protect everyone. I don't understand what is wrong with that. There was only a very select few people that ever questioned that after we explained it and once we got to know those people and we felt comfortable with them and knew that they would not hurt anyone flinging their tank over their or something stupid like that we would let them get themselves in the water on their own. Now this was on my boat and was the decision of myself and the other crew onboard as we would have been the ones getting sued if anyone did get hurt. As in any work place their are hazards and standards are put into place for a reason.
My view on max....... Well I will say that he loves that place and puts his soul into it. He is normally really good with the guest and tries his best to accomodate everyone. I found myself butting heads with him a lot while I was there and really did not get along with him, but I had a lot of respect for him and his vision for the place. Our personalities just didn't jive, but most people love him. I am a really sensitive person and things that are said hurt me a lot; maybe we are a lot a like in this way.
You sound like a very inteligent woman that just wants to be heard and stop other people from experiencing the things that you experienced. If that is the reason behind you post then I respect you for caring for others. If you made the post just to get back at Divi then..... whatever. Everyone has a bad day, makes mistakes or takes something out on someone with out realizing it....... It's unfortunate that you had to experience the bad day first hand. I wish you calm seas and blue waters with piece and bubbles.
In regards to the BCD as a life vest if you are uncofortable with that then ask for one to put on. If you are wanting to wear one on the ride no one would have a problem with that. I was just stating my oppinion and not that of the resort. I would much rather reach for my gear than a life vest if there was boat problems. In my whole entire career in diving I have had three people ask me for one and that was for their children and not themselves, which I respected them for asking as it shows they have a great concern for the safety of their children if not for themselves.
Ultimately each person is responsible for themselves when it comes to their diving. What it all comes down to is diving within your limits and with what you are comfortable with. I made a statement on the o'ring issue, but I also did state that if you are not comfortable with that then have it changed.
Lori I never at any point said that I thought you were a new diver only that there are a lot of new divers on board and the rules were put into place to stop accidents from happening adn protect everyone. I don't understand what is wrong with that. There was only a very select few people that ever questioned that after we explained it and once we got to know those people and we felt comfortable with them and knew that they would not hurt anyone flinging their tank over their or something stupid like that we would let them get themselves in the water on their own. Now this was on my boat and was the decision of myself and the other crew onboard as we would have been the ones getting sued if anyone did get hurt. As in any work place their are hazards and standards are put into place for a reason.
My view on max....... Well I will say that he loves that place and puts his soul into it. He is normally really good with the guest and tries his best to accomodate everyone. I found myself butting heads with him a lot while I was there and really did not get along with him, but I had a lot of respect for him and his vision for the place. Our personalities just didn't jive, but most people love him. I am a really sensitive person and things that are said hurt me a lot; maybe we are a lot a like in this way.
You sound like a very inteligent woman that just wants to be heard and stop other people from experiencing the things that you experienced. If that is the reason behind you post then I respect you for caring for others. If you made the post just to get back at Divi then..... whatever. Everyone has a bad day, makes mistakes or takes something out on someone with out realizing it....... It's unfortunate that you had to experience the bad day first hand. I wish you calm seas and blue waters with piece and bubbles.
-hh
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While there are always ups and downs from year to year, the dive staff remains one of the best overall group that I've found anywhere.
I'm just back from the Brac, and while there's always things I can find to complain about, I was on-site when the "big group" that Aeolus mentioned came in. In watching how the resort handled the load, I do have to say that Max did IMO the absolute best possible job he could in managing his resources. There were well over 70 divers (two large groups + us regulars) to accomodate with only 5 diveboats, and it all ended up running quite smoothly. The biggest problem was the 5-10 minute line when breakfast opened at 7:00am if you wanted an egg or something from Cliff on the grill.
I did ask Max about the problem that Lori's week experienced and found an interesting point of frustration: when he realized that he was in trouble with diveboat supply-vs-demand, he developed the 2-tank PM diveboat alternative plan and then notified the dive group's organizers as the problem and his proposed solution.
Lori, I don't recall you mentioning if you had prior "warning" about the problem or not - - my impression is that you were blindsided about it. If this is indeed the case, then IMO you should go have a few choice words with your Tour Group Organizer about them not passing along this information to you before you arrived.
I've seen a lot of recent positive changes that I think Max is predominantly reponsible for...its slowly starting to bear fruit. I also think that the Twit content up at Divi HQ has declined, so the Resort actually has a good chance getting plans actualized.
For example, the new bar was started in May and completed in July. Currently, all of the STD's are closed and undergoing a major rennovation...new roof is done, A/C, paint, fans and doors are underway. The Timeshares are currently officially closed, with a rennovation reportedly starting soon (no sign of materials yet).
For the dive op, their DEMA announcements next week will (ahem: "reportedly" ;-) include their own Nixtrox fill station (price should drop by ~50%) and because Ocean was sold off this past year, a new diveboat (IIRC, a Newton). I don't get all the details as to what their dive package is going to be, but they are going to continue to offer one...its reportedly going to be cost-competitive with the BRBR's package.
FWIW, what I've generally found - - both in regards to the Brac as well as other destinations - - is that there seems to be a corrolation between customer surprise/disappointment with their lack of research and preparation. Knowing your destination before you go does go a long ways in terms of managing your expectations...
...and the one that I smile at from this trip was a gal from NY who innocently asked where all the Rental Jetski's were, for "things to do". About four other customers immediately jumped on her (firmly but still somehow in a friendly manner) and told her that the precise reason that they came to the Brac was because it was where the Jetski's are NOT present. She had pretty serious culture shock for 2-3 days...you know, no traffic lights and all that...but a view of the Milky Way helped get her into the flow and she ended up having a pretty good time.
-hh
OP
Well...I've been vindicated. The group I mentioned in my first post or two, the group that had the unfortunate luck of arriving late on Saturday to find that there were no slots left for them on the morning dives they had booked.....were written up in this months issue of Undercurrent.
The article is titled "Left High & Dry". It's a two page article reporting on over-booking at various resorts and the group we spoke with were quoted in the article regarding their July vacation at Divi Tiara.
My buddy submitted his review of Divi at the end of September and obviously missed the deadline for this issue. Hopefully his review and the balance of the review from the group above will make this year's issue of the Chapbook.
DIVI seriously needs to address these issues or they may find their patronage dwindling quickly.
The article is titled "Left High & Dry". It's a two page article reporting on over-booking at various resorts and the group we spoke with were quoted in the article regarding their July vacation at Divi Tiara.
My buddy submitted his review of Divi at the end of September and obviously missed the deadline for this issue. Hopefully his review and the balance of the review from the group above will make this year's issue of the Chapbook.
DIVI seriously needs to address these issues or they may find their patronage dwindling quickly.
-hh
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I read it last night.
As it was described in _Undercurrent_, the customer was only booked for the 2 tanks/day package, and not the 3 tanks/day (2AM + 1PM) package.
In other words, the dives that he was "denied" were not prepaid or in any other way booked prior to their arrival.
Because of the resort overcrowding problem, the 1-tank PM dive had been replaced by a 2-tank PM dive. They were offered room on the 2-tank PM dive, but they chose to decline.
They tried to obtain the normally available 'free' tanks for doing a shore dive on their own, but because of the same overcrowding problem, these tanks were out on the PM diveboats and not available. Understandable, but still unfortunate; I'll give you this one.
However, because they declined the offered 2-tank PM boat, there was additional diving available. Consequently, I'd personally speculate that they were being motivated to some degree by cost: they wanted the free tanks or cheap dives instead of the full price of the normal 2-tank trip. Let's remember to factor this in when we are assessing the "strength" of their complaints.
Guess you didn't bother to read my 10/3/03 post: the patrons from the period of that visit (2 months after yours) were generally all quite happy and satisfied.
In fact, here's a short write-up (& 2 photo's) of the one of the two large dive groups that found Divi to be just fine this past September, when there were 70+ divers on-site:
http://www.diversdirect.com/index.php
BTW, you did contact your Tour Group Organizer to ask them why they didn't pass along Max's message before your trip started, right? I'm curious as to what their response was...
-hh
OP
-hh
First of all, the week I was at Divi there was significantly more people than 70.
Second, my trip leader is a regular fixture at Divi and brings in quite a bit of money to the operation due to it's onsite lab. I find Max's stance of "blaming" him for his (Max's) lack of customer service quite cowardly, at the very least, lame.
And lastly, we and many others that week were treated quite rudely. Why is it beyond you to admit that your "favorite dive resort" has problems and you continually defend them when their own GM owned up to his treatment of us? Your continuous agruments to the contrary, not knowing our situation, makes me think "thou protest too much." Just how much of your money does Divi have hh?
Footnote: To this day, neither my buddy or I have been contacted by anyone at Divi to apologize for the quality of service we didn't receive.
I'm not a new diver and I've dived several places in my dive career and I've never had the experience I had at Divi at the hands of the management staff. Even when we were "marooned" in Costa Rica when the dive boat we were on had engine failure and our DM had to swim ashore to find a radio at the remote ranger outpost to call for help. Once we returned to the resort, the dive operation bent over backwards and made every attempt to make things right for us and our fellow group members. No, customer service isn't hard to provide, but it's obviously a skill Divi doesn't possess when put to the test of an unhappy customer.
First of all, the week I was at Divi there was significantly more people than 70.
Second, my trip leader is a regular fixture at Divi and brings in quite a bit of money to the operation due to it's onsite lab. I find Max's stance of "blaming" him for his (Max's) lack of customer service quite cowardly, at the very least, lame.
And lastly, we and many others that week were treated quite rudely. Why is it beyond you to admit that your "favorite dive resort" has problems and you continually defend them when their own GM owned up to his treatment of us? Your continuous agruments to the contrary, not knowing our situation, makes me think "thou protest too much." Just how much of your money does Divi have hh?
Footnote: To this day, neither my buddy or I have been contacted by anyone at Divi to apologize for the quality of service we didn't receive.
I'm not a new diver and I've dived several places in my dive career and I've never had the experience I had at Divi at the hands of the management staff. Even when we were "marooned" in Costa Rica when the dive boat we were on had engine failure and our DM had to swim ashore to find a radio at the remote ranger outpost to call for help. Once we returned to the resort, the dive operation bent over backwards and made every attempt to make things right for us and our fellow group members. No, customer service isn't hard to provide, but it's obviously a skill Divi doesn't possess when put to the test of an unhappy customer.
Tim Ingersoll
Contributor
I think Divi Tiara management posted on the board and apologized pretty sincerely.
OP
Tim,
That may be true, but both my buddy and I wrote extensive reviews and submitted them to the corporate office.....nothing, no response.
Plus I have to agree with Mciapetto's (sp?) response earlier in this thread.....is Max sincere or is he just a good letter writer? I would have to venture a guess that he either......
A. got leaned on by corporate after they received our comments
B. got leaned on by our trip leader/private contractor after our comments
C. had second thoughts after seeing the volume of posts (not counting the lurkers) who read this thread.
If Max was sincere and truly concerned about customer service and his treatment of us, he would have drafted a letter and sent it through the mail to my buddy.
Lastly, my buddy doesn't read Scubaboard, (or any board for that matter) and has not been apologized to in a proper manner. Considering that he was the paying party for our trip......it's a matter of principle.
And I'm not being unreasonable....far from it. I know that businesses have their ups and downs and sometimes all goes well and other times not. I've seen dreadful reviews recently on a resort in Costa Rica that I stayed/dived with in 1998 and had a spectacular time....it happens. We even had a mishap at this resort......marooned! It was rather comical then and now....my buddy is a professor and we also had a fellow that looked very "Skipper-ish" on that trip too......so we had our own Gilligan's Island theme going....(I was MaryAnn obiously! We even had a Ginger-type!) But the management for the dive op bent over backwards to make it up to us......met us at the water when the rescue boat brought us back.....took us immediately to the tiki-bar and provided drinks and appetizers, then comped a trip the next day back to Bat Island. All the time the GM for the dive op visited with us and listened to our concerns and took care of them. And my buddy, who was the trip leader, even received correspondence when we returned home from the operation. NOW THAT is customer service! I work in the sales field in a support position for a sales team and I know that if my team doesn't take care of our customers, somebody else's (competitor) will!!
Long story short. If Divi corporate or GM Max had bothered to write a letter and send it to my buddy PRIVATELY and not in a public forum that sounded more like an advertisement for the resort, it would have gone a LONG way to making things right for us.
That may be true, but both my buddy and I wrote extensive reviews and submitted them to the corporate office.....nothing, no response.
Plus I have to agree with Mciapetto's (sp?) response earlier in this thread.....is Max sincere or is he just a good letter writer? I would have to venture a guess that he either......
A. got leaned on by corporate after they received our comments
B. got leaned on by our trip leader/private contractor after our comments
C. had second thoughts after seeing the volume of posts (not counting the lurkers) who read this thread.
If Max was sincere and truly concerned about customer service and his treatment of us, he would have drafted a letter and sent it through the mail to my buddy.
Lastly, my buddy doesn't read Scubaboard, (or any board for that matter) and has not been apologized to in a proper manner. Considering that he was the paying party for our trip......it's a matter of principle.
And I'm not being unreasonable....far from it. I know that businesses have their ups and downs and sometimes all goes well and other times not. I've seen dreadful reviews recently on a resort in Costa Rica that I stayed/dived with in 1998 and had a spectacular time....it happens. We even had a mishap at this resort......marooned! It was rather comical then and now....my buddy is a professor and we also had a fellow that looked very "Skipper-ish" on that trip too......so we had our own Gilligan's Island theme going....(I was MaryAnn obiously! We even had a Ginger-type!) But the management for the dive op bent over backwards to make it up to us......met us at the water when the rescue boat brought us back.....took us immediately to the tiki-bar and provided drinks and appetizers, then comped a trip the next day back to Bat Island. All the time the GM for the dive op visited with us and listened to our concerns and took care of them. And my buddy, who was the trip leader, even received correspondence when we returned home from the operation. NOW THAT is customer service! I work in the sales field in a support position for a sales team and I know that if my team doesn't take care of our customers, somebody else's (competitor) will!!
Long story short. If Divi corporate or GM Max had bothered to write a letter and send it to my buddy PRIVATELY and not in a public forum that sounded more like an advertisement for the resort, it would have gone a LONG way to making things right for us.
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