Does your LDS support you?

[chrispete]

The dive shop that I go to is about a block from where I live and they have been great to me. They have been extremely honest with me - I was looking at a Mares Surveyor (non-nitrox) and they told me up front that it was not in production anymore, that it had been replaced by the nitrox capable version. They (without me even asking) discounted it 35%. He could have charged me MSRP and I probably would have taken months to find out that it had been EOL'd by Mares. The whole group over there are extremely friendly and have helped a ton with my comfort level while getting into diving.

I drove around to check out the other local dive shops, and I found that I have a good thing in the shop that I go to: one of the places, the owner pretty much ignored me the entire time that I was there, and when one of the people finally approached me, I told her that I was in the process of getting my OW cert and wanted to see which brands other shops in the area carried. She pretty much just walked off. Another one that I went to was a bit scary, the "new" stuff that they had on the walls had to be at least 5 years old, and everything was covered in a layer of dust - they claimed to have their "own pool" (they're in a strip mall) at someone's house...

All in all, I'm extremely happy with my LDS and will continue to support them.

 

[gadget]

There is an old adage in business that goes like this.

Value = Quality + Service + Price

"It is impossible for any company in any industry to offer the cheapest price, have the highest quality, and provide the best service all at the same time.

You can get high quality and super service, but you can’t get both and still get the lowest price."

I think the majority of people are generally happy with their LDS and what that store does for them. Many satisfied people are not on the scubaboard or the internet and people who have had a bad experiance are generally the first to share it ( human nature).

If the store is bad it will eventually go out of business ( hopefully quickly).

The wild card here is of course the internet, which allows people in virtual shops to make what some have called "fair mark-ups" on gear. Of course these shops never have to deal with the liabilities and effort of teaching, equipment service, staff training, maintaining a brick and morter existance etc, etc ....

If you are unable to deal with your local shop and buy online or over the phone, consider buying it in North America and from a brick and morter dive shop with a website. The profit that is generated from the sale benefits the economy here and makes for a stronger shop which can continue to train and provide service ( read: trickle down economics)

Discussions like this are great and make for better educated consumers and most store owners I know have no problem with a good shopper, they do have a problem with ones who wants it all and at a incredible price ( see above equation).

Pardon me if I have strayed off topic, just adding my thoughts.

 

[otter-cat]

My LDS has helped me out everytime I needed it, even when they made no money off of it. When I was a new diver, they even helped me check out a barely used drysuit I found to make sure it was safe since I couldn't afford to buy a new one from them! End result: I kept coming back to the shop and spending my money there. Now that my drysuit was stolen , I ordered a replacement through my LDS!

They have great courses, REALLY helpful instructors, and don't try to push sales of items I don't need. They give lots of free advice to me, even when I spend hours in the store and don't spend a thing. Other times when I have needed something in a hurry that they didn't have in stock, they have loaned me a piece of rental equipment, or occassionally a piece of the owner's own gear for free!

They have supported me, and the end result is that I support them. Although they don't stock as much gear as I would like, because the business is fairly small and can't afford to carry too much inventory yet, as I and others support them, they will be able to grow and stock more. Yes, I pay more than I might online for some things. But with it I get the assurance that everything has been properly serviced (I can even watch them service it if I want) and if I ever have any problems with the equipment, I know I can take it back to them and have it taken care of right away. They'll probably even loan me a replacement while the problem is being taken care of. Try getting THAT from an online retailer!

As to paying for airfills and service not available online: Yes, LDSs do charge for these services, but they could not afford to stay open doing these services alone. If no one buys gear there, they would close, and you would have a much harder time getting your tanks filled.

And an indirect way in which my LDS supports me: The money I spend there generates LOCAL tax dollars which go to services (roads, schools, whatever) in my community and my state, rather than leaving never to be seen by me again. And I'm sure that some of the money my LDS owner makes is also spent at other places in my own community, helping it even more. I'd much rather support an individual making a living for himself in my area (and he doesn't make all that much) than corporate stock-holders or a rich owner of a large online company somewhere else.

otter-cat

 

[MightyDiver]

We lucked out with the closest LDS to us being the most pleasant. They are a bright, clean shop with much to see, let you touch the products, happy to explain or service you on the spot, offer discounts and club memberships with extra % off on purchases, order what you want if they don't happen to have it, have an on-site indoor heated pool which we are free to use anytime a class isn't in there, free to test products in said pool before buying, great classes offered by many instructors, always greets us with a friendly smile and hello and makes us feel like spending our money there. AND one of the biggest bonuses is they have a large clean bathroom stocked with premium toilet paper and plenty of room for changing into/out of wetsuits etc. Plus they are open to discussing all brands of equipement and are willing to listen and learn themselves. I have yet to hear them bash any other shop or brand which I come across in almost all the other LDS I've visited.

 

[kwesler]

I've gotta tell you about this one! I rented two tanks for some training dives last week, and one free flowed when I put the first stage one. I called the shop from the site right away, and got the old "it was fine when it left here" story. The next day, I spoke to the owner. He pointed out that the stem was bent, and it would have been a problem when he filled it if it was not bent in transit-fair enought.

It was the next statement that blew my mind-he said, "If you were a customer I would have done something for you" I was stunned-I said "I AM a customer-I rent gear from you on a regular basis"

He said, since I bought my regs elsewhere, I was NOT a customer and, here is a quote-"I am not going to come flying over the counter to help you."

I have gotten a BC with a cracked inflator button, and once they forgot to give me an inflator hose that matched the Air2 on the rented BC, and apparently that shoddy service was because "I am not a customer"

I told him that my view was that the store owner should treat me well so I WOULD be a customer! It is not about money-I just spent $140 in FedEx charges alone to send my regs to the dive shop in the Keys I dive with regularly. It is a about treating me like a CUSTOMER! Treat me with respect, and understand that I have no obligation to come to your store AT ALL! Every one of the 200,000 Customers I have per year is a precious item to me and the people of my company. I will do ANYTHING for them, because their word of mouth is the most powerful marketing that there is. Every single issue a Customer has, regardless of the department, gets a call from me in the end to make sure they are satisfied.

Final observation-none of the conversation with the LDS owner was heated-it was polite-even friendly-he told me "we just have different views" of what customer service is.

 

[Rooster1]

Originally posted by kwesler
I've gotta tell you about this one! I rented two tanks for some training dives last week, and one free flowed when I put the first stage one. I called the shop from the site right away, and got the old "it was fine when it left here" story. The next day, I spoke to the owner. He pointed out that the stem was bent, and it would have been a problem when he filled it if it was not bent in transit-fair enought.

It was the next statement that blew my mind-he said, "If you were a customer I would have done something for you" I was stunned-I said "I AM a customer-I rent gear from you on a regular basis"

He said, since I bought my regs elsewhere, I was NOT a customer and, here is a quote-"I am not going to come flying over the counter to help you."

I have gotten a BC with a cracked inflator button, and once they forgot to give me an inflator hose that matched the Air2 on the rented BC, and apparently that shoddy service was because "I am not a customer"

I told him that my view was that the store owner should treat me well so I WOULD be a customer! It is not about money-I just spent $140 in FedEx charges alone to send my regs to the dive shop in the Keys I dive with regularly. It is a about treating me like a CUSTOMER! Treat me with respect, and understand that I have no obligation to come to your store AT ALL! Every one of the 200,000 Customers I have per year is a precious item to me and the people of my company. I will do ANYTHING for them, because their word of mouth is the most powerful marketing that there is. Every single issue a Customer has, regardless of the department, gets a call from me in the end to make sure they are satisfied.

Final observation-none of the conversation with the LDS owner was heated-it was polite-even friendly-he told me "we just have different views" of what customer service is.

This is EXACTLY the kind of lds crap I can't stand. LIke I wrote in a previous post, I go into a dive shop to buy gear not relationships.
do the folks here really want to buy relationships with these kind of lds vultures who look at you when you come through the door as a big $ and not a customer??

 

[kwesler]

I think the whole problem is rather sad. I am copming to believe that many LDS are owned by scuba enthusiasts, who have a retail operation so they can be around their hobby all the time. They do not seem to be interested in growing their business in a logical way, have no understanding of marketing, or Customer service etc.

I think he sees Customers as a necessary evil. I think that his ideal operation is a bunch of dive buddies who hang out together at the store, go on dive trips together, and all purchase their gear through him. He is not interested in a pure business relationship.

Perhaps I am a different breed of diver. I will be perfectly frank-I am a busy executive, who is accustomed to a certain level of service in everything I do. I work hard to create that life style, and it demands a lot of time and energy from me. I dive about a dozen times a year, and many of those times I run to the airport, jump on a plane, do 10 dives in three days, spend a day working from an airport hotel to give myself a proper SI, and am back in the office.

I have no time or patience for the attitude of the shop owners who want 100% commitment from me, but do not offer it in return.

Conversely, Tavernier Dive Center in the Keys (a free plug Mike!) has treated me like a friend and valuable Customer from the first time I set foot on their boat. As a result, I have become a much more involved Customer. When my daughter starts diving next year, that is where I will buy her equipment, regardless of the cost.

My $.02