How much that the LDS tells me can I believe?

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violakat03

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Location
Fairborn, Ohio
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Here's my situation:

My husband and I are taking a beginning dive class with a local community college. The instructors are all from a LDS, and we have been going there for all our equipment needs. However, I feel that we are far overpaying for things we could easily get online for much cheaper or perhaps be looking at different brands. They pretty much strictly carry ScubaPro and Aqua Lung. We so far have purchased masks, fins, snorkels and boots (total for both of us: around $700!!) and a BC for me (Ladies ScubaPro Diva with Air II, total around $750). We cannot afford to purchase any more equipment at these prices and would really like to have our own stuff, but the LDS owner (who is the lead instructor of the class) is really pushing us to only buy from a store, and pushing us to buy certain products. He really tries to make you scared of buying anything online or used and any of the products he doesn't sell. This makes me very uncomfortable and makes me wonder, should I spending all this money in his store when I feel like he's pushing me into his certain products? When I had a legitimate question about a wetsuit (I'm a plus sized girl and an Aqua Lung Men's hyper-stretch did not fit me - too loose at the neck because of my chest size) and an answer I had found online, he waved it off as BS and pointed me to one of his high-priced suits - which also did not fit.

I'd really like to be able to purchase our own equipment without breaking the bank. If we go through his store, we're looking at $300 EACH for wetsuits (3mm full suit - $600 each for 5 mm), $1000 for computer (because they push that you should spend more now instead of re-buying later) and $1000 each for regs (Legend, I believe Aqua Lung?) - this is way beyond our reach, we've pretty much tapped ourselves out just buying my BC and our masks/fins/snorkels. Even if we go with the cheapest models he sells, we'll be looking at $500 for computers and $500 for regs, each.

Another couple in our class (who we are car-pooling with us to the checkout dives and want to do two extra dives after we get our certs) recently purchased a lot of their equipment online, and the instructor had some really not-nice things to say about that (would you trust something your life depended on that you bought from eBay, etc) and that just really rubbed me the wrong way. When I told him I saw the same wet suit he was selling for $300 on Scuba.com for $150, he talked a lot of smack about Scuba.com and the fact they aren't authorized dealers, etc, and that I'd be wasting my money going through them. This makes no sense, when Scuba.com lists all of their authorized products with links back to the manufacturer's website - and besides, I was looking at wetsuit! (Henderson, btw) Basically, I'm just very leery of taking everything he says at face value, obviously as a business owner he's going to fight for every customer he can get, especially in the day of net shopping, but he's gotten to the point where I'm getting uncomfortable discussing equipment with him because he pushes certain products so much.

What are your opinions? Should I trust the dive shop owner, who has been in the business for 20 years, been diving for 40, and has over 5000 dives to his credit? Or is it truly safe and more financially feasible to buy less "name brand" products, buy used, and buy things online?
 
Just keep in mind that the shop owner is in business to sell things.

the K
 
They are all the same....

Now I will get flamed.

You just have to tell them to get reasonable with their prices or you have no choice. Tell him you will give him a small premium for his advice and service, but that you can't afford to pay double. If he is smart he will do business with you, if he isn't...go somewhere else to buy.

I can tell you this, my observation is that this economic slow down is really hammering discretionary purchases like scuba gear. He ought to do anything possible to get some business even if it means cutting his margins.

I know it is a tough business to be in. But that is because there are virtually no barriers to entry and business is a tough world.
 
I agree scuba gear is expensive but despite people not believing this, it's the manufacturers that set retail price - it's called MAP or MSRP. Some will let you sell below that set price and others will pull their line from your store if you do. The LDS should not make you feel guilty if you have already purchased items at their store, that is not a good way to treat your customers. We like our customers to buy their gear from us, of course. That is the store's lifeline. We make little profit on classes or trips. The online buying is good in some aspects for the consumer but not for the shops. If the shops go away due to lack of sales where are you going to get training, air fills, equipment worked on etc? Some on line retailers will work on your stuff but do you know them like you know the folks at your LDS? Plus you have to ship it out wait..wait..wait for them to ship it back and hope it doesn't get lost in the process. A customer dropped his computer off yesterday to have a battery replaced and viola, it's ready for him to pick up today. try that with an online retailer....

This is a touchy subject on the board, you'll soon find out
 
I'm not much for online purchases. No matter what these online hacks say there are many manufacturers who won't honor the warranty when it's purchased online.

Doesn't mean you have to pay retail. Honestly I'd slow down on purchases until you've gotten some experience. Top shops will allow you to test dive their gear. I'd find one of those.
 
YUP

"Now I will get flamed".:laser:
ha all in good fun
 
I'm not much for online purchases. No matter what these online hacks say there are many manufacturers who won't honor the warranty when it's purchased online.

Doesn't mean you have to pay retail. Honestly I'd slow down on purchases until you've gotten some experience. Top shops will allow you to test dive their gear. I'd find one of those.

Don't ever buy any gear online!!! Always buy from a brick and mortar shop!!!

Like
Scuba Gear and Scuba Diving Equipment - Discount dive gear (Cheap online!)
or
Buy scuba gear, scuba diving and snorkeling equipment, and everything underwater from LeisurePro.com
or
Scuba.com Diving Portal - Buy Scuba Gear & Scuba Diving Equipment

(ok, so I don't actually know about scuba.com, but both Scubatoys and Leisurepro have storefronts and do much business through them. Call them up and buy what you want and when your instrcutor goes ape-poo on your for it, let him know you didn't buy online, you just happened to get your gear from a store in Texas (ST) or New York (LP), and tell him to stuff it if he doesn't like it.

As a college student with no money, I am very up front about saying "I can't afford that, I won't buy it." And if a shop won't lower their prices, I go find a place that can sell it to me for what I can afford to payfor it. Like Scubatoys.
 
And this is likely to be really unpopular but...do you need to buy your own gear now? And if you think you do, be sure to examine "why" you do. Some new divers do and it is the correct path for them. Others wait for a while, dive different places and different gear, talk to lots of people and generally try to get a feel for things before purchasing.

I went the second route many moons ago and have no regrets. I encourage our own open water students to do the same. The type of gear they are using for their training may not be what ultimately suits them the best for their diving or comfort - that's why our instructors know about more gear than we carry or use in hire.

Depending on how much diving you do, where you will be diving and your comfort level at hiring gear where you will be diving, simply kicking back and not worrying about buying everything right now may be the way to go. And it may free up some money to let you do a little dive jaunt to a new area to get some more dives under your belt and explore this vast new world a bit more before committing.
 
Its too bad your being treated as you are. We are both online and a typical LDS. I have customers that buy things off ebay that are cheaper(used) and they have never had a problem. We tell them good job on the purchase...but if they ask us to show them how to use it, we briefly run through it and anything more than that they pay for the expertise. If they had bought from us, we would go into all the detail and let them use our local pool to try it...just some perks of buying from us...but with his attitude and how hes treating you its completely uncalled for

We(both online and Local) depend on you to keep us in business....if their pricing isnt competitive, they arent giving good service, and they arent making you happy...go elseware You DESERVE IT

Most places choose not to be comopetitive with the internet and they are cutting thier own throats...we embrace it and it allows us to offer the best pricing and best service....

Like others have said....We(scuba stores) survive because of you....and you should be treated as such :wink: All of our customers are pretty much an extension of our dive buddies and friends Dont settle for less because he tells you that you have to listen to him....Find a good shop that takes care of you
 
I'm not much for online purchases. No matter what these online hacks say there are many manufacturers who won't honor the warranty when it's purchased online.

Doesn't mean you have to pay retail. Honestly I'd slow down on purchases until you've gotten some experience. Top shops will allow you to test dive their gear. I'd find one of those.

You've hit two of my hot buttons with this particular LDS. He will not let us try things out - he'll let you exchange things on a VERY limited basis only while you are still in your beginning class - and they can't touch the chlorine water if you want to exchange it, so how are we supposed to test it during class? The only thing we can exchange after pool contact is the mask if it does not fit right.

The other thing is that he's really pushing us to buy things before our checkouts. He wants us to get our BCs and wetsuits before then, but right now we can't afford to get everything for my husband. We might be able to get me a wetsuit but I'd rather buy it online, as it's one of the less "omg what happens if it fails" type of things and I can find one much cheaper, also I have a larger variety of manufacturers to choose from then if I go through his store, so I'm more like to find one that will fit my proportions. The fact he is really pushing us hard to get our own equipment before we are even certified bothers me.
 

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