I hate/love my LDS

[lundysd]

In the theme of recent posts regarding Local Dive Shops, I thought I'd post my complete loss of faith, followed by a restoration of all faith, here in Texas (sorry for the length).

I just recently purchased a used Suunto Cobra for a smokin price. I plugged it into my reg and everything worked perfectly, except that it needed a battery replacement. Since there's only one Suunto dealer in town, I headed over to get my battery changed. I originally wanted to just replace the battery myself, but the shop told me that it would cost the same regardless, and that it would be best for them to do it.
The next day I went back and picked it up. That night I went to give it a whirl in the pool, and I noticed a moderate leak in the HP hose fitting. Since it wasn't leaking when I tested it the previous day, I went back to the shop.

Before I continue, I should mention that I had previously been to this shop for a reg servicing. This particular reg was 5 months old when the yoke connector became a little loose on a dive trip. I had the DM from this LDS look at it and tighten it up, only to find a slow leak 10 minutes later. Apparently the o-ring got nicked during this tightening, but rather than just replace the o-ring, the shop insisted I need a full service ($100).

After going back to the shop and explaining the situation, the response I received was "sorry too bad." They offered to give me 5 bucks off a new hose, otherwise I was out of luck. Needless to say, I was a little frustrated.

I drove over to another shop in town that I frequent, (one that isn't a Suunto dealer). The owner, upon hearing the situation, immediately helped me swap out the hose and spent nearly an hour helping me and teaching me about gear servicing without any expectation of making a sale.

It was during this hour that I had a revalation about local dive shops. Most of these owners are bitter about what's happening with the online retailers and so they take it out on the customer. The customer then gets upset at the shops and goes to online retailers, continuing the vicious cycle. So who is responsible for fixing this cycle? Certainly not the customer, and not the online stores, but the LDShops. Until they get back to their roots and learn to treat the customer right, they're going to be the losers of this situation.

 

[Cuda_72]

Excellent post and it's good to hear that you were able to find good help after all.

I think we in Austin are lucky to have a good number of shops to choose from.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Good post. This goes back to a point I made several weeks ago on another LDS v. Online post. The dynamics/economics of how we (consumers) get our information, where we spend our money and how we acquire the goods we decide to purchase have been shifting rapidly since the late '90s. The scuba equipment realm is just the latest to undergo this change. It started with things like books, computers, electronics, etc. It has now pretty much touched on every conceivable area of commerce. It is a new age of readily accessible information and the ability to shop around in a way never anticipated as recently as the early '90s. Those that will be successful are those that learn how work with, not against, this new dynamic. Kicking at the goads will NOT stop the shift, it will only leave you out of business.

The truly successful online scuba equipment sites today are also local LDSs, such as Scuba Toys, Dive Sports, Leisure Pro, Dive Rite Express, Extreme Exposure, etc, etc. I get the impression that folks think that these online retailers are running things out of their back porch or garage or something. No. The successful ones are also successful LDSs who are using the internet to expand their reach. As soon as the equipment manufacturers who don't allow internet sales realize this and embrace it, the sooner they will learn how to also expand their reach.