Iberostar Cozumel dock fees!!!!!

[ggunn]

Caseybird,

Not to get into your [fight] with Antonio, but I still contend Antonio or whoever ISNT using the hotel's facilities for FREE. I, as a guest, paid to stand on that dock. I walked out there several times. The ocean entry is there as the water's edge is so bad. If I want to step off that dock onto a boat, I should be able to or they should clearly post the dock isnt included in the facilites I can use as a guest. Shouldnt be any different from stepping from the IB gatehouse into a taxi on the street out front.

It's not about paying to use the dock, it's about the IB using dock fees and the associated hassles as leverage to push more business over to Dressel. Whether we think that they should be doing this is irrelevant; they are acting within their rights. If the IB had their own taxis, you'd probably see the same sort of thing at their gatehouse if the taxi union would let them get away with it.

The other two pay docks are owned by the diveshop, so they are free to their customers. Any other diver pays for it. SCC is just private. All three seem different from IB making a dive op collect money from ME for me using the IB dock at the resort I am paying.

Since Dressel and the IB are branches of the same company (judging from what I've read in here and other places), the diveshop at the Iberostar in essence owns the dock there, too.

 

[cvchief]

Gordo,
I agree they are acting within their rights. However whether they should be doing it is relevant.
That's the point.

If Dressel/IB own the dock, yes it would be the same as the other two pay docks, EXCEPT:

1. As a IB guest I am ALREADY paying IB. I would not be paying sand dollar if I was staying at wyndam so it is fair they get a cut.
2. Those docks charge a fee to the guy using the dock, ME, not the boat I am stepping on. The boat isnt using the dock, I am using it to get on the boat.

In this case, IB is forcing a third party to collect money from me for me to use the dock. At least that is my way of thinking thats different from the rest.

 

[ggunn]

Gordo,
I agree they are acting within their rights. However whether they should be doing it is relevant.
That's the point.

If Dressel/IB own the dock, yes it would be the same as the other two pay docks, EXCEPT:

1. As a IB guest I am ALREADY paying IB. I would not be paying sand dollar if I was staying at wyndam so it is fair they get a cut.
2. Those docks charge a fee to the guy using the dock, ME, not the boat I am stepping on. The boat isnt using the dock, I am using it to get on the boat.

In this case, IB is forcing a third party to collect money from me for me to use the dock. At least that is my way of thinking thats different from the rest.

There are no absolutes here. Apparently from IB's perspective, the other ops are using their resource (the dock) to make money for themselves. You can argue all you want about the principles involved from your point of view, but it won't make any difference to them. They don't see it the same way.

But that's really beside the point. This is not about the dock fees and who is paying for what with respect to the dock. It's about leveraging customers into using Dressel instead of outside ops; there's a lot more money at stake there than in docking fees.

In my opinion (and it's free advice and worth every penny - I won't ever be staying at the Iberostar irrespective of this issue), the other ops on Cozumel should, in lockstep, quit picking up divers from the Iberostar. It would be interesting to see if Dressel can handle the volume and/or to see if the complaints from their guests about not being able to dive with their op of choice would make a difference.

 

[cvchief]

Gordo,

Exactly my thoughts. Make it about the customer.

 

[ggunn]

Gordo,

Exactly my thoughts. Make it about the customer.

It's always about the customer. The customer is the fount from which all revenue streams flow.

 

[sharkey1902]

Obviously you have never spoken to or dived with anyone from Dressel Divers Cozumel. First of all the minimum rating for a staff member at Dressel Cozumel is Instructor. There are no divemasters working here. You are correct in saying there is a PADI 5* Instructor Development Course in which Dressel trains new instructors. If they are offered a job afterwards they are paid a salary they DO NOT work for for free, however the course is deducted over time from their salary. So you are incorrect. I have been instructing for over 8 years and there is certainly no slave labour in my contract as you put it........

No new instructors are sent to work in Cozumel, staff are selected carefully and are either long term instructors with the company for any of the other resorts OR experienced instructors. 4 of the current instructors have over 1000 dives each on the Cozumel reefs. Myself and my partner are istructors here and we have over 7000 dives between us. As for being 'foreigners' all the staff speak fluent english 90% of them English being their first language aswell as 3 or four other languages and can teach 'fluently' in all languages up to Divemaster and some even further which is more than some local dive operators where the staff are only divemasters and have no experience whatsoever teaching or guiding inexperienced customers.

The majority of the Iberostar Cozumel customers use Dressel Divers and we have a 'HUGE' return customer base due to the high customer service standards, highly experienced staff, large boats, convienient dive sites, long dives and competitive prices amongst other things.

As far as the pier is concerned, yes other operators have to pay to dock there, however, dont forget that Dressel also pay a fee for being there in the first place., They also have nothing to do with the Iberostar hotels decision to apply this fee. Applying this fee is NOT a way for Dressel to get business as its not a customer fee and all the other dive companies pay this no problem. Customers use Dressel because of all the reasons i have listed above. Maybe on your day off you should come and do a dive with us......!!!

Bad mouthing other companies without valid reason is certainly not a professional way for you to gain business either.

Up until recently the only hotels charging to pick up guests at their docks were the Park Royal and the Wyndham/Sabor/Aura/Reef Regency, funny that these are supposed to be "all inclusive" properties.

Well you can now add IBEROSTAR COZUMEL to that sad list. Up until about a month ago we picked up guests at IB without any problem, and we all believed Iberostar recognized that the pier is a hotel ammenity that it's guest had a right to use in the lodging fee they had paid to stay there. Well it appears they got stupid.

This is most likely the doings of Dre$$el, the onsite dive op there, as there was some Argentinian there shooing our boat off, screaming like a mad man to get away from the pier and the shore, apparently this foreigner doesn't know what Zona Federal means in Mexico. It's really sad that Dressel is using this very unprofessional means to try to get business, as I am sure most divers staying there use the more experienced and established dive operators. Because Dressel has a corporate program to hire/train DMs and Instructors in a work-for-Certification contract arrangement (as in you get room and board, you become a DM or OWSI, but have no pay for the duration, basically enslaving you to them) most of their staff is constantly rotating, and thus they have new DMs all the time, they are usually foreigners that DO NOT KNOW THE REEFS!!!! So it's not surprising that most divers that stay there don't use Dressel.

I encourage everyone (specially those who stay there) to send an email in protest to their corporate PR person in Spain: concha.ramos@iberostar.com or to the General Manager of IB Cozumel Axel Paskel: dir.cozumel@iberostar.com.mx

 

[billindenver]

Sharkey, are you telling us that they were making that stuff up? Slandering another business for their own interests? Their motives are not as pure as claimed? I'm aghast....

If only we had known....

Oh, wait.....



.
.

Welcome to the board by the way. Stick around, there really are some very cool and talented divers hanging around.

 

[Diver Kat]

Sharkey - I'm glad to see someone from Dressel sharing their perspective - however I do have to question one comment -

"Applying this fee is NOT a way for Dressel to get business as its not a customer fee and all the other dive companies pay this no problem."

From what I understand, ALL other dive ops are NOT paying the fees - some are and some are not.

And Bill ... no need to throw more fuel on the fire by continuing to be an a$$ and provoke people. No disrespect intended to Sharkey, but from my viewpoint as an outsider to all of these particular dive ops, his post is just another side of the issue in which he also has stated some erroneous information. But I'm not about to jump up and down and start calling him out for making stuff up and slandering others. Everyone wants to 'defend' their side of the issue - which is great, but it would be nice if everyone would do so with a bit less nastiness and a bit more tact.


..

 

[Tailspin]

The majority of the Iberostar Cozumel customers use Dressel Divers and we have a 'HUGE' return customer base due to the high customer service standards, highly experienced staff, large boats, convienient dive sites, long dives and competitive prices amongst other things.

Thanks Sharkey for providing a perspective from the other side of the 'story'!

Having just been in Coz in January and diving with Dressel, my personal experience echos the quote above exactly. EVERYONE on the staff down there was friendly, professional, and totally focused on making sure that I was having a great time diving the entire week.

I will be part of their 'HUGE return customer base' when I am in Coz again (soon I hope)!

 

[Lobs]

I've been reading this thread now for a week and have to say that this is one dumb argument. However I like dumb arguments... just ask my wife First I want to appologize to Dressel for not going back to the Iberostar this year. We decided to book with another resort just to see what other resorts have to offer. We now regret that decision because the dive op with that resort had some serious dive accidents recently and our confidence with that dive op just plumeted. We have stayed at IB four times in the past two years and dove with Dressel each time. Being new to diving I believe they did a fantanstic job, ensuring our safety, and ensuring that we had a great time. Everything that Sharky had said earlier is true for those who are still skeptics. Slandering their name because of some dock fees is just poor taste. I don't care what kind of diver you are, or how experienced you are. I would also like to mention to other divers out there that they don't charge extra for the nitrox tanks. I don't know if other dive ops charge extra or not but I think it's great that Dressel doesn't. Now for my comment on the dock fees. How come no one is complaining about the other resorts who are charging other dive ops and or divers for use of their docks, or complaining about Scuba club not even allowing anyone else to use their doc? Talk about greedy. All in all I would like to thank everyone for their opinions it will help me make more informed decisions in the future. I definitely will not use a dive op that Antonio manages because he started this stupid argument in the first place, secondly I will not use scuba club because they done closed off any hope of using someone else, dock fee or not, and we will be going to use Dressel again. One last question. Does Dressel pick up at neighboring peers? I'll be happy to pay any extra for my scuba safety and fun.