I'm ordering my first set of gear!!!

[DiveMaven]

Congrats JodiBB....make sure you give us a report as to how all the new gear works out for you. I'm a major Zeagle fan and LOVE my Zena and Envoy regs, so hope you will too. I also got my stuff from ScubaToys (Larry, not Joe) and think those guys are the BEST. I send my regs back to them for their annual service, and usually get mine back faster than my husband who uses our LDS...and for the same money (including my shipping costs).

 

[Brandon]

Not threats just reality

A very distorted reality...

I haven't patronized my LDS for the past 3 years, yet I've still managed to get air fills, buy gear, get that gear serviced, find new dive buddies, arrange training and travel, etc.

The LDS argument is such a crock. You don't need one. If you or others in your area want to dive bad enough, you'll figure out how to make it work with or without a shop.

Is it more difficult than walking into a local shop and letting them take care of everything for you? You bet it is... but I'm willing to put in a little extra work to avoid the BS at my local shop.

There's plenty of other divers who feel the same way, and we'll always be around to challenge those who insist that the local dive shops are somehow the gatekeepers of the underwater world.

Viva la Resistance!

-B.

 

[opalobsidian]

I agree whole heartedly about taking your money to who provides the best service! Larry of Scubatoys talked with me on the phone for over an hour answering my questions and giving me good advice SANS ATTITUDE!

I tried so hard to like one of my LDSes, but at one the owner was so consistantly condescending and sarcastic that I had to leave without buying some things I really wanted...

at the second I had to practically beat the employees for information about their products- and then it became clear that these poor guys didn't really know anything about what they were selling, just there to run the cash registers I guess...

and at the third I felt like I was being sized up and shaken down from the moment I walked in. The owner kept repeating that the answers to all my questions would be answered in "the class". When I asked the price of "the class" I swear he looked me up and down first and then came up with a price! Yow! Piracy 100s of miles from the nearest body of water!

So imagine my relief when Scubatoy Larry just straight out carried on a dialogue with me about diving gear and what he thought was the best product for the price! He was a pleasure to spend $2000 with!

Why should I spend money to kiss heiny when I don't even like the taste?
Pamela

 

[LeFlaneur]

Just for fun I'm going to bring up one ethical issue that I sometimes think about.

Here is my confession:
When I bought my mask I read reviews and picked a few that would be good. Then I went to some dive shops and tried a few on and found one that fit my face best.
Then I went home and ordered it from LP and saved about 15 bucks.

Was that ethical? Really I was using the "free" service that the LDS provides, that of being able to see and touch the merchandise. They provide this service in the hopes that you'll make a purchase. In the end you pay a little extra for the brick and mortar that enables you to do it.

I'm sure many of us have done this but is it really ethical? I would not have been able to make a less expensive online purchase without using the service that the LDS provided, and the LDS didn't make a dime.

Anyone? Anyone? Andy?

 

[opalobsidian]

Welllllll....

In my opinion, ethics are relative and the concept abstract. It's all about context and how you want to look at it. I would think the bottom line here is- how comfortable are YOU with your actions? Do you feel so guilty that you'd never want to shop like that again? Or, do you feel like you were a clever shopper and are pleased with your bargain?

I'd say, go with one stance or the other and proceed from there. Unless, of course, you enjoy angst!

I love the thing about the doll- can I get one cheap online after I check it out at my lovely LDS?
Pamela

 

[djanni]

Just for fun I'm going to bring up one ethical issue that I sometimes think about.

Here is my confession:
When I bought my mask I read reviews and picked a few that would be good. Then I went to some dive shops and tried a few on and found one that fit my face best.
Then I went home and ordered it from LP and saved about 15 bucks.

Was that ethical? Really I was using the "free" service that the LDS provides, that of being able to see and touch the merchandise. They provide this service in the hopes that you'll make a purchase. In the end you pay a little extra for the brick and mortar that enables you to do it.

I'm sure many of us have done this but is it really ethical? I would not have been able to make a less expensive online purchase without using the service that the LDS provided, and the LDS didn't make a dime.

Anyone? Anyone? Andy?

For $15 bucks.... no I wouldn't do that. I would consider it poor behavior. If I were the shop owner and knew you did that, you would not be treated warmly in my store.

But then this thread is really about JodiBB and her purchases.

 

[JodiBB]

steve & pete....thanks for your good wishes! Steve, I didn't try out the gear in the water, but I did get to try out and use the gear at the Scuba Show recently to see how it fit and felt on. Of all the BCs I tried on over the last couple of months, the Zeagle Zena really felt like it gave me great support and was so light compared to other BCs, which sold me right there! I got to play with the computer at the show as well.

I'm looking forward to getting my gear. I ordered it this past week, and my wetsuit has to come from Canada, so my shipment is taking a bit longer than normal...no worries though!

 

[Codyjp]

i hope that wetsuit works out ok for you. i had to try on about 10 at several shops (thanks to Brian and George at www.scuba.com's retail store in Socal) to find one that fit nicely. otherwise, you have only scratched the surface... it took me months to buy EVERYTHING! now i just need that $330 tank...

have fun

 

[H2Andy]

When I bought my mask I read reviews and picked a few that would be good. Then I went to some dive shops and tried a few on and found one that fit my face best. Then I went home and ordered it from LP and saved about 15 bucks.

Was that ethical?

hmmm... well... i don't know about "ethical" (that's a whole new discussion), but
i think it's poor form.

technically speaking, there's probably nothing ethically wrong with it (you are not
obligated to buy even if you try stuff out), and from a functional ehtics point of view,
you have rewarded the most efficient seller ... but...

i still think it's poor form... strangely enough, i've never bought a mask over the
internet, because fit is so important and i'm paranoid even the same model may
not be quite right

 

[cowboyneal]

I always do the same thing - try from wherever (if necessary) and then buy it from the least expensive...personally, I think its great form in a capitalist society...that's us, the capitalist and freedom people! That's a nice equipment list, and you should get many years of enjoyment from it! Have fun!

CN