Just finished my PADI Cert - you have GOT to be kidding me

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If training regs/bcds are serviced properly,as they should, then you would not have these problems and if i was to go back to when i did my open water class i would be honest and say that i would be very ancious if parts of my equipment were leaking or did not seem to work properly.

What does are open water book tell us, check and maintain all equipment
 
Riding lessons with school horses in the Phoenix area are generally 50-60/hour for group lessons. More for private, less if you have your own horse. Even with own horse you are generally looking at 45/hour for semi-private or group lesson.
That's at one of the less expensive places in town too!
 
I think $550 is outrageous, and yes, the instructor was probably working for less than minimum wage. If scuba courses were priced correctly, they would be costing in the $1500 to $2000 range.

I find it incredible that there are people on one thread complaining of falling standards of dive instruction, and on another thread looking for dive courses tha cost less than 200 bucks.

You as consumers have created this situation, you demanded cheap courses and that is exactly what you have got. So quit whining, you got what you asked for.

.
 
It sounds as if you might want to consider making an official complaint to PADI!!!
 
Yes the instructors were working for less then minimum wage, but I couldn't help but notice, EVERY single one of them had a brand new DUI dry suit on. Plus, all their other gear was of course brand new and top of the line. So, their compensation is coming from somewhere. Probably, the shop knocks that 100% markup down and saves the instructor a grand on their new DUI.
 
jsado:
Yes the instructors were working for less then minimum wage, but I couldn't help but notice, EVERY single one of them had a brand new DUI dry suit on. Plus, all their other gear was of course brand new and top of the line. So, their compensation is coming from somewhere. Probably, the shop knocks that 100% markup down and saves the instructor a grand on their new DUI.

How do you know that they personally owned that gear? It is not uncommon that a shop requires staff to use the gear sold at the shop as a means of advertising. After all, how would it look if the shop sells DUI and staff all wear Pinnacle because they can afford that brand better?

I would say, jsado, you should be a little less quick to jump to conclusions and to heap criticism on shops and dive pros when your understanding of the industry is still in a "developmental stage."
 
Quero:
I would say, jsado, you should be a little less quick to jump to conclusions and to heap criticism on shops and dive pros when your understanding of the industry is still in a "developmental stage."


Agreed. I have a lot to learn, I know it. The shop in question has a lot to learn too, they just don't know it, or don't care.

Perhaps, I'm in the developmental stage. Yet it doesn't take a genius, 30 yrs experience and 2000+ dives to recognize the fact that when teaching an OW class and forcing students to wear your rental gear, it should all be fully functional. It also doesn't take a genius to realize that something is wrong when: shop A sells aluminum 80's for $300 and in a 2 1/2 hour car ride to shop B, they sell the exact same thing for $169.

Did you read my original post in this thread?
 
when i signed up for my OW class 2 weeks ago, they told me rental will be $280 for the entire class, I immediately opt to buy all my basic stuff and only rent the tank and bcd. I m in NJ which is just 40 mins drive away from NYC.

Total the charges now is $250 for confined water (5 sessions) and 5 sessions of regular classwork.

Seriously i think thats a very fair price for them to charge... I m happy!
 
jsado:
Did you read my original post in this thread?

Yeah, I've been reading since the beginning--you wrote a very provacative post title! You do have some justifiable and valid complaints in regard to the gear your were given to use during your OW course not being functional--that is really inexcusable.

But you also paint with a very broad brush. The price of the course was the price. My *private* courses don't cost that much, but then my overhead is a lot lower, and I'm ignorant of the costs of doing business where your LDS is located, so in that regard I am not in a postion to comment. Still, I figure you had your chance to do comparison shopping for your course, if you had wanted to (you could have come to Thailand, for example ;-) and for whatever reason you agreed to that fee. As for the cost of the gear purchases, just vote with your feet for your big ticket items--the LDS will learn the lesson when customers stop going through the door. You have choices and options for action that will be far more successful than flailing out with a rant on a discussion board. Tell all your dive buddies where the best deals are--you can do this without burning any bridges and still get air fills at your LDS if you are smart.

What finally prompted me to post, though, were your assumptions about the dive pros and their gear. I thought you might like to get a clue. It just sounds like you are so p-o'd at this LDS that even the good parts of it (your instructors, if I read your OP correctly) cannot escape your wrath nor deserve a tip for their excellent work (or perhaps you think it's their fault that their employer has not updated rental gear).

Now that you're certified and the money's spent, my advice is to simply put all that stuff behind you and go dive! Have a ball! Don't let your bitterness about your LDS spoil it.
 
cancun mark:
I think $550 is outrageous, and yes, the instructor was probably working for less than minimum wage. If scuba courses were priced correctly, they would be costing in the $1500 to $2000 range.

I find it incredible that there are people on one thread complaining of falling standards of dive instruction, and on another thread looking for dive courses tha cost less than 200 bucks.

You as consumers have created this situation, you demanded cheap courses and that is exactly what you have got. So quit whining, you got what you asked for.

.

Now why would consumers want to learn to dive from professionals who value their qualifications and knowledge at nil?
 

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