LDS or Internet

[DallasNewbie]

Loyalty runs in both directions for sure. I trained a student and spent no less than 4 hours with him going over equipment. The manager of the shop spent at least twice that long with him. Of course after all this he went and bought scubapro stuff from Leisurepro. He doesn't have anything more than a leisurepro warranty.

Now since he wasted so much of my time and continues to do so with his questions about future purchases we've cut him loose. We don't want to fill his tanks or answer his questions. When he asked where everyone from the shop was diving this weekend I directed him to leisurepro. He asked if he could use our buddy board and we didn't allow him.

You have a strange definition of loyalty. It sounds to me like this guy didn't give you enough of his money, so you were no longer willing to be his "friend". Fair enough, you're running a business. But you must recognize that the reverse is also true from the customer's perspective. If you aren't delivering the best value, the customer has no need for your friendship.

I really have no idea what you're talking about.

I quoted the section of your post where you described "free" service as a benefit of buying from a LDS.

TANSTAAFL == There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

I don't have a dog in this fight, as I have the best of both worlds. Within a 20 minute drive, I can be at a big, low cost store with a huge selection. Nearer by I have a smaller, more expensive store where I'll pay for the increased convinience. Which I go to depends on what I need and when I need it. Price does not equal value. If an LDS is losing money to Internet stores, they would be smart to consider that it isn't just because of their prices. Look at what other pieces of the value equation you might be missing.

 

[redacted]

This guy was a jerk and to be honest we don't want his "future" business. Our shop is successful and the reason it's successful is because we make sure we treat our real customers special.

What we do there supports a large staff in a 10,000 square foot facility with a 50 foot saline pool. We didn't do that by trying to sell equipment for the same prices as the internet, we did it by offering service and creating satisfied customers.

Businesses that plan their success around "satisfied customers" don't reveille on their failures. Maybe that guy you dumped on (punished) will give up diving. Maybe he'll just give you bad press every chance he gets. It didn't have to be that way. A really good LDS would have managed the wasted time in the future and added his sales to their profit. Are you just trying to intimidate folks?

 

[Divedoggie]

I own a coffee shop and I have to compete against Starbucks. I don't sit around and bad-mouth starbucks. I give great customer service, a better atmosphere, better prices, and great coffee! As a result, my shop is successful.
Starbuck's marketing has helped create more coffee drinkers. My business does better thanks to Starbucks.

I would venture to say that more people are interested in SCUBA as a result of the internet. You can spend hours mulling over each piece of gear without any pressure. Ultimately, the consumer(us) benefits from lower prices and availability. The maufacturers benefit from greater sales, and the local dive stores that learn how to compete will benefit because there are simply more divers out there.


As with any business, if you don't learn how to compete, you will close. Do you go to local restaurants that serve bad food, just because they are local?.. No way!! Perhaps they will go out of business and be replaced by a great restraunt that will attract my business.

 

[mdb]

"This guy was a jerk and to be honest we don't want his "future" business. Our shop is successful and the reason it's successful is because we make sure we treat our real customers special."

I imagine he now thinks the same of you. His family friends and others will now hear about how you treat your customers "special".

 

[KidK9]

MDB, great quote. Why do so many shop instructors insist on "diving elitism". What is it about diving that makes normal 9-5 working people all of a sudden act like war veterans. Give it up Al, you're not that great! I promise!

 

[GreenDiverDown]

Actually, I get a lot of free stuff from my LDS. Hmm...let's see...in the last month I got a free flow meter for an O2 analyzer, a free brass and glass SPG, a neck ring for my drysuit, and an old Scubapro BC (I wanted the nifty cam band).

Frequently, our shop gives out free loaners when a customer’s part goes bad. If someone is heading out on a dive trip and their computer has gone bad, the shop lets them borrow one 'til their computer comes back from the manufacturer. I've seen staff give up their drysuit so that customer might have it after they've holed theirs or ripped a seal. We cannibalize our gear at the drop of a hat to keep our customers up and running. Often, when a customer buys something and it's been rung up, they remember something else they need...if it's not a big item we'll often just give it to 'em. We also give out tons of free education or spend hours talking scuba and answering questions. I'm sure that there are other things...these just come to mind.

These are all things that have nothing to do with a purchase price...they're just things we give away...for free. They are also things that you won't get from a grey market source. Come to think of it, you won't get most of these things from any online retailer unless they happen to also be your LDS.

Our customers are always treated like they are special...and we treat every one the same...whether they buy their gear from us or some place else. In fact, I rarely buy from my LDS anymore...not because I'm buying their product from a place like LP but because they don't carry the kinds of things that I want. Over the 5 years most of my purchases have come from EE, 5thD, Salvo, Reef, FredT, Sandroff, Janice, and places like that.

 

[mdb]

The reality is these are not the same products...they don't come with the same manufacturer's or LDS support. (Sometimes they're not even the same model as the LDS carries...they just appear to be the same.)

If you were buying a brand new Ford F 350 dually pickup, you'd expect to pay less for it if the salesman at Leisure Lot said, "Ford won't stand behind this truck 'cause we got from...well, I can't tell you where we got it...but we'll be here for ya if you have any problems. It's the same truck as at that high-priced authorized dealer down the road, but we're selling it at half of what they're selling it for." Well, of course, you realize that it is not the same truck without the manufacturer's backing and indeed, should sell for significantly less. It may be worth it to you to take the risk...if the price is low enough. But you can't say that these two trucks have the same value...they simply don't. Otherwise you be willing to pay the same for it with or without the Manufacturer's support.

The manufacturers warranty is on the truck not the dealer. If you buy a new Ford it has warranty coverage at any Ford dealership. SCUBA gear is the same. You may not have "free" parts but if the product has a defect the primary manufacturer will repair it.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

The manufacturers warranty is on the truck not the dealer. If you buy a new Ford it is
covered at any dealer under the warranty. SCUBA gear is the same. You may not get "free" parts but your warranty rights are the same. If the product is defective the manufacturer will repair it.

Unfortunately, this is not true...not in the USA, anyways.

 

[mdb]

Unfortunately, this is not true...not in the USA, anyways.

If the product has a manufacturing defect it will be repaired/replaced by the manufacturer. Numerous recalls for defective BC inflators, computers, etc. attest to this fact. Manufacturers must repair any defective item. Same with SCUBA or washing
machines.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

The manufacturers warranty is on the truck not the dealer. If you buy a new Ford it has warranty coverage at any Ford dealership. SCUBA gear is the same. You may not have "free" parts but if the product has a defect the primary manufacturer will repair it.

Come to think about it...I don't know about your home state...California has some pretty strange things goin' on.

But in general...in the US...a scuba manufacturer will not warranty a grey market part.

...had one the other day...a customer came in with a computer he had purchaesd from LP which would not work...told him that he should send it back to LP. He insisted that we send it to the manufacturer. We did. Manufacturer called back after running the serial number and told us that this was not an authorized part...it could be fixed but to fix it the cost would be about the same as a new computer. If it had come from an authorized dealer, they would have just replaced it. Needless to say, the customer didn't want to pay to have it "fixed". The manufacturer returned it and we gave it back to the customer. I think that he returned it to LP but I don't know what they did for him.

This is not unusual. Try getting Nikon to warranty a grey market camera...just won't happen...