Mike Ball Spoil Sport 'rip-off' exceeded $1600

[Natasha]

Dave,
No No No. I did not think you were pointing a finger. I also want to hear the answer to this.
I can tell you from selling cruises for 12 years, that Florida residents get better last minute deals to hop on a ship that's docked in Florida.
I'm just wondering if it's the same case here.
But we will hear from the "Other side" as long as I'm a member of this board.
I'm a true American, and studied business law in college. I believe "Innocent, until proven guilty"!

 

[socaldiver]

I would love to hear if it is true, straight from the horses mouth. But more importantly, if it is true, why.

 

[large_diver]

Not that this represents "proof", but a quick check on scubadiving.com yielded several interesting threads on this.

Enjoy!

http://www.scubadiving.com/talk/read.php?f=1&i=395110&t=395110

http://www.cyberdiver.net/cdnn/industry/i011123/i011123.html

http://www.scubadiving.com/talk/read.php?f=1&i=359093&t=359093

 

[Natasha]

Chris,
Yes, we know that Rodale's board posted those acticles.
How do we know they are true? Because Rodale's board says so?
:sunny:

 

[large_diver]

As with any information found on the internet...you have to consider the source before judging it to be accurate.

Too often, folks seem to look at the internet as a computerized library of "facts" without questioning the validity of the data they find.

I thought that DD's original post was a valuable public service -- he didn't present it as being true. I simply saw it as an "FYI", something to be investigated further.

Next thing you know, the regulators will be deleting this thread ;-)

 

[Natasha]

I agree. I thought DD's post was a FYI thread. I don't think he personally has gone on Mike Ball's boats, and was slandering them.
This thread is not in jeopardy of being deleted. We just need to hear the other side. And we will shortly. I talked to the Mike Ball rep, who is in Canada today. He will post soon.

 

[Zagnut]

I agree with you all. We've got to be careful with these types of things. I would hate to see the Scubaboard site shut down because of a slander lawsuit over something that was posted in one of the threads. This is the era of the lawsuit, after all. Let's hear both sides, then let the two parties involved hash it out without dragging us into it.

 

[detroit diver]

Originally posted by Natasha
I agree. I thought DD's post was a FYI thread. I don't think he personally has gone on Mike Ball's boats, and was slandering them.

Natasha,

Nothing slanderous meant at all. Just an "FYI" passed along to the readers of the board.

As you have spoken to the Mike Ball rep, what did he say to you with respect to this matter?

 

[Natasha]

I talked to him early Friday morning. He said he would rather not go into anything with me on the phone. He said he will talk to the proper people in his company, and then he would post something in writing.
I think with all the time changes involved, it's going to take some time to accomplish this.
He did tell me in a later email today, that he has been on this site, and read these posts. He must not be ready to post anything yet.
That's all I know.

 

[nancyscuba]

I have had the priviledge of being on Mike Ball's boats. The Supersport and Spoilsport once. And the Paradise Sport three times. They run a fantastic operation. Excellent service, fantastic food and great diving.

I have booked many divers on the Mike Ball boats for our group trips as well as individuals. All have been extremely happy.

With regards to their pricing structure, it may be due to the fact that they are quoting rates 2 to 3 years out. There are some major currency fluctuations between the US Dollar and the Australian dollar. If you book a trip today for next year, you know what it will cost you in US dollars. Yet if you were quoted in Australian dollars, you would not know how much your vacation would cost. This is due to currency fluctuations.

So if you are quoted a rate of US$2200., that is what you will pay.
But if you are quoted in Australian dollars, you could end up paying considerably more for your trip.

As Americans, we like to know what our trip will cost. And the only way that I know of that international dive operators can quote rates that we Americans can rely on, is to use a currency we can count on.

Nancy