My LDS is just ticking me off....

[mikswi]

Oh !!!
And one more thing !!!
When we went to see about having my wife take her AOW course with them, they required a $75 "inspection fee" to make sure that my wife's gear was acceptable because she had not purchased it from their shop.
OK, I really am through now.

Thats unbelievable! With the abundance of shops in the area that you indicate, Im very suprised that they pull this stunt. Im further suprised that they are getting away with it.

Maybe consider getting a referral and taking it to another shop nearby? Sometimes you just have to cut your losses, move on and call it a learning experience.

 

[mikswi]

Gary you make some good points and I will have to think about those.
I do have a really good relationship with my hardware/feed store, also with several privately owned restraunts, body shops, mechanics shops, etc. I think it is the best and most profitable way of doing business.
Maybe you are right, maybe I should just open a dive shop and if nothing else the competition may make my current LDS tighten up.
Thanks for your insights.

Sam

I think you missed the sarcasm that was intended in the comment.

If you do decide to open up a shop, do your homework. My friend just opened up a shop and I was observing the process along the way. I was suprised at what was involved for a dive shop. Ive been in business or have been exposed to business for most of my life and there was allot of things that were done differently.

Dont do it if you need a paycheck. My friend has a full time-well paying- job that he lives off of, otherwise he couldnt do it. The LDS shop that I got cert'd through, the owner has an exterminating business and he lives off of that. He's been open for almost 11 years now and has seen alllot of shops come and go.

Out of curiosity, what does your relationship with the local feed store & muffler shop have to do with your success as a scuba store?
One more thing, absolutely NO manufacturer will sell to you as a dealer (at the bulk/prices) that you want, until you have your compressor installed and inspected. Some will even ask to see your insurance, copy of your lease, business license. Some will try and dump allot of gear on you on consignment and you pay them monthly or quarterly. (mistake doing this) Some like Scubapro demand that you carry ONLY their brand. Now you cannot offer choices/prices ect.

O.K, im done......

 

[Iruka]

Ha ha....$75 inspection fee to teach/guide divers using gear not sold by them? Let's see, as my shop is pretty new & small, virtually all my customers use gear not sold by me....I wonder if I can email them a retroactive "$75 I checked your gear & it was okay" bill? Sounds like they're basically trying to force you to buy their gear, rather than pay $75 for essentially nothing. Checking gear to see that it's acceptable? That's pretty much hooking up the reg & bcd to a tank, making sure that you can breathe & inflate/deflate.

 

[The Kraken]

Ya think ? ? ?

 

[garyfotodiver]

I think you missed the sarcasm that was intended in the comment.

No sarcasm intended. If someone doesn't like how something is done, do it better.

 

[The Kraken]

No problem !!!
Took it ALL in good humor.

 

[DrSteve]

Man that bites for you guys! We got a better deal to Cozumel arranging it ourselves - but our next trip to the Bahamas...we couldn't beat it the deal. Sometimes your LDS isn't trying to gouge you. Often they will get their free spots by booking a block of people. One of our local dive boats offers free trips to instructors with more than 4 students. The key? The boat charges about 15-20 more than any other boat in the area for the same dive. They win all round!