New diver getting my certification, is my instructor doing it wrong?

[Lead_carrier]

check your local yelp it is a good way to find out what you are getting

Go one step better, ask people on here that are from your area who they trust and dive with. I'm sure at least one instructor on here will be glad to chat with you about what to expect.

 

[jewelofnile69]

Bailey,
I'm sorry this all happened to you. Thanks for posting about your situation...hopefully other newbies can learn something from it. I hope once you have all the financial/legal stuff worked out you'll keep us posted. Definitely take up some of the offers on here to get your certification and definitely hang around this board. It's a great place to learn. Best wishes!

 

[Fatterboy]

Any results yet Bailey? So looking foreward to a happy ending! I don't unhappy endngs.

 

[Baileywantstoscuba]

Well it's has been almost 3 month since this all happened an unfortunate more headache with this guy. Wouldn't give me a refund, lied to my bank, still have to pay for the "services". So in the interest of everyone's saftey and satisfaction. His name is Chris Russello at Aloha Dive in Los Angeles Ca, more specifi Canoga Park,California. He is a fraud and cut corners to make a profit and in turn I got injured, lost money, paid for the injury, lost time at work. Hope this saves someone the trouble I'm going trough.

 

[flots am]

Well it's has been almost 3 month since this all happened an unfortunate more headache with this guy. Wouldn't give me a refund, lied to my bank, still have to pay for the "services". So in the interest of everyone's saftey and satisfaction. His name is Chris Russello at Aloha Dive in Los Angeles Ca, more specifi Canoga Park,California. He is a fraud and cut corners to make a profit and in turn I got injured, lost money, paid for the injury, lost time at work. Hope this saves someone the trouble I'm going trough.

You should post this on yelp and include a link to this thread.

 

[huxley_knew]

Agreed! The best way to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else is to get the word out!

Bailey, I really am sorry this all happened. My heart goes out to you, and I do hope you end up getting your money back. If you are ever further south (San Diego), check out Ocean Enterprises (a PADI center). My OW and AOW experiences were phenomenal, and I personally know most of the instructors/DMs there now.

Now, how about Scubaboard gets the word out?

Edit: Cross-posted this thread to Reddit/r/scuba for a bit more exposure.

 

[funnyfarm299]

I know tort law has a bad reputation in the United States, but isn't this a perfect example of why it exists? I would consider seeking a lawyer's advice at this point.

 

[Baileywantstoscuba]

Agreed! The best way to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else is to get the word out!

Bailey, I really am sorry this all happened. My heart goes out to you, and I do hope you end up getting your money back. If you are ever further south (San Diego), check out Ocean Enterprises (a PADI center). My OW and AOW experiences were phenomenal, and I personally know most of the instructors/DMs there now.

Now, how about Scubaboard gets the word out?

Edit: Cross-posted this thread to Reddit/r/scuba for a bit more exposure.

Thank you for the support! I appriciate all the kind people and it shows how great the scuba community really is. All of you made me see that this guy was a rare case, and it's an amazing community! I hope to be diving with you all!

---------- Post added May 3rd, 2013 at 08:32 AM ----------

I tried Yelp, he has no page linked to his shop. He's apparently had about 5 store over the years. Will keep you all updated. Thank you all for support and showing how great the scuba community really is, you've all shown me HE is the exception to the scuba community. Thank you all!

 

[Heatheroe]

Bailey, I feel your pain, although financially we are out considerably less ($600) but still, know that you are not alone. We bounced around the idea of getting certified for 2 years before we decided to go for it. Spoke with FIVE different shops in the area. In the end, we went with the shop closest to home as the classes were through the week and we needed to come home and let our dogs out before going to class (we work in another city). It turned out to be a disaster and we still have not gotten certified although I think we will one day. We also had about a 2 month window before a vacation to get the course completed. So even though I felt we had done our research, we still got burned too. Don't give up and good luck!

Oh, I meant to add that I think you should post your experience in as many places as possible. Post on the regional forum here on SB, post on any Facebook groups for diving in your area, etc. You need to get the word out about this a-hole.

 

[nimoh]

Not sure if this would help when talking to your bank about charges, however the Dive Aloha website lists that the boat trips for private certification are between $75 and $135 depending on which boat trip is chosen. So, you shouldn't have been charged more than than without a reasonable explanation.

I'm guessing you were charged more than that, since you indicated you had paid for both him and his girlfriend.