Hi All:
OK, back on May 13 I started a thread called "I thought I had seen it all..." which posted a link to a local dive charter operator, Captain Dave and the Pelican II, and discussed tipping. If I thought the thread would have started this much CRAP, I wouldn't have posted it.
For those of you reading this, I've been diving with Dave before. He's a NICE guy and a GOOD captain. He's got a great boat and knows how to run it. If you read the other thread you may have come away with a different idea about him and, in fairness, it would probably be inaccurate. OK, so he got a little POed at me in a post. Well, it's the INTERNET, the last great place you can truly speak your mind. I read what he said and figured I'd give him a few days to cool down, then post back. I was kind of surprised about the Mod action, but given that Dave runs a business, I'm good with it. In any case, I didn't take what Dave said all that bad (although the "rat" reference was a bit rough, LOL), after all I put it out there on him as well.
In the real world (if you read my profile) I'm responsible for a large public safety agency that treats more than 100,000 patient customers per year. A big part of my job is keeping people happy. We always go the extra mile to make certain this happens but even if we had 999 great success stories in a month, the media SLAUGHTERS us on the one "less than perfect" example. Unfortunately, the media in DC often reports about what sells - NOT the truth or even close to it. During the week I posted about Dave, that's exactly what happened and DCFD is one of their favorite targets.
Unfortunately, it's DCFD's good Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics that suffer from negative publicity - the same men and women who often risk their lives, work their guts out and NEVER get "tipped" for their trouble. No matter how hard we seem to work to get ahead, they usually end up with the short straw. At the same time, I've noticed that some people in DC - no matter how slow they are or how poor the quality of service is that they provide - EXPECT a "tip" even for doing a BAD job and that REALLY pisses me off. There's a LOT of hard workers out there - members of the military, firefighters, police officers - even UPS and FedEx drivers - that never DREAM about getting a "tip." Yet a cab driver that won't get out of his seat to help an elderly person with their bags, can't comprehend english well enough to understand you, has no idea where he's going and has a BAD attitude about his job and life in general, expects a $5 "tip" for just driving. Oh YEAH, I get PISSED on assumptions.
SO, on the night I posted the original thread, I just happened across Dave's page looking for his charter schedule. I took the "tipping" page BADLY and, with the help of a couple of beers, decided to tell the world about it. And, just like the media in DC, posted more about what I knew would sell instead of sticking closer to the truth. The TRUTH is that I don't think Dave ever looked to make the kind of money I quoted. I said what I did to illustrate an absurd example and, unfortunately, did it quite well. In the end, I became the same thing I really dislike and that, my friends, was WRONG.
So Dave, I'm sorry.
I'm apologizing not because I posted my opinion (and you know what they say about opinions - and, yes, I REALLY am an AH at times, LOL) but because what I posted started something that got a LOT worse than I ever intended.
I like the NEW tipping page you put up and when you add the profiles of your divemasters, it's going to be cutting edge stuff for e-commerce and dive operator websites. GOOD IDEA!
Just so you know, I posted LOTS on this subject before with STRONG opinions. It ain't just you:
The "tipping" thread - Page 9
The "tipping" thread - Page 15
If ya'll think those are bad, you should read what I say about people who think they experience narcosis at 60 FT.
So, DAVE, if I dive with you again this summer, you won't leave me to swim home, will ya?
Dave?
OK, back on May 13 I started a thread called "I thought I had seen it all..." which posted a link to a local dive charter operator, Captain Dave and the Pelican II, and discussed tipping. If I thought the thread would have started this much CRAP, I wouldn't have posted it.
For those of you reading this, I've been diving with Dave before. He's a NICE guy and a GOOD captain. He's got a great boat and knows how to run it. If you read the other thread you may have come away with a different idea about him and, in fairness, it would probably be inaccurate. OK, so he got a little POed at me in a post. Well, it's the INTERNET, the last great place you can truly speak your mind. I read what he said and figured I'd give him a few days to cool down, then post back. I was kind of surprised about the Mod action, but given that Dave runs a business, I'm good with it. In any case, I didn't take what Dave said all that bad (although the "rat" reference was a bit rough, LOL), after all I put it out there on him as well.
In the real world (if you read my profile) I'm responsible for a large public safety agency that treats more than 100,000 patient customers per year. A big part of my job is keeping people happy. We always go the extra mile to make certain this happens but even if we had 999 great success stories in a month, the media SLAUGHTERS us on the one "less than perfect" example. Unfortunately, the media in DC often reports about what sells - NOT the truth or even close to it. During the week I posted about Dave, that's exactly what happened and DCFD is one of their favorite targets.
Unfortunately, it's DCFD's good Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics that suffer from negative publicity - the same men and women who often risk their lives, work their guts out and NEVER get "tipped" for their trouble. No matter how hard we seem to work to get ahead, they usually end up with the short straw. At the same time, I've noticed that some people in DC - no matter how slow they are or how poor the quality of service is that they provide - EXPECT a "tip" even for doing a BAD job and that REALLY pisses me off. There's a LOT of hard workers out there - members of the military, firefighters, police officers - even UPS and FedEx drivers - that never DREAM about getting a "tip." Yet a cab driver that won't get out of his seat to help an elderly person with their bags, can't comprehend english well enough to understand you, has no idea where he's going and has a BAD attitude about his job and life in general, expects a $5 "tip" for just driving. Oh YEAH, I get PISSED on assumptions.
SO, on the night I posted the original thread, I just happened across Dave's page looking for his charter schedule. I took the "tipping" page BADLY and, with the help of a couple of beers, decided to tell the world about it. And, just like the media in DC, posted more about what I knew would sell instead of sticking closer to the truth. The TRUTH is that I don't think Dave ever looked to make the kind of money I quoted. I said what I did to illustrate an absurd example and, unfortunately, did it quite well. In the end, I became the same thing I really dislike and that, my friends, was WRONG.
So Dave, I'm sorry.
I'm apologizing not because I posted my opinion (and you know what they say about opinions - and, yes, I REALLY am an AH at times, LOL) but because what I posted started something that got a LOT worse than I ever intended.
I like the NEW tipping page you put up and when you add the profiles of your divemasters, it's going to be cutting edge stuff for e-commerce and dive operator websites. GOOD IDEA!
Just so you know, I posted LOTS on this subject before with STRONG opinions. It ain't just you:
The "tipping" thread - Page 9
The "tipping" thread - Page 15
If ya'll think those are bad, you should read what I say about people who think they experience narcosis at 60 FT.
So, DAVE, if I dive with you again this summer, you won't leave me to swim home, will ya?
Dave?
