Problems with LDS. Need advice. (LONG READ)

[craracer]

......but lets face it not all customers are respectful and gracious.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. The manager actually thanked me for not blowing a gasket, and went on to say"...because that's what I would have felt like doing if I were in your shoes".

As a last resort I will be more than firm, but starting off the dialog that way does nothing more than build walls and resentments.

 

[Ana]

craracer I'm reading your posts and you sound way too nice. You actually apologized to the manufacturer for dragging them into this? na ha!! It is their product, who the hell they have as dealers?

Then you drive back again another kazillion of miles and tell the manager you are disappointed.

This is not going to end well.

Read again CamG's post, actually no you are just to too nice and you are being taken. Try to talk CamG into a visit to your place and have him go with you, maybe you are lucky and you are somewhere close to Indiana. Invite him to go diving ...who knows maybe he'll accept. For sure it would cost you less to pay for his trip, the procedure he describe should get your money back in one visit.

 

[Tropicalwolf]

That's what you get dealing with many LDSs...

Two word solution: Internet Purchases

 

[craracer]

Ana: Yea, I probably am too nice. But, once you push me over the line (As you can see, I'm pretty patient), you don't want to be anywhere down range.:shocked2: My wife has a term for this......."Code Black".

I still have hopes of a tidy ending. If not, my credit card company has indicated that they will do a charge-back, and I'll drive the additional 10 or so miles to another shop (which carries the same drysuit).

I'm going to give the shop until Monday to resolve this...after that, they've "crossed the line". :cussing::cussing:

Maybe I should sic CamG on them?

 

[Ana]

Code Black uh?. So you are one of those, that takes takes takes and suddenly explodes. I"ve seen people like that. We all have our ways.

Well I really wish you good luck... Just in case keep the CamG option open.

 

[craracer]

I made the 45 minute trek to the shop again today. My suit was in, but needed the rings installed. Fortunately, the shop technician, who has done them previously, would be there.

I arrived as the technician started working on the rings. It didn't take me long to figure out that this wasn't going to go well. So, I jumped in on one of the arms. Brilliant.

I actually installed, removed, and reinstalled one of the rings while he was struggling with one. I went ahead and installed the ring he was working on. All-in-all, it took an hour to complete.

I threw the suit over my shoulder, and the technician gave me a package containing an owners manual (nothing fancy...just a Zerox copy spiral bound together), a small tube of zip wax, and a small bottle of zip cleaner. I already had all of these things, but thought "What the h*ll, I'll take it. After all, it's the least they can do".

I then went to the manager and asked them to mail me the drysuit bag when it comes in. The manager was standing directly in front of a rack full of rental drysuit bags. They said "I thought you already had a manual". I said that I did. They then reached for the package I was holding, and took it back saying "Yes, and you already have the wax and zip cleaner" and took it back.

All I could think was "You cheap....". And what the heck, how about saying something like "Say, why don't you take one of the rental bags? When your bag comes in, I will mail it to you along with a return envelope, and you can send the rental bag back?"

And dive shops wonder why their customers are ordering things on the internet. Get a clue.

 

[PhotoTJ]

Now, this sounds like just a crappy Manager/Owner, but there is a weird thing that happens in customer service businesses.

You always have one customer who you can never make happy. It's not the customers fault, by any means, (there is the occasional customer that is out to screw you, but they are few and far between, I only came across one of those in the 6 dive shops I've worked), what happens is you can have one mistake every three months, and it will be with the same customer. Not sure why it happens that way, but I've seen and worked enough retail to know it's true. Their order will be the one that's back ordered, gets lost in shipping, gets destroyed in shipping, will break on the first day, or their boat reservation will get dropped, just 'Murphy's Customer', everything that can go wrong, will go wrong, but only with them.

Now, in this instance, these clowns sound like clueless wonders, and the fault sounds totally with them, but sometimes you just have to accept that you are going to be that shop's Murphy, and go to another shop. It's nothing personal, and they may be very good otherwise, you are just that guy.

(The odds of you being 'Murphy' at two shops are pretty high.)