Problems with Scuba.com

[mike_s]

I must say I have problems with Scuba.com as well. I sent in an SPG to exchange from Oceanic and was told the turnaround would be 1 week, but it's been 3 weeks now. Which is fine I can understand a delay, but numerous requests to have them call Oceanic to find out why the delay have produced nothing. They're always polite but don't follow through.

Adam

The gauge that was brought into our Repair Dept was damaged by the customer and was a discontinued style. We were able to contact Oceanic and find a refurbished unit. Their regular turn around is 2 to 3 weeks from the time they receive it, which during the summer months maybe longer. Our Returns manager has been on the phone with both our customer and Oceanic and we proceeding as quickly as possible. If you feel there is a problem that is not being resolved in a timely or professional manner you can contact Bill in the Returns Dept. bill@scuba.com. We do apologize for the delay and hope to resolve this as quickly as possible.

seems he's been trying to get you to contact them all along. see above in Bold

seems like you didn't follow up any of that information with the poster. (or didn't call Oceanic in the first place....)

 

[ScubaSteve]

Or perhaps the OP has embellished their story a bit for our benefit.

 

[letterboy]

or perhaps Mr Bill is actually doing all the leg work on his own now instead of having a customer service tech do it . . .

 

[letterboy]

you know one thing I notice about these threads is that no one ever complains about walmart, target, sears, macy's etc it is always the small stores, ie dive shops . . .

Wonder how many people have a bad experience at one of those places and continues to shop there. . .

 

[Doc]

People naturally want to resolve their issues one way or the other, and we have the biggest draw.

Resolving them is good. Taking a very few details of an in-progress event to the forum of the Court of the Internet is what I was referencing in regards to "first posts".

Since (with all do respect) most of the people here have much more experience than me I didn't find a place to contribute my opinion but to use your experience.

Quite the contrary, and in this case, that would be a specific example.

Wouldn't it to have been better to search on SB, or if that wasn't fruitful, to create a thread here first, asking opinions about doing business with a specific internet merchant?

After a search, why not post a question? Better than this situation, right?

Could it be that internet buying is strongly suggested on here and they figure there might be someone that might be able to help them out?

I imagine the best person "to help them out" is themselves. As Pete says, it would be best to call them and ask them. From Israel, this would likely cost more than the transaction itself. So- lesson learned- the address for shipping and payment should match.

I know that when we order something, we're all anxious for it to arrive! Instant gratification is waaay toooo slooooow.

But when we come on an internet forum and do not emphasize the foreign shipment and payment issues, when we do not state specific dates of ordering and more... who can assist in any meaningful manner?

Uriho- I feel your pain and anxiousness to accept shipment of the bright shiny objects that will undoubtedly soon arrive and be in your hands... please post a full message telling us about the actual dates of order and delivery... all the way to Israel!

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

you know one thing I notice about these threads is that no one ever complains about walmart, target, sears, macy's etc it is always the small stores, ie dive shops . . .

Wonder how many people have a bad experience at one of those places and continues to shop there. . .

I don't think this is a fair comparison though.

One thing is online shopping is unique in many ways. It's pretty tough to purchase an item thinking it's in stock and then not have it in your hands as you leave a physical store. One of the differences between Scuba.com and Scubatoys is when an item was out of stock at Scuba.com I got no indication, no phone call, email or anything, Scubatoys called me the next business day to apologize and sort it out: far better customer experience. I guess the large "competitor" (and i use that loosely for dive gear) in the online world would be Amazon, who are often rated based on their customer service, but they realize the importance of it so most don't complain about it.

Another is that smaller shops generally don't compete solely on price like Walmart does, you are expecting superior service as the differentiator. Scuba.com and Scubatoys have similar prices, so I'm going to shop at the one with the better customer service. The one time I will shop Scuba.com is for accessories because the one main advantage they have is selection. But if I'm buying a Zeagle Ranger, selection has nothing to do with my choice of shop as long as both have it: customer service is the differentiator.

Another is that a place like Walmart is not a specialty store: no one is realistically expecting great service, expertise etc. They expect to go in, fill up a shopping cart, and get out with as low a price as possible.

And all that said; people do complain about big stores: they didn't keep enough in stock for a sale, lines are too long, returns were a hassle, etc. As for people continuing to shop there, it may be that due to good price or whatever people are willing to live with the bad experiences. With dive shops, most are pretty similar in most ways, so there is no reason to not go to a competitor when you have a bad experience. Additionally, dive shops are big ticket purchases (I have known people who won't buy a make of car because of their local dealer). Dive shops simply need to compete on superior customer service or maybe in some places location because it's tough to compete on price or other things.

 

[letterboy]

I don't think this is a fair comparison though.

One thing is online shopping is unique in many ways. It's pretty tough to purchase an item thinking it's in stock and then not have it in your hands as you leave a physical store. One of the differences between Scuba.com and Scubatoys is when an item was out of stock at Scuba.com I got no indication, no phone call, email or anything, Scubatoys called me the next business day to apologize and sort it out: far better customer experience. I guess the large "competitor" (and i use that loosely for dive gear) in the online world would be Amazon, who are often rated based on their customer service, but they realize the importance of it so most don't complain about it.

Another is that smaller shops generally don't compete solely on price like Walmart does, you are expecting superior service as the differentiator. Scuba.com and Scubatoys have similar prices, so I'm going to shop at the one with the better customer service. The one time I will shop Scuba.com is for accessories because the one main advantage they have is selection. But if I'm buying a Zeagle Ranger, selection has nothing to do with my choice of shop as long as both have it: customer service is the differentiator.

Another is that a place like Walmart is not a specialty store: no one is realistically expecting great service, expertise etc. They expect to go in, fill up a shopping cart, and get out with as low a price as possible.

And all that said; people do complain about big stores: they didn't keep enough in stock for a sale, lines are too long, returns were a hassle, etc. As for people continuing to shop there, it may be that due to good price or whatever people are willing to live with the bad experiences. With dive shops, most are pretty similar in most ways, so there is no reason to not go to a competitor when you have a bad experience. Additionally, dive shops are big ticket purchases (I have known people who won't buy a make of car because of their local dealer). Dive shops simply need to compete on superior customer service or maybe in some places location because it's tough to compete on price or other things.

Not going to argue that dive retail is different then "normal" retail.

Walmart and the like do carry a wide variety of items, how about Best Buy, Radioshack, Circuit City (when it was around), Bass Pro Shop, Gander Mountain?

these are still considered "chain" stores but all have/had an store front as well as a e-tailer.

Why shouldn't we expect "great" service from every place we shop? is it to much to ask for staff to be courteous to everyone? to know at least where something is located, i.e. the toilet paper is over there or the spinner baits are over in aisles 3-5?


you know what after typing that, I think it boils down to the fact that in every thread here on SB folks always say "vote with your dollar" but when it comes down to real life, i.e. not dive equipment they don't seem to mind getting pissed on at walmart, BJ's sears, macy's etc.

 

[tridacna]

you know one thing I notice about these threads is that no one ever complains about walmart, target, sears, macy's etc it is always the small stores, ie dive shops . . .

Wonder how many people have a bad experience at one of those places and continues to shop there. . .

That's because their return policies are so good. Ever had a problem returning anything at Costco?

 

[ScubaSteve]

What are you doing with your spinner baits that requires toilet paper?

Not going to argue that dive retail is different then "normal" retail.

Walmart and the like do carry a wide variety of items, how about Best Buy, Radioshack, Circuit City (when it was around), Bass Pro Shop, Gander Mountain?

these are still considered "chain" stores but all have/had an store front as well as a e-tailer.

Why shouldn't we expect "great" service from every place we shop? is it to much to ask for staff to be courteous to everyone? to know at least where something is located, i.e. the toilet paper is over there or the spinner baits are over in aisles 3-5?


you know what after typing that, I think it boils down to the fact that in every thread here on SB folks always say "vote with your dollar" but when it comes down to real life, i.e. not dive equipment they don't seem to mind getting pissed on at walmart, BJ's sears, macy's etc.

 

[letterboy]

That's because their return policies are so good. Ever had a problem returning anything at Costco?

ever try to return an item that cost more then 35 to target without a receipt? or even try and exchange it for another of the same item?

FYI - I don't shop at stores like Walmart, costco and BJ's. I think they are taking "big box" to a whole new size and have so little care about the manufacturer they will drive the price as low as they can causing the manuf to take short cuts. these short cuts mean moving plants to 3rd world countries, causing non-repairable damage to the environment, creating unsafe work places etc.