Shaka Doug: I appreciate your post. I know that diving the Back Wall is not a scam. Some of you in Hawaii are lucky enough to dive it so many times that you might forget why I would want to take my family back there for a look. I don't have endless money, so I may never get the chance to go back to your island and try it again. It certainly won't happen for us as a family. It was a lost opportunity, so yes, it was a big fail (epic might be overstating it a little) for a professional dive op to behave like that. I wouldn't run a business that way, and I get the sense that you don't run yours that way either.
As I said earlier, the purpose of this post was not to trash a business, but instead, it was a chance to vent and maybe give everyone another question to ask when booking a trip: "You don't take snorkelers on this trip, do you?" If I believe I have been wronged, I discuss it with the business owner and give them a chance to make it right. If they don't, they will never get my business again. Sure, I will tell all my friends, and I might even send you a private message with names if you had asked, but I'm not convinced that disparaging a business on an internet forum is the right thing to do. Besides, I believed that the company owner took my complaint seriously, so the rest of you where not at risk of having the same thing happen to you.
As it turns out, I got a message today that the company has issued a refund to my credit card. Mistakes and poor judgement happen; how they are dealt with is what matters to me. I'm glad I didn't name names because now I know that the company has integrity and no reputations were damaged.
Grandizer52: What are your thoughts on this?