Reef Club Cozumel / Sand Dollar Sports Trip Report

[pilot fish]

I'm probably going to regret this...

There are smaller dive ops on Cozumel that are reasonably priced and have rinse tanks, lockers, etc. Blue Angel, for example.

I'll hang up now and listen. ;^)

I think you're right about them. I heard they were good. Don't know them.

 

[pilot fish]

I have come to learn, since that post, that they are really good, confirmed by many divers *I KNOW* from the Reef Club. I realize that you cannot hold an entire Dive Op at fault for one or two lazy DM's. I'm giving them another chance in late April, early May. I have also heard from the DiveOp that assured me they would not let that happen again. I'm also impressed with their honesty and dedication to do the best job they can. They also have many boats, not just one or two.

I like thier rinse tanks, convenience of being right there onsite, their private dock, security lockers, the reasonable price and the owner

Huh? You are contradicting pretty much EVERYTHING you said earlier in this thread

From earlier:


There is a reason you don't see the good dive ops on here responding to criticism... THEY DON'T HAVE TOO!!! FWIW - I've never been out with Sand Dollar but their limiting of bottom times insure that I never will either. So, you see, they really aren't as reasonable as you say they are.


What does reading have to do with posting? There are plenty of people who lurk who have a good grasp on reality... not everyone feels the need to rack up a 5 post a day average.

OMG - I can't believe I went through this whole thread again... Ugh!

 

[pilot fish]

I dove with SDS for a week three years ago when they were the dive operation at the Melia. They got us to the reefs on time each day, gave us a good deal and even paid for cab fare to there dock. However bottem time was an issue. Our group of three often had 12-19 hundred PSI left when they called "time". Several times we stayed an additional ten minutes and were chastised by the DM upon returning to the boat. Sounds like things have not changed much.

I would have an issue with that too but that was not the case with me .I have heard they do that on ocassion and that is not good. If it happens to me, you will hear about it.:no

 

[pilot fish]

yep... me too. sigh

moodie, you were on topic and pointed out a few inconsistnces from my earlier post. You did a good job without getting personal.

 

[Moodiejeff]

You did a good job without getting personal.

Let me try again...

Anyway, good luck with them... definitely report back (as I know you will)

 

[Spike_Digger]

Suzanne, I appreciate you taking the time to reply, but it doesn't appear that you're taking advantage of my feedback to improve your customer service.

Hotel people do not want to dive with curise ship people so we send the Express out with only Cruise Ship divers.

It's your business. You can run it as you see fit. The real issue I had is with the level of honesty when dealing with the divers that are shut out. Instead of saying "We don't have any boats going out tomorrow", why not just be honest? Like, "Sorry, we have only one boat going out tomorrow morning, and it is chartered to the cruise ships." Put yourself in your customer's shoes, and imagine how you would feel after being told that no boats are going out, only to walk down to the dock the next day and see a boatload of divers going out? Honestly always works better in the long run.

In reference to a student going on a certified boat:
If at all possible we do not mix students with certified divers. The certified divers do not like that at all. Im sure you understand.

Can't say that I do. I've been on boats multiple times with student divers and never cared. As long as they are in their own group, it doesn't affect me. Again, it's your business, I'll stay out. But the issue that I still have is with honesty. After being shut out for days, and being told we'd be put on the next boat going out, it hurts to be left on shore, watching 5 boats go out, and be told "Sorry, we don't have any boats." As frustrating as it would be, it would still be better to be told the truth - "Sorry, due to the weather our boats are overbooked, and we don't allow students on a boat with certified divers."

In reference to the new diver having bouyance problems"
I know who the DM was and according to him, this did calm her.

So you're saying that you do approve of a DM taking a first time diver, who is struggling with buoyancy control, into an overhead environment at 80'? I was hoping to hear more SB members pipe in with their thoughts about this one, because you're apparently not the only one who thinks that way. It goes directly against what is taught in the PADI open water class, but some people think it's ok.

In reference to the new diver having problems with clearing her ears:
According to the DM he kept asking if she was OK. To which she replied 'yes'

So you do support the idea of a DM dragging a diver down by their chest strap? Whatever happened to a DM adding weight to the underweighted diver's BC, and letting them descend at a comfortable pace?

In reference to divers not be allowed to dive from the Reef Club Beach:
Divers are not allowed to dive in that area as the Harbor master has deemed it a "Boat traffic Area" If you were caught out there with one of our tanks, we would be fined. We do offer free tanks for beach diving from our location in Chankanaab park. All you have to do is go there and dive. We also provide you with tanks to dive in our training pool.

As a genuine constructive suggestion, you might ask your staff to mention the bit about free tanks in Chankanaab, when divers come asking for tanks. I wish I had known that.

I will tell you this and in all sincerity......everytime the port is closed for bad weather the operator is held to blame. We do not make that decision. Its like when the airline lose luggage, everybody screams at the poor person behind the ticket counter. Im sorry the weather was bad and that you did not have a good vacation.

That may be the case, but frankly, I'm not complaining about the weather. Yeah, the weather was bad. It happens, and it stresses a normally well-run system. But it's when the s#!t hits the fan that customer service is so important. Like you, I work in the service industry. There are a couple of sayings in our business, "The customer is always right" and "Nobody has ever won an argument with their customer." Of course, these sayings aren't literally true, but what they do remind us is that if the customer is upset, then something isn't right. Talking to your DMs and proving me wrong, really won't change a thing. But coaching your staff to be upfront and honest about the situations at hand, just might.

Imagine the rave reviews that your op would get, if things had been just a little different. Instead of saying "Sorry, we don't have any boats", what if a member of your staff had said, "Sorry, our only boat tomorrow is full, but here is a list of phone numbers for other dive operators that may have space available." Or even better, "We're sorry that we don't have space available, but we'd be happy to make a few calls for you, and see if we can arrange a pickup here tomorrow."

This stuff isn't rocket science. Everybody just wants to be treated with a little respect.