mvtek
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Can anyone out there set me straight on the policy for charging referral fees to someone if they do their OW's with a diff. instructor? Specifically, PADI.
Referral Fees
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sure,
basically most entry level courses have an academic section, a skill development section (pool) and an open water section (dives)
the referral system is so people ( perhaps like yourself) can change location or instructor. Many people take their class and pool at home and dont get charged for diving in some local mudhole as they would rather pop down to the carribean and pay for the diving section down there.
All in all you end up paying a similar amount, just divided between two different shops or instructors.
The referral fee is specifically the money you pay in Jamaica or Cayman for the 4 open water dives and the certification.
If this is what you are planning to do, then make sure your initial dive store knows that this is your plan, and that the paperwork is in good order and with you when you rock up to divestore number two.
basically most entry level courses have an academic section, a skill development section (pool) and an open water section (dives)
the referral system is so people ( perhaps like yourself) can change location or instructor. Many people take their class and pool at home and dont get charged for diving in some local mudhole as they would rather pop down to the carribean and pay for the diving section down there.
All in all you end up paying a similar amount, just divided between two different shops or instructors.
The referral fee is specifically the money you pay in Jamaica or Cayman for the 4 open water dives and the certification.
If this is what you are planning to do, then make sure your initial dive store knows that this is your plan, and that the paperwork is in good order and with you when you rock up to divestore number two.
I think what mvtek is actually asking is about being charged referral fees by the shop sending the referral out, not completing the OW dives. Yes, some shops do this. My sister paid for her full cert through a shop and decided to do her checkouts in St. Maarten. The shop charged her an extra $40 for completing the referral paperwork she had to bring to St. Maarten with her. Then she paid the dive op in St. Maarten their fee.
mvtek, agencies don't mandate any kind of referral fees. If what I described is what's happening to you, it's the shop that has that policy. I don't agree with the practice, so when I take referrals, I just copy the record of the training received for my files that way student divers don't have to pay those exorbitant fees.
mvtek, agencies don't mandate any kind of referral fees. If what I described is what's happening to you, it's the shop that has that policy. I don't agree with the practice, so when I take referrals, I just copy the record of the training received for my files that way student divers don't have to pay those exorbitant fees.
The 1st Shop wil keep your folder and just give you copys of what you need for the referral, they have to keep the original folder for liability purposes. The fees differ from Store to Store, some charge some don't. In hinesight, you should've asked before hand.
First the referral is in the logboook now - the only paperwork you need is a copy of the medical form - they will have you complete liability stuff on your own at the resort -
we send alot of referrals, but OW training fees are built into our OW class price, so we do not charge anything, especially since PADI put the referral form in the class logbook - now, if you were not completeing the logbook and the instructor did not sign off for each section, thats a problem
in reality there should be no charge from a PADI store for to issue a referral because the log book is in your possession and the instructor should have been signing off after each completed task - also in PADI, the certifying instructor is the one that conducts the last dive of the OW section, so no paperwork should be brought home
what we have been told on referrals is that resorts charge upwards of $250 inlcuding gear rental, boat fees, instructor fees and PIC
plwtwo, do you teach in ALpharetta? My niece and her family live there and would love to get them involved
we send alot of referrals, but OW training fees are built into our OW class price, so we do not charge anything, especially since PADI put the referral form in the class logbook - now, if you were not completeing the logbook and the instructor did not sign off for each section, thats a problem
in reality there should be no charge from a PADI store for to issue a referral because the log book is in your possession and the instructor should have been signing off after each completed task - also in PADI, the certifying instructor is the one that conducts the last dive of the OW section, so no paperwork should be brought home
what we have been told on referrals is that resorts charge upwards of $250 inlcuding gear rental, boat fees, instructor fees and PIC
plwtwo, do you teach in ALpharetta? My niece and her family live there and would love to get them involved
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