Rude, $-grubbing Local Dive Shops

[Roy Day]

Hi,

I feel so bad that you and your wife were subjected to that kind of treatment. I got certified by Scuba Cowboys in Yuma, Arizona. They were extremely respectful and helpful and would even schedule their sessions around MY schedule. I know that Arizona is a plane ticket away from you but I wish you would just check them out if you happen to go to the west coast. They are worth it.

 

[mwilding]

The horror aspect of the OP's stories are tempered by his consistently naive and passive approach to dealing with LDS'

When you buy something that would "be a bargain at twice the price" you have to expect a catch...

 

[tomboyy]

There's some merit to that theory, and an instructor screaming at the student is probably a reasonable substitute for the student's lungs screaming at him during a real open water situation. The trouble is, the instructor really can't explain that to the students ahead of time, lest they take the training situations less seriously - knowing it's a game

WOW... who would put up with that besides a new recruit?

 

[TheAlmightyHubbard]

Hearing all this bad stuff about local dive shops I feel very fortunate to have a Divers Direct near me. Very professional, well-sized store with awesome staff.

Find Scuba Gear and Scuba Diving Equipment at the Largest Scuba Equipment Retail!

 

[peterbj7]

I got certified by Scuba Cowboys in Yuma, Arizona. They were extremely respectful and helpful

So "Scuba Cowboys" aren't scuba cowboys? Rather like an operation here called "BAD" which most certainly isn't.

 

[Stu S.]

The LDS that i got my OW cert through was kind of a shyster outfit as well. His entire business model is to get you into the shop as many times as possible and try to upsell everything. Example: our evening classroom training was about 50% a pitch for various trips and advanced classes he was selling. Also, he refused to sign the logbook after the dives were completed, made you come to the shop to sign it, then again to pick up the card, all the while telling you you need BCD, reg, everything. My checkout dives were 5 minutes of skill review, and then sat on the bottom while he dug up clams for himself. No returns in the shop for refund, only "store credit". The other dive shop in our area laughs when they say how they get all his repeat business.

This technique was used back when the agency NASDS was tight with Scubapro. Each instructor was associated with a store. Establish the instructor as a "superior" with the customer as the "subordinate student". That allows the instructor to better direct the student to buy plenty of gear. Reinforce the need to follow the instructor always.

School band instruments are sometimes sold the same way.

Notice the happiness of the Diver's Direct customer. A big bright store you can browse around, it is more like Macy's that a little dive shop. People like going there. The store is on the highway to the better dive sites. Open til 9pm. Makes you want to buy things. Makes you feel good about it.

 

[Andy077]

This technique was used back when the agency NASDS was tight with Scubapro. Each instructor was associated with a store. Establish the instructor as a "superior" with the customer as the "subordinate student". That allows the instructor to better direct the student to buy plenty of gear. Reinforce the need to follow the instructor always.

School band instruments are sometimes sold the same way.

Notice the happiness of the Diver's Direct customer. A big bright store you can browse around, it is more like Macy's that a little dive shop. People like going there. The store is on the highway to the better dive sites. Open til 9pm. Makes you want to buy things. Makes you feel good about it.

Yeah, more than once I tried to stop in to take care of these little paperwork things, already annoyed that I have to make so many trips to the shop (and to get there before they close means fighting rush hour traffic in lower Fairfield County!) only to have him not there, but "Oh, he just stepped out, you can browse through the store until he comes back" No thanks.

 

[=C=]

Hearing all this bad stuff about local dive shops I feel very fortunate to have a Divers Direct near me. Very professional, well-sized store with awesome staff.

Find Scuba Gear and Scuba Diving Equipment at the Largest Scuba Equipment Retail!

Ive been in the one near orlando and it was OK. Felt kinda like a scuba walmart... scrubbed clean of character but very professional

Im probably a mom/pop shop guy for life.

 

[Stu S.]

Ive been in the one near orlando and it was OK. Felt kinda like a scuba walmart... scrubbed clean of character but very professional

Im probably a mom/pop shop guy for life.

Hey, buddy. When I go to Diver’s Direct Orlando, my wife and daughter (college diver) often want to come along.

They don’t typically join me when I go to the shop next to the tattoo parlor and biker bar. If you return to Orlando, I'll give you directions, as you would get a kick out of it.

 

[=C=]

...daughter (college diver)...

Hmmm if you send me her phone number I'm willing to get a second opinion

but seriously...

I wasn’t referring to the store in a negative way... The one I was at (which oddly didnt look like this):

(maybe an old location?) had lots of bright fluorescent lights, and neon snorkels, and big glass cases. Wayyyy too corporate for me. This is what I like in a dive shop:

NOVINKY
edit: no photos of the store on the site... I'll post some tomorrow...

but its a little place with lots of gear, 2 guys that pretty much live there, a stack of tanks by the door, tanks filled in 5 minutes, and lots of photos from the trips the shop has hosted...

I don’t know if you saw the "what would you ideal dive shop be like" thread but I think many people enjoy places like ST that area bit more casual.