Scuba Schools of America/Rusty Berry

[Wookie]

The credit card company takes the money right out of your checking account during a dispute. They don't mess about asking you for the money. As soon as they rule in your favor, they refund your card. The credit card company is definitely on the side of the consumer and not the vendor during disputes.

 

[padiscubapro]

The credit card company takes the money right out of your checking account during a dispute. They don't mess about asking you for the money. As soon as they rule in your favor, they refund your card. The credit card company is definitely on the side of the consumer and not the vendor during disputes.

I agree the customer usually has the upper hand, but its not uncommon for the charges to go back and forth a few times, the only time the vedor looses immediateky is when the customer denies they mad the purchase.. I know a friend of mine had a dispute with the customer, it dragged on back and forth for about 2 years.. going the customers way then going his and back and forth.. in the end he mostly won, he was awarded most of the orginal charge and then won in court for the remainder by suing the party..

 

[Surface Interval]

Lina--do you think you might be able to become certified under a trustworthy instructor? You already knew you couldn't trust your current instructor OUTSIDE of the water, why would you feel safe below?

Glad to hear that you are trying to help other divers, especially new divers, be wary of unethical sales techniques.

I couldn't imagine any friend of mine telling me that the shop they went to saying "they said they could get me a PRIVATE LOAN!"

I do hope you will give diving another try at your own pace and meet many others who dive the same way you would like to.

Happy new year

 

[Lina77]

Lina--do you think you might be able to become certified under a trustworthy instructor? You already knew you couldn't trust your current instructor OUTSIDE of the water, why would you feel safe below?

Glad to hear that you are trying to help other divers, especially new divers, be wary of unethical sales techniques.
QUOTE]

I haven't given up on diving, I just have to take it slower and be more aware. I also have decided to try it out again in warmer waters first as that seems to be a lot more comfortable to me...

 

[fnfalman]

I also have decided to try it out again in warmer waters first as that seems to be a lot more comfortable to me...

And miss out on the good stuff that is SoCal water? :shocked2:

Seriously though, it's a lot easier to transition from cold water to warm water than vice versa. Not to mention that you wouldn't waste your warm water dive vacation learning how to dive.

 

[diver_doug]

I'm glad that every week or so someone posts on this thread so that it stays on the Socal homepage. Hopefully some Socal newbies have been steered-clear of SSA due to this thread and the many responses. @moderators...why don't you sticky this thread; it's got well over 200 responses with not a single person sticking up for Rusty Berry...I think it's safe to say SSA is a bad LDS that newcomers should be warned about.

 

[theduckguru]

I'm not standing up for the LDS in this post, but can one operate an LDS long term where all the customers are dissatisfied? I can think of several businesses where customers are grossly over charged and their customers love it ie. upscale bars and resturants hair dressers, clothing ect. If you are willing to pay $25 for a cheese burger platter, I'm sure this LDS is for you.

 

[diver_doug]

I'm not standing up for the LDS in this post, but can one operate an LDS long term where all the customers are dissatisfied? I can think of several businesses where customers are grossly over charged and their customers love it ie. upscale bars and resturants hair dressers, clothing ect. If you are willing to pay $25 for a cheese burger platter, I'm sure this LDS is for you.

Here's the difference: take for example the restaurant you mentioned above. The host doesn't say: "Hey, come in here, have a $25 cheeseburger, a $10 beer and a $20 dessert; if you don't feel the meal was worth what you spent we won't charge you a dime!" (only the thing is, the restaurant manger tells you if you were satisfied or not). Or imagine if they told you the burger was $10, but then once you pay for the burger and sit down you find out the lettuce is $5, the tomato is $5, the buns are $5.....each. The problem at SSA isn't so much with the amounts charged, it's with the underhanded nature in which these charges "arise" as well as the "satisfaction guaranteed" policy. Here's an honest sales pitch: "I guarantee you'll be satisfied or you can dispute the charges with your credit card company and/or sue me in small claims!"

 

[Surface Interval]

So glad to hear you are still going to get wet! :cheerleader:

 

[Lina77]

I totally agree with you Doug.

Well, as an update, Rusty finally decided to throw in the towel and just dealt with the fact that I won. After my CC company refunded my all my money, he emailed me to request that I bring back the equipment since he reached a settlement with Wells Fargo. HAHA...I wonder what they told him, she won, you lost, deal with it! I did so yesterday and he was apparantly too busy to deal with it, but his wife Niki, managed to get everything done and I got my receipt and if I NEVER see Rusty again, it'll be too soon...