should a customer be charged for dropping and subsequently losing a weight belt?

[Superlyte27]

this is funny that this is even a question...

The gear was the customer's responsibility. Anything that happens to that gear when in the posession of the diver should be paid for by the diver... At shops cost, not retail.

 

[Dr Neil]

The diver must pay for the lost belt. Hopefully the operator either charge wholesale or a discounted price.

 

[Quero]

Yes, the diver should either immediately replace the lost equipment or be obliged to pay replacement value. Since weights don't actually lose value once they're used, replacement value is equal to the cost of purchasing the equipment new. There's a reason we remind divers to hold their belts at the buckle when they splash in--if the buckle opens, the belt is not lost and can be re-tightened.

The fact that there was no charge for the equipment rental is neither here nor there. If a library patron borrows a book from the library at no cost and then loses the book, what do you think the borrower's responsibility in terms of replacing the book would be? If the book had already been read by dozens of people, should the charge be only the price of a "used" book? Of course not! In the same way, the dive shop will need to buy replacement gear for their stock. Why would the diver imagine that the operator would not need to pass on that expense to the person responsible for the loss?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I think "lost rental gear" replacement costs should be discussed at the time of gear rental...before the customer walks out of the shop with gear in hand. It should be stated explicitly in the rental agreement so there's no misunderstanding if the customer, for whatever reason, doesn't return the gear.

That being said, I can think of certain situations in which a lost weightbelt might not be the renter's fault. I could see that a plastic belt buckle might fail, inadvertently ditching the belt upon entry or at depth. Of course, the possibility of this happening can be minimized by having one hand on reg/mask and the other on the weightbelt buckle during a back-roll entry. Moreover, it's prudent to take a close look at buckles (in addition to many other things) as part of the pre-dive inspection.

I think, in the pre-dive briefings, DMs should emphasize safety as being the most important thing that a customer and the boat crew should be concerned about while diving. Safety is far more important than the cost of replacing any gear that may be lost. When in doubt, if it makes sense to do so, a diver should not hesitate to ditch weight (or whatever other gear) in order to ensure safety. Don't get me wrong, though. DMs can still give tips on how to properly secure personal and rental gear. I just don't think that kind of info needs to be part of the pre-dive briefing.

 

[Aggiebq86]

The only exception for this is if their was a failure in the equipment. Possibly if the boat crew/DM put the belt on the person or did the check.

 

[mk706]

Seems to be consensus - of course the diver should pay replacement costs. Still don't understand why the diver didn't spend this dive looking for the belt. Have found much gear on the bottom. Have found weight pockets with weight, but never a weighted belt.

Treasure hunting is always a great dive objective. Searching for the belt would have been both fun and engaging - lost opportunity to put training into practice.

 

[stdiver]

I saw a rescue diver student drop the weight belt of the "victim" as part of an open-water rescue scenario. The belt and weights could not be retrieved at the time (they were visible but stuck between big boulders on the bottom in a narrow and deep opening ). The dive shop did not want to charge for the belt and weights, don't know if they came back the next day to get it.

 

[Jax]

But I don't understand why it could not be recovered other than it would interrupt the dive.

I don't know about this circumstance, but I can tell you about diving Playacar -- My husband dropped his integrated weight when handing it up to the boat. We were in a maybe 2kt current. I watched it go down at about a 45^o angle from us. There'd have been no finding that thing even if we'd been at the beginning of the dive and dropped like rocks.

On the good side, tho, the guide spotted two dive belts with full weights. Fantasea's policy is that as long as they come back with at least as many pounds as went out, all is good! :cool3:

Apparently, weights and tanks get circulated a LOT around there!

 

[Garrobo]

If you lose their gear you should pay for it. And why would you not pay 'new' price? The operator has to replace it with new. People need to learn to take responsibility for their actions.

 

[ScubaSteve]

If you lose their gears you should pay for it. And why would you not pay 'new' price? The operator has to replace it with new. People need to learn to take responsibility for their actions.

I have a funny feeling that she meant that the diver should not have to pay full retail for the replacement. I could be wrong about that though.