BDSC
Contributor
I agree with Wookie here, apparently you don't get out very much....
I've literally have been told the following things by certain of my LDSs:
1) I don't buy/spend enough $ at their shop
2) To stay the h*ll away from the shop's other divers after I accidentally mentioned Scubatoys to a diver and the LDS owner overheard me
3) been removed from the mailing/e-mail lists of said dive shop
...so, while the words 'you're banned from my shop' weren't spoken, it was clearly a defacto ban, and one would have to be pretty clueless to interpret those actions otherwise!
We have four local dive shops in our area and I have visited all four and bought from all four. They know I do business at all four from time to time and I never get anything less than a smile when I walk in and a handshake. I know business is tough for these guys but even when things were booming their attitude has always been the same, they were glad to get whatever business I gave them.
That's why I found it hard to believe that an owner of a shop would say, "Do business with me or don't come back". And I very well may be right because the OP did say it wasn't the owner who said that but a salesman/instructor and the two are definitely not the same. The OP did say he was going to talk with the owner to get his view of things so perhaps he will report back soon to tell us what the owners views are.
But I probably do need to get out more.