pufferfish
Contributor
TAM dive may have contributed a lot to the Ontario dive scene in the past, but certainly over the last five years things were not well at that shop. I used to live near that shop and went there on three separate occasions only to meet surly sales people, indifferent to my business, and with no stock and inflated prices.
As of three years ago I said I would never go back and did not.
Ten days ago my brother who is just getting into scuba needed some full foot fins for a southern trip and since he lives downtown he checked out four shops for fins. Two didn't have his size and he said TAM dive was so unfriendly and uninterested he would never go back. I then told him my experience with that shop.
So what makes a good shop? There are many factors and it is rare that one can find the perfect shop but there are a few shops in the GTA that are far superior than others. Here are the factors I judge a shop on.
1. Product lines and available stock on site.
I want to touch and try on my gear rather than just order it from a catalogue.
2. Price.
MSRP or 10% off is no longer acceptable pricing in GTA. With Internet and the phone divers no longer are willing to be gouged.
3. Service
All dive shops don't offer the same quality of service and some shops are much better than others. Unfortunately it took me five years to figure out who not to take gear to in the GTA.
4. Location
This is probably quite an important factor for air fills and advice but I do not go to the nearest shop to my house as the nearest shop fails in most of the other categories.
5. Friendly, Knowledgeable staff
This is where TAM dive repeatedly failed and first impressions do count. After three strikes of crouchy sales staff I voted with my feet three years ago and it appears from this thread I was not alone.
6. Quality of teaching programs
A lot of shops don't seem to realize this is very important and continue to have 'characters' teaching for their shops.
6. Web site
Certainly not a big factor but having one just says you are keeping up with what people want. Having up to date info on location, pricing, teaching programs, etc. is what most people look for in a site. Some shops have bulletin boards where one can post gear for sale or ask questions and this is a nice addition for the dive community.
It would be interesting to do a poll and see what factors people
value most. I would say pricing, location, and friendly knowledgeable staff are probably the real drivers for choosing a shop and all the other factors secondary.
As of three years ago I said I would never go back and did not.
Ten days ago my brother who is just getting into scuba needed some full foot fins for a southern trip and since he lives downtown he checked out four shops for fins. Two didn't have his size and he said TAM dive was so unfriendly and uninterested he would never go back. I then told him my experience with that shop.
So what makes a good shop? There are many factors and it is rare that one can find the perfect shop but there are a few shops in the GTA that are far superior than others. Here are the factors I judge a shop on.
1. Product lines and available stock on site.
I want to touch and try on my gear rather than just order it from a catalogue.
2. Price.
MSRP or 10% off is no longer acceptable pricing in GTA. With Internet and the phone divers no longer are willing to be gouged.
3. Service
All dive shops don't offer the same quality of service and some shops are much better than others. Unfortunately it took me five years to figure out who not to take gear to in the GTA.
4. Location
This is probably quite an important factor for air fills and advice but I do not go to the nearest shop to my house as the nearest shop fails in most of the other categories.
5. Friendly, Knowledgeable staff
This is where TAM dive repeatedly failed and first impressions do count. After three strikes of crouchy sales staff I voted with my feet three years ago and it appears from this thread I was not alone.
6. Quality of teaching programs
A lot of shops don't seem to realize this is very important and continue to have 'characters' teaching for their shops.
6. Web site
Certainly not a big factor but having one just says you are keeping up with what people want. Having up to date info on location, pricing, teaching programs, etc. is what most people look for in a site. Some shops have bulletin boards where one can post gear for sale or ask questions and this is a nice addition for the dive community.
It would be interesting to do a poll and see what factors people
value most. I would say pricing, location, and friendly knowledgeable staff are probably the real drivers for choosing a shop and all the other factors secondary.
