testing brand new regulators prior to use?

[buddhasummer]

How do you expect the LDs to offer personal service when the item was purchased elsewhere? You trusted them enough to take your class there but not enough to purchase the TWO regulators you bought elsewhere. Its sort of a slap n the face to the staff at the LDS that taught you and destroyed any incentive for them to give you any type of service unless you are paying for it.. Are you saying they should do this service for free? What planet are you from?
The price may seem high, but they are doing a service that the OP does not want to do themselves.. Once they touch the regulator they own it. They have to deal with a customer that did not trust them enough to purchase the regulator from them. They do as much as scratch it and they have to answer to you. I think what they charged is fair under the circumstances.
I have had people show up for a ow class on their 1st night of pool work with complete gear set ups. They purchased online at the same price that we would charge...Makes no sense.. We refunded them their money in full and told them that I cannot teach them and to go to where they purchased the gear and get trained there.Their answer was the place they purchased the gear does not offer any classes. I even sent them to other dive facilities in the area about 15-20 minutes away.. No trust shown to me or the facility I teach out of . Two other students have done this in the past about 4-5 years ago and they actually returned all the online purchased gear and purchased from us after we explained the service that can go with the sale. They have taken at least 4 trips to the islands with us..One is now in a IDC at our facility , IE next weekend, and his wife is in a AI course with us. They will be getting classes assigned and make $$$ thru the facility.

Cutting off your nose to spite your face, I don't mean to be rude but it sounds a little childish.

 

[flots am]

Cutting off your nose to spite your face, I don't mean to be rude but it sounds a little childish.

Not really. Apparently the shop requires the money from the equipment sales to make the class profitable. They're just refusing to provide a service at a loss.

Most aren't quite that "up-front" about it, but money is money. "Good Will" is a nice concept in retail, but you can't pay the utility bills with it.

flots.

 

[buddhasummer]

sorry i should've been more clear in my first post. i took my gear in to show off to some guys in the dive club, and while there i asked the owner for tips on lube and his opinion whether or not it was something i could put together at home. an instructor chimed in that a professional at the shop should do the work, and asked my wife if my life insurance policy was up to date implying i was foolish for wanting to put together my own gear.

in no way was i picking his brain about the pros/cons of every lube out there, the best/worst tools for the job, what torque setting i should use to tighten the bolts, etc. i just asked him a simple question in passing as i was walking out the door. you're free to think that i was using them for free service, but that certainly wasn't my intention.

I believe you, personally I'd go elsewhere just based on this thread alone, each to their own.

 

[flots am]

I believe you, personally I'd go elsewhere just based on this thread alone, each to their own.

Many locations don't have a conveniently located "elsewhere"

 

[buddhasummer]

Not really. Apparently the shop requires the money from the equipment sales to make the class profitable. They're just refusing to provide a service at a loss.

Most aren't quite that "up-front" about it, but money is money. "Good Will" is a nice concept in retail, but you can't pay the utility bills with it.

flots.

If that was in fact the case then I can more easily understand but from the post this was not clear to me.

---------- Post added May 22nd, 2013 at 10:02 AM ----------

Many locations don't have a conveniently located "elsewhere"

Then I guess everyone loses.

---------- Post added May 22nd, 2013 at 10:06 AM ----------

Not really. Apparently the shop requires the money from the equipment sales to make the class profitable. They're just refusing to provide a service at a loss.

Most aren't quite that "up-front" about it, but money is money. "Good Will" is a nice concept in retail, but you can't pay the utility bills with it.

flots.

and if this is the shop policy then perhaps it should be clearly spelt out to avoid issues i.e if you don't buy equipment from us we may not be able to teach you.

I'm sure what you are saying is sometimes the case but am unsure if it so in this particular case.

 

[redacted]

Not really. Apparently the shop requires the money from the equipment sales to make the class profitable. They're just refusing to provide a service at a loss.

Most aren't quite that "up-front" about it, but money is money. "Good Will" is a nice concept in retail, but you can't pay the utility bills with it.

flots.

If that was in fact the case then I can more easily understand but from the post this was not clear to me.

---------- Post added May 22nd, 2013 at 10:02 AM ----------



Then I guess everyone loses.

---------- Post added May 22nd, 2013 at 10:06 AM ----------



and if this is the shop policy then perhaps it should be clearly spelt out to avoid issues i.e if you don't buy equipment from us we may not be able to teach you.

I'm sure what you are saying is sometimes the case but am unsure if it so in this particular case.

No such policy mentioned on their web site. Sounds like retribution to me.

http://www.scubanewyork.com/

 

[DCBC]

...whether or not a brand new regulator and attachments should be tested prior to first use?

Every piece of equipment should be tested before each dive (pre-dive check). You don't need to have a shop put a new regulator together for you. If a person can't prepare their regulator for a dive, I'd question if they possess the technical ability to SCUBA dive at all. I'm sure that you do, or you wouldn't make the suggestion to put it together with the attachments at home.

In all fairness to your LDS, you asked them how much to put it together. You were told. It's like asking a cab driver How much to Alaska? If you have that much money to spend, good for you. I suppose that it could be a novelty to spread it around to the little people... I'd like to do that too, but unfortunately I've had to work for a living...

 

[buddhasummer]

No such policy mentioned on their web site. Sounds like retribution to me.

Scuba New York - Learn To Dive - Purchase Scuba Equipment - Call 914-779-2966

It reads like that to me also.

 

[novasquid]

It's like asking a cab driver How much to Alaska? If you have that much money to spend, good for you.

except i took a competing cab to get to this cab driver, and he's pissed i took another cab and now won't drive me to alaska.

 

[buddhasummer]

except i took a competing cab to get to this cab driver, and he's pissed i took another cab and now won't drive me to alaska.