The Golden Rule v. Dive Deposits

[LI-er]

yeah but he also said he often has to move the boat somewhere closer to the dive site. so now he's using gas to do that, and presumably he's paying additional docking fees at whatever marina he's gonna keep the boat at. you think all of that should fall on him if the weather doesn't cooperate?

Yes. That's the cost of running a business.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

there are also quite a few divers who enter the sport every year and want to go diving, but there aren't enough boats to fill the demand.

Maybe @Darcy Kieran can chime in as he's studied/published data about it.

 

[fullytek]

That's ridiculous. You're going to drive yourself directly into bankruptcy.

Actually no.
What's bankrupting is trying to do business with unreliable people.

Like I said we will sell those dates to real divers who are prepared to accept the financial risks that go along with diving off the beaten path.

Clearly you are not cut out for remote or expedition diving.

 

[LI-er]

there have been more than a few boats since that time. two of them stopped running for the explicit reasons I mentioned. with the price of everything these days it's become a difficult business to run.

there are also quite a few divers who enter the sport every year and want to go diving, but there aren't enough boats to fill the demand.

No doubt. Dive boats run on thin margins to an ever decreasing base of customers.

Keeping deposits when the boat doesn't run is going to out off potential customers when there aren't that many to begin with. No matter how it may be rationalized including idiotic statements suggesting that those divers who balk at the "no refunds ever" policy are not going to show up.

 

[LI-er]

Clearly you are not cut out for remote or expedition diving.

Not on your boat.

 

[Pavao]

Deposits are non-refundable. In the event of weather or issue on our end we will provide a credit for future trips but not a refund.



risk must be shared.

No, risk is not shared, we aren’t business partners, I’m hiring you and paying for your services, if the services can’t be provided, don’t keep my money.

When the opportunity to use your services again on a later date arises, then I’ll pay for those dates.

 

[LI-er]

No, risk is not shared, we aren’t business partners, I’m hiring you and paying for your services, if the services can’t be provided, don’t keep my money.

You said it better than I did. I wonder if it's even legal to keep money for services not rendered. I know it's a solid reason to dispute a credit card charge and due in small claims court.

 

[fullytek]

Yes. That's the cost of running a business.

Ok let say I take my boat up to the Hart this summer and we get blown out 5 days in a row.

My total trailering distance is over 1600 miles.

I should absorb all of that cost.

I would be better off staying home and going to work.

If you want to dive the cool stuff you need to put some skin in the game .

 

[JMarc]

The people who have a problem with paying a deposit are the same ones who are not going to show up

For a given revenue, the shop can either spread the cost of a risk between customers by increasing the price, or makes unlucky one lose their deposit.

For each risk, the shop can choose its policy. As a customer, the perception of fairness is quite bad if the risk of cancelation I don't initiate is not spread.

 

[The Chairman]

I read the first few pages of this and was/am totally unimpressed.

Vote with your fins.

If you don't like how an op is run, don't use them. If you don't like a non-refundable find another ride. Some ops are just too small and have too thin of a margin to be able to be able to do it differently.

I booked trip o a sixpack but was not able make it. I'm not rich, no one in the dive industry is, but I did not request a refund. I'm pretty sure it was non-refundable at that, and I accepted that. I certainly didn't cripe about it and would gladly book that ride again.

I certainly didn't feel pressured to get on that boat. My intestines called that trip, and within a few minutes of them leaving the dock, I was in the johnny... again. Mind you, I had a buddy on that dive, so I waited around until they got back about 4 hours later.

Calling a dive isn't always easy. You prep not only your gear, but your psyche as well. That's more compelling than a few bucks to me. If you're so strapped that you can't afford to support the boat, then make a wiser choice. Don't expect them to take the hit if they've spelled out their policies.

Just my opinion. Dive and let dive. Life's too short to worry about the little stuff, and this seems like little stuff. Well, at least to me!