I guess one slant to the whole "on-line vs. LDS" argument that I never hear about is unfair or biased brand preference.
Since an on-line scuba shop represents so many brands, I never feel I am being pushed into one brand or another. They offer a smorgasboard of options and give pros and cons about each. They then leave it up to me to decide which brand/product is right for me given the information. It's a pretty simple transaction.
My local LDS's, on the other hand, are reps for only a few brands. And to make matters worse, each of them gets better incentives from a particular brand over the others. So what do you think happens? They get *very* pushy about the brand they pander to (i.e. the one that gives them the best margins) and slam everything else. Go to a Scubapro dealer and they will tell you everything else is shi*t -- buy only Scubapro. Then go to a dealer that sells Sherwood and they will tell you horror stories about everything else other than Sherwood. The Oceanic dealer will push Oceanic and slam other brands. And on and on...
When is the last time you heard an LDS say "well, we carry regulators from Brand X and Y, but in your price point, neither of these are very good. I actually recommend Brand Z's regulator from the LDS down the street". Hah! When pigs fly.
I have heard a lot of people moan about the "bad advice" their LDS gave them when selling (pushing) them into a particular brand or product. Many people say with regret when they discover the real truth behind their purchase (i.e. when it breaks and they figure out that the problem is not unique to them): "if I only knew" or "if I only did more research/homework". Sure, you can fault these people for not doing the research, but the point is that the LDS's should be trusted to protect the consumer by giving them honest, reliable, and unbiased advice.
And here's the best part. One of my LDS's *ragged* on Scubapro equipment. They pushed lots of other brands, including Uwatec. But when Uwatec was bought by Scubapro and this particular LDS no longer could sell Uwatec, guess what? They pushed another brand. But then a year later they became a Scubapro dealer and guess what they now push? Scubapro and Uwatec. Unbelievable.
And this is where the conflict of interest lies. On one hand, the LDS has an obligation to be protective of the public. After all, diving is a sport with risk and consumers need to be protected from those risks when the consumer asks for advice. But the LDS also needs to protect the relationship with their vendors by moving product.
Obviously there are LDS's that put their customer's best interest at heart and give honest advice, even if that means losing a sale. But many that I have dealt with seem to be the opposite -- they want my money regardless of how they get it.
I know there isn't an easy answer to how the LDS's will solve the problem of loss of business to on-line shops. But let's face it folks -- on-line shopping is only getting more and more popular, and fighting it is a wasted effort. And as more and more products in general are bought on-line, consumers will expect they can buy their dive gear on-line as well. Vendors and business will either need to get with the program and figure out how they can partake in the on-line world or risk becoming a dinosaur.
As I have said numerous times, capitalism and technology are both wonderful things. It's futile to resist...
Thx...Doug
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