The Scuba Connection is an awesome LDS

[vtxkev]

I needed to write this because of something I saw today. So lets start at the beginning.

I got a facebook invite from The Scuba Connection for DUI Demo Days up at Dutch Springs (local quarry in PA). They said if I came down and brought advanced tickets ($10.00) for the event they would give me rental gear FREE for the weekend. Yes FREE! Whatever I needed, BP&W, reg, tanks, weights whatever. So I go down there today and they are pretty busy so I take a seat and just relax till things die down.

While I am sitting there I see a gentleman at the counter (who is certified to dive, before anyone jumps to conclusions) and he has a Mares mask/fin/snorkle package and then says I need a regulator set up. They ask him first stage? Second stage, octo, spg? The guy basically says I dont care I am not going in the ocean it is for a pool dive just give me whatever you have. So they go over and they are looking around and she says to him ya know anything I have in stock is gonna run you a couple hundred bucks. This guys tells her he is in the middle of a pool repair and it needs to be fixed tonight. He then says and I quote, "I DONT CARE WHAT IT COST TIME IS MONEY JUST GIVE ME WHATEVER YOU HAVE". I couldnt believe it. What does my LDS do you may ask? Well she says sir why do you want to spend all that money, let me rent you a regulator for $20.00 and then if you still want something we can discuss it and find you something. This is what happened and they guy went on his way.

Now I dont care what anyone says but this is why I shop at The Scuba Connection!They are honest, stand up, frendly, knowledgable and the list goes on. I just thought this was a story worth telling.

 

[RJP]

Now I dont care what anyone says but this is why I shop at The Scuba Connection!They are honest, stand up, frendly, knowledgable and the list goes on. I just thought this was a story worth telling.

I'd have to agree with you on that front. In fact here's a recent post I put up in one of the usual "LDS vs On-Line" threads about my on-going experience with The Scuba Connection:

The ideal shop from a "business model" perspective is the shop which works to enjoy the loyalty of their customers to the point where people gladly pay MSRP to shop there because the LDS provides that much value!



I'm blessed with a great LDS, The Scuba Connection literally a mile from my house in Hillsborough, NJ. They are open 7 days a week. They are a family owned business and have an incredibly knowledgeable and friendly sales and instructor staff. They have a heated indoor pool that is there for you to try out any gear you want, from a mask to a rebreather and everything in between. They spent 3hrs with me when I bought my first BP/W setup, working with me to get the fitting perfect. Then I got in the pool for an hour or so and tweaked some more. Decided I didn't need the weight pockets, so they went back on the shelf. Swapped for different wings, adjusted some more in the pool and got my rig nailed down perfectly. Yes, I could have saved a few bucks by purchasing the same gear on line, but would have gotten nowhere near the same VALUE.

And in fact I have saved lots of money shopping there, even if based solely on the purchases they have talked me OUT OF...times I've gone in there with something in mind and in talking it through with them they suggest something else which is much cheaper, somehow more appropriate, or more often than not suggesting ways to configure what I already have to meet my desired purpose. Recently I was going to Truk lagoon and stopped into the shop to buy a 40lb H wing to use with AL80 doubles on the Truk Odyssey, figuring my 60lb H wing I use with steel 119's here at home would be too much. One of the shop owners said "The 40lb Evolve would be much more streamlined than the 60, and since you're diving there for three weeks that'd be the way to go for sure. But, hell...don't buy one. Borrow mine!" So I went into the shop with $400 in hand ready to make a purchase, and walked out with the gear I wanted and my $400 still in my pocket!

In fact on Sunday of this week my buddy and I were diving at the local quarry. My buddy got up at 6am and drove more than an hour to dive there, before realizing he forgot his reg bag with his doubles rig in it. DAMN! Well, the owner of our LDS was there and immediately started rooting around in the back of his own truck and came out with several reg sets and some tools and in just a few minutes my buddy and I were geared up and diving.

When my new DUI drysuit was delayed at the factory for a few weeks, I was given a brand new rental suit at no charge to use while waiting for mine to come in. Saved me from needing to cancel several boat dives I'd already paid for.

Had a Princeton Tec light that crapped out last year. Brought it back in, walked out with a brand new one in about 5min; new upgraded model in fact. The shop said "Here you go, we'll work the details out with Princeton Tec." Yeah, I could have gotten that light $5 cheaper online originally. But how would that have gone once it crapped out?

When the handle on my Salvo light needed to be replaced, the option to take a handle off one on the shelf or borrow a light from one of the owners while awaiting a new one was immediately offered. I didn't need it for a few weeks, so I declined and waited for them to get a new one in for me, but the point is I would have been able to get my problem fixed immediately and on the spot.

Do I pay MSRP at this shop? Not usually. They are smart enough to work with customers on price as best they can. But the point is that "price" is not the reason that I shop there. VALUE is. And they provide it.

To steal a line from Oscar Wilde "I have very simple tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."

In fact, if YOU want to shop at my LDS you can...

www.DiveSeekers.com 1-888-728-2247

If you see something you're interested in - or if you DON'T see something you're looking for - give Wayne or Jason a call directly and talk to them in person about what you're looking to do and how they can best meet your needs...with gear, with price, with advice. I think you'll see the value they bring goes well beyond the price you pay.