Things I hate about LDS's

[Battery]

The idea of bashing others goods to make themselves look better is not only limited to dive shops/operators. I have walked out of many car dealerships, minutes away from signing a deal, because the salesguy could not stop bashing my current vehicle. I find that especially true for Japanese makes (ie: I drive a Chevy and was looking for a small car for my mother - had bad experience at both Toyota and Honda) So the idea of making the competition look bad in order to enhance one's own is not new. The dive shop I got certified at was exactly like that - left that group fast.

But I also noticed that there are shops out there that will pull a fast one on you if you are not careful. As in swapping out used gear and selling it as new, and removing items from the package and selling it as an option......A buddy of mine bought a s/s backplate and 2 Poseidon Xstream regs. He didn't notice the scratches and the washer/nut marks on it until he took it apart at home, nor did he notice that one of the 1st stages was different from the other.....on the other hand the shop owner happened to have a BRAND NEW very nice shiny backplate and a brand new 1st stage that matched my buddies other. Another time when be bought a strobe for his camera, the unit should have come with a bag/case but they tried to sell it to him as an option, when the package contents clearly lists the case as well.

Some just don't learn, now they have lost both of our business for good!

WOW :icosm13:

I love my LDS. I like hooking up with them for the weekend dives. They often go with other LDS's and everyone has a great time.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Scubatoys inspected it before shipping it and shipped it with a plug. My LDS removed their VIP sticker (LEAVING THE STICKY RESIDUE mind you) and replaced it with their own informing me that scubatoys' VIP was worthless and that would be $16 please. .

It was shipped without air so it needed a new vis. I would think the scubatoys vis was worthless also but it was a nice try by them. No pressure inside equals anything that wants can get in there.

 

[maggs_the]

It was shipped without air so it needed a new vis. I would think the scubatoys vis was worthless also but it was a nice try by them. No pressure inside equals anything that wants can get in there.

even tho they did a vis and plugged it with this plug thing that took me 10 minutes to finally get out?

i guess it comes down to i trust my LDS and Scubatoys until they give me reason to doubt them and with this being my first experience with Scubatoys and i've had a year to get used to my LDS, well.. it's not difficult for me to believe Scubatoys over my LDS on this one. but even if my LDS is correct on this one, i think it goes back to what others have said in this thread.. their attitude and how they interact with the customer. Scubatoys stayed on the phone and talked with me and answered questions. my LDS was snippy and rude when i took my tank in for the airfill.

i dont know. maybe i've got a bad taste in my mouth over the past year of dealing with them and even when they may be right, i'm not going to like them, which is a shame since they are the only game in town.

 

[TSandM]

I guess I'm really lucky, but we have a wonderful LDS which is where we did our OW certs. We have, of course, bought a lot of stuff there, but not all of it was either top-end or full-price. They have recommended some expensive items and some cheaper items, always explaining why they thought that particular thing was the best choice in our circumstances. I don't mind that they want to sell us things -- that's how a retail operation survives! My husband owns a retail business, so I know how it goes.

In addition, our LDS has attracted a superb group of instructors and divemasters, really great people who have been tremendously encouraging and fun to dive with.

We have made a conscious decision to buy what we can from the LDS to support what seems to be a good operation, even if it costs a little bit more.

 

[Wayward Son]

The only thing a shop knows about a tank when it comes through the door is whether it has pressure or not, period. Doesn't matter where it came from, who VIP'ed it last or when. I can take a tank that is in current VIP by my LDS in to them, and if it has zero PSI, they will pull the valve, VIP it & charge me. They will replace their own VIP sticker with a new one with the current date.

Don't feel picked on over this. This is a common practise. Hell, *I* would fill a tank if there was any possibile question of what the inside looked like without looking. Too much liability.

If a tank can be shipped ground with 100 to 200 PSI in it, then the shop should be OK with the VIP sticker on it until it expires, or the tank is brought in empty. But to get a tank empty?

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

even tho they did a vis and plugged it with this plug thing that took me 10 minutes to finally get out?

Yes, even then it would get a vis. If Scubatoys is saying that this is a legal vis then they're wrong. We tell our students they have to bring them back with 500 or pay for a vis but that's just scare tactics. If it has close to 200 we know it's ok.

A vis with a fill of 14.7 pounds sounds very shady to me. I wouldn't be upset with the LDS for that, I'd be upset with scubatoys. That sticker is just for show.

Be upset with them and with the LDS, but with the LDS for other reasons than the vis.

 

[maggs_the]

We have made a conscious decision to buy what we can from the LDS to support what seems to be a good operation, even if it costs a little bit more.

which is why I too have paid a little extra on many items (see earlier thread) and would have hoped that when I bought something that my LDS did not offer and would not consider (a purple tank does not seem that big of a request), then given my past history and purchases, I dont feel they should try to make me feel like I've committed the stupidiest act in all history by buying something outside of their store.

I can now appreciate the visual they required and on some level knew I couldnt argue with it. I will always pay the $16 (or whatever) to be safe than sorry, but it was more the attitude.

But you know what?? At the same time as all of this, I ran into a new diver and his daughter who are getting their Open Water Cert in a couple of weeks and he was bubbling over about the Dive Shop and the instructors and how good they'd been to him. There was no way I was going to pop his enthusiasm bubble. I'm typically not vindictive and as I said earlier, my tank experience with my LDS was not the only time they've tweaked me, just the most recent and I've had my fill (no pun intended)

 

[maggs_the]

Yes, even then it would get a vis. If Scubatoys is saying that this is a legal vis then they're wrong. We tell our students they have to bring them back with 500 or pay for a vis but that's just scare tactics. If it has close to 200 we know it's ok.

A vis with a fill of 14.7 pounds sounds very shady to me. I wouldn't be upset with the LDS for that, I'd be upset with scubatoys. That sticker is just for show.

Be upset with them and with the LDS, but with the LDS for other reasons than the vis.

thanks for the perspective.. very interesting..

the entire conversation has stirred up conversations offline and there are a few of us pondering how to write up a non-bias letter as someone suggested earlier to send to the owners (who now have a manager run the shop for them) and voice concerns. Last year, we went out on a boat dive with some of the store employees and the assistant manager was complaining about specific customers and how needy they were. As customers, we were a little taken aback.. didnt know how to respond, so we just sat there and didnt.. hoping nobody put 2+2 together and realized we were part of that annoying group of people they so badly hated to see walk into their dive shop.

 

[rjchandler]

It is a "legal" VIP. But I agree that a tarantula or somethin might have crawled in during shipment so it is a good idea to do a second check fer structural damage. Particularly since it is a brand new tank.Used to be that you didn't need a VIP in the first yeart of the hydro anyways.

I agree that industry practice is to demand a VIP when presented with an empty tank for filling and I don't begrudge shop owners this rule. They really don't know anything about the condition, use since last VIP or why it is empty. Having an "industry rule" avoids a lot of arguments.

Of course this can be arbitrary. Like when you pull the valve to fix a loose dip tube. But that's why you patronize you LDS - so they know who they are dealing with. Charging a student fer a VIP because they sucked the tank dry seems a bit much tho

 

[DennisS]

I went in to my dive shop today to get a battery for my Suunto cobra, he didn't have one but told me about another dive shop that would install one for $12 with a guarantee, much less than he sells the kit for.

I wanted a small container of silicon grease about a month ago, he was out so he gave me a two finger gob in a zip loc for free.

I'm pretty well set up with gear but I really have to find something to buy besides air. It's about time for VIPs and such, I can spend some money then.