Things I hate about LDS's

[gcbryan]

The biggest problem with LDS's is that most people who start/buy them have no prior retail experience or experience running a business.

 

[Captain CaveMan]

there are 2 in town and you hit one of them rihgt on the money. the suck big time and dont wont anything to do with me i ask for help and since im not buying there brand they completely egnore me. the other is great and will ing to help me in anyway and they give me 10% off on all idems i want. just to make sure im happy.

 

[crisis_12]

I'll throw out a rant....
Strike one: At the beginning of the season I dutifully got all my regs serviced. The next day my buddy used one of the regs I just picked up and the inner hose of the SPG went poof. I took the reg back to the shop and advised them what happened said I had a trip in 2 weeks and needed it fixed-again. The owner didn’t even apologize and had the gall to try and charge me an expedite and servicing fees to have it repaired within 2 weeks!!!
Strike two: Right after paying for her drysuit class, my wife dropped an additional $150 on some new weights and misc stuff at the same LDS. She wanted to try re-weighting at the shop’s pool and the owner refused telling her she would have to pay for an additional pool session and schedule a divemaster and pay their hourly fee. (Mind we have spend over a grand at the shop in the last couple of months…) I’m not saying we’re special, but a little responsiveness would be nice….
Strike three: I brought a friend into the shop and he ended up signing up for his OW and bought his basic gear from them. They didn’t have a wetsuit that fit him, so he had to buy a custom one. Since the Mares BC they provided for him fit so poorly, he bought a Zeagle Ranger online. Not only did they bash him in class for buying online, the instructor made a point of telling all the students it was a crap piece of equipment. BTW, I was in the shop later that week and the owner gave ME a hard time about my buddy’s online purchase.
I am now driving an hour to a MUCH nicer and responsive bunch. A little customer service goes a long way.

 

[android]

Since the Mares BC they provided for him fit so poorly, he bought a Zeagle Ranger online.

Oh my, the next thing you know he'll be spearfishing in 400fsw for Warsaw Grouper.

 

[Hoosier]

No competition. Monopology. Threats on the annual service. Strict MSRP. "I syndrom" instructor and technician. force to join in their expensive scuba trip to complete the class. In addition, complaints about the internet scuba business.

 

[mdb]

I'll throw out a rant....
Strike one: At the beginning of the season I dutifully got all my regs serviced. The next day my buddy used one of the regs I just picked up and the inner hose of the SPG went poof. I took the reg back to the shop and advised them what happened said I had a trip in 2 weeks and needed it fixed-again. The owner didn’t even apologize and had the gall to try and charge me an expedite and servicing fees to have it repaired within 2 weeks!!!
Strike two: Right after paying for her drysuit class, my wife dropped an additional $150 on some new weights and misc stuff at the same LDS. She wanted to try re-weighting at the shop’s pool and the owner refused telling her she would have to pay for an additional pool session and schedule a divemaster and pay their hourly fee. (Mind we have spend over a grand at the shop in the last couple of months…) I’m not saying we’re special, but a little responsiveness would be nice….
Strike three: I brought a friend into the shop and he ended up signing up for his OW and bought his basic gear from them. They didn’t have a wetsuit that fit him, so he had to buy a custom one. Since the Mares BC they provided for him fit so poorly, he bought a Zeagle Ranger online. Not only did they bash him in class for buying online, the instructor made a point of telling all the students it was a crap piece of equipment. BTW, I was in the shop later that week and the owner gave ME a hard time about my buddy’s online purchase.
I am now driving an hour to a MUCH nicer and responsive bunch. A little customer service goes a long way.

Cris_12: Congratulations to you and your wife for sticking with diving after "the treatment" @ the LDS. Unfortunately your experience is all too common, and one of the reasons that dive instruction and sales is down for several years in a row. We have one of the best sports going. Divers get to see the other 70% + of the planet,
be weightless, relax in the U/W world. Most divers are a great bunch. It is hard to be
"cool" when your hair is flat, a bit of snot coming out your nose, and you in your bathing suit, makes for a relaxed and fun experience. A week on a nice dive boat will take you far away from credit cards, cell phones, traffic etc. Many LDS owners are in total denial that the internet and price shopping is here to stay. When you encounter such a store, walk, fast, call one of the many fine retailers who maintain full service stores, offer good fair pricing, and provide fast and efficent customer service. As pointed out, many times, on this board, www.scubatoys.com is one such retailer. It might help if you would simply name the store in question. Your account is true so there is no liable involved. It could save some others from the same unfortunate experience. Since our data base only shows three stores in the state, I've got a good idea who it might be. In any case, stick with it. You can be a diver for a lifetime. Hope you find a great LDS.

 

[ajames54]

Years ago I owned and ran a bicycle shop.. absolutely everything you say can apply there as well.. and yes it applies to all but one one LDS around here.

When it happens I call them on it ..
it gets even more foolish when they start to splutter and back pedal..

 

[TheDavil]

I'll throw out a rant....

I am now driving an hour to a MUCH nicer and responsive bunch. A little customer service goes a long way.

If you want to do a service to others in your dive community, print out what you just wrote (maybe edit it first to take out some of the 'rant' feeling) and give it to the owner of the bad LDS. Maybe if he knows what your perception of his service is, and that you and possibly others are willing to drive hours out of their way to use another dive shop, he may change some policies.

If nothing else, it may make you feel better knowing that he's aware that he's losing customers because of his attitude/actions.

David

 

[Tamas]

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!

 

[matt_unique]

A business that operates that way (from first post) will not be around much longer.