Trying to get on an NC charter this weekend 7/22

[Cape Fear Divers]

Jim,

I will admit that you were very helpful and I never said you or your crew were not. However I did specifically ask you about your refund policy right after the call was made on the upper deck of your boat. You told me point blank that you would NOT give a refund because of crew and fuel costs and that maybe you could help me out on my next dive. When I asked about your refund policy that should have been a tipoff that I was not happy with the call. What more did I need to do? Maybe I could have been more vocal but I don't like to complain and make a scene on board a boat.

Helping me out on my next dive doesn't do me a lot of good if I don't use your operation again.

I also said in an earlier post that I was not sure who made the call. You told me your captain was uneasy with the conditions. I respect Dave and Laura and know they are very experienced divers but they don't speak for me. If they call the dive and want to forfeit what they paid, that is their decision. I would have like to have been given the option of getting a full refund for Sunday's dive.

I know you have a business to protect and there are two sides to every story but I still don't agree with taking money for a service that was clearly NOT provided.

Keith

Keith--Thanks for your kind words re our helpfulness. I respect your right to hold the position you hold.

Why don't you email me off-string (or call) to give me your address for the refund on the tanks. I have your check, but want to be sure that is the correct address. I'll also be glad to talk to you some more re your concerns.

Jim

 

[kabluton]

Keith--Thanks for your kind words re our helpfulness. I respect your right to hold the position you hold.

Why don't you email me off-string (or call) to give me your address for the refund on the tanks. I have your check, but want to be sure that is the correct address. I'll also be glad to talk to you some more re your concerns.

Jim

Here's the crux of the biscuit: Dave made a decision for himself and his staff at Gypsy Divers. Whether it was a good call or bad call can be debated endlessly and there is no right or wrong answer to this, it is purely subjective.

My point is that I don't work for Dave and had no input whatsoever into a decision that affected me personally and more importantly, financially.

This may have simply been an oversight on Jim's part and I have given him an opportunity to make the situation right. We have taken the issue offline and I hope we can come to a satisfactory agreement for all parties involved.

I want to reiterate that I am not dissatisfied with the boat, the crew, or Jim himself. I am merely dissatisfied with a decision that was made of which I was not party to but affected my time and my pocketbook.

Keith

 

[fireflock]

Thanks Jim for sharing a little about what (and who) went into making the decision. You seem to have had some bad luck re: scubaboard reports lately. You've handled both incidents well (IMO) and hopefully the cream will rise to the top in the end.

Given the circumstances, I would not expect a full refund for the trip. I understand that Jim tried to give folks some things of value in exchange for the inconvinence. I would appreciate the intention, but I'm not sure how excited I would be about the value of the cards and discounts. I personally would have seen it as fair if we split the difference and I paid for a trip to a site that was 1hr out (maybe a half day trip) instead of the original trip. That would pay for the fuel, pay the crew for their time, but still reflect the fact that things didn't work out for anyone that day.

I don't know if anyone in NC (or anywhere) does this, but it strikes me as a fair compromise in a tough situation.

Rich

 

[kabluton]

Thanks Jim for sharing a little about what (and who) went into making the decision. You seem to have had some bad luck re: scubaboard reports lately. You've handled both incidents well (IMO) and hopefully the cream will rise to the top in the end.

Given the circumstances, I would not expect a full refund for the trip. I understand that Jim tried to give folks some things of value in exchange for the inconvinence. I would appreciate the intention, but I'm not sure how excited I would be about the value of the cards and discounts. I personally would have seen it as fair if we split the difference and I paid for a trip to a site that was 1hr out (maybe a half day trip) instead of the original trip. That would pay for the fuel, pay the crew for their time, but still reflect the fact that things didn't work out for anyone that day.

I don't know if anyone in NC (or anywhere) does this, but it strikes me as a fair compromise in a tough situation.

Rich

I am happy to report that Jim and I have come to an agreement offline. I am paying for Saturday's dive (as expected) and offered to pay some towards the fuel costs on Sunday. Jim has been most gracious and has bent over backwards to make the situation right. I have learned a valuable lesson and I am sure so has Jim. I wish Cape Fear Diver's good luck and clear sailing and maybe our paths will cross again someday.

Keith

 

[BabyDuck]

i'm truly glad. i hate confrontation of just about any type, but think you both handled this difference without lots of whining or name-calling. it's nice to see adults acting like adults when problems arise. thanks also for posting a positive ending to the discussion.

 

[LindaBluedolphin]

This simply proves there are usually at least 3 sides to a story! Glad it was all resolved.

 

[Lead_carrier]

Here's the crux of the biscuit: Dave made a decision for himself and his staff at Gypsy Divers. Whether it was a good call or bad call can be debated endlessly and there is no right or wrong answer to this, it is purely subjective.

My point is that I don't work for Dave and had no input whatsoever into a decision that affected me personally and more importantly, financially.

This may have simply been an oversight on Jim's part and I have given him an opportunity to make the situation right. We have taken the issue offline and I hope we can come to a satisfactory agreement for all parties involved.

I want to reiterate that I am not dissatisfied with the boat, the crew, or Jim himself. I am merely dissatisfied with a decision that was made of which I was not party to but affected my time and my pocketbook.

Keith

Sorry Keith, Gotta side with Cape Fear on this one. You said in your first post the Gyspy was nice enough to let you crash THEIR party. In which case, IMO, THEY have the right to determine if they are willing to cancel or not. Sounds to me like your beef should have been with Dave. He probably should have asked the other divers what they thought, based on their experience level, but they were with him so I would expect him to be familar with them. Maybe they have the understanding when they sign up for the trip that Dave makes any calls about canceling. I would have taken my complaints up with him.

I'm glad to hear the you and Jim got things worked out.

 

[Cape Fear Divers]

Sorry Keith, Gotta side with Cape Fear on this one. You said in your first post the Gyspy was nice enough to let you crash THEIR party. In which case, IMO, THEY have the right to determine if they are willing to cancel or not. Sounds to me like your beef should have been with Dave. He probably should have asked the other divers what they thought, based on their experience level, but they were with him so I would expect him to be familar with them. Maybe they have the understanding when they sign up for the trip that Dave makes any calls about canceling. I would have taken my complaints up with him.

I'm glad to hear the you and Jim got things worked out.

Thanks for the thoughtful post, Lead Carrier, and for your support!

I don't want to deflect any criticism to Dave, however. I will take the blame for not seeking out the divers who were not with Dave's group (only Keith, actually) and briefing him before making the decision. I won't make that mistake again. (We probably wouuld've ended up in about the same place, except without involving all ya'll).

I'm glad Keith and i have been able to work out his concerns.

Jim

 

[Kriterian]

This was a great thread, and an example of how the business to customer relationship works in the modern computer age. I'd much rather here both sides of the story, even if one side was in the wrong, than not to hear all of it. Even if all you can say is "Sorry, I shot him with the speargun for eyeballin' my woman".

I think we can all come away with lessons from this:

- When you pay for something, especially something as precarious as a boat trip on the NC coast, you should find out the refund policy ahead of time.

- If you're hitchhiking/dead heading/stowing away on some one else's trip, you should communicate well and often.

- Also, it's more than likely going to be the charterer or the charter itself that aborts the dive. If you're neither of those two, be prepared to follow one or the other.

- I think Mel said it best when she mentioned not jumping to conclusions until she had both stories. At first I was a little skeptical about using them, but I knew to wait for the company to chime in first. I'm glad I did because now I wouldn't hesitate to use them.

I'm sure I forgot some others but you get the idea, hehe.