Was My Captain Fair?

[Scuba gnome]

You people are comparing apples and oranges. This wasn't a cancellation or a no show. This wasn't a boat with a minimum break even amount of people on board.

There's no way of knowing for sure what kind of margins they operate on. They could very well be relying on that season to make enough money to be profitable for the year.

I'm less likely to believe they were being stingy and that there's probably good reasons to do what they do from a business standpoint.

 

[WetBoy101]

Okay, I get it. There's no way of knowing that with a FULL BOAT he is making any profit. Why didn't I see that earlier? I guess I'm just really DENSE!!!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

No not dense. Just not understanding what the business is like. If I go out on a boat and get sick its not the ops fault. That is a seat that another paying customer could have used. If the boat broke down and I could not dive I'd expect a refund. But if the op has gotten me to the site they did what they were contracted to do. If the instructor came all the way out and by doing so again was made unavailable to other paying students they did what they were supposed to do. Had the boy got sick before the boat left I'd offer a refund based on the fact that I could likely get on the phone in a busy area and get another student. That was not the case. The op and instructor should not be penalized for a situation they did not create. And giving a refund would be doing that. It sounds like a reasonable effort was made to accomodate the family. They refused due to time constraints. Not the ops or instructors fault. The right thing to have done would be to have changed the other plans and do the make up dives. This is why I don't like the idea of referrals unless the vacation is set up around that. When its not, the students take their chances. I personally would not only use but recommend this operation. I try to make things easy for some students by splitting ow class tuition. 1/2 up front plus books and 1/2 at the beginning of session 4. If the student drops out for any reason during either of those periods there is no refund. If they drop out before session 4 which I had one do, no refund but they do not owe me for the rest of the class. Once they've paid the second half if they drop out there is no refund. I will allow them to come back and finish with no penalty but that space could have been filled by another. People today have this you owe me attitude for everything. If I cancel the class or dives you do not pay. If you no show or get sick I will offer a make up at no charge most of the time, but you will not get your money back. That's spelled out up front. The right th

 

[jar546]

In this case, I will side with the captain because it was not his fault that the child was seasick and others were diving on a full boat. There was an offer to complete the dives in a local lake which more than likely would not have had a charge, especially since the instructor had other students on the boat that day so it was not a wash. Sound completely appropriate to me.

I, personally, have had a different experience in Key Largo back in January during one of my getaway trips. I took the step-son to get his AOW (he is 25), paid for the AOW, paid for some additional boat dives too for him. He was not feeling well after the first dive and opted not to take the second dive. We found out he had bronchitis so the rest of his diving was canned. I did pay for the AOW which he did not complete but the dive operator refunded me for the dives he did not make. I did not expect this and was fully prepared to pay for what we booked for him. This was excellent customer service but I did not expect or think that they had to do it. Thank you Conch Republic Divers.

 

[seaducer]

I guess I'm used to dealing with a dive outfit that puts the customer and what is RIGHT above the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR

While I want to agree with the spirit of this comment, the sad reality is that I just can not.

Perhaps the dive op and instructor do wish to put the customer above the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR, as evidenced by the option to continue the dives later, however:

The bank that owns that boat puts the dollar first.

The bank or landlord that owns the houses the captain and instructor live in put the dollar first.

The store these people buy their food in puts the dollar first.

If someone hires me to do a job and I show up ready for work I expect to get paid. If the contract changes his/her mind for any reason that is time I wasted that I could have spent somewhere else...getting paid, so I still expect my money.

As for profit margins...

A- we have no idea what their profit margins are

B- who the *(&%$% are you to determine how much money someone else is entitled to make? Do you own this company? Are these your employees?

No? Ok then...

 

[tddfleming]

So in your work,lets say you get to work , spend $ on gas and tolls, and business is slow.The boss tells you because business is slow he is not paying you for the day.Is that fair?? You showed up on time ready to do your best at work that day...now no pay..that would suck,right? It is not "just the way it is"..THIS is what is wrong with this industry and in the mind of the consumer. They think that a dive pro is rich somehow and it does not matter if they get paid or not. But they pay their nanny to watch the kids-here in NY $600.+ a week,they pay a dog walker to walk their mutts for 20 minutes a day 5 days a week,again in NY that can cost $600. a month, put the dogs in a kennel for a week while they are on vacation is another $1,000...BUT to pay a dive pro who is making sure you have a great time and do not kill yourself they have reservations about paying them....

I think this is the general thinking of most consumers when dealing with a small business owner. I find it here in my business, and I assure you I am not getting rich in my small business. They pull up in their Jags with coach handbags and freshly done nails and complain about everything. I don't get it

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

We're on the same sheet of music then as far as what's fair and what's not.

However, if it were my shop I'd have thrown the OP a bone for good will.

If it were your shop and you did this much, you wouldn't have the shop long.

I'm calling BS!! It was stated that it was a full boat. The OP payed for his whole family, and one member got sick. Whether the Captain was obligated to give a small portion of the family's fees or not, it would have been the right thing to do!! It's not like it was his wife deciding she would rather stay topside and get a tan... Gimme a break! :mooner:

No. They should have taken preventative sickness meds, but they chose not to. They had full use of the service they paid for. They reneged, not the boat. Service was rendered, why would you cry foul?

The "NICE" thing to do "IS" the "RIGHT" thing to do!!!

Read my post again for my reasoning... If the boat went out with one person and that person got sick, fine, the captain is at a loss.(NO REFUND) In this case expenses were covered and we're talking about a percentage of profit. Much of which were contributed by the OP. I guess I'm used to dealing with a dive outfit that puts the customer and what is RIGHT above the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR!! The Captain or shop would gain more in the long run from good PR than he would from charging some seasick kid full fare for benifits he couldn't take advantage of... That's my not so humble opinion!!!

Nope. Not at all. They even offered to take him to a lake the next day. That was a bone. A big juicy one. They should have taken it.

You people are comparing apples and oranges. This wasn't a cancellation or a no show. This wasn't a boat with a minimum break even amount of people on board. So don't try to go there. And Mrs. K, You are proving my point about everything being about the almighty dollar. Well guess what, I wouldn't give this operation my business and I would be sure to let all my dive buddies who DO live and breath diving to do the same. So keeping the few bucks from that seasick kid now cost him thousands in potential customers. How good does that business sense look now?

No it doesn't. It may keep him from getting You as a customer.

I think this is the general thinking of most consumers when dealing with a small business owner. I find it here in my business, and I assure you I am not getting rich in my small business. They pull up in their Jags with coach handbags and freshly done nails and complain about everything. I don't get it

I agree. People think I can comp all sorts of things. Quite the opposite. I have this crazy thing called a budget. I won't compromise it. I would offer a shore dive the next day too. They chose not to take the hand extended, well that's also their choice.

 

[tyesai]

I ordered an Abbey Ale at a pub and didn't like it. Should I have asked for my money back?

 

[Blackwood]

I ordered an Abbey Ale at a pub and didn't like it. Should I have asked for my money back?

This analogy is not quite apt. Better:

I took a cab to the pub. While waiting for my abbey ale, I realized I wasn't feeling up to drinking.

Should ask for my taxi fare back?

 

[tddfleming]

This analogy is not quite apt. Better:

I took a cab to the pub. While waiting for my abbey ale, I realized I wasn't feeling up to drinking.

Should ask for my taxi fare back?

How about I want all this copied, then come back to ask for a refund for the unwanted copies because you made a mistake on the amount of copies you needed.