What I don't like about LDS's

[trymixdiver]

While i dont condone what he did, i dont blame him for charging that much. If i was to go to any LDS by me i would pay the same. This is why i dont buy these type of items from my LDS, i get them online. The only thing i use the LDS for is fills and minor items under 30 bucks, and i pay what they want. No choice really, i dont expect any breaks because i dont spend enough at the shop.

Andy

 

[jamiei]

Geez, I don't expect any breaks either, but changing your price right in front of my face and charging twice what he probably paid for it... thats BS... He won't take it back either...

 

[trymixdiver]

I wasnt taking his side, i think what he did is BS.

Its situations like yours and from my own personal experience with LDS that i now choose to shop online for the majority of my gear. I dont mind paying a little bit more for an item at the LDS so long as its reasonable. However, as i posted before one shop wanted $36 and another wanted $140 for the same work and parts. On another occaision the LDS was selling an item for $875 when i could go 10 miles away and get it for $275.

I feel your frustaion, myself and many others here have been through the same BS.

Andy

 

[pos-tech]

i will admit I am slightly biasd because I am lucky enough to work in a local dive shop, but the simple answer is if one does not treat you right go to another, any shop that is in a strip mall no bigger than my studio apartment I would avoid, find a large lds even though you may have to drive a little way, if classes are held on the showroom floor run!1 Finally and most important if there are three people running around calling themselves ownes run!! th eshop is already in too much trouble!!!

 

[jamiei]

thats another problem... the next nearest dive shop is about an hour away so it's really hard to develop a good relationship with one in that situation

 

[MikeFerrara]

pos-tech once bubbled...
i will admit I am slightly biasd because I am lucky enough to work in a local dive shop, but the simple answer is if one does not treat you right go to another, any shop that is in a strip mall no bigger than my studio apartment I would avoid, find a large lds even though you may have to drive a little way, if classes are held on the showroom floor run!1 Finally and most important if there are three people running around calling themselves ownes run!! th eshop is already in too much trouble!!!

Interesting. Why don't you like small shops?. We're a small shop and I've never seen a big shop that did for their customers what we do for ours. I've never see a big shop who's training even came close to the quality of what we offer. Interesting though. My experience is just the oposite. The bigger shops are so wrapped up in the games of the industry they can't posibly care anything about diving anymore.

 

[jamiei]

i think it can happen in any shop environment... my lds is small... he also runs a medical supply business out of the same building. he seems like he more in it for the money. I'm about to graduate college with a degree in education. Since starting diving I've really started wanted to become a dive instructor also. It will give me the opportunity to teach others while being able to participate in the thing i've grown to enjoy most in life. Successful dive shop owners/instructors just like successful fishing guides have to really love what they're doing and too many people in this industry just don't have that love for what they're doing, but shop or small.

 

[jamiei]

sorry about all my typos guys... when i get on a roll sometimes i don't look back... i think you get what i'm saying

 

[diver42]

Here's what I never understood about "support your local dive shop"

I understand that when I buy online, greymarket, etc., some prices are lower than the lds can meet. After all, he has overhead they don't, and some manufacturers won't allow him to sell for less. But the markup is sometimes outrageous. Like I read in another post, I bought a mask for $75 that I later found online for $25. That's quite a markup.

But I have a finite amount of money I can spend on gear. I have an invinitely long list of gear I want. So I pare it down to what I really need to do what I want to do. I simply can't afford to buy it all at the LDS's prices. So should I forgo the other equipment I need and pay the inflated prices?

The guy at my LDS (well, there are at least three around here, but his is closest) even gets mad if you buy tech gear (that he doesn't sell) elsewhere or buy used.

Meanwhile, I buy lots of little stuff there, I get fills there, and I've taken two classes there (Rescue and DM). I take my gear there for service, O2 cleaning, etc. I know the markup on service is super high, but I'll not complain about that. It's service.

I would be happy to buy my equipment there at a price that's somewhat higher than what I could get online... but I just can't pay $300 for tanks I get get elsewhere for $180 or $300 for a manifold I can get elsewhere for $200.

It's not my responsibility to keep the LDS in business. It's the owner's responsibility. I should not have to cultivate a relationship with him - he should do it with me. Want my return business? Talk to me and find out if I'm serious. Find out how much of a gear-head I am. If you think I'll be a good customer, may you should try to get me to stick around.

Last thing: My friend and I blindly found a shop in S. Florida when we planned a trip down there. Turned out the shop was fantastic. The people were great - friendly, helpful, fun to be around. Our third day there, he flipped us a discount on the boat trip - maybe knocked $5 or $10 off the price for each of us. Now, that's not a lot of money. But do you think we're willing to even consider going to another shop down there? He's kept us as customers. We've been back several times, took two classes (each), bought a wetsuit, other assorted gear.

The point is, I'm willing to pay extra for what I get from the LDS (even if it's not local to me), but I'd like *something* in return. And not just a hassle.

 

[jamiei]

All i can say is hell yes diver42... the lds needs to kiss our asses, not the other way around... let em go out of business... but cause what most of them offer isn't good business. Our economy is driven by competition... we can't let diving be exempt from that. My lds is gonna charge me $60 to service my reg regardless of wether it has a warranty or not. A quality reg just isn't gonna have a manufacturing defect to worry about... if i buy something online and save $200, that will buy a hell of a lot of service kits that the warranty would cover. And one other things guys... i just checked on a trip to the keys later this month... this lds wants to charge us $600 each (two nights) and i happen to call down there and me and my girlfriend could get the exact same package for $650 total, including the gas to drive down from GA and two wetsuit rentals and a reg for the weekend. Thats another thing that sucks... having to pay for your divemaster's trip and then having to pay him extra on top of that if you want them to actually do anything for you like check you off for any dives. Otherwise, there just there for an enjoyable trip courtesy of yours truly.