What I LIKE About My LDS

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Wayward Son

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Now, I have had one in the distant past that deserves beating up, too. Over 20 years ago & it still gets me mad just to think about that bunghole. But I thought we might like to talk a bit about the good ones that are out there. Because they're not all lousy.

LDS's have been taking plenty of beatings lately, but not all of us hate every LDS we have. I actually have 2 great ones and one I'd rate pretty good. And that one might be worth a "great" rating, but as it's worked out they don't service Scubapro so I've ended up taking most of my business to the other one. So I just haven't done enough business with them to be able to heap them with praise, though I have no complaints, either.

My primary LDS has proven to be a great shop. They don't push the high ticket crap. In fact, they often advise people to look at items that are substantially less expensive and consider if those will meet their needs. They offer excellent training of all levels. They have affordable fills. Air is $3.50, nitrox runs about $8.00 for an 80cf tank. Nitrox is billed by the actual fill volume. They bank 32% so tanks do not have to be O2 clean, but can and do fills to any mix a diver needs. They also have helium and provide full support for technical divers who need such mixes. In fact, their fill station has been built up over the years with multiple banks, computers & other items, to the point where if they were to simply build one just like it from scratch it would cost at least $50,000. It's NICE! :D

The service tech & primary classroom instructor is a guy who's been teaching diving for over 40 years. Has prolly forgotten more about diving and gear maintenance than most people will ever know to start with. While sometimes service can be slow, simply due to the amount of gear he mainatins for customers, his work is outstanding and reasonably priced. And if I have a problem, say a 2nd stage starts hissing a bit, or I have an older tank in for a VIP & fill & want the valve serviced, he can usually get it on the bench and take care of the problem while I'm there so I'm still diving. And if my reg set is going to be there long enough that I need one to dive, they'll loan me one. Loan, not rent. Often, minor service issues they don't even charge me for. Such as the hissing 2nd stage, it was stripped, a bit of grit removed, reassembled & returned to me while I waited, for free.

If I need a suit or BC they don't have in stock, they will order one. If it comes in & doesn't fit, they will take care of getting a replacement & I don't eat extra shipping charges for the service. Prices are competitive, in some cases they're cheaper than I can buy on the net. Mostly, they're close enough that even if a bit more I'd rather pay them than some web site in another state. Sometimes they can't come close on the price, and they're practical enough to know that if a customer can save a big enough chunk of cash, they're prolly going to. While they don't want to lose a sale -who does- they don't cop an attitude to their customers about it. If they have the training & parts to service an item, they will do so, and they charge flat rates. There's none of this "Well, it's cheaper if you bought it here, but since you didn't I'm going to stick it to you" nonsense. A 2 stage reg is $35 plus parts, plus a fee for additional stages, consoles, etc. A VIP is $10, including an air fill, no matter where the tank came from. They prorate the air value, so if you want a nitrox fill you only pay the difference.

They know the net is out there & they have to compete with it. They don't blow smoke up my ***, they don't push gear that I don't need. They provide great service & support & don't get upset if I buy something somewhere else. They treat people fair & give good, solid advice when asked. They run a dive boat. And a dive club, and club members get a discount on the dive boat.

Think about Harold 20 years ago, and seeing some of the posts people have made about their shop, I count my blessings to have such a shop available to me.
 
My LDS doesn't give me any slack. They don't serve my needs very well, other than gas, but I don't get any trouble walking through the doors with gear I bought elsewhere. I pick up odds and ends and don't trouble them or take advantage. They give me what I want and I give them money, end of story. It works.
 
I've got 11 lds within 10 miles of my house. Some are friendly, some are not. Some are customer oriented, some are not. Some get my business, some do not. :)
 
The LDS that I use is great. They discount when they can and don't push anything at all. I spend many hours just visiting there before and after dives. Prices are very fair.
 
They have compressed air.

I still can not find the computer peripheral device that will sell me air fills on line.
 
What I like about my LDS:

They match and beat internet prices.

They are a good group of advanced technical divers that actually dive. They are also not snobby to someone of lesser experience then them. They don't talk down to you, or get pissed when you are discussing something with them that would take money out of the LDS' pocket (I.E. self servicing gear, dive club trips, etc.). They will actually give advice on how to do the work, etc. yourself and help you learn to be self proficient.

They don't try to show me anything, or pressure me into buys. They know when I walk through the door I have done my homework and am coming in for a particular product. I didn't come in to be shown the whole store and to be hassled by someone who reminds me of a used cars salesman.

They don't care when I show up with a purchase from the internet, and are quite opposite, usually interested in checking it out and details about it. If they really like the product I have seen them order demos of the product. If they like the demos then I have noticed sometimes they will pick up that manufacturer to carry in their store.

They don't treat me like a hunk of meat with a wallet.

They don't talk about loyalty and get pissed when I go to a different shop for something else. They understand I know what I want, and quite a few brands they do not carry. I get no grief from this shop. I don't have to try to avoid, nor do I have headaches from dealing with the drama.

They invite me out to dive with them locally where they don't get any $$$ from it.

They drop everything they are doing and come and help me out, even when I don't expect/nor demand it.

They understand what customer service is.

They put a rush on things for me since they know I am an active diver. I don't ask for it, nor expect it, but they go this extra mile anyways.

I can just go into the shop and BS with the employees and not spend a dime. They don't care. They just like talking to people who have the same passion about scuba as they do.

As a result when I go into this particular LDS, it is always full of customers. When I go into some of the other dive shops in the area that are exact opposites of what I mentioned (I.E. see the what I hate about my LDS thread), I find they are empty and void of customers. I wonder why.

Matt
 
well, mine just called. my second was mildly freeflowing & i took it in yesterday around 5:30. it's fixed now - a checkmark in the 'good' column!
 
I find these LDS discussions very interesting and find that they provide a lot of insight.

From my point of view, I don't have an LDS, I have access to dive shops while I am in the UK, but when I return to where I came from (see time below :), in the Caribbean I'm out in the ocean when it comes to LDS - literally! Any kit has to be order, have to pay extra shipping for int'l orders, ridiculous import duties and hope and pray it isn't damaged on the way out.

I know that's the nature of the business of resort stores in some places... but it makes you want to have access to kit when you need/want it.

I have to agree with Waywar Son though, if I could support my local LDS (granted I was treated decently) over an internet site... it's always nice to see the kit and try it out :)

Consider yourselves lucky :)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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