What you dislike most....?

[Lead_carrier]

----. Hell, I've often spent more on a weekend drunk in Mexico or a few days in Las Vegas than a full set of dive gear would set me back and got exactly zero out of it. ----------.

If you spent a weekend drunk in Mexico or Vegas and got nothing out of it, count your blessings. When I was in the Navy, anytime those weekends happened, at least one got more than zero out of it.:doctor: :gans: Maybe it was just the places we hung out.:homealone:

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

THere is no reason to push a new vacation diver into a $500- $800 bc with a $1000 coldwater reg or a $900 computer that will get used once a year.

... and don't forget the $75 dry snorkel and the $90 titanium knife ...

But hey, some folks LIKE that stuff, and if it makes 'em happy ... well ... it's their money ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Are you a service tech? Why should manufacturers sell direct to a guy? Because you're an instructor? What other industry would supply just regular folks with parts to do service on specialized equipment? Why shouldn't manufacturers sell parts for specialized equipment through their network of dealers?

Are you kidding me? What other industry won't?

I can walk into any auto parts store and buy damn near any part for my car I want to. I've yet to have anyone behind the counter ask me if I'm a service tech.

I can order parts for just about any electronic device in my house, and nobody I order them from asks me if I'm qualified to work on it.

My brother builds guitars. Nobody's ever asked him if he's a guitar "service tech".

It's my equipment ... if I want to perform my own service, why are manufacturers somehow justified in telling me that I can't? I OWN the damn thing ... it's mine ... not theirs. Now, if they want to tell me that working on my own reg voids the warranty, they've got a justification. But to withold service kits? Uh uh ... who the hell do they think they are ... the government?

I'm getting rid of all my SP regs and buying HOG ... because HOG will sell me parts.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Look, the people that buy stuff without doing even the smallest amount of research first will get zero sympathy from me.

The above is not exclusively a scuba problem, it's a stupid buyer problem.

Uh ... Dave ... you sell cars, right ???



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Interesting. Contrary to all the complaints so far about poor training of divers, one of my biggest gripes is dive operations who assume that all divers are improperly trained idiots and should not be allowed to dive off a boat except under close supervision. I am kind of sick of some guy who wasn't even born when I started to diving telling me he has to check I can clear my mask and recover my regulator before I will be allowed to dive. Then I have to follow him around kicking up silt in my face the whole dive.

Reminds me of the resort in Roatan that wouldn't even let me have a tank until I did a checkout dive with their DM. The idiot wanted to see me clear my mask and recover a reg. When I did it hovering inches off the bottom in 3 feet of water he asked me to do it over ... this time kneeling ... so he could assure himself I was "properly weighted".



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Moot? Really.

The thing is... that manufacturers have spent many years trying to take the scuba equipment sales and service out of the hands of instructors who sell stuff out of their trunks and garages, and keep equipment and repairs to reputable and expertly trained technicians.

Let's set the clock backwards instead of forwards... Lets put gear sales back in the hands of instructors who make back alley deals on scuba gear. That will definitely save the industry.

... let's assume that everyone's incompetent, and treat them accordingly ...

I don't see Jim suggesting back alley deals ... he wants to service his own regulators. Personally, I'd trust my own competence over that of some 17-year old "tech" at your typical dive shop ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[tbone1004]

Are you kidding me? What other industry won't?

I can walk into any auto parts store and buy damn near any part for my car I want to. I've yet to have anyone behind the counter ask me if I'm a service tech.

I can order parts for just about any electronic device in my house, and nobody I order them from asks me if I'm qualified to work on it.

My brother builds guitars. Nobody's ever asked him if he's a guitar "service tech".


... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I do instrument repair for woodwinds and there aren't any "service" courses for us. Sure they aren't "life support" but they are a LOT more finicky and we can buy parts from just about anywhere. We usually can't buy direct from the manufacturer, but most of the time you can't anyway. Dealers have no issue selling me parts though. I made the switch to hog a while back because of the parts kits. Now that they have the MK25 copy there's no reason for most of the tech divers not to switch.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

Moot? Really.

keep equipment and repairs to reputable and expertly trained technicians.

Obviously you are referring to the legion of incompetents who went through a four hour class and are now the “experts” at a number of my local dive shops. No thank you, I’ll work on my own gear, at least it gets done right.

 

[diver_doug]

I wish dive shops had more gear. I wish I could walk into a shop with 20 different versions of every item (not really practical I guess, but I like big selections)...having to visit multiple shops to check out a few different items sucks. Also, it would be nice if shops had more specialized equipment; I still have still yet to see a bp/w in person (that's not strapped to a diver).

 

[Teamcasa]

Uh ... Dave ... you sell cars, right ???



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Yep and there are parts that are only available from us, the franchised dealer.