WHY Dive shops make you Feel GUILTY ???

[The Kraken]

One can say the same thing of an LDS.
Oh well . . .

Caveat emptor . . .

 

[pilot fish]

Caveat emptor . . ]]kraken

Yes, indeed.

 

[kent_1848]

I like my local dive shop, and have never paid "Full Retail Price" for anything there. However, I am a little turned off by the fact that they feel they should mark everything up to the point that the customer has to ask why things are so expensive. Can you imagine if you actually walked into a local dive shop and the prices were compareable to internet browsing? I would probably die of a heart attack. My problem is, that someone coming in that is looking into getting into diving is so turned off by browsing and the outrageous prices, it makes it hard to even trust the LDS. If you went into the grocery store and lettuce was $12 a head, wouldn't you wonder if you could trust that store when the guy comes up and says "Oh, don't worry about that, we can cut you a deal on the lettuce." I mean what else have they "lied" about?

 

[jonnythan]

I would feel less comfortable buying scuba gear from someone that does not know diving. But, as you say, whatever floats your boat.

Well, obviously that's your personal, anonymous, internet decision

However, this is way off the point I tried to make to you a few posts ago.

Internet posters that are completely anonymous, have a vendetta, and are willing to consistently throw around absurd allegations that have no basis in reality or fact are.. well, just that. Anonymous internet posters throwing around baseless allegations.

Stores with real names, real trademarks, real phone numbers, real brick and mortar shops, real trademarks, and real salesman are not anonymous and are accountable.

 

[pilot fish]

Well, obviously that's your personal, anonymous, internet decision ]]]]]]]]]jon


As well as yours.

Jon, everyone needs to find their own comfort zone on buying scuba gear. If you trust the Internet to buy scuba gear that your life depends on online, then fine. That is not my choice.

Sage and safe diving.

 

[pilot fish]

I like my local dive shop, and have never paid "Full Retail Price" for anything there. However, I am a little turned off by the fact that they feel they should mark everything up to the point that the customer has to ask why things are so expensive. Can you imagine if you actually walked into a local dive shop and the prices were compareable to internet browsing? I would probably die of a heart attack. My problem is, that someone coming in that is looking into getting into diving is so turned off by browsing and the outrageous prices, it makes it hard to even trust the LDS. If you went into the grocery store and lettuce was $12 a head, wouldn't you wonder if you could trust that store when the guy comes up and says "Oh, don't worry about that, we can cut you a deal on the lettuce." I mean what else have they "lied" about?

Yes, that is a real pain. It's like buying a car.

 

[jonnythan]

Well, obviously that's your personal, anonymous, internet decision ]]]]]]]]]jon


As well as yours.

Jon, everyone needs to find their own comfort zone on buying scuba gear. If you trust the Internet to buy scuba gear that your life depends on online, then fine. That is not my choice.

Sage and safe diving.

Absolutely agreed there.

My point is that Internet stores are, unfortunately, frequently the victim of baseless and anonymous Internet attacks on their reputation, as I'm sure you're well aware.

Let's allow the point to lie there, if that's OK with you. I think we're vehemently agreeing.

 

[pilot fish]

Absolutely agreed there.

My point is that Internet stores are, unfortunately, frequently the victim of baseless and anonymous Internet attacks on their reputation, as I'm sure you're well aware.

Let's allow the point to lie there, if that's OK with you. I think we're vehemently agreeing.

What you say is true but the same thing can be said of the Local Dive Shops, n'est pas? I like it better when we agree, Jon.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

You can go to a dive shop and talk to a real diver that knows that gear and how it works uw, not a salesperson that is only a merchant and does not dive. I would feel less comfortable buying scuba gear from someone that does not know diving. But, as you say, whatever floats your boat.

All well and good if you can trust what they tell you.

Try this little experiment ... walk into three different dive shops, each of which competes against the other two, and each of which sells different lines of gear.

After asking each of the three the exact same questions regarding specific types of gear, let us know how comfortable you were with their responses.

These people may be divers ... but first and foremost, it's their job to sell you gear. And most times they will EACH try to convince you that they sell only the best, and the other shop's stuff is unreliable.

Whether you purchase online or at an LDS, you should never rely solely on the information provided by the employees of the business when making your purchasing decisions. I know way too many divers who have made poor purchasing choices ... and regretted it later ... because they went with what the shop employee told them they should buy.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[wolf eel]

What Grateful diver said is true, and that is a huge reason the industry is not growing if not the main reason.
They should act like that one store in the thirties (no longer remember its name) The story is that a customer came into the store and a lady asked for a style of coat that they did not carry the sales person instead of trying to sell her a coat she did not want told her where to find her coat. Not only that he looked up the name and address for her. That salesman was fired because the manager watched this and thought they had just lost a sale. In fact the salesman had created a loyal client to the store for being so helpfull. He was later re-hired the manager was fired and they had a complete list of shops and what they offered to be able to give good advice and give the customer what they wanted. Sales went through the roof when nobody had money.

Now if the dive shops got along and acted in the same manner many more people would be diving but instead we look like a group misinformed people who do dangerous things for fun.
Cheers