Why do LDS' treat divers like idiot morons?

[redacted]

You also have to realize the economics of things. It is not a wise economic decision for an LDS to make divers self sufficient -- therefore they will never help you with that.

Mer,

Satisfying consumer demand tends to be economically beneficial in most fields - why should scuba be any different? If you look around long enough, you can find LDS's who are not afraid of self sufficient divers. They actually see these self-sufficient dives as a resource bringing new divers into the sport and sending experienced diver customers their way. Just like most folks don't want to maintain their own cars, most divers would not want to have to service their own gear. I know I really appreciate the shops that I have found that will supply my needs at a reasonable cost and I make sure to send all I can their way and away from those shops who only want to cultivate dependent divers.

I suspect the economics and good will works out strongly in their favor.

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

Awap, you mirror my philosophy of voting with my wallet! I drive 100 miles one way to the dive shop that I trust, and has built trust in me with their work, and with whom we have mutual respect, instead of 5 miles to the nearest. I like your analogy with automobiles here - I used to do everything on my old muscle cars myself, but now spend my time on other activities and these days tend to have mechanics with whom mutual trust and respect do any work beyond oil / filter changes and tune-ups on the vehicles we own (the muscle cars are now a hobby of the past for me).

It all boils down on how you view the spending of your money, how you value your time, and how you define "value" in what you receive, IMHO.