"Your pool, your rules" an Ocean Encounters tale

[airaslt3]

If your emails were as confusing as this post I can see why there was confusion and your admitted rudeness makes me think they were wise to refuse you service. I agree, life is too short to deal with rude (flippant) people.

Yeah, I forgot to choose reply with quote, unless you are talking about all of it in a whole. If so, that would just make me a bad communicator. Sorry.

 

[DandyDon]

I have dove a lot in the Caribbean (I lived in Panama for a year and Honduras for six months) and this is the first issue I've had. Again, sorry the original message was confusing. Do you have any spots that when you were there you thought, "I MUST come back here?"

I've dived or just visited some places I want to revisit, yeah. Love to visit Ireland again with a GF. And I've tried some dive Ops and resorts that I felt good to escape. It's all part of adventure travel, including storms.

 

[airaslt3]

> Christian informed me that I was rude, and that if I couldn’t listen to him, I would no doubt not listen to his instructors and that’s not why people come to work in the morning.

A great boss shields his employees from avoidable problems and you sound like a bunch of problems heading into town. I wouldn't take you either.


You need to relax. It's recreational SCUBA diving. Nobody is getting rich teaching or running dive boats and most professionalsdo it just because they enjoy it. If you make your presence "not enjoyable" you'll find that this won't be the last time you get un-invited.
flots.

I think that Ocean Encounters is really trying to prove you wrong about that getting rich part. If you charge that much for a specialty you'll get there. As for being un-invited, if I find a place that charges that much and unwilling to work with someone, i'll un-invite myself again.

 

[lonergan]

You seriously sent a sketch of a scuba diver to him to alert his security? Bro' that's the funniest s**t I've ever read. I'm not sure I would've done that but regardless, that's funny. $228 for a boat diver? That's insane. I get a naturalist or navigation where the instructor needs a small group, one on one, but that's a lot of bank to say, "that's starboard" and "I properly fell into the water"

 

[airaslt3]

You seriously sent a sketch of a scuba diver to him to alert his security? Bro' that's the funniest s**t I've ever read. I'm not sure I would've done that but regardless, that's funny. $228 for a boat diver? That's insane. I get a naturalist or navigation where the instructor needs a small group, one on one, but that's a lot of bank to say, "that's starboard" and "I properly fell into the water"

I learned a little bit more than that, but it wasn't that hard or that much to review. I actually want to do the naturalist too. I'm in Ohio so I would want to wait until I get to salt water again, Ohio doesn't have as much cool stuff to identify.

 

[airaslt3]

From what I gather here, you were refused the use of their facilities not because you did not book with OE, but because of your tone in your communication with them.
By the sound of it, that was probably a good call on their part.
I'm pretty sure you would not have been too friendly a character using their dock, their air, their facilities.
Not sure why you feel the need to lash out publicly at them.
You already managed to get yourself banned from using an operator in Curacao due to your e mails.
Why continue the angry stuff?
Life is short. Be happy, and dive.

Do you honestly feel that this was lashing out? This is about as middle of the road as one could get. I didn't degrade any one, I never said something negative other than they charged way too much for a specialty and that they, in the beginning before things went poorly were unable to work with someone. What I took from your response was, they were price gouging because they were the outfit where I was staying and I was suppose to smile and say, thank you for ripping me off. Of course I don't have a problem paying you 7 times the amount another place is charging. Of course I don't mind paying you $50 extra to go to the mushroom forest when Caribbean Sea Sports is doing it at no additional charge. Why would any one disagree with that? I'm certain that when you book at a place and they say a four day package is $390 and this other place is $325, you're all over the first one. Again, I need to point out that I was banned from a place that I refused to dive at. That's a win all around. "Sir, I'm quitting my job." "Nope, you're fired." "Okay" Seems like a win-win.

 

[wedivebc]

For some reason I have been watching this thread. Not sure why, this is the biggest whine-fest I have ever seen (well actually not)
You provided convoluted communication with the operator, and they refused to work with youafter you became rude (your own admission) You then started whining that the original operator wanted to charge you for a course and because you found someone to sell you a card, you feel you were ripped off. Well you get what you pay for with scuba training well you got a card. Good for you. You can now go impress your friends with it.
I have not been on scubaboard much lately and you post reminded me why.

Do you honestly feel that this was lashing out? This is about as middle of the road as one could get. I didn't degrade any one, I never said something negative other than they charged way too much for a specialty and that they, in the beginning before things went poorly were unable to work with someone. What I took from your response was, they were price gouging because they were the outfit where I was staying and I was suppose to smile and say, thank you for ripping me off. Of course I don't have a problem paying you 7 times the amount another place is charging. Of course I don't mind paying you $50 extra to go to the mushroom forest when Caribbean Sea Sports is doing it at no additional charge. Why would any one disagree with that? I'm certain that when you book at a place and they say a four day package is $390 and this other place is $325, you're all over the first one. Again, I need to point out that I was banned from a place that I refused to dive at. That's a win all around. "Sir, I'm quitting my job." "Nope, you're fired." "Okay" Seems like a win-win.

 

[airaslt3]

Just so I'm clear here. I wrote a trip advisor report to tell anyone thinking of traveling to Curacao that I had problems with the outfit and found a place that gives the same product for a cheaper price. The outfit replied on trip advisor that I was in fact denied service DURING THE BOOKING PROCESS (the booking process what over) for inappropriate language (did I swear, call some one a name?) and that my advisor report was false because I wrote it out of spite for being denied. They stated I had no integrity or honesty which was in fact a lie on their part. What did I lie about? Nothing. They (Ocean Encounters) wanted to charge me over $600 ($340 for 8 boat dives, $50 for an upgrade to go to the mushroom forest and $228 for a specialty) for the exact same product I got at another outfit (Caribbean Sea Sports) for $360. They didn't SELL me a card, they had me work as part of the boat crew for three days of diving while having me secure mooring lines, untie the boat from the dock, secure it back to the dock, identify other vessels etc. And you and the people who are liked the comment are telling me that by me telling a truly impartial version that I am whining and that somehow you think I felt I was ripped off. You said I get what I pay for. I got three days of working on a boat for free not $228, except I wanted to actually have the card and not just the instructors stamp so I paid to get it. I wrote that Ocean Encounters WAS trying to rip me off and that I told them I would go elsewhere. Meaning, all communications are done at that point, no need to email me back, no need to talk to me any longer, we could not come to terms, take care and I get an email back saying, they were refusing me service. Maybe you guys have a lot more money than I do, not that hard as I don't make much. Maybe you are okay with paying any amount for anything in life but I can't do that and I'm guessing there are more people like me, who have a budget and need to find less expensive outfits to work with. Have you ever had a good experience with an outfit? Did you "BRAG" about it or did you share it? Have you had a bad experience with an outfit? Did you "WHINE" about it, or did you share it? My intent on blogging on here was to clarify the trip advisor report where they said I wasn't being honest.

For some reason I have been watching this thread. Not sure why, this is the biggest whine-fest I have ever seen (well actually not)
You provided convoluted communication with the operator, and they refused to work with youafter you became rude (your own admission) You then started whining that the original operator wanted to charge you for a course and because you found someone to sell you a card, you feel you were ripped off. Well you get what you pay for with scuba training well you got a card. Good for you. You can now go impress your friends with it.
I have not been on scubaboard much lately and you post reminded me why.

 

[jdcpa]

Sooooo, your intent coming here was to refute their rebuttal on Tripadvisor?

I get the you want it cheaper part, no need to review that.

 

[airaslt3]

The trip advisor part was mainly about the prices I found. If I were traveling somewhere and read the reviews that I get the same stuff at a different place for a better price, I would go to the other place. In fact, that is exactly why I went to breezes. It was a lot cheaper than the mariott and hilton. It probably wasn't as nice by what I gathered from talking to other guests but it fit in my budget. I'm returning to Curacao next June on a Curacao/Bonaire trip with my dive club and will be staying in apartments which are even cheaper. The reason our club booked them was because of cost. I guess I don't like being called a liar unless I am actually lying.

Sooooo, your intent coming here was to refute their rebuttal on Tripadvisor?

I get the you want it cheaper part, no need to review that.