Dive Shops

[LittleRock]

Was wondering what is up with Dive Shops.. I am new to diving and seems that the dive shops I have been to are so against anyone else. Heaven forbide I mention another dive shop or even worse buying from someplace like ST. I mean as the consumer I have to look at price and customer service. If a shop isn't providing that then why do them feel offended if you go some where else. I may not buy from you due to your price not being right, but if you maintain good customer service then I am likely to return when I need something else. I have found it amazing that the best customer service I have experienced thus far has been at a shop that is 7 hours away from me.. Anyone have any thoughts.

[SlvrDragon50]

I dunno

LDS don't have the same volume of customers so they have to charge more... I guess they feel insulted when they hear you talk aboutnothernstores being better. My LDS is great since he pricematches any store and he is 5 minutes away

ST hAs an advantage being a LDS and online retailer.

[BSea]

Originally Posted by LittleRock

Was wondering what is up with Dive Shops.. I am new to diving and seems that the dive shops I have been to are so against anyone else. Heaven forbide I mention another dive shop or even worse buying from someplace like ST. I mean as the consumer I have to look at price and customer service. If a shop isn't providing that then why do them feel offended if you go some where else. I may not buy from you due to your price not being right, but if you maintain good customer service then I am likely to return when I need something else. I have found it amazing that the best customer service I have experienced thus far has been at a shop that is 7 hours away from me.. Anyone have any thoughts.

Have you been to "THE DIVE SHOP" in LR? I'd be surprised if you came away from there with that feeling. They are an Aqualung dealer, so there isn't much movement on price, and they won't try & beat LP. But for customer service & a relaxed atmosphere, without a lot of pressure, they are great. But I'm a little biases since I belong to their dive club, and have taken many classes from them. And they are the equipment experts in town. I've been there when a tech from another store called to ask a service related question.

So where is this shop that's 7 hours away......remember, ST is only 6

[Sansho]

You'll find a number of threads about dive shops. Most dive shops don't do the volume ST does, and can't or won't move much on prices. And I've heard first hand the bad mouthing of buying on the internet, and while there are some truths (one fairly well known retailer sells products they buy out from others without a manufacturers warranty, supplying their own, instead) and, unfortunately, more disinformation and emotion.

ST sets a stellar example for pricing, availability, customer service, and after the sale service that others could learn from.

[h2odragon1]

It's the SBMC.
Small Business Man Complex.
Yes try to cultivate a good relationship with your LDS, but, try a few.
I shop at three shops, only because a fourth moved further away.

[ScubaJ]

There are certainly plenty of horror stories about poor LDS's, but there are also quite a few good experiences.
If a dive shop doesn't treat you as you feel they should, then just move on to another shop. Some people don't have the luxury of having several shops in their town, so they are kinda stuck.
I'm fortunate to live in a town that has quite a few to pick from. Granted, they aren't all 3 miles from my house, but I try to reward good service and prices with my business. Thats not to say I hand out charity and pay much higher prices (bought most of my gear from ST), but I do buy from LDS when their price is reasonable.
Good luck finding a good shop in your area.

[digitalman]

I was in getting an air fill this week at a shop. He asked to see my C-card and noticed that it wasn't from his shop. He made a comment and moved on to the next conversation piece with me about one of the local dive spots. I'm sure he would have liked for me to have had his shop name on the back of my card, but accepted the fact that I didn't and was happy to get my air business and talked about upcoming trips.

[Mtrewyn]

Originally Posted by BSea

Have you been to "THE DIVE SHOP" in LR? I'd be surprised if you came away from there with that feeling. They are an Aqualung dealer, so there isn't much movement on price, and they won't try & beat LP. But for customer service & a relaxed atmosphere, without a lot of pressure, they are great. But I'm a little biases since I belong to their dive club, and have taken many classes from them. And they are the equipment experts in town. I've been there when a tech from another store called to ask a service related question.

So where is this shop that's 7 hours away......remember, ST is only 6

I use The Dive Shop in Joplin MO a member of the same chain, and have had pretty good luck using them, I do feel like they are judging me when I come in with gear from another shop, but I really like their two main instructors, and the two of them are not too bad about gear, they know quality when they see it, and they have complemented me on my gear outside of the shop, so I keep using them. and they are close.

[fire diver]

Originally Posted by BSea

Have you been to "THE DIVE SHOP" in LR? I'd be surprised if you came away from there with that feeling.

They are great! I stopped in there a couple years ago, and now I drop by whenever the army has me in town. Great shop, and great owner!

[RikRaeder]

My family business is batteries. My father was very strict on never badmouthing another business, no matter how inept we felt they were. We always encouraged our customers to go elsewhere, especially to one of the "bad" shops if we were not meeting their needs. More times than not, our customers were soon back at our place doing all the bad mouthing themselves. We could just sit back, collect the money and enjoy a well-earned smirk. Of course, we pride ourselves on service and try hard to deliver...even if it means referring customers to a more able shop. It's all about giving the customer what they want, even if sometimes it isn't from us. Seems to pay off in the long run, right Larry? I think it's more about accumen than attitude.