Why is it that the local dive shops (the LDS to use diver's lingo) think they are above everyone else? What ever happened to customer service?! My friend and I booked our Nitrox and AOW through Texan Scuba in Huntsville, TX. I had originally used them for my open water certification, they are right by Blue Lagoon. Their class prices are not extremely competitive but they do embrace online teaching which works better with my schedule. We picked the DPV, S&R, and night dive as our elective dives. I thought since they provided the DPV for the DPV dive and the lift bag for the S&R dive, they were going to provide the lights for the night dive. Maybe it was my mistake to assume this but it did seem reasonable. When we got to BL I was confronted by Phil, the owner of Texan Scuba and parts of BL. He decided to take me outside to "talk about it." He went on to lecture me about having to buy my own equipment, how shop loyalty is important, how online retailers will not service your equipment, and all in all, how much he just did not care about customer service. Let me say this, if he wants to give me a lecture about all that as if I was a 16 year old kid with no life experience, I simply will not have it. I deal with rude people all day long, I dive with my own equipment including a thousand dollar datamask, and in my bank account I have enough money to buy out his store. The reality though is that THE ONE THING LDS HAVE THAT ONLINE RETAILERS DO NOT IS THE FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION AND GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE, however, if you are going to be rude to me, you just lost that advantage and I will never spend a penny in your store and I will tell all my well off friends to do the same. That is exactly what happened with Texan Scuba. I have at least 6 friends who are interested in diving but I am just going to tell them to go elsewhere.
This is unfortunately a problem that plagues many dive shops across the country based on what I am reading online. I understand that this is a difficult time to have a small business, but the business practices of LDSs are antiquated. I do not imagine that dive shop owners shop locally for all their food and housewares, everything in their house is not made in the USA which would greatly help the local and country wide economy. In the perfect world, this would be true. But in the real world, grocery stores have the better price or at least are more convenient. It is easier and cheaper to buy a TV stand at Target rather than having the local carpenter do it. LDS owners, why should I pay double and put more money in your pocket if I can find the exact same dive gear online at half the price? Plus, you treat us like a car salesman would with scare tactics and BS. You have to adapt! Do not feed me this line that it is because of the manufacturers that the prices are fixed. Most of the online retailers have physical stores just like you, the gear they are selling did not fall off a truck and magically appear in their stores, they are doing something that you are not and you have to figure it out or go out of business. Before someone starts to tell me that we need LDSs, my question is do we really need them? Oh, we need them to service our gear? Wrong, you can send your gear to several reputable places online, pay less, and have your gear serviced better. That's right, better. Here is a reality check, most LDS take a 1-2 DAY course to service your gear from the manufacturer. They know how to take it apart, put the new parts in and give it back to you. Read on the message boards how many LDS have screwed up with the life support equipment you put on... A lot. Most online service agencies have a physical shop that you can drop off your gear if you prefer, they have taken a 1-2 WEEK course on servicing all types of regulators and gear. I have had a hard time finding anything negative about the online service shops. I am sure it is out there but cannot find it. The reality is that you are putting your life in the hands of a stranger with either option. There is no advantage to servicing with the LDS that I can see. Oh, we need them for classes? I have to say, John with Texan Scuba is an excellent instructor. But if Phil is going to be rude, then I just will not take classes from them, no matter how good the instructor is. Credentialing agencies will eventually realize that LDS are the front face of their agencies. Hopefully they will require lessons in customer service. If not, I think they will start allowing freelance teaching. They are not going to go out of business because a bunch of idiots with no idea of customer service are not selling their product correctly. Based on my experience with Texan Scuba, I think I am going to move on and give NAUI or SDI a try.
Important lessons for LDSs. Be nice, treat your customers with respect. Maybe lend them those dive lights and if they like how they work, sell them to them. That's an idea... Put the product in the customer's hand. Be competitive with your pricing, your online competition can do it, with the amount they are selling they are obviously getting it from the manufacturer, figure out what they are doing. Adapt.
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