|
I hope you paid with a charge card. If you did get on the phone with them and don’t take no for an answer. You are correct if the reciept doesn’t say no returns on special orders and it wasn’t obviously posted in the shop before your purchase then it’s going to end up in your favor.
If you paid cash call the BBB and make a complaint. Next time don’t make a big ticket purchase in cash.
|
|
|
|
I second the BBB compaint.. Also, if they don’t try and remedy the situation, spread the word about the way you were treated. A lot of LDS’s get business (and lose it) based on word of mouth. I’ve had the same type of problems with our LDS and I’ve made it well known how they treat the local customers. I have steered a lot of potential customers away from them.
|
|
|
|
That is really bad business. My LDS owner won’t take payment for anything until you have the gear in hand and you’re satisfied with it. He’s so customer oriented, you could chit-chat with him all day, walk out of the shop with your gear forgetting to pay, and he’d forget to take your money. A couple of times I’ve done that.
Calling credit card company and BBB is a good idea. You may also want to consult a lawyer about unfair trade practices. My state has laws protecting consumers, your’s probably does, too.
|
|
|
|
I hope you paid with a charge card. If you did get on the phone with them and don’t take no for an answer. You are correct if the reciept doesn’t say no returns on special orders and it wasn’t obviously posted in the shop before your purchase then it’s going to end up in your favor.
If you paid cash call the BBB and make a complaint. Next time don’t make a big ticket purchase in cash.
Thank you for this information. I would have never thought of contacting my cc. I did pay using my debit card. Thanks to the advice everyone has left I called my bank & have placed a dispute against the dive shop. They now will investigate to make sure he does not have any clause in his paperwork in regards to his business side of things. They will refund my money within 10 days but until they finish the investigation I cannot use that money. They are going to file it as I did not receive the product I ordered. I have noticed as have a few others I converse with often that the LDS owner is just not doing business quite right, he talks to his few employees like dogs & has them do his dirty work (delivering bad news) while standing there next to the phone having them tell me what he wants said (I can hear him), & due to larger classes (college contract) I and so many others heard him yelling & talking down to folks helping him teach his classes. Also I have noticed that when I took my class (will not specify what class) they just care about the money & getting it done instead of going thru the dives & class as it should. He had other divers not certified to teach go thru several dives with me & signed off on my work as if he did it. I thought the instructor had to do this themselves? Ok there is some of the problems I have seen with my own 2 eyes & ears!
|
|
|
|
Do walk away from that shop...RUN!! That sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen on the safety side of it. Sounds like training standards are being busted on a regular basis!! On the customer service side of it, that’s just plain bad business no matter how you look at it. If the return policy is not plainly posted, sounds like he’s just making it up as he goes.
|
|
|
|
He had other divers not certified to teach go thru several dives with me & signed off on my work as if he did it. I thought the instructor had to do this themselves? Ok there is some of the problems I have seen with my own 2 eyes & ears!
He should be reported to PADI, or whatever agency he is certifying with, and his instructor certificate should be suspended and/or revoked. I know that is illegal with PADI, and it’s probably a no no with the other agencies as well.
|
|
|
|
I would say goodbye to this guy right away.
PADI or any other agency that he teachs thru would not be happy to hear of what he is doing not to mention his Insurance company.
Keep on your bank! Even if they say they cannot help insist they call Visa Or Mastercard (assuming you have one or the other) as they have certain policies that must be followed also.
Its a shame that it is dive shop owners like this give a lot of the others a really bad name. I almost never got into diving after shopping for a mask to do some snorkeling and got nothing but attitude from the dive shop I was in, I figured they would have been happy as I was looking at a 75 dollar mask, but no nothing but crap from them. Thankfully I went to another dive shop and found some really helpful people. Oh and the shop I went to first, They went out of business about 10 years ago, GOOD RIDENS.
|
|
|
|
The wonderful thing about the "Free Market System" is that you can go to another shop if you wish.
If this LDS is not meeting your needs, then you can go to another one. I realize that in some areas this might be difficult. And although normally I would NOT advocate buying on line... If there is not another LDS within reasonable distance, there is always the internet.
It is unfortunate that you have run into problems with your LDS. Certainly, you should do everything that you can to get your money back, or in some other way resolve this issue to your satisfaction.
Along with satisfactory resolution of the issue, you should probably let the owner know that you are not happy, and why. Also, you might try reminding him that you will share your "opinion" of how this issue was handled, with your friends, family and other divers that you might come in contact with. This is called word of mouth advertising and it can have a huge impact on the LDS.
Granted, not every LDS will be able to completely satisfy every customer.... But from what you are saying, this one isn’t even trying to meet your needs.
I have found that usually, the LDS is the BEST way to go. Sometimes, I guess it just doesn’t work out that way...
But then...This is "just my opinion".
|
|
|
|
Contact the dive agencies he represents and call the retailer he represents and let them know of the problems. call your credit card company and see what you can do there. Don’t accept half assed stories from him about why he didn’t produce the right merchandise. Do you have a TV station with a troubleshooter or customer help service. A little bad publicity goes a long way. Not only will you help yourself, but other divers - both new and prospective, but other dive shops too. Good luck. by the way I am an LDS OWNER that doesn’t do business the way that shop does.
|
|
|
|
I don’t know why you don’t dis close your identity ??? I would be sitting in front of the shop off of the property of course with a nice chair and sign on the busy weekends until the shop refunds ... But I think you will just roll over and be miserable.. Sorry.. But whats a weekend on a nice day sitting in front of a dive shop to get back $1000 of well earned money.. The owner can’t stand to lose a busy weekend of sales and a bad reputation that will last for months.. Go ... Mike
|
|
|
|
even if you don’t want to divulge your identity, I think you should give the name of the Dive Shop. There are a lot of members here on DiveBuddy and they can get the word out about this guys business practice. While I do not agree with the saying that the customer is always right, (because there area a lot of booger eating morons out there), I do think that the business person should try to always make the customer happy. Having your employees call with bad news instead of delivering it yourself, and having them take care of customer problems just so you don’t have to deal with it shows not only a lack of character but a huge amount of cawardice. By divulging the name of the shop one of two things can be hoped: 1. the owner realizes what he is doing is wrong and he makes corrections to his business practices and becomes a shop that divers like to go to or 2. his business fails and someone else with better business sense opens a shop and the area gets a better business partner. I also agree that you should contact his certifying agency whether it be PADI or not. keep in mind that hisdive insurance carrier gets information from his certifying agency. Because this guy is opening himself up to law suits, which in turn the insurance company has to pay when he loses because he is not following standards, then ever other instructor out there faces the possibility of higher insurance rates due to a knucklehead losing a case because he can’t follow the standards. Name the shop, name it....Name it.....NAME THE SHOP. See now you’ve gone and got me upset and I don’t even now the shop.
|
|
|
|
Ok here’s the current activity of the situation. I have gotten in touch with a family member of the owner who knows him well & works there at the shop. She is not sure why he was so adamant to not working with me. She is going to speak with him when he arrives back in town to try to work out something. That’s good for me! I still have the active dispute with my bank. Now I have contacted PADI about the teaching issues & such they have advised to put everything in writting & email it to them. Regarding my identity I do not have to disclose who I am. Where I live we have only 2 shops including this one so I am not going to stir up to much S#T! The diving community is very small here & I have spoke to several people in my area about the shop. The word is spreading slowly. I have taken steps thanks to the advice of my kind db.com members & I greatly appreciate all of the advice! Due to the size of the dive community locally BD.com offered me the chance to get other divers opinions w/out asking everyone around here.
|
|
|
|
If there is no BB in the area contact the state AG, I had a shop in eastern Pa. take my money for a trip to AKR and when I called the week before the trip to find out where my daughter and I would meet the group at PHL I was told they never booked me but rather took students from a local school in our place.
I was promised a refund right away which never happened, I then had to use other phones to call or he wouldn’t answer and then the excuses began. When the Pa. state AG’s office called him I got the refund.
BTW, trip insurance will not cover the agent running off with your money so use a cc even if you need to pay the extra %
|
|
|
|
Have you considered contacting his certification agency (PADI[ NAUI ect) and telling them how bad he sucks. People like him give the whole sport a bad name and some people a bad taste for what these jerks do.
|
|
|
|
Glad to report that my LDS has chosen to work things out with me. I am very relieved that it’s over & satisfied with my new gear. PADI was contacted about the diver/class issues. I hate being a whistle blower but for the safety of all divers I felt it was necessary. Thanks for the advice!
|
|