Posted by Cancer on April 13, 2000 at 15:49:07:
I am really upset in writing this but I want to hear from other divers out there. Since becoming certified in Feb.
I have bought most of my gear from the dive shop where I was certified at. About a month ago, I wanted to buy this LPO.
The dive shop's prices up until then had been very reasonably competitive however there was a problem. This LPO I
wanted to buy was being sold there at $120. Other shops and the big retailers were selling it for between $75 and $90. I
wanted to continue to buy the rest of my gear at the dive shop so I called them up and remarked about the discrepancy.
What I heard from that was that i should buy the LPO, bring the receipt in and the my then dive shop turn the other retailer
in to the manufacturer due to an apparent break in the minimum retail price. I was so appalled that I was being told to do
this and I felt like they were telling me I was obligated to buy from them because they have been so kind. I called the manufacturer
afterward and told the story. The manufacturer replied that on that item, the retailer could sell it for whatever price he/she/they
decided to sell it for. Their sister company had a minimum price but not them. I saw how maybe the salesman at my dive shop might have
confused the two-understandable. However, the attitude that I received was terrible. Go buy it, bring us the receipt so we can bust
them. Really!? I also felt price-shopping was a no-no buy their remarks. I subsequently bought the LPO after they agreed to sell
it to me at the other retailer's price. The story thickens.
I had a dive computer and a tank to buy still. I saw the price at the dive shop- $320. I saw the same computer somewhere else - $249.
I did not even want to go back to my dive shop and see if they would match it-I just bought it at the other retailer. Now to the tank.
I asked my dive shop if they had any HP steel 80 tanks. They said they did and I asked them what price they were. They told me $275.
I still to this day thought I asked them if it was a Aqualung HP steel 80. That is what I wanted. When I came in that weekend, they said
"Here's your tank." It was not a Aqualung/U.S. Divers tank. That's what I wanted. So I told them this and I got the
remark, "A tank's a tank." Somehow I did not effectively communicate to them that what I wanted was the steel 80 HP tank by
U.S. Divers/Aqualung. The owner came up to me and asked me which cover I wanted for the tank. I was in the middle of a conversation
with the tech there and told the owner, "I'm talking to Bob right now," and something to the effect that "I'll get to you later." I walked out of the store
and did not buy the tank and was considering ordering the U.S. Divers tank from them @ $300.
I chose to call around and "price-shop." I found a retailer who was willing to sell me the tank I wanted for $265. So I bought it.
Last Saturday I walked into the dive shop to get my air fills which I get free because of a dive club membership I have with them and the owner was
just waiting.
"I see you bought yourself a tank. What am I supposed to do with this tank you ordered. That I ordered for you. Your tank." I tried to
explain to him what had happened and what was said and he said "I don't want to hear
any explanations. I am hurt personally and professionally what you did. After all the free rentals we have given you and what not.
We're back at zero. I want you as a customer but we're at zero." I tried to explain to
him that the reason I did not buy the tank from them was because I felt extremely uncomfortable
purchasing anything from them because I was given such a guilt trip about price-shopping about the LPO and later
about the tank. I also told him that when I rented things from them that I was the one who brought it up with
them that I owed them money for that and he said forget about it. The salesman had told me one time, when I called to consider ordering the tank,
that I ought to consider in price-shopping that they do these nice things for me and I get free air fills (even I paid for it
in my dive club membership) and they give me free rentals (even though I opted to pay every single time).
I am so filled with obligation from this shop that I really don't want to go there ever again. Your thoughts.