Posted by TDI Diver on August 28, 2001 at 10:06:03:
In Reply to: Mr TDI Diver and Marketing CEO posted by maddiver on August 28, 2001 at 09:26:33:
MADDIVER, I agree with your assesment regarding regarding the attitude of DIR Divers in general. Though I have read posts on this board by John Walker and few others
that don't fit that general discription. The thing that is bad for GUE, DIR is that posts put out by individuals like MHK and others hurt both the message and the messenger.
You may be right about about DIR, GUE not being a marketin scheme for Halcyon, I posted my opinion based on personal observation, not on investigation and study.
I myself dive a combination of Halcyon and OMS gear, not because of any marketing by either company but because of the quality of the product both companys put out.
As for Dive Rite; IMO the should be more than a little frightened. Not because of any marketing done by other companys, but because the quality of the gear they make is IMO
not as good as either Halycon or OMS. However as with most thing there is and will be a market for low priced, lower quality tech dive gear Dive Rite fills that niche pretty well.
With all this being said, there is nothing wrong with any manufactuer *partnering* with anyone to help them sell equipment. However sometime that *partnering* does more harm than good
in the long run. I'm just wondering if it may not be approaching time for Halcyon to cut the GUE, DIR strings before they and their message is hurt by the messenger.
Again I believe that Halcyons' success is due more in part more from the quality of the gear they make than it is from any relationship with anyone except the customer they sell to.
As for DIR being *mainstream*, I do not agree with you nor do I believe that they will ever be given the way the message is being carried. Negative perception with no attempt to turn it
is death to any organization, and when the negative perception is supported by the principles of that organization it just serves to hasten the demise.
As for TDI, they rely on the individual instructors ability and experience to carry the message. I agree that when you are are large agency as TDI is there will be some *bad apples* in the mix, and TDI does have some.
However in my personal experience when they find they get rid of them, finding is the problem however.
I believe TDI has a long way to go to clean house but they are cleaning and in gerneral given the size of TDI and the number of divers certified by TDI there is little negative perception when compared to GUR,DIR