The only two things that bother me as an operator of a LDS is that divers come in and will get all there education, sizing and comparison including a demo dive at times from the dive shop. Then after a couple hours of working with a customer to find the perfect piece of gear they go online and sometimes save what usually amounts to a few bucks. Usually the customer will not even give me a chance to match the price or come close.
I don’t think the LDS will ever go away like the small mom and pop shops that used to truly bring customer service and knowledge in electronics and cameras. But I do think there are areas that will go without a LDS and not have training available within reasonable diving distance. You’re not going to get much training from Leasure Pro in the middle of the country. All I ask is for people to show some respect to the stores that do provide Training, Trips, Diving Experiences,Gear Service and help Sizing and Reccommend what you buy. When you show up at your LDS, with your new set of gear purchased online that isn’t assembled, please don’t be shocked when you are charged a reasonable fee to put it all together.
I know there are some online retailers that openly enjoy the LDS doing all the hard work so they don’t have to deal with the customer which they feel is a pain when not just an online invoice. That’s not to say all online retailers are created the same. There are some very reputable online retailers that support the dive community. Many of the shops including mine are now introducing shopping carts to allow the ease of shopping from home or work when you want to. However we will comply with the dealers rules.
I have noticed that Leisure Pro is now advertizing on divebuddy.com. Good for them, however I do feel they are probably the single worst offender of grey market scuba providers in the world. I believe in a fair market but they continue to abuse any method available to legally or possibly otherwise circumvent dealers agreements. Check with the Aqualung webiste and you will see on a regular basis they send out releases trying to inform the public that the are not authorized retailers of their products. Hmmm I sure would think twice before buying from a nondealer that is publicly denied by the manufacturers.
I will give Scubatoys props for being just down the road and have always worked well with us and are a contributer to the local dive community. Maybe if some of the others online retailers operated similarly there would be less ill will toward online retailers.
Hopefully most of you have a LDS that functions as the heart of your diving and you support them because they have earned it. I think that is all we as reatilers can ask. We certainly don’t run dive shops only for the profit. The real payoff is a healthy local dive scene that fosters new divers and keeps longtime divers active. All of us; divers, instructors and retailers are key to divings continued success in our area. Think about that before your next purchase and spend your money accordingly.
Cheers,
Rich