High Priced Shop

[kworkman]

I never considered the prices of goods and services at my local dive shop until I started servicing my own gear. I think I need to find a better shop.

[crimediver]

A lot of the shops in VA charge at least 35 buck for a hydro. I am able to use a contact to get mine done for 10 bucks. Big difference.

All new divers get gouged at first but the longer you do it and the more contacts you make, the cheaper it gets. I shake my head at people that take their BCs in for an annual checkup for 25 bucks. A person that falls for that and knows so little about that piece of gear that believes they should pay someone to do what they be doing really shuld not even be diving.

A gal I work with had a a leak from her SPG spool. She took it to the LDS and was quoted 100 bucks for a fix. Hell, she could have got a nice brass and glass gauge for about half that. Fortunately she left as she did not have that much to spend. I changed the o-rings on the spool. It cost about ten cents for the o-rings and a couple of minutes of my time.

The dive shop lost a customer by attempting to gouge her. If she had gotten it fixed for five bucks no doubt she would have been back later when she needed to buy something.

I do my own VIPs, as a public safety diver I get air for free form agency compressors and only buy personal gear when I get a great deal. I have literally dived for a solid year and not put any money into my hobby. I do beach dives, use a kayak, etc so I do not rent a dive boat. I find a lot of cool stuff on the bottom and some of the aluminum, sinkers and anchors I sell make me a nice profit every year. When other divers ask me what kind of diving I do I jokingly tell them I am a "Free Diver".

I know shops need to pay the rent but it but never should they try scamming its customers.