Gypsy Divers Aquatic Center; Raleigh's Finest Family Aquatic Center

And here's the best news:

YOU get to decide whether or not we're worth it.

So here's our suggested intelligent internet shopping strategy: You know you need to touch it and try it on, which you can't do on the internet, so give us a friendly visit. Come look at all our equipment; ask questions, try things on for sizing, and get catalogs and anything else to help you choose your perfect system. Then hit the net and find out what the stuff is selling for without the value we add.
All we ask in return is that before you transmit a credit card number to someone who doesn't know you in a warehouse in some other state, you give us one last chance to make you one of our many happy, loyal customers:
Just show us what system you have chosen and what pricing you have found in cyberland.In exchange, we'll make certain you are getting what you think you're getting: right size, current model, right features, etc. And we'll tell you what the cost difference would be if you buy the exact same system from us, with all the above values added. One simple number. No pressure. Then you decide. I guarantee we will treat you with all the cordial respect due an intelligent and thorough shopper, and will sincerely attempt to negotiate something that makes all of us happy. Good luck on your hunt. You're going to love having your own stuff.

~ Dave

A bit of a humorous April 2002 update::
We have had the above policy in place for over 2 years and it works just fine. We don't make every sale, but we do prove our additional worth to most of our customers, and we do get to meet a lot of great people in the process. But check this out: We just had a customer try a Henderson microprene suit on under his 7-mil suit to see if it would work as an additional layer of warmth, since he likes to dive a lot of cold water. Once he determined it would indeed work, and what size he needed, he asked me if we could match the internet pricing he had found. We were $20 higher than what he had found on the web and I just couldn't get any closer, so he elected to go with the internet dealer, which he had every right to do. I thought I had upset him, as he left quickly and without at least expressing some appreciation for allowing him to try on the suit. What I didn't realize was that this poor guy had worked himself into a pretty impressive sweat while trying on our light-weight suit under his heavy neoprene suit... and we now had a brand new microprene suit left on the floor that was completely drenched in perspiration... (as Ann said..."ewwwwww"...) I mean like sopping wet. So it's now on it's way to the drycleaners and then the discount rack. Wish I had gotten his name. I would have gladly met his price had I seen what he had done to the suit...<G>

A Not-So-Humorous November 2003 update:
I just received an email from a customer who followed my advice above to the letter: he and his wife came into the store with copies of the internet pricing he was finding. We didn't stock the particular BCD they were looking at, but we did have the regs and gauges, so they had a chance to handle the breathing systems they wanted to buy, but not the BCDs. I was astounded at the aggressive pricing they had found on-line - and could not get close to matching it. I could add some freebies and coupons for future service to make up the difference, but this couple would be spending over $500 more between the two sets of equipment they were purchasing if they chose Gypsy Divers as their equipment supplier. We did discuss the fact that they would be without warranty protection if they chose the on-line vendor, but whereas I could show then that the money they would save annually with our preferred parts replacement warranty would eventually (about 4 years) make us the better deal, they were looking at the additionally immediate outlay as a serious objection - so they chose to do business with the on-line guys. Here's a copy of the email I received from the less-than-happy on-line customer:"Greetings,
I hope this email finds you doing well. My wife and I stopped by a few weeks ago to discuss the pros and cons of purchasing items with Gypsy or via an online website. We appreciate the time you took with us and the no-nonsense approach you took with us. Having all the info, we decided to purchase most of the gear from the internet. Therein lies our problem. In short, you were right! We saved a significant amount of $$$, but are now in need of the personal assistance you mentioned. We purchased a Scubapro Glide 2000, along with the reg, octopus and console (with european measurements!!!) In short we need a professional to "fit" us accordingly (I think we have the wrong size BCD), connect everything and be sure its all in working order. Do you offer that service on products not purchased from your store? If so, what is the cost?
This has been a tough lesson for us, but I'd like to think we have learned it and will make future purchases where customer service is easy to obtain. An appropriate response from you could very well be "&*%! off cheap skate! you get what you paid for!" However, I'm hoping you're merciful and can help out a future customer. "

OK - Now we're in a truly interesting position here:
The customer shopped, made a purchasing decision, spent his money, and is unhappy.And I'm not especially happy either

I made no profit from this customer - and although he is now asking for my help - and is willing to pay for it, I really don't see how I can help him very much, even though he is a nice person with a nice family and a thoughtful and intelligent approach to things.

We can certainly put his equipment together for him and bench-test it, as we do routinely for all our customers. But we have no ability to solve his long-term problems of fit. And he apparently has no way to pursue this through his chosen internet vendor. And he has zip warranty value for the stuff he now owns.

The irony is that the only person who is really pleased with this transaction is someone none of us knows in a place far away who simply took a credit card number and then put some stuff in a box and shipped it.

So let's add one more factor when we're considering internet sales - you won't truly know what you're getting until you open the box and look at it.

And best of luck to us all. Owning dive gear is still like owning a magic carpet. thanks for reading this far.

- dave