Anglesey - Skipper Warning

[Mr T.]

I should have listened to those who 'warned' me about him in the 1st place......I should have trusted my judgement....alas, thus is the state of play....


I'm sorry to report some negative fall out from the recent Anglesey gig. And, as a result (and I can't speak for you as individuals) 'we' shall NOT be using Diggs and his RIBs ever again for any diving off Anglesey. Here's the news.

Being a paying customer (and I know there's been a thread on here recently about certain centres being quite happy to take your money and still treat you in a 'casual' manner), I'm very keen (as I have to conduct myself in my own job) to be treated as 'valued' by those to whom I'm handing over mine (and others&#39 cash for services - in this case booking a RIB off which to go diving. I am damned if I (and others with me) are gonna get treated like either an embuggerance or a inconvenience - alas, such was the way with Diggs.

Alarm bells began to ring about Diggs on the Saturday morning of the trip, when this extra from 'Captain Pugwash' kept making smart-arsed comments about all and sundry (what, in certain circles, is referred to as 'gripping my shit&#39.

Trying to concentrate on getting kitted up and wondering where I was going to park the car at a very busy slipway, I bit my lip and just cracked-on. Unfortnuately Diggs's attempts at humour carried on. Again I bit my lip and said nothing. I think he was pissed-off at us for changing the time from the 09.00 hrs RIB to the 11.00 hrs RIB, but seeing as this had all been OK'd the night before on the phone, his comments were more than a little grating. Added to which, without our booking, one of his RIBs would have been standing idle for the day.

I mentioned it to Jay and 2Tanx later and said that if this gash continued I was gonna say something and remind him just who the customers were on this gig.

We got the decided impression that Diggs doesn't like divers; they are an embuggerance to him - albeit a lucrative one.

When we got back to shore after the dive, his 'Oh, are you still here?' couln't-be-arsed attitude was still very much in attendance. Quite happy to stand and watch as we restled our twin-sets off the RIB (he had to be asked to lend a hand&#33, he parked as far away from the slip-way as possible, meaning we all had long tab across the beach to get back to the slip-way - which was not even busy, so why he didn't park closer I'll never know.

Any way, after a genuinely good dive, Jay, 2Tanx and I diving as a threesome, we came back to shore and headed back to the Valley of the Rocks campsite where Tanx-a-Deux and Jay's respective families were sprawled in the sun and enjoying the crack, to which we joined in and made lunch. And although we did discuss Diggs's behaviour, a massively convivial surface interval was enjoyed by all.

The next dive went without incident and we all had a great dive on the 'Norman Court' wreck. Truly a wonderful, if only shallow (I max'd out at 7.1 metres&#33 dive. Alas, same drill as before with its attendant half-mile tab (with twins, 'V'-weight, and the rest of your kit) down the beach to get back to the slip-way. Yes, this was beginning to grip my shit.

Determined not to let this candidate for 'saleman of the year award' get on my thruppenies any more, I asked him what time and where the RIB party (Kev W's squad) for the Sunday should RV to be picked up and depart. We agreed on 11.00 hrs. This I duly reported to Kev and the lads.

So, the next morning, I'm driving over to Amlwch harbour to RV with the day's hard-boat YD team. At gone 11.15 hrs, I get a call on my moby from Bob Allinson (one of Kev W's team) asking me had we got the right time time and RV for the RIB at the slip way?? Apparently they'd gone and got fills that morning and had been at the slip-way in good time ready to be picked up for their dive. So where was the RIB and skipper? They'd been out in the bay next to the Slip and had asked every RIB there if they were Diggs or one of his skippers? No one could help them. They then called me.

As I was driving, I couldn't retrieve Diggs's numbers (I had his home and moby), so I told Bob that I'd be in harbour in ten mins and would call him back with both numbers so he could attempt to contact Diggs. I asked Bob to let me know how the day went later, as we were off on the hard-boat.

We had a top day out on the boat and did two decent dives, the Dakota being a particularly interesting rummage.

Any way, the following day, Monday, I got a voice mail from Kev W with a sit-rep on how the day's diving off the RIB had gone - not what I wanted to hear at all.

When I'd paid Diggs on the Sunday night, he assured me (when I asked him the direct question: "So, how many did you end up with on the RIB for both dives?&quot that he'd only taken four divers out, on both dives. Kev's (truer) story did not chime with that at all!

Apparently, Kev's team had been dutifully waiting at the Slip in the fond hope that either Diggs or one of his skippers would appear - and bearing in mind they'd already asked for his whereabouts at every vessel afloat in the Bay by this stage.

Finally, at 11.40 hrs, a skipper comes bimbling down the beach and onto an empty RIB in the Bay. Our lads approach and are told that they could join the skipper, who had another four divers he was taking out. This giving the RIB its full compliment of eight divers. This bit is important, as we were originally sending out Kev's team with only four divers and I was picking up the slack in the RIB charges for under-occupancy.

Any way, the lads had, by all accounts, a good dive. They did their surface interval and went out for the second dive with the same skipper but minus the other four divers - meaning I'm into Diggs (££s) for the four places not taken.

It was on this second dive that the skipper happened to let-slip the news that he had been called in at short notice as the original skipper was a no-show (the one who should have taken our boys out at 11.00 hrs).

Now I had resigned myself to taking a bath (££s) on the under-occupancy, to the tune of 8 x £24 (two RIBS with only four divers on each, when the RIB takes eight, meaning I pick up the slack), but I damned if I'm paying for an itinerant/AWOL skipper who no-shows and whose oppo spills the beans to our boys.

Added to which, when I came to pay Diggs on the Sunday evening, the price had suddenly gone up to £28 per diver per day!!! Here's an extract from the very document Diggs emailed me with his prices on it, which subsequently posted here in the original 'Anglesey II - The Return Match' thread:

"RV Point – T-Bay or Holyhead, weather dependent.
Cost - £ 12 per diver per dive (e.g. 2 dives = £ 24) includes fuel.
Diggs TEL: XXXX - XXXXXX; Moby TEL: XXXXX - XXXXXX
Tide-
T-Bay - Try and get 1st dive @ 09.00 hrs, second dive 11.00 hrs, 12.30 and 2.30 – (min 4 divers, max 8 divers in shuttles finished about 4.00 pm

Will shot or anchor – no problems with picking up on bag."

Always one to try and keep skippers happy, in the fond knowledge that you might have to use them again, I queried this price at the time of paying, but paid nonetheless. Mug that I am.


I got back to Diggs last week about the episode with Kev's team and said that, these being the circumstances, I thought it only right that he owed me a refund of 4 x £28, as the 1st RIB out had had a full compliment and that I was OK with picking up the slack for the second dive where we did have an under-occupnacy of four.

He said he was sorry about this and that he'd go away and check with his guys and get back to me shortly, and if he found out that the news was as stated, then he'd be quite happy to refund the money.

So, I waited, and I waited and I waited. Not a dickie-bird from Diggs. So I called him yesterday and asked what the score was. He denied all knowledge and tried to spin some yarn about our boys not even being at the RV point, that he personally had 'scoured' the slip-way and Bay looking for our boys etc. All bollocks of course.

So I asked him was he prepared, in the light of the info I'd given him about his skipper's no-show and the subsequent delay to out boys, to refund the money. He was not. I then said that I'd ask him to reconsider his stance, bearing in mind that there being very nearly 1,000 YD'ers as potential future customers open to him and they would not want to read a report such as the one you're reading here. Short-sightedly, he maintained that he was not prepared to refund the money. Ergo this report.

As I say, I can not speak for you as individuals, but the larger, hardcore of YD will not be using this John Wayne character again. And I have told Diggs that I would be posting this write-up and that it may not place him in a favourable light - he tells me couldn't care less, so that tells me all I need to know about his method of deployment.

And lastly, he charges £28 for two RIB dives - all I can say is that the hard-boat charges £30, so for £2 difference (and access to the heads and hot drinks on the SI), I know where I'll be spending my money in future!! As far as I'm concerned, he'll be seeing as much business from me and others as a barber on the steps of the Guillotine......

His loss.

[Sean]

Thats one for my black list Thanks Bren. We are looking to go there later this year..

[Dr Stevil]

Well said Bren (even though I wasn't involved). I'm fully in agreement on the "valued customer" approach and as I've indicated (probably frequently), I believe in "naming and shaming" and "voting with your wallet", and if he's not bothered about a bad report to a large potential customer-base, then that confirms he is most definately of the John Wayne persuasion. It's ust a pity that whereas there is scope for public back-slapping of good skipper (eg Dives regular hard boat feature) there is no real avenue, other than on a forum such as this, open to potential customers to get a warning on bad skippers.

Incidentally, in respect of "Anglesey 1", I had thought at the time that the prices quoted for RIB diving were over the top but thought that might be a regional difference, apparently not.
Chee-az
Steve

[Geoff Oldfield]

With the benefit of hindsight, I add my PM to Bren prior to the Anglesey Gigg and his reply to add clarity to the Bren's header to this topic.

Hi Bren, just had a call from Anglesey, no names no packdrill. Word is that Diggs is a bit unimpressed with YD by such a late cancellation of his boats for Sunday, allegedly because of an expectation of too much amber fluid on the Staturday night.  Realise of course, that as organiser, you have a difficult task in coordinating such a large and diverse group, however, YD's reputation is under scrutiny I'm affraid, so I would ask all members of YD in future, to reconsider pulling the plug at such a late stage.

Although we never have an occasion to use Digg's boats, as we have our own, we have always had a great relationship with him and indeed invited him to the barbie on Saturdy night whilst we were diving there last weekend. If it helps, Resolve and O2 will be on hand Sunday AM. See you at the weekend.

Geoff

Hey Geoff,

Appreciate that Diggs is pissed off but, as you know with being an organiser, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't on gigs like this. I've got folks coming from all over Great Britain (literally, Scotland to the Bristol Channel and London - AND all points in between) and getting them to commit to their choices is the Devil's own task. And the fact that some of us might now prefer to shore dive due to enjoying a few light libations at the Saturday night do on the beach is, frankly, just unfortunate - what is Diggs anyway? A moralist? If he's coming to the gig on the beach I'll speak to him then, and he can tell me himself just how pissed off he is.

And 'YD's reputation being under scrutiny' doesn't worry me unduly - we're not a BSAC/SAA/SSI club with a reputation to uphold or besmirch, we're a very loose melange of web-connected divers who dive together regularly and/or when we want to, which is quite frequently. If Diggs is pissed off, then that's unfortunate, but I'm quite sure we're both big and ugly enough to get over it and crack on - he is, after all, dealing the general public, the 'great unwashed', and I'm convinced this isn't the 1st time that this has happened to him and it won't, sure-as-eggs-is-eggs, be the last. It's not like we've done it on purpose or anything.

Aye, see you on the beach on Saturday night - if not before. We're all hooking up at the T-Bay Hotel for around 7.30 pm on Friday night.

Take it easy mate.

Bren.

[ian.smyth]

Bren can you provide details of this "sales man of the year" so I can best avoid him in future.  Does he run his business under the title of Diggs.

He sounds like a right C&*T (sorry this kind of thing makes me really angry as we pay them, they ain't doing us any favours)

Wait for a while then tell him to come and have a look at the business he's just pissed away!

[Mr T.]

Geoff,

As far as me and others are concerned, your reporting to me (via your PM posted above) that 'Diggs is pissed off' speaks volumes for the man. He's quite happy to call you and rattle your cage, but at no time (strangely BEFORE any money had been paid&#33 was he anything other than sweetness and light to me - until such time as we'd bubbled him about his apparently sharp practices, and we then see the real side of his unfortunate character!

Bottom line is that he had a number of RIBs available for that weekend; I couldn't get committment to fill all of them but, importantly, asked him to hold them provisionally for YD until I got back from my Red Sea trip when we agreed I'd provide a confirmed head-count.

On getting back I checked the boards here to see who'd signed-up for the RIBs, it wasn't a great response, but by that stage, I'd offered folks RIBs, received their cheques and was happy to go ahead with a reduced number of RIBs (which otherwise would have stood idle) as it meant YD'ers got the dive weekend they wanted and the fact that we had access to only one hardboat.

He's just taking his ball in (and denying himself a whole raft of future YD bookings) coz we didn't book all the RIBs, but as I explained to him at the time - he'd have to work with me on the last available date to confirm the RIBs and the numbers of divers thereon.

OK, so he's 8 x £28 (£224) of my money up, but sure-as-eggs-is-eggs he'll not see another penny from a whole host of divers from this and other forums. If he wants to conduct himself like a bandit, he'll get treated as such by divers who are quite happy to spend their hard-earned elsewhere and with more reputable skippers, skippers who value their custom and want them as return bookings - alas, an apparently alien concept to Diggs. So you sew, so shall you reap.

Like I say, his loss.

[Jules]

Sorry to hear about all of this. Like you said, the service on the hardboat was great, heads, tea coffee and diving tales and I would certainly be really happy to dive with Elfyn and Terry again. So next time I guess we just do the hardboat and scrubb the RIB.
jules

[shinobi]

Diggsy is the man! He is the nicest, most helpful Skipper I have come accross. Diving keeps him afloat ( Er herm ) so I fail to see how he can be anti-diver??

Everyone has off days and perhaps this was one or perhaps you were not the model customer you thought.

It is not fair to flame the guy and taint his rep with the world as this is one trip out of thousands that The Diggmeister operates.

Chill people...

[daz]

Quote[/b] (shinobi @ July 24 2003,21:26)]Diggsy is the man! He is the nicest, most helpful Skipper I have come accross. Diving keeps him afloat ( Er herm ) so I fail to see how he can be anti-diver??

Everyone has off days and perhaps this was one or perhaps you were not the model customer you thought.

It is not fair to flame the guy and taint his rep with the world as this is one trip out of thousands that The Diggmeister operates.

Chill people...

Obviously there are two sides to the story but he did take a rib out with a full contingent of divers,  only 4 of which were members from YD and he charged Bren for all 8.

He knew Bren was willing to pick up the slack for half empty trips but as he obviously sold the 4 spare places why should Bren pay for spaces that were not empty.

Sorry but he was just out to make as much money as he could and got caught out, admittedly after Bren had paid.

Sorry but I don't deal with these sort of dishonest people well not more than once anyway.

We stayed in the Seabreezes B&B,  I notified the landlady the day before we arrived that one couple would not be able to make it and she explained that she would have to charge us 25% of the room rate for no shows.  I was happy to pay full price minus breakfast given the lateness off our cancellation.  When we came to leave she told me there was no charge for the cancellation as she had been able to book the room out.  Now I was not to know this and would have paid up had she not said anything.

Contrast and compare.  

Honest B&B landlady,  dishonest rib skipper.

And sorry but it might be one trip out of many but if you are the one on the end of this dishonesty on that one trip out of thousands how would you feel.  

Daz

[Mr T.]

Quote[/b] (shinobi @ July 24 2003,21:26)]Diggsy is the man! He is the nicest, most helpful Skipper I have come accross. Diving keeps him afloat ( Er herm ) so I fail to see how he can be anti-diver??

Everyone has off days and perhaps this was one or perhaps you were not the model customer you thought.

It is not fair to flame the guy and taint his rep with the world as this is one trip out of thousands that The Diggmeister operates.

Chill people...

Christ on a bike.....where did we find this dope-era, word-expanding, 60s-throwback, overt Diggs-acolyte??

Well hey 'Shinobi' (no doubt you're 'Shinobi-wan-kanobi' in your spare time?), I'll wade passed the malaise of your stream of vernacular and redundant 60s-junk-speak and get to the point.

The (ahem) "Diggsmeister" is currently pocketing a goodly sum of my money which he refuses to refund, so hopefully you understand that your advice of "chill people" is not currently a vein of advice which might gain much traction here until said amount is refunded.

Unfortunately, your ringing endorsement and appraisal of "Diggsy is the man!" is not one currently shared or held in common currency by many on this forum, so again I do hope you'll understand if we take your last with a ton or two of salt.

Vis-à-vis your point of "everyone has a bad day...", well that I've tried to make allowance for, even offering him the option to reconsider his hasty and, in the light of day, short-sighted decision to with-hold my refund. But then I remember asking him a direct question of how many people in total he took out on his RIB with our team......to which the answer came "only your four on both dives" - an answer which we all know to be somewhat wide of the mark and decidedly judicious in the extreme with the actualité !

And no-one has or is claiming to be "model customers" - I've admitted that we called the night before (though not late) to change the 09.00 hrs to the 11.00 hrs RIB and got no reluctance or grief over it whatsoever - if it didn't suit him, all he had to do was say; if he couldn't accommodate us, all he had to do was say; but, we were his only booking for that RIB and we put no one else out by changing the departure times.

That said, being 'customers' should have afforded us a little flexibility, courtesy and respect - we were, after all, paying the guy's wages!

So I'm sorry 'Shinobi' old chap, but whilst I might appreciate you being (on this evidence at least) a mate of (ahem) "the Diggsmeister", it was, alas, the "one trip in a thousand" and how he dealt with me (the customer) subsequently that did for his reputation - we had nothing to do with it going west on the man.

All the (ahem) "Diggsmeister" had to do was listen, be reasonable and not try give me some cock-n-bull story before he began throwing f*cks into us for such lame organisation as a group. The irony being that anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows that when I set my hand to something (in this case organising a dive trip), the details get covered IN DETAIL and the level of expectation is set and met! Otherwise why would I knowingly go into a gig knowing that I'm into (ahem) "the Diggsmeister" for 8 under-occupancies???

Finally, I couldn't give a toss whether we were his thousandth trip of the day or his 2nd - we are customers and you'd like to think that (ahem) "the Diggsmeister" would recognize this and treat us accordingly (us or anybody else); after-all, without us that day he would have had an idle boat and less of an income.

Sadly for him, he's overly parochial view on the world outside Trearddur Bay (which he informs me he rarely leaves) and his cavalier attitude towards future bookings and customers (fewer now from YD as a result) is the sum of his piss-poor endeavours.