Using the YD Brand Name 'in vain' - Please Read

[Jay]

Just a quickie to raise something which came across our desk (well, a few phone calls from Skippers and Dive Centre owners actually) this week.

Apparently a couple of YD’ers have been, for want of a better phrase, ‘using YD’s name in vane’ recently when out on charter boats (dealing with their skippers) and also dealing with the owners of Dive Centres. Obviously this is a practice which we must nip in the bud, as it works against both YD (it’s membership and owners) and the businesses selling services (gas fills and places on charter craft) to YD members – so no body wins if this is allowed to continue.

No names, this time, and no pack drill, but one dive centre owner and its staff were recently put in a position where they had to credit a £700 dive weekend, and take a rather heated debate about fills (head aches from allegedly ‘tinged fills’ – which the divers failed to check before getting on the boat and setting off - , which miraculously disappeared when the offer of the £700 credit was raised later!), whilst a skipper was harangued for mis-shotting a wreck (when it wasn’t even his shot on the wreck in question, they were using that of another skipper laying alongside!) when in truth the diver in question was the one who pulled the shot out, which resulted in a number of the divers coming in after him (some from his own dive group and those from a second boat) missing the wreck. He then blamed the skipper of his boat for his own poor actions. A condition of the £700 credit was that the divers in question do not come back to, or attempt to re-book with, that diving centre. A genuinely sad state of affairs for all concerned, I think you’ll agree.

Now we’ve all had situations where we’ve perhaps not got a ‘straight from the bank – full 230/250 bar’ gas fill (it goes with the territory when diving), and if you can show me a skipper who hits the mark with a shot EVERY time, I’ll show you the love-child of Stalin and Minnie Mouse. So these are things with which we have to live when diving – it’s nothing new and goes with the badge.

However, the YD’ers in question attempted to brow-beat (bully, in other words) the skipper and Dive Centre owner into giving refunds and credits for dives and fills with the threat: “You do as I say or we’ll simply do a write up slagging you off on YD…”

You’ll all hopefully understand and agree that this is behaviour (using YD’s name like this) which will not be tolerated by us as owners of this site – YD is meant to be a force for good in the diving community and attempts to bring ALL elements of that community together (divers, centres, suppliers and skippers), so we get a little concerned when its members decide that they’ll hijack our good name for their own ends.

So how can we address this?

Now whilst we accept that valid, firsthand, criticism can be worthwhile, we’ve asked the skippers and centre owners in question (and any others reading this) to take any further/future such threats, from ANYONE mis-using the YD name, as they occur and then report them to us so we can take any appropriate action against the perpetrators. Mistakes by divers, skippers and dive centres will happen: it’s how we deal them which counts, and simply offering to rubbish someone on YD is not a practice which we can allow to become anything like the accepted norm, by anyone!

Like I say, just wanted to bring this up so we’re all aware that it’s something we’re aware of. YD has worked too long and hard to build its good name and will not be put in a position where those supplying its members’ goods and services feel that they are being bullied, and certainly not by anyone mis-using the YD brand to suit their own ends.

We appreciate your co-operation in this matter

[Odin]

Well put!
my full backing.. for what it's worth!
But I agree with all you have said.
Paul

[Garf]

That all seems very fair, even handed and reasonable to me.

What have you done with the real Jay?

[Ding Dang Doo]

No problems Jay...

suprised that it has even become a issue... I'd thought that those who are regular users of the site would know better... but in an obscure sort of way, flattering for YD, if some members think that it would make a difference... but hell, I'm definately not condoning this....


3D

[DVR]

and if you can show me a skipper who hits the mark with a shot EVERY time,
I can, I've never been on a trip with Terry or Elv when they have missed the shot, well not by 4feet or more, if they say its on the gun its on the gun( or at least not far from it) they always hit the wreck they are aiming to shot, may not be the first drift but always on the second, these guys know there stuff, not only cos they are local to me, read the YD reports and you will see, no diving sandy sea beds from these guys.

John

PS: dont condone the use of YD as a lever for anything except free beer ( its not worked for me either)

[David]

I would be happy to demand you name and shame dive center and Skipper/ boat but it sounds like you should be naming and shaming the Diver. Were all the divers from YD
if so it could be called a YD dive so will we be getting a dive report ?



David

[hopper]

Is this possibly the down side to the 'YD4K'?

[Scuba1]

Well Jay if one has 4000 apples, they won´t all be good. I know ,I will never hear the last of this, but I agree with all you said.

Regards

[Andy the Coastie]

Originally Posted by Scuba1

Well Jay if one has 4000 apples, they won´t all be good.

Ditto , to what he said

[andy2tanx]

Originally Posted by Jay

and if you can show me a skipper who hits the mark with a shot EVERY time, I’ll show you the love-child of Stalin and Minnie Mouse.

love it man, fookin love it!!!