[Sean]

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Ok is it just me here…  I am off to Sharm in just over a week and a few months ago I got a price list from Emperor Divers.  The Prices were all in US dollars.  I have now just looked at their site and it’s all now in Euros, however all they have done is to change the symbol from $ to €,  is this a rip-off.  I know booking from the UK it would be better paying in $ rather than €

1 GBP = 1.61 USD
1 GBP = 1.40 EUR

So I’m paying an extra 15% has anyone ever said anything to Emperor of do we do the British thing and just roll over and take it..

Sean

 

[Finless]

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Quote[/b] (Sean @ July 24 2003,09:27)]So I’m paying an extra 15% has anyone ever said anything to Emperor of do we do the British thing and just roll over and take it..

Sean,

Query the fact with them. You can do it in a non aggresive way and just ask them to clarify the price structure.

I don't think "doing the British thing" ever included rolling ove and getting stitched up - if you don't ask you will never find out, just do that bit the British way.

Also, surely your price is already confirmed regardless of what is shown on the web site now ?


Bryan

 

[Sean]

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Should have booked if months ago..  I did ask and this was their answer


"You are correct, our prices have been changed from US
Dollars to Euro.
At the time this was an agreement with a few of the larger diving
centres in Sharm El Sheikh and the US Dollar and the Euro were nearly 1
to 1 which is foreseen to happen again soon.  Therefore the difference
in price is now due to the current exchange rates.  In addition the
majority of our business is from Europe and we were receiving a lot of
requests for the prices in Euro."

 

[Dr Stevil]

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This is precisely what happened in Holland, everyone took advantage of the confusion and substituted the euro sign for the Gilder sign and everyone got ripped off, a good enough reason not to introduce it over here.

I'm no economist, but a difference of £0.20 does not seem to equate to "almost 1:1"  seems like racketeering to me...

Mind you, I doubt I would book well in advance for a Red Sea trip, the late bargains are well worth looking at.
Chee-az
Steve

 

[Gavin Yates]

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<font color='#000F22'>It is a rip off but only a few weeks ago the Euro and the dollar were within spitting distance of each other and were traded equally in Indonesia when I was there recently.

However, the dollar has rallied (in comparison) during the last two weeks.

At the end of the day - they set what they think their services are worth and we all have the ability to tell 'em to go and bollocks.

Steve W right tho' it has been used all over Europe to "round up" prices.

With that and an unelected executive the Euro looks more and more unattractive as the days go by.

 

[Mr T.]

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Amen to that brother !!

 

[MATTBIN]

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Quote[/b] ]Euro looks more and more unattractive as the days go by

would that be in Spain.

I'll get mi coat Bren,
Matt

 

[Gimbo]

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<font color='#0000FF'>

Quote[/b] ]"You are correct, our prices have been changed from US
Dollars to Euro.
At the time this was an agreement with a few of the larger diving
centres in Sharm El Sheikh and the US Dollar and the Euro were nearly 1
to 1 which is foreseen to happen again soon.  Therefore the difference
in price is now due to the current exchange rates.  In addition the
majority of our business is from Europe and we were receiving a lot of
requests for the prices in Euro."

That is totally utter boll*cks. Many many months ago the euro & dollar were near parity, but only for a very short time. It has since risen to $1.20 - €1.00 and now stands at $1.13-€1.00. Empror should never have taken it 1:1 and I would eat my hat if it becomes 1:1 in the foreseable future, not economists have mentioned at all recently and if so it is pure speculation. Emperor they have gained a lot of money from this and unfair to the customers.

 

[John Gulliver]

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Well, in all fairness to Emperor Divers, it is hardly their fault that the Euro has risen in relation to the dollar and pound. Not long ago, the Euro exchange rate was about 10% lower than the dollar in relation to the Swedish krona.

 

[Gimbo]

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<font color='#0000FF'>John
In business you can't speculate like that, In their case they really should have kept both currencies seperate. The problem is that it is so difficult to predict. For exapmle the pound this time last year was £0.62/€ and now it is £0.70/€. It is a big change. (At the moment it is to my advantage!)

So you are going to the Red Sea again? Lucky you. Will it be another liveaboard? Havn't gone to the Red Sea yet but keep telling myself that diving in an aquarium takes the fun out of searching for marine life (I know it is not true but makes ne feel better!)

 

[John Gulliver]

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Quote[/b] (Chris Guimaraens @ July 25 2003,10:18)]So you are going to the Red Sea again? Lucky you. Will it be another liveaboard? Havn't gone to the Red Sea yet but keep telling myself that diving in an aquarium takes the fun out of searching for marine life (I know it is not true but makes ne feel better!)

Nothing concrete planned at the moment, Chris, but we are still hoping to get some sort of refund for our last trip, since we payed more than everybody else on the boat and didn't do the itinerary we had booked. If we get a voucher for a reasonable sum, we''ll probably go back to the Red Sea next year.

As regards the Euro/dollar issue, more and more Red Sea liveaboard operators and dive centres are now quoting their prices in Euros, simply because most of their customers are Europeans and most European countries use the Euro today. According to the economists, the reason why the pound and dollar have fallen against the Euro and other currencies (we're benefitting from that in Sweden, too!) is the war against Iraq. The falling dollar/pound are part of the price the UK and USA have to pay for going to war without UN approval, whatever you or I may think about that.

 

[MATTBIN]

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Quote[/b] ]The falling dollar/pound are part of the price the UK and USA have to pay for going to war without UN approval

John, what do you base that on, are you trying to tell us that the hard nosed money men give a flying fig about right/wrong, the exchange rate is based on economics alone my friend and how they see the economies performing. Currently some faith has been lost in slippery shoulders, sorry Blair and its believed we might out them in the next election, that always gets the City jittery.

Matt

 

[John Gulliver]

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You're absolutely right, Matt. It has nothing to do with right or wrong. However, the international money market saw the war as an ill-planned and risky venture and the alleged motivation (to eliminate weapons of mass destruction) highly questionable, and the present state of turmoil in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East has done nothing to make them change their minds. If the war had had UN approval and the postwar reconstruction of a democratic Iraq had been properly planned, with international participation, the money market's faith in the UK and US would have been much stronger, as would their currencies, according to many economists. A very important factor, of course, is that it looks as though the USA and, to some extent, UK are going to have to bear the enormous cost of reconstructing Iraq alone – other countries are unlikely to be willing to help to pay the cost of repairing damage caused in a war of which they didn't approve.
That is not a moral judgement, just plain economics.

 

[Gimbo]

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<font color='#0000FF'>Wouldn't wory too much about that John, US & UK will get their money back from the oil -one way or another.
Continuing from this discussion-wouldn't be easier if the UK joined the euro?

 Joking! It's best to enter this argument, all hell will break loose!

 

[John Gulliver]

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Quote[/b] (Chris Guimaraens @ July 25 2003,15:40)]Wouldn't wory too much about that John, US & UK will get their money back from the oil -one way or another.
Continuing from this discussion-wouldn't be easier if the UK joined the euro?

 Joking! It's best to enter this argument, all hell will break loose!

I'm sure the US and UK will TRY to get their money back from the oil, Chris, but I'm also sure the Iraqui people, other arab nations and the international community will do what they can to prevent that. We'll have to see who wins.
Actually, I personally do think the UK (and Sweden) should join the EMU but, as you say, we'd better not go into that. We're having a referendum on that issue here in Sweden in September and it looks as though the "no" side are going to win by a wide margin, despite the government's attempts to win people over. Actually, the government is split and various ministers are busy slating each other in the media despite the prime minister's attempts to put the lid on shut the dissdents up. It's all rather disgraceful.

 

[GUV..]

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Hi Sean,
Why go with emporer divers i just returned from sharm yesterday arfter two weeks sunning and diving

Before i went i emailed 6 different dive centers two see if they put together a taliored package camel,emporer,sinai,ocean and the only one to reply personally and not send a price list/brochure was mr diver an italian outfit.So upon arrival i visited them and booked with them. they offer 10 dives for 165 euros and better deals after the first ten.They are one if not the biggest operator out of sharm they have 6 boats and 7 centres in sharm. They always have enough people wanting to go to the thistlegorm and a trip to dahab, you get picked up in an air conditioned coach not mini bus aslo they do not charge extra to go to the dunraven wreck like all the others do it is just another dive at the standard rate.
Wilst moored at the reef you see the other boats from other dive centres and they all dive the same sites to a limit of 30m no different the only thing i could find was that emporer have an instructor who is quallified to teach deep tech/rb if you wanted to this.
All in all i as very impressed by mr diver they looked after me real well in the end i did 30 dives,second week on nitrox,thistle,dehab and they made sure there was always din tanks for me.they gave me lots of discount 50% of nitrox lots of 3rd dives free and some days there would be an extra tank of nitrox for the 3rd dive again free.To top it off most of the dive guides are french/italian babes so if you didn't see much sharks,fish you still came up with a smile from the view.As a tip to who ever you book with dive the thistle on nitrox as with nitrox you get a 230 fill compared to 200 on air.I saw lot of people coming up with no air or missing safty stops but from other boats of course

and i think there was about 15 when we arrived.On that note Mr diver leave a bit later and so when we arrived most other boats had done the first dive and was in there SI so nice and quite down there then on our second dive most boats had left.
The last week was 48 C in the sun and is expected to rise 50+ in the next week or two so take your lotion

Here is a link to there web site i used the one in naama bay at the hotel namma inn the main man there is
Pierre Louigi (sp) .Mention i sent you and he may give you a better deal as a referal who knows.If you have any question gives us a shout.

Mr Diver.

Regards,

Malcolm.

 

[Sean]

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Malcolm

Thanks mate I will look into it..  I have no need to do the Nitrox course out there now, I did it this weekend with my local shop and got a good deal...

I think all my diving out there will be using Nitrox.  I will be spending a hole day looking at the dive school's when I get there but its good to get heads up before hand.

Thanks Sean

 

[MATTBIN]

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Sean
was that Wittering Divers, and if its not too rude/persoanl - how much? Padi or TDi.

Matt

 

[Sean]

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Yes Matt is was with wittering.  Yan did it with us £135 and it was Padi that price was with the two dives.  
The dives were at horsey but all you need to do is breath the gas.. Got the crew pack the night before and read up ran through the reviews and the exam on Sat afternoon and dived Sunday..  Yan was very good..  

Sean