2 replies to this topic

[WreckWench]

Some concerns have been expressed on the site regarding the booking of trips. I would like to allay any concerns and diffuse any negative concerns by saying that I have been working alone on all trip and business aspects of SD.com. (I've fortunately had assistance on managing the board from Walter, Marvel and Zendiver.)

Since one person has been doing the work of several people in my spare time, I may not have been able to answer immediately when a member raises a question. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and I promise to address the backlog of inquiries that I have received as quickly as I can.

I have also recruited some trusted members to assist me in getting the most pressing needs handled first. You will see them helping with trips and in other areas of the site as well as behind the scenes. So please bear with us just a little longer, and we will get it resolved. I assure you that your concerns are important to me, my helpers, and to the success of SD.com. Our goal is to give you the best value for the dollars spent on SD.com trips. We are here to serve you and work with you to make diving with other single and buddyless divers the best dive trips in the world!

Thank you for your patience and understanding,

WW

[WreckWench]

To All:

The following concerns were pulled from the "Suggestions Thread" on how to make SD better. Over the course of the next few months we will be working on many of the suggestions we've rec'd from members and eventually all of them. Some of these align with projects we've been working on the past few months...and some are new opportunities to improve SD from your suggestions.

Thank you all for your insight and for your patience as we strive to improve and implement these improvements! kamala

Note: Due to the volume of suggestions received, we are still working on other issues raised in the thread and will post them ASAP." I did want to get the process started to allay the concerns that I'm not being 'customer focused' nor 'customer driven'.

1. I think everyone that buys anything from SingleDivers should get a receipt (trips, stickers, reg repair, etc.). Those receipts should be done in a manner consistent with good business practices.

You are absolutely right. A receipt is a minimum standard for the purchase of goods and services. The solution to this has several stages.

1. Manual receipts for goods are being issued for product sales as well as memberships from trade and consumer shows etc. They are also being issued for regulator repairs as well as any product shipped to a member.
2. We have been evaluating a new accounting program for SD that will enable us to generate invoices, receipts, travel docs, etc. That program is due in next week, will be installed the week after and training will be the last week of June. By July 1, anyone signing up for an SD trip will receive an invoice for their trip when paid in full as well as receipt(s) for payments rec'd.
3. Once the new system is in place we will begin to input the current trips into the new system thereby generating invoices for all current July trips...then we'll tackle all future trips for 2005 and then finally all of January to June's trips. We hope to complete each phase of invoicing in 30-45 days per phase.

2. There is a concern that trips paid for have not been booked--this needs to be addressed in a manner consistent with good dive travel industry practices.

Currently the process is after a diver expresses interest on a trip, their name is put into the "check in the mail' column. When their deposit or trip payment is rec'd they are moved into the trip participant category. As payments are rec'd they are emailed or pm'd that their payment has been rec'd and the thread is updated accordingly.

As payments are rec'd the number of spots with a resort/operator/travel agency/wholesaler/consolidator are adjusted upwards or downwards with periodic progress reports due along with funds to the operators. Most operators require $2000 to $4000 in deposits upfront to book a trip and then progress payments along the way thereby ensuring that the trip is indeed filling out and being paid for as we go. By 60 days out, the vendor must be paid in full, hence my requirement that our divers be paid in full 60 days out.

Under the new system the same process will be followed however, the member will get an advisory of their booking via the new accounting system along with other trip related documentation.

3. Specific concerns in regard to trip management and practices need to be addressed (I"m leaving this intentionally vague because I heard varying stories from 3 different people about the Florida trip--I hope someone steps up to the plate on this and addresses these concerns, because I don't like to repeat things that I heard 2nd or 3rd hand--that's just gossip.)

First let me say that we will not attempt another multi-operator trip in a multi-city such as the recent Florida trip. The logistics were challenging at best and nightmarish at worst. The trip was not planned as a turnkey trip with all elements taken care of by the trip leader and typically a SD trip is a 'turn key' full service trip. This caused confusion as did the extensive delay in getting the trip details finalized and posted for which I fell very short of the mark in acceptable trip planning. Many know the extenuating circumstances with my mothers' health, however I did manage to ensure other trips ran more smoothly but I did not succeed with this one. I can only assure you it will not happen again.

We learned a great deal as we tried different approaches on this trip in order to facilitate a large number of drive in and fly in divers...members were asked to make their own tank arrangements...either bringing their own or renting their own. Some members graciously offered fly in divers the use of their tanks...while other members graciously offered the use of their vehicles to help haul divers, gear, and tanks. Since none of these elements were planned into the trip price aka group rental cars, group rental tanks etc. the resulting logistics were extremely tiring and difficult, but everyone on the trip pulled together and offered their help and support making it all work out.

In the future, our trips will be to a single destination with a single dive operator for a specified period of time. Or if multi-destination they will be a liveaboard or destinations that are extremely close to one another or better yet...reachable by boat! Tanks will be included in the pkg price so that divers are not responsible for fills and we'll stay at a hotel close to the dive operator...just as we do now on other SD trips.

Currently I am in attendence on every trip to iron out the process of running varied and diverse SD trips and to of course have an official member of SD available to resolve issues when they arise. It is our intention to have other members lead trips for SD and those guidelines are being developed along with researching what liability insurance SD must carry to protect the trip leader, the divers and SD.

4. I think we should know what travel agency is handling our trips (if there is one) and who is handling our trips if it isn't a travel agency. I heard some very unsavory stories about this--I'm not repeating them, but I know they are flying around between members and this needs to be addressed.

We do not book all our trips via one entity...but rather a multitude in order to get the best prices, availability etc. Therefore there is not a single agency that handles our travel. If you were to inquire with a single entity you would discover that they are not involved in all of our travel. I suspect that several of you have contacted the travel agency for which I am an outside agent for and been told that we only do a fraction of our business with them. This could then appear that I am not properly booking all of our trips or our divers.

We use travel agencies, travel wholesalers, travel consolidators, travel resellers and many operators/resorts direct to book our travel. Our aim is to provide you with the best pricing during the best time of the year and with the best operators. No one entitiy can do all of that...especially at the best price...hence the reason for expanding to the use of more varied travel vendors. (This will also help me obtain better pricing on trips going forward. However at any given time, you can always find a better deal on the internet or via another operator. Our goal is to minimize that so that we are always the best deal. And by offering the unique oppportunity to travel with other single and buddyless divers, we hope that all our trips regardless of price, will be the best dive trip you've ever taken!)

(Note: Some confusion has arisen regarding my 'employment' with Travel For You, a local travel agency for which I am an outside agent. I have worked with Travel for You for quite some time and only recently had to mutually sever that relationship to protect them from repeated and continuous phone calls that they have been receiving from people as well as receiving threats of being named in a lawsuit despite them asking people to cease calling them. I am still an agent for them, still have my errors and omissions insurance through them for any trips that I run via them and they will be helping SD set up its own independent travel agency in the next few months. However you will no longer find me on their website, so please contact me directly if you have concerns.)

5. I would like to see a general tightening up of the business practices of the organization. For one example, checks should be posted promptly. That's good for Kamala and good for us.

Agreed. As mentioned before we'll be installing a new accounting system that will enable us to enter payments directly and have them tied to individual's accounts. We are also installing an electronic ACH check processing system that will enable us to electronically deposit checks so that funds will be removed within 24 hours. No more SD float! And we will be looking at the feasibility of hiring a part time individual to help with trip organization logistics such as ensuring we have flight details on participants, help arrange local transportation for trips, coordinate the user surveys and other variables each trip requires. Several people are currently assisting with this function so that we can streamline it, and eventually automate it.

A note on Check processing...if a check or payment is rec'd during a trip it will not be processed until I return. Until SD can hire a full time administrative assistant, there may always be some lag in processing of payments rec'd and invoices generated, even with the new accounting and ACH check depositing system.

I am regretful that this critical aspect of our business has been lax. Some of the problem has been the transition to a new system which means maintenance of two systems for awhile...and some has just been the sheer volume of checks received that have overwhelmed our current accounting system. I fully expect this to improve very quickly.

In short, a cancellation/refund policy should be publicly posted on the site (in both a site policy/FAQ thread, and in each individual trip thread) instead of sent by PM; it should be fair and equitable; and it should be applied equally to everyone.

Our cancellation policy was posted on the site under "Stuff Everyone Needs to Know about SD Trips". It along with our user rooming and trip survey was inadvertantly lost during our recent housekeeping efforts to begin streamlining the forums. It had various timeframes that accommodated cancellations for trips beyond 90+ days out, 31 to 60 days and less than 30 days out. The closer you got to a trip the more the trip penalty was for cancellation. Unlike many operators, if we had a waiting list for a trip and could fill your spot, either there was no charge if far enough out or merely a name change fee for changing the docs with various operators or carriers or to minimize the shuffle our divers tend to want to do when a spot opens up on a trip they really wanted to go on rather than the one they booked as a second choice.

Since we need to re-post our policy, I have asked that some independent research be done to see how others in the industry handle their cancellation policies. We'll complete that this week and will re-post a new policy this week.

Kamala might want to consider handing out a Trip Feedback Form - assuming she doesn't already.

We have a new trip feedback form that was created for the Florida trip. It will be incorporated into each trip going forward. The forms will be collected by a member on the trip and submitted to Walter, Marvel and myself for review and appropriate action. Your feedback will be extremely appreciated so that we can continue to improve upon our trips.

Now, on to the TRIP end of this.

1. Exactly WHAT IS Kamala once the trip is booked and done? A coordinator and businessperson? Ok - she stays dry. Sorry. You can't do both jobs at once. I suspect this is not acceptable though, so.....
1a. If not a businessperson, then a participant. If this is the case then the brouhaha about her choice as to where, when, and how she dives is simply not anyone else's concern. It might be of concern between her and the dive operator, just as it is with anyone else on the boat (if there's a boat at issue), because the captain of the vessel sets the rules. Those rules, by the way, have to be the same for everyone on board. No exceptions - remember, Kamala in this instance is a participant during the actual diving, not a facilitator. In other words, the businesswoman hat comes off when the boat is boarded and is left on the dock. But if this is the case then this must be clearly disclosed - all problems must be handled BEFORE you embark for the day/week/whatever!
1b. If that's not ok in some cases, then someone is going to have to be "facilitator." Look folks, let's face it. Diving is a hazardous activity. Its entirely possible for any of us to end up in a chamber or worse, and if someone does, the rest of us still have a right to expect all of the services and products we contracted for, save those which are interrupted of necessity by the injury the person sustains (e.g. the boat may have to return to a dock to offload a bent diver, but that doesn't mean the REST OF THE WEEK should be blown!) This must be true no matter who gets bent/hurt. This may mean that there simply must be a "second in command' who is never in the water at the same time as Kamala, and who has full authority (legally and otherwise!) if something happens. Folks, this is basic business sense and its something we ALL have a right to expect.

SD is essentially the same as a Dive Shop who sends a group leader to run a trip as well as resolve problems as they arise before the trip, during the trip and after the trip. They are also a diving participant during the trip until such time as they are called upon to facilitate problem resolution. As trips grow in size, SD will look to add 'on land' as well as 'in water' facilitators to each trip. Since trips are usually paid in advance (the Florida trip was a notable exception), issues with operators are minimal should something happen to the group leader. We've begun the use of agendas detailing arrival and return procedures on test trips such as Cozumel and will incorporate that feature on all trips going forward. However as we continue to grow, a true second in command both legally and financially will be looked at. Excellent suggestion.

Edited by WreckWench, 08 June 2005 - 10:49 PM.

[WreckWench]

Thank you all for your comments, feedback, constructive criticism and overall input in the "Suggestions to make SD Better Thread".

The thread has highlighted many opportunities and ways to make SD better many of which have been posted in the "Opportunity for Growth" thread. While we have done nothing illegal nor unethical, there is always room to improve when that improvement is requested by your patrons.

We have experienced some growing pains and this is good...well the growth part is...maybe not the pain part!

You will see a number of changes starting on the site this month as well as a new accounting system going into place which should be up and running by July 1. We have a new ACH check processing system which will be fully functional June 20 to expedite the deposit of checks as well as offer electronic progress payments...and many more changes designed to let SD function more effectively and effeciently so that it can continue to offer you great dive trips especially for single and buddyless divers from around the world, diving the world.

We have closed the "Suggestions Thread" so that we can concentrate on effecting the changes resulting from the thread. So as we prepare to return you to your regularily scheduled SD programming...keep an eye open for many new and exciting changes that have resulted from this discussion. And thank you DrDiver for starting this thread and to all those who offered insight on how to make SD better.

Note: Please keep in mind that no public attacks will be tolerated against any members, including the site owner, the moderators nor administrators. Constructive criticism is allowed; destructive criticism is not.

Kamala Shadduck
SingleDivers.com