Perth Scuba
Perth Scuba
4.5
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Full view
About
Scuba diving is great fun and introduces you to an exciting underwater world. Perth Scuba loves diving, snorkeling and sharing our experience with you at our PADI Career Development Centre in Canning Vale, Western Australia. Contact Perth Scuba for a fun and exciting underwater experience.
Canning Vale, Western Australia, Australia
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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4.5
62 reviews
Excellent
51
Very good
2
Average
1
Poor
5
Terrible
3
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MrBassam
Perth, Australia80 contributions
Oct 2022 • Solo
Another adventure with Perth Scuba, I took the PADI Rescue Course and Oxygen Provider. 2 Amazing days in the Water practising various Rescue Scenarios to perfection. The Instructor Chris J. Was a very good in keeping us on our toes to the last minute. I recommend the Rescue Course for any one who is serious about Scuba and helping others when the need arises.
We had the course in Bicton Bath Swan River Site.
We had the course in Bicton Bath Swan River Site.
Written 27 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lara_mccoubrey
2 contributions
Nov 2023 • Solo
I had been purchased a dive course by my partner for my birthday as it was something I always wanted to do. I cam into it very anxious and unsure if I could do it but Mina made me feel very comfortable from the first day. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful when looking for gear and gave great advice when selecting items. The second and third day we had Simon as our Instructor and he was great. He had a wealth of knowledge and experience and made you feel very comfortable and safe. Overall great experience and people. Had a blast.
Written 29 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
博子 中
2 contributions
July 2024 • Family
As it was a late night flight, I was looking for a place to pick up and drop off, and I asked to find a Perth Scuba who would pick me up at a reasonable price. They also helped me check in and I was able to enter the room smoothly. We went there without knowing that there was a deposit, which would have puzzled us late at night if we had checked in on our own. I was able to get to the airport on my own because it was an afternoon flight back, but I wanted to go sightseeing until the last minute, so I used the transfer plan and was able to enjoy it to the end.
Since I was traveling with an elderly person, they were kind to me in Japanese and I wanted them to carry my luggage. Thank you very much. I hope to see you again soon!
Since I was traveling with an elderly person, they were kind to me in Japanese and I wanted them to carry my luggage. Thank you very much. I hope to see you again soon!
Automatically translated
Written 5 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ludsi
Prague, Czech Republic5 contributions
Mar 2024 • Solo
Sadly I can't that I'm satisfied by the service provided by Scuba Perth. I signed for the Advanced Open Water Course, very eager and enthusiastic, but ended up being disappointed, disconcerted even.
First of all, it felt like it was more about marketing than anything else (I know I wasn't the only one to feel this way in the team), and definitely the only thing that was in the manager's mind. When I arrived I was informed that I needed to buy some extra gear for about 200AUD on the top of the 700AUD I had already spent for the course. The gear, that we barely used, was very conveniently not provided and not for hire. It is indeed written on the bottom of the age on the website, so I was partly at fault, but it is very unclear, and when I read other comments I realize I'm not the only one to have misunderstood.
During the course we had to carry all our gear around ourselves, including the tanks, which as you can imagine is very inconvenient, especially when you don't have a car like myself, as I was visiting Perth.
Our dive instructor really didn't seem to actually give a damn - it felt like he just wanted to get the job done and dusted, without really listening, observing and adapting to our personal needs. I understand that it is a job, but diving still remains a sport that can go wrong and I have to say I didn't feel safe with our instructor. On the top of that it was messy because he had to look after two age groups amongst the students, which means that at time he couldn't handle focusing on all of the students.
There was a particular event that really frustrated me: I had a rather serious problem during the deep dive. I'm still fairly new to diving, so I'm still learning and adapting my method. After the dive I tried to talk to the instructor about it, thinking that we would brainstorm about what went wrong, and what could have been done better to avoid this situation again. Instead he said nothing, turned around and moved on to the next point with the team. Not only didn't he say anything but he didn't seem to care the least, didn't show any concern and/or compassion. Great for a dive instructor hey! When this problem even costed me to not being able to complete the dive, and therefore not complete the course.
I don't mean to blame the whole team of Scuba Perth, it wouldn't be fair and I did talk to a few members who seemed more onto it and with whom I had a pleasant exchange.
But if I had the choice, I wouldn't do it again with Scuba Perth.
PS: It's been nearly a month and the dive instructor still didn't verify and confirm the dives on my PADI app.
First of all, it felt like it was more about marketing than anything else (I know I wasn't the only one to feel this way in the team), and definitely the only thing that was in the manager's mind. When I arrived I was informed that I needed to buy some extra gear for about 200AUD on the top of the 700AUD I had already spent for the course. The gear, that we barely used, was very conveniently not provided and not for hire. It is indeed written on the bottom of the age on the website, so I was partly at fault, but it is very unclear, and when I read other comments I realize I'm not the only one to have misunderstood.
During the course we had to carry all our gear around ourselves, including the tanks, which as you can imagine is very inconvenient, especially when you don't have a car like myself, as I was visiting Perth.
Our dive instructor really didn't seem to actually give a damn - it felt like he just wanted to get the job done and dusted, without really listening, observing and adapting to our personal needs. I understand that it is a job, but diving still remains a sport that can go wrong and I have to say I didn't feel safe with our instructor. On the top of that it was messy because he had to look after two age groups amongst the students, which means that at time he couldn't handle focusing on all of the students.
There was a particular event that really frustrated me: I had a rather serious problem during the deep dive. I'm still fairly new to diving, so I'm still learning and adapting my method. After the dive I tried to talk to the instructor about it, thinking that we would brainstorm about what went wrong, and what could have been done better to avoid this situation again. Instead he said nothing, turned around and moved on to the next point with the team. Not only didn't he say anything but he didn't seem to care the least, didn't show any concern and/or compassion. Great for a dive instructor hey! When this problem even costed me to not being able to complete the dive, and therefore not complete the course.
I don't mean to blame the whole team of Scuba Perth, it wouldn't be fair and I did talk to a few members who seemed more onto it and with whom I had a pleasant exchange.
But if I had the choice, I wouldn't do it again with Scuba Perth.
PS: It's been nearly a month and the dive instructor still didn't verify and confirm the dives on my PADI app.
Written 24 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your feedback.
Unfortunately we have a limited amount of space to respond to you however I am happy to discuss this review with you in person if you would prefer.
I have addressed your concerns (as per your 2 star review) below.
L)First of all, it felt like it was more about marketing than anything else (I know I wasn't the only one to feel this way in the team), and definitely the only thing that was in the manager's mind
PS)The course content is what is provided by PADI. We teach the course as it is meant to be presented and therefore it must be provided to you as a student.
This is not a choice thing for us.
L)When I arrived I was informed that I needed to buy some extra gear for about 200AUD on the top of the 700AUD I had already spent for the course
PS) The course cost was $599 not $700. When you booked online you were advised that you would be required to “supply / bring” a torch (for the night dive), a back up light (in case of torch failure) a slate (for communication), dive knife for entanglements and an SMB for the boat part of the course. – By “supply / bring” it means you can either purchase these items from us, somewhere else or even borrow these items from someone else.
It is a PADI course requirement that you have these items to complete an Advanced Diver course. It is completely up to you where you get these pre-requisite items from.
We do not hide these requirements anywhere on our website – it is very easy for you to see at the time of booking. If you choose not to go ahead with your booking at that point then this is your choice.
L) During the course we had to carry all our gear around ourselves, including the tanks, which as you can imagine is very inconvenient, especially when you don't have a car like myself, as I was visiting Perth.
PS) Unfortunately, we do not provide transport for Advanced courses. It is difficult to know whether people have transport or not when booking so we do advise during the booking process, that we do not provide transport. This is advised upfront so that you can make a decision whether to go ahead with your course booking or not.
Generally people in your situation would have access to a hire car which would then not be an issue.
I believe that despite your complaint, your instructor did arrange for you and your equipment to be transported to and from the store & dive sites throughout your course.
L) Our dive instructor really didn't seem to actually give a damn…
PS) Your opinion that your instructor couldn’t give a damn’ is definitely far from the truth. I believe the real issue stems from the next point you brought up in your review…
You had a serious problem during your deep dive.
Your ascent was very fast and you omitted your safety stop which is not only a requirement of the deep dive to complete your course, but your ascent locked you out of your dive computer – meaning it was unsafe to dive again until cleared.
Your instructor spoke to you about your buoyancy control and advised you that he would be doing Peak Performance Buoyancy as an Elective dive the following day to assist you in controlling your buoyancy in future. It is the dive boat’s policy that anyone who has a computer lock out is unable to dive again that day. These are the reasons you were unable to complete your course in the allocated time. I spoke to your instructor about this dive and incident and he was adamant that he discussed this with you.
Had you not been time restricted, we would have tried to complete your final dives at a later suitable date for you.
Your instructor has verified your dives when you first notified us you required them verified.
Written 9 May 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kristina W
Manly, Australia54 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
Diving at Rottnest Island was an absolute blast and our guide Barbara was the best! The caves and rock formations underwater were breathtaking – so much to explore and discover – rays, cuttlefish, and schools of diverse fish, not to mention the abundance of crayfish!
Lunch was a total feast - a buffet filled with delicious options taking care of any specific dietary needs without a hitch. Overall, diving with Perth Scuba was an epic adventure paired with amazing food , good rental equipment, professional staff and Barbara as a fantastic guide. Highly recommend it!
Lunch was a total feast - a buffet filled with delicious options taking care of any specific dietary needs without a hitch. Overall, diving with Perth Scuba was an epic adventure paired with amazing food , good rental equipment, professional staff and Barbara as a fantastic guide. Highly recommend it!
Written 28 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your fantastic review! We're absolutely delighted to hear that your dive at Rottnest Island was an epic adventure. Barbara will be thrilled to know she made your experience so memorable. It’s wonderful to hear you enjoyed the stunning underwater scenery, our diverse marine life, and the feast we prepared for lunch. We strive to cater to all dietary needs and are glad we met yours. Your recommendation means the world to us, and we can’t wait to welcome you back for more underwater explorations with Perth Scuba!
Written 9 May 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Angie V
1 contribution
Mar 2024 • Solo
The team are great, good location and dive sites! Diving was extremely fun! The training was very thorougher and felt very safe throughout the course.
Simon was our instructor for the dives and he was awesome, Nathan was there for the pool skills and he was great too!
Simon was our instructor for the dives and he was awesome, Nathan was there for the pool skills and he was great too!
Written 17 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you had a fantastic diving experience with us. It's great to know that Simon and Nathan made your training enjoyable and safe. We pride ourselves on our location, dive sites, and, most importantly, our team's ability to provide thorough and fun diving training. We look forward to seeing you underwater again soon!
Written 9 May 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Emma D.
8 contributions
Mar 2023
Very professional team, went the Open Water class and got two different instrctors. I am no sure if it is the norm but it was really amazing as they had very complementary styles and that's really the best way to enter the diving world:
Simon is one of the most experienced instructor in Australia and you can really tell. I am grateful to have had him and his sense of humor is the best.
Mina is a ray of sunshine, you feel like you are being guided by a personal friend only a few minutes after meeting her.
I had such a great time, thank you to all the team! Any brief talk with the staff was a pleasure.
Simon is one of the most experienced instructor in Australia and you can really tell. I am grateful to have had him and his sense of humor is the best.
Mina is a ray of sunshine, you feel like you are being guided by a personal friend only a few minutes after meeting her.
I had such a great time, thank you to all the team! Any brief talk with the staff was a pleasure.
Written 21 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Harmony S
Perth, Western Australia, Australia12 contributions
Oct 2013 • Friends
We got our open water scuba diving certification with Perth Scuba and the experience was terrible overall. Before we signed up we weren't told that we needed to lug around our soaking wet gear for a week in the backs of our cars, and the gear bags are not waterproof whatsoever. Our car stinks like sea water and we're worried we may get mold in the boot. Would have been lovely if we got gear bags that were waterproof and had wheels.
First instructor(s) we had (Terry and an apprentice) didn't speak English as their first language, so it was very difficult to understand them, and they spoke extremely quiet, even though we kept asking them to speak up. We basically didn't hear anything they said and hoped we were doing it right - scary when everything is so safety oriented.
Day of the ocean dive we were told to arrive at 8:30am at Perth Scuba to get our gear. We got there, had our gear in 10 minutes, then were told everyone else was told to come at 9am....? We waited until 9, then decided to meet them at Bell Park. The drive from the shop is 35 min. The group and teacher arrived an HOUR AND 45 MIN LATER. All in all we waited an extra hour and a half sitting around. Needless to say we were quite irritated. When we asked the instructor (Simon) what happened, he said a highway lane was closed (a lie we found out later), and that "there really is no time schedule, it's just whenever people rock up." We found out at the end of the day that the other team members spent the extra hour and a bit shopping at Perth Scuba, while the instructor knew we were waiting. This shopping should have been done the day prior, and the teacher could have had a little more sense of urgency.
At Bell Park we saw 4 other scuba groups - ALL groups has their stuff in plastic WATERPROOF bins, and was brought by the instructor, not the students, in a company vehicle. Most of the groups were one on one, and ours seemed to be the largest at 6 ppl to one instructor, which made for a much longer day. Oh, and none of the other classes appeared to have wetsuits with holes worn through the knees.
The part of Bell Park our instructor chose was not great - long stretches of swimming with no fish, plants or coral, so it was boring compared to previous dives we've done. I get it, we were there to do a skills assessment, but the other half could have been nearer more to see and enjoy.
When we got back to do our paperwork, there was no senses of urgency (again), and what should have taken 20 minutes ended up taking an hour and a half, due to our beer guzzling instructor (literally) and the fact that they ended up losing our paperwork. The teacher didn't know how to work the computer to get the images needed for our IDs and had to ask a student to help. When it came time to enter my info for my ID card, I realised my eyes were closed in the picture and asked if I could take it again. The teacher rolled his eyes and said, "seriously? Don't worry about it." I insisted I wanted a picture with my eyes open and he gave me major attitude, like I was such a drama queen. It's not like I didn't like my expression or anything, my bloody EYES WERE CLOSED! Found the teacher to be an arrogant jerk to be honest. Our first instructors had a much more positive attitudes and were more enjoyable, despite the fact we couldn't understand them.
We tried to contact Perth Scuba with our concerns, but they ignored us and never responded, which is really unfortunately from a customer service perspective. All in all, a pretty crappy experience. I've had family and friends since do their courses and I've all recommended they go elsewhere, which they have.
First instructor(s) we had (Terry and an apprentice) didn't speak English as their first language, so it was very difficult to understand them, and they spoke extremely quiet, even though we kept asking them to speak up. We basically didn't hear anything they said and hoped we were doing it right - scary when everything is so safety oriented.
Day of the ocean dive we were told to arrive at 8:30am at Perth Scuba to get our gear. We got there, had our gear in 10 minutes, then were told everyone else was told to come at 9am....? We waited until 9, then decided to meet them at Bell Park. The drive from the shop is 35 min. The group and teacher arrived an HOUR AND 45 MIN LATER. All in all we waited an extra hour and a half sitting around. Needless to say we were quite irritated. When we asked the instructor (Simon) what happened, he said a highway lane was closed (a lie we found out later), and that "there really is no time schedule, it's just whenever people rock up." We found out at the end of the day that the other team members spent the extra hour and a bit shopping at Perth Scuba, while the instructor knew we were waiting. This shopping should have been done the day prior, and the teacher could have had a little more sense of urgency.
At Bell Park we saw 4 other scuba groups - ALL groups has their stuff in plastic WATERPROOF bins, and was brought by the instructor, not the students, in a company vehicle. Most of the groups were one on one, and ours seemed to be the largest at 6 ppl to one instructor, which made for a much longer day. Oh, and none of the other classes appeared to have wetsuits with holes worn through the knees.
The part of Bell Park our instructor chose was not great - long stretches of swimming with no fish, plants or coral, so it was boring compared to previous dives we've done. I get it, we were there to do a skills assessment, but the other half could have been nearer more to see and enjoy.
When we got back to do our paperwork, there was no senses of urgency (again), and what should have taken 20 minutes ended up taking an hour and a half, due to our beer guzzling instructor (literally) and the fact that they ended up losing our paperwork. The teacher didn't know how to work the computer to get the images needed for our IDs and had to ask a student to help. When it came time to enter my info for my ID card, I realised my eyes were closed in the picture and asked if I could take it again. The teacher rolled his eyes and said, "seriously? Don't worry about it." I insisted I wanted a picture with my eyes open and he gave me major attitude, like I was such a drama queen. It's not like I didn't like my expression or anything, my bloody EYES WERE CLOSED! Found the teacher to be an arrogant jerk to be honest. Our first instructors had a much more positive attitudes and were more enjoyable, despite the fact we couldn't understand them.
We tried to contact Perth Scuba with our concerns, but they ignored us and never responded, which is really unfortunately from a customer service perspective. All in all, a pretty crappy experience. I've had family and friends since do their courses and I've all recommended they go elsewhere, which they have.
Written 13 December 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Harmony,
Thank you for your feedback on your experience in 2013. We appreciate you taking the time to share your dissatisfaction and give Perth Scuba the opportunity to improve. We have gone through your feedback point by point and have ensured we have taken steps so that a similar situation will not occur in future. Since late December 2013 all Perth Scuba Open Water Courses include free use of all dive equipment supplied in plastic tubs so cars aren't carrying wet equipment. Since January 2014 we also provide a transport service so students are sent to and from the dive sites. We can also change your student photo on your diving certification card to a more suitable photograph. Email a copy of your preferred photo to joey@perthscuba.com with your full name, birthdate and postal address and I will action this immediately. Perth Scuba strives to continually improve our service to our customers and thank you for taking the time to contact us.
Written 11 October 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jacob
1 contribution
Apr 2019 • Solo
Incredibly disorganised business with horrible customer service. Avoid at all costs. Most expensive operator in perth/fremantle.
Booked a 3 day mid week open water course 2 months in advanced. Received a call at 7pm on sunday night 36 hours before the course was due to start. Was told they didn't receive enough signups and tried then tried to get $1100 out of me for a private course.
Lee was disgusting to talk too. The business operator would not take my calls. They offered no remedy and only when pushed offered an apology for no notice of the cancellation. We were on holidays at the time and all other operators had full courses. This is an indication of the type of business they run.
Highly recommend Darren at diving frontiers he went out of his way to sort out a private course for us at the same cost as the group course with perth scuba. The course with diving frontiers was excellent. Also a shout out to Dolphin scuba who also went out of their way to try and accommodate us.
Please don't support this travesty of a business.
Booked a 3 day mid week open water course 2 months in advanced. Received a call at 7pm on sunday night 36 hours before the course was due to start. Was told they didn't receive enough signups and tried then tried to get $1100 out of me for a private course.
Lee was disgusting to talk too. The business operator would not take my calls. They offered no remedy and only when pushed offered an apology for no notice of the cancellation. We were on holidays at the time and all other operators had full courses. This is an indication of the type of business they run.
Highly recommend Darren at diving frontiers he went out of his way to sort out a private course for us at the same cost as the group course with perth scuba. The course with diving frontiers was excellent. Also a shout out to Dolphin scuba who also went out of their way to try and accommodate us.
Please don't support this travesty of a business.
Written 28 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It’s disappointing to hear that you did not enjoy your experience and we appreciate you taking the time to give us your feedback. We understand how frustrating it is to have an experience you’ve been looking forward to cancelled 2 days before you arrive. The reason we delayed contacting you to cancel was we were working hard to find an extra student to ensure your course went ahead. Unfortunately as you know we were unsuccessful.
As you mentioned our team contacted you Sunday to cancel your Tuesday course with the option of upgrading your course to a private 1 on 1 experience. This would have been an additional $500 for you and a total of $1099 for a fully inclusive 3 day PADI Open Water Diver course. You mention that you think this is expensive, however, I feel it’s important you understand why we gave you this option and how we came to this figure. Perth Scuba is a fair work place which abides by all of Australian legislation in regards to employee entitlements. This means that our instructors earn an hourly wage which for an average 9 hour day (the average time they are working on a dive course) equates to $243 per day. We pay them Superannuation (9.5% or $22.30 per day) and we also cover their workers compensation insurance in case of workplace injuries amongst other things. Your dive course takes 3 days to teach so the wages alone for your course would have been $795. Then on top of this the learning materials (PADI elearning pass) $160, swimming pool entry $25, boat dives $160 this totals $1,139.70 and doesn’t include hire equipment, air fills and other incidental expenses.
Our offer to you for a one on one course would still have left us out of pocket but we were prepared to do that to make it possible for your course to continue. We, unlike many dive centres offering heavily discounted dive courses ensure that our staff are paid fairly for their work. Expecting anyone to work for less than the award is not only illegal, but it is totally unethical. The reference to Perth Scuba being the most expensive dive course in Perth is simply incorrect. Perth Scuba has a fully inclusive course which includes full hire equipment, PADI elearning course materials and includes 2 boat dives at Rottnest Island. All of these are extras on most dive courses offered in Perth. The base price does not include Rottnest Island boat dives and if you compare this fact alone, you instantly put Perth Scuba at a $160 disadvantage however we include boat dives on our courses as well as shore dives to give new divers the opportunity to dive from all aspects as diving from a boat is quite different from diving from the shore. This makes Perth Scuba’s price actually the best value dive course in Perth especially when you consider that everything else is included with nothing more to pay. We would have to question anyone who is able to offer a dive course one on one for $595 and what was being paid to the instructor who took you for that course. Unfortunately for that price, someone was made to miss out on an income, whether it be your instructor or the shop you praised so highly for doing the course for you. We personally wouldn’t wish that on any person or business and certainly wouldn’t be happy with ourselves knowing that this was the case.
If you feel that badly rating Perth Scuba on Trip Advisor and Google is fair when we are supporting Australian workers and paying their entitlements whilst paying all of our business and taxation obligations, then please feel free to do so. We are proud of the quality and what we offer in our courses and the way we treat our instructors and shop staff.
We will not change this despite our competitors cutting things out of their courses to lower costs to advertise “cheaper” dive courses. We are up front with all of our costs and will never change that policy - one that has been successful for 15 years.
In regards to your request to speak to the Managing Director Lee, Perth Scuba employs a Store Manager who is very capable of running the business and dealing with the day to day runnings of the business. Involving the Managing Director in situations like yours not only undermines the store managers position, but is not always possible. If this was the case and Lee had to deal with everything himself, there would be no reason to have a Store Manager.
Your point regarding speaking to Lee was not true as you never spoke directly with Lee.
You mentioned also that you were offered no remedy to your course cancellation. This is also not true. The Store Manager contacted 2 other local dive stores for you to see if they were running courses over the same period to see if they could assist by taking you. One store had cancelled their course due to the bad weather and the other had no students on their course so also cancelled. He contacted these stores as they too were PADI stores so you would not be inconvenienced by having to redo your theory online for a different training agency. You were also offered a refund immediately and this was processed and in your account within 2 business days.
We are disappointed about the way you feel we treated you. We are always happy to learn how we can do better by our customers and do appreciate you taking the time to give feedback whether negative or positive. We hope you enjoy your future diving experiences wherever they take you in the world.
Written 29 April 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
pipparoosker
Perth, Australia2 contributions
Oct 2014
After 2 cancellations due to weather I requested a refund as I'm moving interstate and work 6 days a week, the guy in the shop told me no worries, send an email. A few days later a mystery person emailed me back to say I could go for another dive on another day or receive a store credit. Seeing as I had already spent $519 in store I had no need for a credit and could not plan a dive in the near future I advised them that they could not withhold my money. When I rang the store I was told by staff that this was the owners decision and he would not budge on his policy. When I did get hold of the owner he was very arrogant and domineering over the phone, and labelled me a liar. My next step was to contact consumer protection who tol me I had a legitimate case against them, I rang the shop to advise I could take it further, the owner passed the message on ' to go ahead, he's not refunding me'. I went into the store and finally got him to agree to refund me. It was a very unpleasant situation!!!
Written 1 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for providing your feedback on your recent experience. It's unfortunate that the weather was so severe that you were unable to experience Rottnest Island's underwater beauty. We understand that you were dissatisfied with the service offered by our team. We have taken steps with our staff to ensure that conflicting communication is not given to our customers to ensure this same situation does not occur again. We have also taken steps to ensure that all bookings receive our terms and conditions upon booking their experience, even if a friend has booked them onto an experience, to ensure there is no confusion. Our owner did call you before your visit in store but as you were quite upset at the time he didn't get the opportunity to pass on the information about how we were arranging the refund. We appreciate you taking the time to visit our store to meet with us and give us the opportunity to speak with you in person. If you would like to speak with myself about your comments please don't hesitate to call me (Joey) on 9455 4448. Our staff endeavour to provide a friendly and fun atmosphere to all our customers and want to share the beauty of our underwater world. If you ever return to Perth in the future we hope we can offer you a dive at Rottnest Island so you can see what the poor weather cancelled. Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback and improve our level of service to our customers.
Written 12 October 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
No questions have been asked about this experience