Wallin's Dive Ctr

I purchased a pair of Deep Sea Echo Zip Boots at Wallin's to take on a 2 week warm water dive trip. All dives began with a giant stride and ended with a return to the boat, so I was not slogging through sandy entries and exits which might cause premature wear on booties. A few days into the trip the threading on one of the boots began to unravel. I nursed the failing seam for the duration of the trip keeping the length of unraveling thread to a minimum.
The first day back from the trip I returned them to Wallin's and was told I would have to pay the shipping charges (salesman estimated around $10) to have the defective boot sent to the factory for repairs. The sales person suggested these were the terms of the manufacturer's warranty and Wallin's could not afford to cover the shipping costs. I recognize there is probably not a lot of margin on a $35 pair of booties, but I was no more responsible for the defect than Wallin's and made no profit at all on the sale. The conversation between the sales person and his supervisor seemed to indicate this was one of many such products with this type of defect from this manufacturer.
I have friends who own retail businesses. They recognize the only difference between them and every other store selling the same products and services is customer satisfaction. If you are the seller of a product with a manufacturing defect, you work out the problem with the manufacturer. You do not make that the responsibility of your customer. What you end up with is a former customer or perhaps lots of former customers.

Posted 06/01/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

My 14 year old daughter and I took classes at Wallin's. Joe, our instructor was really good. We rented our gear for the class, but before we went on vacation Joe suggested we buy our own. We shopped around and felt Wallin's had the best gear at very good prices and they were so helpful. They even let us use the pool to practice before our trip. 5 stars, check'em out.

Posted 07/06/08 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

No where else have I been able to find the gear I need in the time I have. I enjoy diving the local waters and often need to reserve dive gear at the last moment before a weekend. Wallins has always been able to accomodate my needs and before i go out the door they always help me check to make sure everything is working. i have been patronizing my local dive shop Wallins for the past 6 years now and its been nothing but helpful people there since i started diving. I enjoy buying all of my new gear there with the help of the knowledgable individuals. Nowhere else do I spend money and actually smile when I leave. I challenge you to go out and experience the other shops before you go to Wallins and make your own decision on where has the best service and the best selection in the bay area. I've been to shops where people working didn't even dive themselves but at Wallins, you'll see the employees on any given weekend diving the locations around the bay area. i ant say anything bad about this shop because i have never had anything but good advice and help from them. its too bad others have not experienced the same yet i think they are definitely a minority of those who set foot inside Wallins.

Posted 08/31/07 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

After a few transactions with Wallins, we found we were much happier with the more competent and honest staff at Any Water Sports in San Jose. The manager, David, tried to sell us things whether or not they were actually right for us. When we asked another employee for a backplate and wings, he pointed us to an integrated BC and convinced us that the two were the same -- thankfully, we talked to more knowledgable friends before buying anything. Lastly, we did buy our drysuits at Wallins. I had to go back four times to get all the problems fixed, some related to the fact that the manager had totally failed to help me fit the drysuit when I made clear that I was looking for guidance. One of the problems was a leaky valve, which went back twice: the first time so the Wallins tech could inspect it and claim it was fine, and the second for replacement when it continued to leak. We also took a drysuit class through Wallins, and the instructor told us the wrong thing about figuring out buoyancy (he failed to account for the tank getting lighter in the course of a dive, so I popped up in an uncontrolled ascent from 18ft at the end of one dive).

As the only positive things I have to say, Tiffany at Wallins has been honest and fixed all the problems that David (the manager) created, and they do have a pool so if you ASK then you can try out gear.

Posted 08/19/07 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

Wallins sure is conveniently located for mid-Peninsula divers and its a big, well stocked store. But they are VERY expensive and I can't remember being treated worse in a retail environment. A truly bad attitude, almost downright hostile by many of the staff - very superior and acting like they're annoyed by your desire for service. While I was leaving, I was aware of an altercation of the parking lot - a man screaming at some kids on skateboards (there's a board shop in the same shopping center). Turns out, it was the owner of Wallins Dive Center. A second visit merited a similar experience - bad treatment. I guess I might go back for convenience, but I'll try to avoid it.

Posted 01/19/07 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

Great place to rent scuba gear. Staff is friendly and knows what they're talking about. They have a pool on premises and will even let you test things out. Package pricing is very good (probably second best I've found on the peninsula). They only offer BCDs with integrated weights (which I don't like), otherwise I'd rent with them regularly. (Oh, and once they rented me a tank that was past inspection and a local dive shop wouldn't refill it... But they at least refunded my money for that.)

Posted 06/15/05 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?