West End Diving

This is the worst dive shop I’ve come in contact with in my 13 years of diving. The owner Doug is a complete jerk and their customer service is terrible and impossible to work with!!! The only reason I gave them 1 star is because I can give the 0 or else I would have. Their training staff is rude and negligent, they don’t care about the safety of the customer at all. My wife tried to get certified by them and during her open water dive she was having trouble equalizing her ears and instead of the instructor working with her and giving her time to equalize he proceeded to drag her further under water. This resulted in her rupturing every blood vessel in her ear. We had to go to a specialist who is a ENT (ear, nose, throat) doc and he said she was lucky to not have burst her ear drum, which would have resulted in her becoming deaf in that ear. We were lucky, but not lucky enough to not still have to pay for the medical bills.
We approached the dive shop to reimburse us for the cost of the class (nevermind the medical bills) because my wife was unable to complete the course from the trauma to her ear, again not because of her own doing but from what the instructor did to her. The owner Doug proceeded to call us liars and wouldn’t refund the money. When I tried to call him and have a conversation about the situation he would answer and be extremely unhelpful and rude then hang up like a child, like I said the customer service is impossible and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Needless to the owner Doug is an ass!!!
I’m here to tell you to avoid this place at all cost, they don’t care about the customer or the safety of their customers AT ALL!!!

WOW. West End Diving is the most respected dive shop in St Louis. I have personally been involved with this store as a Dive Master for Boone Terre Mine many years ago. Boone Terre Mine is also connect with West End Diving. A full dive shop and expert insight on diving around the globe.
If you are a beginner or expert in the field — this is your dive shop.