1800skyride scam

[MakeItHappen 15]

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Thanks Stacy!
Somebody has finally figured out this "scam"

I realize that most people do not understand what is going on with this SkyRide thing.
The comments here certainly indicate that.

USPA HQ has been sending DZOs complaining about SkyRide my way all summer long.
I have a long list of experiences, first hand from the DZOs.

I put together this page to explain:

http://FunJumper.com/skyride
.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[tunaplanet 0]

I agree with the original poster. I have seen tons of complaints from this scam. I have not personally been ripped off but have had two law enforcement officers who I taught in their tact unit complain about the exact same thing the original poster stated.

Forty-two

[BillyVance 34]

I realize that most people do not understand what is going on with this SkyRide thing.
The comments here certainly indicate that.
USPA HQ has been sending DZOs complaining about SkyRide my way all summer long.
I have a long list of experiences, first hand from the DZOs.

I put together this page to explain:

http://FunJumper.com/skyride
***

Everyone, look closely at the "WHO IS" description page of many of the websites listed in this database. You will realize that all of these web sites are owned by a certain DZO that we all know. He lists various names, such as CASC, Inc, but does use his real name in some of them. Guess who the SOB is...
There's about 200 web urls there. Not to mention all the phone numbers.... pretty ridiculous, to say the least.

Blue Skies
Billy Vance

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Greene 0]

USPA can not and will do nothing to stop this scam spam.

They are an "upholding, red, white and blue USPA DZ Drop Zone MENBER! They pay the "fees to USPA every year!!

A shinning example of what USPA considers a group member DZ.

USPA , sometime you might need to look "outside the box". If you do not know what that means, e mail me, Lee at

Skydive Greene County
since 1961

[email protected]

Love, Lee :)

[BillyVance 34]

. The dropzone gets paid slightly less, but we make up for it in the additional traffic. I hope that explains it. At any rate, it's working great for us.

Chuck Blue
***

that may well be the case, but do you really know who's behind the Skyride thing? For every customer you take from them, you're making them richer. By "them", I'm talking about the most hated DZ in America. Take a close look at the link Jan posted.

Blue Skies
Billy Vance

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[scottjaco 0]

If 5 cards came back with your name on them
you got a free jump ticket...
***


5 referals and you only get 1 free jump! What a jip!

At Cal City, you only need to bring in 1 whuffo and you get a free jump ticket.



scott

[scottjaco 0]

This sounds a lot like 1-800-DENTIST ***

Yah it does. It also sounds very tacky!

You've decided to jump out of an airplane, and you are too lazy to do any research? Don't people care about where they are jumping?

I called almost every dropzone in Southern California before I did my first AFF jump.
There was no way I was going to do a Tandem,
my concerns were price and altitude.

I felt that Air Adventures West had the best deal, unfortunatly they got shut down.

scott

[Greene 0]

Gene Paul and Miss Billy, would have never allowed such pimps on their DZ.!

Mr Monkey ask them and then ask us.

Your wonderful DZ and our wonderful DZ do no need or want these scum bags, " helping us get business"
We don't need them amd Mr skymonkeyONE you do not need them either!!!

Give Sgt Thacker and Miss Billie a hug and a kiss from Lee West :)

[tunaplanet 0]

Thank you MakeItHappen for that great site. It certainly explains a lot.

Forty-two

[marks 0]

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that may well be the case, but do you really know who's behind the Skyride thing? For every customer you take from them, you're making them richer. By "them", I'm talking about the most hated DZ in America. Take a close look at the link Jan posted.

Blue Skies
Billy Vance

its a conspiracy man there EVERYWHERE!

[brentfinley 0]

All,

I have looked at most of the sites on the list Jan has assembled and these Skyride people have shamelessly STOLEN many of my photographs to spruce up their sites. They are THIEVES who have no morals or scruples about what they are doing. In fact, they have stolen some pictures from the DROPZONE.com gallery.

Brent Finley
[email protected]

www.brentfinley.com
[email protected]

[skybytch 259]

edited because I found out the truth...

[buzzfink 5]

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Why would you pay someone else to send skydivers to your place, if they are driving past other DZ's that may be as great as yours, and many hour out of their way?

Why do three DZ's that are not located in Los Angeles advertise in Los Angeles? To draw customers. Many may not like to hear this but it is a business not a club. In order to have the modern 300 series otters, the nice packing areas, the maintained landing area and other amenities, the DZ needs to be able to pay the bills. While they can do alot for the experienced jumpers, it is the first time jumpers that foot most of the bill. That means advertising up to 200 miles away.

Can they pass another DZ's that "may be as great" as mine, yes. But others do just the opposite. They head to other DZ's and don't know about mine that "may be as great" as theirs.

Bottom line is it is business. And the end result to me is whether the student leaves happy. I can say yes.

My experience with 1-800-SKYRIDE has been professional and rewarding and I look forward to continued business over the next years.

Blue Skies!

Buzz

[gjhdiver 0]

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I just received this from a friend thought I should pass it on.

AB


Greetings,
I felt compelled to let you know that if you plan to use the
1800Skyride.com service, it is a bullshit scam.

You know, I'm trying to find something to object to here, but there's not much to get angry about.

[catfishhunter 1]

always copyright your picutre and add the"may not be reproduced blah blah blah without permission........." if they are using your pics demand they cease immedialty or make compensation to you within 7 working days. Send it registered mail. I am sure your pictures will be removed from there site's in the matter of minutes.

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[airtwardo 6]

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If 5 cards came back with your name on them
you got a free jump ticket...
***


5 referals and you only get 1 free jump! What a jip!

At Cal City, you only need to bring in 1 whuffo and you get a free jump ticket.



scott

***

Yeah but we didn't have to 'bring' anybody in...
just distribute the cards here and there.
Drop a stack off where ever...
At the bar, dorm message board, food stores, resturants...
I averaged 2 freebies a week...for months!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[tictoc 0]

I went to the websites and forund this "You're source for complete and accurate skydiving information." on two of them and yet the lists of DZ's do not match. Not so "acurate". So which site am I to beleave? And I'm sure the only thing it takes to be a NSA member is the good old $$$$$$$$$$$. I soport any one who is doing what they need to do to servive. but these sites do seem a tab bit questonable.

--------------------------------------------------------
Some one must go to the edge for others to be able to find it. But if you go be sure you can make it back.

[Nightingale 0]

I got curious and called them...

tried to see how much info I could get out of them without giving up cash.

asked about skydive locations in california.

they gave me the locations of both Perris and Elsinore, or at least, the names of the cities.

the lady on the phone was very nice.

I declined to make a purchase at this time, and she thanked me anyway, and we hung up.

What I don't know is whether or not Perris and Elsinore actually accept the skyride certificates.

[Vallerina 2]

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While it's true that the service might have you driving past closer dropzones to get to one of their participating centers, that is not the fault of the service. It's the fault of the potential customer for not looking at all the other available services which might lead you to a closer dropzone.

But, when you ask them "Is that the closest dropzone?" and they say, "Yes," then that is where the problem lies. They should reply with, "That is the closest dropzone that is affiliated with 1800Skyride." I did not get that response, however. Adding on This is why it's unethical. She lied to me. It was not the closest dz.

I feel bad for any customer who actually goes through them. The lady on the phone told me where the dz was at and admitted that if I went straight to the dz I would spend less money.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[jlmiracle 7]

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IAnd I'm sure the only thing it takes to be a NSA member is the good old $$$$$$$$$$$. I soport any one who is doing what they need to do to servive. but these sites do seem a tab bit questonable.

I think NSA (national skydiving association) is just another website they made up. They have several listing in say Alabama that all go to the same dz.

Also, I heard someone that bought one of these certs and was not told that there was no participating dz in their state.

Judy

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[SDiver218 0]

Personally, I see nothing wrong with the service itself. The concept is similar to any number of brokering services out there. Looking at it from my perspective (as a recruiter) my company will put a consultant on contract with a biotech company (for clinical trials) and we might pay the guy $70 / hour while billingthe company $110 / hour. Would the consultant make more working for the company directly? Yes. Would the company save money paying the consultant directly? Yes. Would the company and the consultant find eachother without our service? Probably not. That's why its perfectly acceptable for us to operate with this kind of business model.

For a company to do the marketing to wuffos who may have not considered a tandem before, and get that person to a participating dropzone, why shouldn't a reasonable spread be charged? These people may not have done a tandem anyway.

I don't know what the rate would be, but just for sake of argument lets say that:

Normal tandem - $180

Tandem through Skyride - $210, with $160 going to the dropzone.

Normal # of tandems a month for ACME Dropzone - 20, which is $3600 in topline revenue

Additional tandems brought in through Skyride per month - 10, which is an extra $1600 in revenue.

If ACME Dropzone's net income off of tandem business is 25% ($45 a tandem), then:

Without Skyride
Revenue $3600
Net Profit $900 (25%)

With Skyride
Revenue $5200
Net Profit $1150 (22%)

As a business owner, it makes sense to me, especially if the extra tandems brings in more AFF business, or at least more repeat tandem business.

Granted, you could have people who went through Skyride who could have gone to the dropzone directly, but I doubt that it would be a significant #.

I can say from my own personal experience that dropzones don't generally do a whole lot of advertizing, and many wuffos don't think about the doing a tandem unless the opportunity is staring them in the face. So if dropzones aren't getting the message to the marketplace, what is wrong for a company to go do the groundwork, and be willing to basically spread the cost of marketing (and admin, etc) amongst the participating dropzones, while making a profit at the same time? If it truly was a ripoff, then the marketplace would not sustain the business, as dropzones would be dropping Skyride as a service. DZO's aren't stupid, if it isn't making money, they won't do it.

****Keep in mind these figures are probably not accurate of what a dropzone makes off of tandems, or what Skyride gives a dropzone for tandem business. I'm only demonstrating the general business principle.

Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. - Benjamin Franklin

Ah that's just drunk talk, sweet beautiful drunk talk. - Barney Gumbal

[Vallerina 2]

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Normal tandem - $180

Tandem through Skyride - $210, with $160 going to the dropzone.

That just really seems like a lose-lose situation. The dz gets less money, and their customer pays more money.

So, the claim is that it's all about advertising, right? How often do you clip a coupon out of a newspaper to pay more for something? If it's an advertising thing, then the dz should take that cost in themselves like any other advertising cost.

Personally, I'd be pretty ticked off if I paid that much more money than if I would've called the dz directly. Patients who go through 1800 Dentist aren't paying more than those who don't.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[SDiver218 0]

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Normal tandem - $180

Tandem through Skyride - $210, with $160 going to the dropzone.

That just really seems like a lose-lose situation. The dz gets less money, and their customer pays more money.

So, the claim is that it's all about advertising, right? How often do you clip a coupon out of a newspaper to pay more for something? If it's an advertising thing, then the dz should take that cost in themselves like any other advertising cost.

Personally, I'd be pretty ticked off if I paid that much more money than if I would've called the dz directly. Patients who go through 1800 Dentist aren't paying more than those who don't.

Itsa basic business principle. You're assuming that those extra customers would come to the dropzone anyway to pay the $180. Not necessarily so.

Let's relate it to a a personal experience. For years Suzy Q thought it would be cool to do a tandem, but never did it. Why? It was never in front of her face. She never really thought about it much. She's sees an advertisement for a tandem (Skyride), calls the #, and gets scheduled for a jump. Here is a person that would not have done a tandem otherwise.

That is the basis for modern advertising. There are many people in the market to buy a car at any onetime. So why do auto dealerships dominate the weekend papers with full page color ads (which aren't cheap)? Because it drives people to their business who might not have come otherwise. Do customers end up supporting the cost of the advertising? You bet your ass they do....it ain't free. Whether its right or wrong, it doesn't matter. This is the way our economy works. If not for this general principle, we would probably be paying $2-3000 less on our cars, paying 10-20% less on produce, or saving money on a mortgage loan. Sadly, businesses need to advertise to get people in the door, and if Skyride is willing to provide that service, while still making a profit for the dropzones, then more power to them.

Now granted, its not just advertising, but its the same principle applied to stockbrokers, staffing companies (my business), retail shops (mark up on products a customer can order more cheaply from a wholesaler), etc.

If it was really a lose-lose situation, then market forces would most likely drive them out of business.

Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. - Benjamin Franklin

Ah that's just drunk talk, sweet beautiful drunk talk. - Barney Gumbal

[Vallerina 2]

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If it was really a lose-lose situation, then market forces would most likely drive them out of business.

I'm not so sure about that. Most dropzones aren't "in the black" as it is, and most dropzone owners aren't businessmen.

I've also never seen 1800skyride ads or billboards or anything like that (yes, I even frequently pass a dz that's on there), so I really don't know if people who use it would jump or not. I'm sure most people who use 1800skyride find it from the internet...which means that they would find another dz anyways.

It's a shady business, and I am against people using lies to sell business. Saying that there are no other closer dropzones is a lie. They should at least modify that statement.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[kelpdiver 2]

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(as a recruiter) my company will put a consultant on contract with a biotech company (for clinical trials) and we might pay the guy $70 / hour while billingthe company $110 / hour. Would the consultant make more working for the company directly? Yes. Would the company save money paying the consultant directly? Yes. Would the company and the consultant find eachother without our service? Probably not. That's why its perfectly acceptable for us to operate with this kind of business model.

You provide more than just the referral - you probably employ the contractor as a W2 employee, removing the fears of the client company about having a 1099 getting redefined as an FTE by the IRS. That said, the recruiting industry took it in the chin in 2001-current because companies started asking why they should pay 40k for a resume they could have gotten themselves. With the imbalance of resumes to openings they can afford to do it themselves.

But the travel industry model has rarely worked that way. More typically the service is bought at a discount and sold at regular price, or even a bit less. It's good for the business as the subagent markets it for them, and it's good for the customer. But nothing I've read about skyride seems to benefit anyone but themselves. They don't add any value, in fact they subtract it with these 'jump certificates' that may not even be accepted.