Winnie 0
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Agreed. Skyride is not honest.
Their basic marketing premise isn't wrong though. Create a nationwide marketing presence to support small businesses that couldn't possibly market themselves in such a way.
Based on the info that has been presented in this thread, it is obvious that Skyride goes beyond just standard marketing.
Perhaps though someone could create a marketing business that sells skydiving gift certificates for those who want to give a skydive as a gift. Advertise in a few major newspapers around the country and create an internet site that will show up in searches like DZ.com. On the internet site sell gift certificates that are accepted at participating DZ's. The customer prints their own gift certificate after providing payment info. The DZ verifies the certificate via the internet site as well. Add a search criteria to the DZ.com locator that allows visitors to find DZ's that accept the certificates before they buy. Then when the DZ accepts the certificate, he gives the customer the face value of the certificate and is reimbursed at a discounted rate by the certificate issuer. The discount rate becomes the issuers revenue, from which they pay advertising expenses, credit card fees, etc. The issuer could even tack on a small ($5-10) service charge when selling the certificate to defray costs as well.
How about it Sangiro? Want to start a side business?
Their basic marketing premise isn't wrong though. Create a nationwide marketing presence to support small businesses that couldn't possibly market themselves in such a way.
Based on the info that has been presented in this thread, it is obvious that Skyride goes beyond just standard marketing.
Perhaps though someone could create a marketing business that sells skydiving gift certificates for those who want to give a skydive as a gift. Advertise in a few major newspapers around the country and create an internet site that will show up in searches like DZ.com. On the internet site sell gift certificates that are accepted at participating DZ's. The customer prints their own gift certificate after providing payment info. The DZ verifies the certificate via the internet site as well. Add a search criteria to the DZ.com locator that allows visitors to find DZ's that accept the certificates before they buy. Then when the DZ accepts the certificate, he gives the customer the face value of the certificate and is reimbursed at a discounted rate by the certificate issuer. The discount rate becomes the issuers revenue, from which they pay advertising expenses, credit card fees, etc. The issuer could even tack on a small ($5-10) service charge when selling the certificate to defray costs as well.
How about it Sangiro? Want to start a side business?
QuoteI don’t see how it’s possible to charge $40 (25%) more than the DZ supposedly next door without being at least a little dishonest.
After getting the credit card number “the total will be $198.45 with the instruction and gear rental”, “wait a minute, I thought the cost was $165.00, this is the first you told me about any “instruction, or gear charge””, “this is the industry standard, every drop zone charges for instruction and gear, they generally will not tell you until you’re at the DZ paying just before you jump.”
You get the idea, and how about the $40 discount working out to the 198.45 as well?
Or, how about telling someone on a Sunday at 11:00am in December (dark at 5:30) that their group of 5 will be going to a DZ 45 minutes away and that they will be able to jump today, then after taking their money giving them the phone number to a DZ 250 miles away for “specific directions”. This after the Skyride operator calls the DZ and is specifically instructed that in order to get a group of 5 tandems up that she will HAVE to get them to the DZ no later than 1:00pm! She did her job, Skyride got the money!
I guess you’re probably correct, most skydiving business generally engage in these same types of practices. I guess that’s also how DZs that accept Skyride certificates justify doing business with them.
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I don't agree with their fraudulent practices, but Skyride does Advertise. I see their ad in my local newspaper everyday. If Skyride would refrain from stealing other people's property and their other various fraudulent practices, their basic marketing premise is a good one.
WFFC 1
QuoteIs there a published list of dz's that do accept these certificates?
I'm still compiling a list as people email whether their DZ takes the certs or not. It's still pretty short.
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~~~Michael
~~~Michael
sunshine 2
QuoteI'm still compiling a list as people email whether their DZ takes the certs or not. It's still pretty short.
Do you think some places are too ashamed to admit they accept them?
___________________________________________
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MakeItHappen 15
QuotePerhaps though someone could create a marketing business that sells skydiving gift certificates for those who want to give a skydive as a gift.
There are a whole bunch of middleman sites (besides SkyRide).
Here are a few:
http://www.advflights.com/
http://www.800soaring.com/ they also have some domain aliases.
800soaring was one of the first sites. Cary Q actually joined their network. They gave each operator a list of all the other operators (and still do). Cary took that list as seed for SkyRide. I got this info from Roberta at 800 soaring about 2 years ago.
800 soaring did cause a ruckus in CO with the soaring operators. 800 soaring was selling certificates that none of the CO operators would accept. The soaring operators asked the Denver DA for a 'cease and desist' order against 800 soaring. They got that c 2002.
Since then http://www.milehighskyride.com/ started up.
http://www.thrillseekersunlimited.com/Vskydive.htm
http://www.skydivingteam.com/
New one. By either a disgruntled SkyRide employee or a puppet SkyRide employee???
I called their number and the operator told me they did not schedule skydives.
I thought that was weird, but whenever you call a toll-free number, the company can see your phone number. So maybe I was 'flagged'.
Or it could be that they do not have any DZs onboard yet??
They advertise with Google ads.
http://www.extremesportscafe.com/skydiving_tandem.html
http://www.redletterdays.co.uk/experiences/experience_details.asp?ExpRef=XPCTT
http://www.adventuresportsholidays.com/product_details.php?ProductID=401
http://greatamericandays.com
This one is interesting reading.
http://tandemskydive.com
Go look at the 'Gift Box' deal on this site
http://tandemskydivingusa.com
http://www.tandemskydives.com/
http://www.milehighskyride.com/
REAL DZs are getting into the act too.
These websites
http://skydivenortherncalifornia.com/
http://www.skydivesacramentovalley.com/
http://www.skydivesanfranciscobay.com/
are fronts for Skydance. The top page presents what appears to be a different dz, but the sub pages are all skydance.net
http://www.skydance.net/
Google Sacramento skydiving and you'll see ads for these domains.
Crosskeys also has a number of sites that upon first inspection appear to be different businesses.
http://www.newyorkskydivingschool.com/
http://www.freefalladventures.com/
skydiveprinceton.com
http://skydivecrosskeys.com/
From SkydiveCrosskeys:
QuoteTandem Skydive
Includes everything you need to make a first time, or recreational tandem skydive. Save $14.00 off our normal price.
Must be at least 18 years old and weigh fewer than 250 pounds!
Price does not include $30.00 Gear Rental Fee.
Online purchases are refundable for a period of 30 days from the date of purchase for a fee of $30.00.
For comparison, SkyRide offers a 60 day refund policy for $31.50.
Several DZs are participating in content link spamming. Linked text is spammed (aka words that you would not normally use to describe the link). This supposedly increases search engine rank, but the search engines are becoming wise to the practice and are ranking the relevancy of linked text to page content. Content link spamming definitely breaks the usability of the page.
Examples are at:
http://skydiveelsinore.com
http://skydiveperris.com
http://arizonaskydiving.com
http://skydivehollister.com
Scroll to the bottom nav at these pages.
You will see links that have link descriptors that have nothing to do with the page that is linked. View the page it links to in the status bar.
For instance,
On http://arizonaskydiving.com the text 'Skydive Arizona' is linked to the price page.
On http://skydiveperris.com the text 'Southern California skydiving' is linked to the price page.
On http://skydiveelsinore.com the text 'Orange County Area Skydive' is linked to the student tandem page.
On http://skydivehollister.com the text 'Monterey Skydiving' goes to the price page.
BTW, the reason I have found these sites is because I look for skydiving sites for Parachute Pages
Multiple domains aliased to the same site are hard enough to keep track of. These new multiple front web sites add a new twist to maintenance.
What a tangled web we weave…….
A lot of the marketing problems would disappear if real dzs effectively used meta tags, navigation and text on their pages. I've helped two dzos in the past couple of weeks make their web site more search engine friendly.
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Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker
QuoteCrosskeys also has a number of sites that upon first inspection appear to be different businesses.... Price does not include $30.00 Gear Rental Fee.
Crosskeys started this to combat skyride's tactics. However, Crosskeys isn't advertising skydiving in California...Just in their geographical market. They also deliver on everything they promise...
PhreeZone 20
Yep, but do you know if Crosskeys still accepts the Skyride certificates or now that PennRidge is open if they even get any of that traffic anymore?
Yesterday is history
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stl135 0
bingo !!
No.... crosskeys haven't accepted them for a while...I heard that Pennridge is closely connected to skyride though. There is a strong anti-skyride feeling in x-keys.
This past weekend in Palatka I had a tandem ask "how much for gear rental", and another that was wondering why we are not on the 1800Skydive list of participating dz's (she had gotten the name wrong).
I've NEVER had a tandem student ask about gear rental!
I wonder just how much business they have taken from us. Is there a published list of dz's that do accept these certificates? Just curious to see if any of our Florida drop zones have fallen into the trap.
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