[Angus]

Stephan,

One of the first things that attracted me to this forum was the very limited amount of advertising and none of it was the assaultive or intrusive type that gets in one's face and require a person to fight their way to the information that they originally were seeking. So I have recognized, at least subliminally, the ethics of your vision. I am glad that you stated it so clearly and so strongly.

With an ethical foundation such as this it would be nice to have an online store that incorporated the same ethics. For instance, quality would be an area of importance. Knowing that you cannot be bought and creating a clear operational criteria for the quality of the gear that the store would sell would be a great asset. I would thing that it would include such things as quality of materials and construction as well as the quality of customer service.

When I bought my wetsuit from Picasso they sent me a 5mm when I had ordered a 7mm. I called Roger and I had the 7mm within the week; without first returning the 5mm. I wish I could say that I was responsive but I took over 2 months to return the 5mm. Some of this was due to spending 2 weeks diving in Belize but mostly it was due to packing up the 5mm and then forgetting to mail it. Roger never pestered or complained. About a week after I remember to mail it Roger called. He was quite concerned that something was wrong and that I was displeased with the wetsuit. As you know the Picasso wetsuits are of very high quality, but Roger's immediate concern was for me, the customer.

Now some might think that this is an example of poor management. To me it reflects a perspective and way of living that I admire, respect, and try to achieve - one of trust and caring. This is one of the finest examples of customer service I can think of.

So if it is this type of enterprise that your are envisioning I am all for it.