------------------------------------------------1-800-SKYRID
E is a company that uses unethical, deceptive, and shady business practices to make money as a middle man between a student skydiver and the dropzone where they will jump for the first time (or second..or third..). They do not always tell the jumper where they will be jumping (until after they pay), and do not refund certificates, should the jumper find that the dropzone is too far away. They charge extra money for higher altitudes, which don't exist. They steal copyrighted material, for example, they take photographs off of dropzones' websites and pass them off as their own. They have been known to steal entire website layouts from legitimate dropzones. They pass themselves off as parachuting operations, though that is not the case (the vast majority of the time). They lie to potential customers about where they'll jump, who's on their staff, and what planes they use, among many other things.
The reason 1-800-SKYRIDE is getting away with this is because even though they are using extremely dishonest tactics with customers, lawmakers have not yet set up a system to deal with and expose this kind of fraud. That's why big internet companies like eBay have had to develop systems for detecting and punishing fraud, in order to pick up where federal lawmakers are lagging behind.
Just because you operate in a hole in the law doesn't make you any different than a masked thief. As a matter of fact, there are organizations that perform similar "services". They're called the Mafia! The similarities are amazing; if the dropzone doesn't submit to Skyride's operation, they are forced to sit back and watch all their business being rerouted to dropzones that are working with the scammers.
DZOs, don't get me wrong, I understand that tandems are the life blood of your operations. But throughout history, good men have spilled blood in war against adversity. It's a sacrifice that has to be made.
There have been many ideas on how to fix this problem. So far, we have yet to see one that looks like it will yield promising results. But it's times like these when great things are accomplished. Please, fun jumpers and students, support the dropzones who are standing up for what's right. Only give your business to dropzones who do not accept Skyride certificates. DZOs, please stop accepting Skyride certificates. You'll undoubtedly lose money, but if we can drum up enough support, it may just be worth it. Especially considering it's the right thing to do. The fact of the matter is, if nobody accepts Skyride certificates, nobody's losing any money. There's no reason to support such a scandalous company by taking the "if you can't beat'em, join'em" approach. We can't afford to bastardize the integrity of our extremely small, close-knit community/sport.
Links for more info about Skyride:
Dropzone.com thread with lots of general information
Dropzone.com thread with newest information and ideas
Complaints about Skyride on Complaintsboard.com
Statement of a former Skyride employee
Better Business Bureau Reliability Report for 1-800 Skyride
NEWS!!!!
The 2 year long lawsuit Skyride started with the United States Parachute Association (USPA) has settled with the result being the three Skyride-owned DZs and the two owners of Skyride getting their memberships restored. A direct quote from the USPA:
"These allegations, which formed the basis of the remaining claims, were not likely to be fully resolved without substantial additional delay and cost. And, regardless of USPA’s belief in the arguments it was prepared to make, there was no guarantee that a judge or jury would view the facts in a similar manner. Thus, given the relevant risks and options, the elected leadership of USPA decided now was the proper time to end this dispute in an amicable manner in the best interests of our sport, and, after considerable effort, was pleased it was able to do so."
***Link to the USPA news section where this quote was found
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