3 Year Old Cobra from Leisure pro Died, what are my options?

[redacted]

If you bought from a authorized LDS then you would have gotten a "5 year (pro-rated)" limited warranty. Basically what that means is if you would have to pay 50% of the cost for fixing/replacing the unit (most likely replacing). Some things are worth getting a warranty for especially when they cost $$$.

Sounds to me like LP may not be honoring the warrenty they are advertising. I suggest the OP go back to them with a copy of this warrenty and see why they are refusing warrenty service. But I would not be surprised if it has something to do with an AL USA warrenty wihich this link seems to show and any AL international warrenty which LP may be going by.

Still, it is my impression that warrenties on reliable scuba equipment are rarely worth the extra cost that accompany them. In the long run, I know I have saved a substantial amount by accepting the risks associated with not paying for expensive mfgr warrenties. YMMV

 

[MikeFerrara]

Another reason not to shop at LP!

Actually it sounds like it might be a good reason not to shop at aqualung.

LP should do what they advertise that they'll do and the manufacturer should stand behind their products.

If these things have a tendancy to lose sensors as Rick suggests, they should be getting that taken care of and making good on the stuff they've already sold.

 

[BarryNL]

I had LDS send in unit and Aqualung won't fix without receipt.

Hmm, "Suunto - Replacing Luck" - doesn't say anything about replacing broken sensors.

 

[Charlie59]

Did you contact Suunto directly and ask them ( www.suunto.com ) Maybe someone in Canada will help you. Maybe make friends with someone from another dive shop. Tell them you bought it from your brother-in-law who is now in prison. You bought it on ebay from someone who went blind.

Someone should be glad to take your money.

 

[Gradual Ascent]

If you bought it with a credit card that has a warranty extention, you may be able to make a claim through them.

 

[Jim Baldwin]

I had LDS send in unit and Aqualung won't fix without receipt. Leisure pro says no more warranty find someone else to send in unit. It appears that the sensor went bad, while diving in Fiji depth at surface was reading 14 feet below, I stopped using computer took out battery and used backup computer. This is the 2nd Suunto that has taken a dump on me, first one was replaced under warranty. Is there any way around dealing with the local LDS? Can I send unit overseas to be replaced or repaired etc? Any help is appreciated. I am diving a Uwatec Aladin prime tec that I won at raffle, but like the air integration of the cobra better.
thanks
John

My buddy owns a dive op in Cozumel. In June I brought back half a dozen computers that he provides to his customers that don't have computers. They were well used and had various problems and needed to be sent off for service. One was a Vyper so I dropped it off at the LDS that carries Sunnto. They sent it off. No warranty no repairs. Full price for a new one not even credit or discount. No thanks.

I had a talk with my good friend who owns a dive shop and carries Oceanic, Sherwood and Genesis. He called the factory rep and found they had a $50 credit on trade toward a new one no matter the brand. Aqualung is no doubt trying to eliminate working on second hand and gray market computers but I think they are hurting their customer base.

 

[Scared Silly]

If people sre interested in communicating directly with Suunto Finland, send me a PM and I will send you the email of the address of the person (Director of Marketing) who I spoke with both personally and via email regarding a Auqalung-Suunto. He did follow-up with my concerns and I have spoked the Aqualung-Suunto folks twice now regarading my issue.

 

[lnjohn]

Well I have the receipt, but that doesn't seem to be the issue. I talked with LDS and they indicated that the warranty with them would have been the same 2 years and that had I bought it there I would still be out of luck. This happens to be the 2nd cobra that has failed on me. I purchased the first one from leisure pro, it died within the warranty period and was replaced by leisure pro, so I really can't fault them. In the past I had an oceanic data pro max that stopped working, it was 9 years old, I had no receipt, sent it in through same LDS (sport chalet) and expected an estimate to repair. To my amazement Oceanic replaced the unit for no charge. What it seems to boil down to is that Aqua Lung is not into the keep a customer happy mentality. I should have stuck with Oceanic, which I will on my next purchase. To add insult to injury when I picked up the Cobra from LDS, all the screws holding the casing have mysteriously vanished and the plastic piece that holds in the battery is also gone. Thank for all the suggestions, if I get anywhere with this I'll let the board know. I would love to talk to someone at Suunto finland if that is an option. I seem to be having some bad luck with computers, but the remaining dive gear I own is all in perfect working order, including my now backup 1985 conshelf se2 regulator. I am being treated like a criminal because I paid $399 instead of $699 for a Cobra, and at this point paying $699 doesn't seem to get me any longer warranty period according to the LDS. I really like the interface, but can't afford to keep buying new computers every 3 years or so.

 

[Scared Silly]

I would not say you are being treated like a criminal. In reality you are being treated to the harsh realities of buying gray market products.

Lets look at this from several points of view.

When buying gray markey products - there is no warranty from the manufacturer. So the $300 that was pocketed by buying a gray market product is the monies for the warranty. Lets just call it self insurance. LP is doing the same thing I doubt that the first computer that was returned went back to Suunto. LP is banking on that they can sell enough that they can cover the return costs themselves.

Gray market is like buying used. You are taking the chance that it will all work out while saving some money. In the vast majority cases it does work out. This is why people continue to do it and places like LP stay in business.

Now lets look at it from AquaLung and the local dealer's position. They spend money marketing the product in the USA and set up local sellers and support them. Each dealer is under some pretty restrictive selling clauses from AquaLung (MRP, no internet, no mail). Many do not like this but because they like the product they are willing to sign up. At the same time the dealers ask what is AquaLung going to do to protect me from gray market sales cause people come in look at the product and then go buy it from a gray market seller. (I saw a recent letter being sent by some AquaLung dealers complaining about just this).

Answer, AquaLung will refuse to warranty and service any and all gray market computers. (This is what most of the camera companies do - as such you are forced send it back through the channels you bought it through for repair)

How can AquaLung know where a computer was bought? Each and every computer coming into AquaLung USA is known via its serial number. So if it is not in their database - the gray market buyer is screwed.

I seriously doubt that this is the complete story but I think it is pretty accurate.

So here is one question - what if AquaLung said we will repair it for $300 and give a two years pro rated warranty? At this point you would now have a legit computer - would you do it?


BTW - I am not trying to be on the side of anyone in this post just explain the harsh realities. My last last computer was bought through an out of state Suunto dealer who is no longer a dealer. I assume because of sales violations (purely speculation on my part). The previous one was from ebay, before that from my local dealer. And I am about to buy another via industry connections.

 

[TheRedHead]

I would not say you are being treated like a criminal. In reality you are being treated to the harsh realities of buying gray market products.

Yes, and Leisure Pro is not an authorized dealer. The same thing happened to me when I bought a slightly used Sherwood Wisdom on ebay. Sherwood warrants the computer for 2 years, provided you get yearly service from an authorized Sherwood dealer. We don't have an authorized Sherwood dealer in our city and the battery was easy to change. When the computer died just short of warranty, Sherwood didn't honor it (and since I bought it on ebay I didn't really expect a full warranty), but the repair cost was almost as much as I paid for it, so I elected not to repair it and instead bought a new Suunto from the LDS who will swap it out if it fails. To me, it was worth the extra cost to insure that I would be able to have my computer replaced and not have to go through a big hassle.