Halcyon & Santi's policy: we perform drysuit repairs "even without prior approval"

[kelemvor]

I am posting this here because Santi has took down my comments on Facebook.

Shameful. I'd guess based on that action that the problem is as much Santi as it is Halycon.

 

[Effervescent]

I am guessing my eLite is from around the same time as the OP (before any special "ladies first" suits, also from when Santi just started to get a lot of foothold in the US.) Initially, most of the custom women's suits were cut way too large on the top (especially around the shoulders) so this story sounds familiar.

I, too, had issues with my boots. One dive I ended up with a partially flooded leg and it was clear it was coming through the boot somewhere. Now, someone mentioned wear&tear but I don't think a boot suddenly failing is wear and tear.

At any rate I did not get new boots - they were just aqua sealed. I did get charged for the repair until I pointed out my issue had to have been related to the original quality of the boots vs something I did, and my drysuit was turned inside out and the issues were confirmed to be on the seams.

In general, I take my drysuit to Steve Gamble, and the only reason I didn't in this case was that I was pretty sure it was warranty work.

Sorry for the edit but I accidentally posted (nonsense) before I finished my post.

I think that there is a systemic problem with the boots and they are not recalling them because it would cost a small fortune to replace them out for everyone. They look like "wear and tear" but if a boot starts to fail and need Aquaseal less than a year in and many, many people are having the problem, Santi should address this appropriately.

Even with Aquaseal, the boot gets to a point where it's not salvageable anymore. I did a test where I filled my boot up with water and the entire fabric of the boot wears down it it started to leak everywhere. I kept slathering it with Aquaseal (both on the top side where the strap is and on the back) and then Gamble said that there was nothing he could do about it anymore.

This is slightly off topic but, yes, I feel as though Santi / Halcyon has been really sexist towards women. I'm not sure if this is intentional or not but they should really address their crude practice towards women. Laughing and saying that I am the "smallest tech diver that they ever seen", "they don't believe your measurements", or asking if I was wearing a "padded bra" is not appropriate customer service -- especially when THEY screwed up my CUSTOM suit.

However, I wouldn't get the "ladies first" suits because they have smaller pockets "to make the pocket look better on ladies" (this is literally on their website) and I couldn't fit my normal safety equipment when I dived it for a few weeks. I guess Santi fails to realize that women tech divers need to carry the same safety equipment that men tech divers do and we don't care what we look like underwater if it's at the expense of safety. I guess they expect us to have our male tech diver buddies carry our stuff. Regardless, it's safe to say I will never get a Santi suit ever again based on my experience with them and Halcyon thus far.

 

[C Dub]

Do you happen to have pictures of your boots with the damage?

 

[Effervescent]

Do you happen to have pictures of your boots with the damage?

No, unfortunately I don't. However, I have gotten responses from about half a dozen people saying that they are experiencing the same thing with their boots. Santi must know that this is an issue. Gamble sure did because he told me that he's had to replace a lot of them!

 

[C Dub]

Am I understanding correctly that the ankle strap that is attached to the boot is wearing out the material that is under it?

 

[Effervescent]

Am I understanding correctly that the ankle strap that is attached to the boot is wearing out the material that is under it?

Yes, that's correct. The fabric on the boot wears thin over time with use. This starts to happen less than 1 year after diving the Santi drysuit.

My friend who bought his Santi drysuit around the same time got his replaced for free. However, they hit me with a charge because they changed their warranty policy or their interpretation of the warranty policy. I'm not sure how this is legal or fair either but I accepted this charge.

 

[Marie13]

I've been considering between DUI and Santi for when I get a dry suit, and after hearing the issues people have been having, I'll be going DUI. Made in the USA has it's advantages, as well.

 

[mdb]

I've been considering between DUI and Santi for when I get a dry suit, and after hearing the issues people have been having, I'll be going DUI. Made in the USA has it's advantages, as well.

This thread has "legs". A good lesson why customer service is such a very important component of a companies success-in any industry.

Word of mouth, good/bad is very powerful.

I do not know anything about Santi. I do know a lot about DUI. Susan Long, like her father, is completely dedicated to customer service. Good luck in your decision on a very important purchase.

 

[kombiguy]

And yet my experience with Halcyon regarding their warranty policies has been nothing short of exceptional. There's an awful lot of drama here. Halcyon undertook a repair you didn't authorize. When you complained, they ate the cost of said repair. Pay them what you owe them and move on. If you don't like their policies, don't buy from them.

 

[Effervescent]

And yet my experience with Halcyon regarding their warranty policies has been nothing short of exceptional. There's an awful lot of drama here. Halcyon undertook a repair you didn't authorize. When you complained, they ate the cost of said repair. Pay them what you owe them and move on. If you don't like their policies, don't buy from them.

Halcyon never made me aware of this policy. I don't think people realize that this is their policy because it's just flat out unethical.

If an car repair shop did this, it would be illegal in the state of Florida. Why is this action illegal for the car industry and ok for the diving industry?

The fact that we are even talking about the boundary of illegal vs. legal is a sign of poor customer service. I think potential customers have a right to know about this so that they can avoid situations like this in the future.