Help! Advice needed on buying "gray market"

[flyingfrog1]

I, like Spray25, have experienced basically the same scenario with LDS and online buying. I'm sorry to the LDS's but I will not throw a ton of money out the window! If they are in the ballpark, I will buy from them but personally, I think the killer markup is hurting the dive industry.
It reminds me of buying jewelry for the wife!!!
Being a newer diver, I preach the love of my new sport. But when that fateful question of "How much?" comes up, I see peoples interest change when I say the dollar figure.
I firmly believe this sport would be more widespread if the prices at the LDS were more reasonable. Just my thoughts........

 

[docmartin]

bought most of my and my wife's gear at leisure pro incl. regs, bc's. we live in the ny area, so we go to their shop. never had a problem with them. on top of that, they know the equipment they sell as well if not better than your lds and can give you advice if you want it. they may actually be more objective since they sell almost any brand known to brand unlike local shops. they absolutely honor the warranties plus their service is cheaper. on the downside, their service also takes a while e.g. 2-3 weeks before you get your reg back.

 

[divad]

Not to impune the ability or integrety of the kindly old downeaster technicinan jammed into a cranny between the dumbwaiter and the showroom, but I would never have my regulator serviced there again. I watched him service a regulator while I was waiting to ask him a question. It looked like he was just hastily replacing parts (he's freelance on Sundays). Maybe they don't soak them or maybe that one didn't need it. I think he knows what he's doing, but when I got my regulator back, one of the decorative plastic bits was kind of jammed in wrong (I don't
care), the BRA knob was loose (no big deal) and there were signs that something had been pryed/forced back in (looked like /w a screwdriver) in the first stage (this bugs me). It leaked a little air. I took it to a guy in Fla. ,who held it like a baby, and he agreed that it looked forced. He checked the intermediate pressure which was okay. I kept adjusting out the leak and by the time I got home, it was leaking erratically at different points on the BRA
adjustment. I took it back to the guy at LP he took the time to adjust it and said it was the seat wearing in,no charge. Not convinced,I bought a regulator for a pony bottle. While I was waiting to get it detuned, he looked up and noticed I had taken off the second stage cover. He asked me "why did you do that?"
I said to see what was inside. He got pissed and said you should
never ever take off the cover. I asked him why. He asked me why
in the world would I ever need to take off the cover.You never take off the cover, you just rinse it out throuth the mouthpiece.
Why do you need to take off the cover? Why would you do something like that? I was a little shaken but I finally remembered. To get the seashells and sand out from beach diving
and to get the sand out of the grease around the BRA seat inside.
He just said "oh, well you have to be careful with it." I said thanks for the information. So in deference to the tech at LP,I
am either sending my regulators to the guy in Fla for service or taking the regulator service course from him.

 

[shleprock30]

I am not really sure why this is such an issue, there are other sports where your life depends on equipment, take sky diving.

Within the Jump community they have been able to work in the internet to the advantage of the customer.

No drop zone is going to be able to keep a high inventory of all the rigs and all the chutes out there. when you puchase a full Rig it is somewhere between 2,500 (low end) 10,000 (high end).

Most people when buying over the internet have it shipped to their local rigger to be set up or checked over. (granted there are federal regs that keep the local rigger in business)

The animosity is not there. I know that dive shops make the money off of classes,

125 for OW class
50+ for books package
plus Mask Fin Snork purchase

now when you figure in 10 students twice or more a month, that turns into some good profit. Especially since 2,000 of that is not inventory related. I know that there are associated costs related to keeping a store alive, rent, insurance, ............

Any dive store should service your equip for you. if you want to buy it online that is a personal choice, if you want to buy it from them, that is your choice. If I buy from a diff LDS or online, what does it matter to another LDS, they still did not get the sale.

just some thoughts

Rick

 

[Spray25]

shleprock30 once bubbled...

125 for OW class
50+ for books package
plus Mask Fin Snork purchase

$125? I wish. Try $295.

 

[Ari]

I bought computers, regs, lights and other stuff there and will continue doing so in the future.

In case anything is wrong with the product they will quickly replace it. They replaced a computer for me for a less expensive one and gave me back a refund. No questions asked.

I have been to the store a number of times, basically every time I go through NYC, and also bought stuff on the web.

Bottom line is that I never had a problem and saved already close to $1,000 on gear through LP.

Go for it.

Ari

 

[jonnythan]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

I am sure that you are one of the Good Ones.

Perhaps you could start doing mail order regulator service to increase you customer base.

That's one of the best ideas I've heard in a long time.

Mike would get my business.

 

[mars2u]

I've experienced good and bad...here are some examples:
1) The LDS I did my OW through hasn't treated me poorly and was very fair on pricing and "perks". I feel comfortable with them and have not had any problems. There are things I have bought from LP, but they are minor things and have not had any complaints.
2) Went to a fairly new shop to check things out...spoke to the owner and got on the topic of internet sales. He made a comment about not filling tanks bought on the internet. I chuckled thinking he was joking...he wasn't. I asked him how he'd know if it was bought off the net or not? He didn't have an answer but then replied that he would charge them double. I looked up and saw his price list and explaiend that he couldn't charge more than he listed on the wall. Needless to say, I haven't been back. I rent tanks myself, but don't want to deal with someone with that type of attitude.
3) I travel a bit on business and went into a shop in Colorado...interesting place and very nice shop. I had done all my research and actually knew more than the salesguy. He starts telling me how UWATEC is the way to go instead of SUUNTO because there have been times when you send your UWATEC in to get the batteries replaced and a new model is out, that they'll just replace your old unit and send you the new one for free...what a crock of sh*t. Then he proceeds to try to sell me a regulator that was poorly rated and in my opinion a POS saying how much better it was than the Legend LX I had decided upon. He was pontificating on how many hundreds of dives he had been on with this POS and how the membrane was leaking after a dive and was still able to breath off of it...jadda..jadda...jadda. Come to find out that they were overstocked and pushing to get this POS off the shelves. I didn't walk out of the shop...I ran.

My LDS has been fair, he's going to service my stuff for free for a number of years (I have it in writing) and he won't "push" more expensive equipment if it isn't right for me.