KansaiKitsune
Contributor
I'm a bit confused/concerned about warranties on equipment purchased in other countries, especially since I've heard a few have been harrassed by it. Let's say I take a trip to Malaysia or Japan (which I'm planning) and get in some diving (which I'm also planning) and pick up a piece of gear whilst there (which I may be planning), then come back to the United States. Are most warranties good internationally, or am I going to have to send it over to the Malaysian branch service center?
Would an LDS be likely to honor warranty service on equipment bought overseas? Not to offend any LDS owners, but people on this board are always telling horror stories of the Evil LDS that refuses to service overseas or Internet purchases and using it as an example of why you should never buy anything from anyone except your LDS. Not to start this tired old argument up again, but most local dive shops aren't exactly cheap, and I hate playing the haggling game -- I feel like I'm in an electronics store in Osaka trying to haggle with the shopkeeper, and I hate that feeling. It makes me feel cheap and dishonest, like I'm playing a game and cheating.
I have a feeling I'll find a lot of gear at a third of the cost in a LDS in Asia that I'd find here in the USA. But the offer of free parts for life on many items (regs and computers for example) is a pretty good deal, I'll admit. That's why I want to know what I'm getting into before I try it. If I'm already going, I might indeed want to get something.
Experiences? International gear stories welcome.
Oh, and by the way: I hope it doesn't turn into this, but the argument is frequently made that by not buying at your LDS, it will eventually go under and possibly be hit by a falling meteor. In my location in the world, the day all the LDS locations close will be the day after the Gulf of Mexico dries up.
Would an LDS be likely to honor warranty service on equipment bought overseas? Not to offend any LDS owners, but people on this board are always telling horror stories of the Evil LDS that refuses to service overseas or Internet purchases and using it as an example of why you should never buy anything from anyone except your LDS. Not to start this tired old argument up again, but most local dive shops aren't exactly cheap, and I hate playing the haggling game -- I feel like I'm in an electronics store in Osaka trying to haggle with the shopkeeper, and I hate that feeling. It makes me feel cheap and dishonest, like I'm playing a game and cheating.
I have a feeling I'll find a lot of gear at a third of the cost in a LDS in Asia that I'd find here in the USA. But the offer of free parts for life on many items (regs and computers for example) is a pretty good deal, I'll admit. That's why I want to know what I'm getting into before I try it. If I'm already going, I might indeed want to get something.
Experiences? International gear stories welcome.
Oh, and by the way: I hope it doesn't turn into this, but the argument is frequently made that by not buying at your LDS, it will eventually go under and possibly be hit by a falling meteor. In my location in the world, the day all the LDS locations close will be the day after the Gulf of Mexico dries up.