O2 cleaning Hollis

Strange:
so here it is, i was researching 100% O2 regs for purchase on my deco bottle ...
the hollis looked like a GREAT possibility especially due to cost ... (i found a "impossible to pass up" price)

as i looked into it more, i found that they wouldnt allow the shop i was considering buying from to service the reg .... they wouldnt even sell a kit to them. reason ... they only sell to shops that can show a paper certificate that they have been properly O2 cleaning trained.

so than i called scuba toys and russ told me no, they can service it next year for me with no problem ....

so than i called hollis directly and they verified that only shops who can produce a paper cert showing proper O2 training will be able to purchase service kits .... with the only other option being to send the reg to them for annual sevicing .... "how much will that cost" i asked.... "about $110 because the parts are free of charge" their customer service phone support replied....

please advise as i don't know what to make of this .... is this a policy you feel is necessity (of course due to safety?)

is this price normal?

or is hollis just playing the halcyon game of chargin high to look like a higher quality?

If this actually is the policy, read further. If not, then...nevermind.

Personally, I find the policy silly. Not because I think manufacturers shouldn't set standards for how things are done at the dealer. Quite to the contrary. Dealer standards are important, and there should be more of them. If there were more REASONABLE standards, the scuba business wouldn't be the mess that it is today. But, to trust the dealer to properly represent their product, do the pre-delivery service and adjustment, and do the other things necessary to promote the line.......then, to demand an "o2 service" certificate to purchase parts? Well, simply an example of silliness gone silly.

Many people on this board know me. I don't have any special certificate to service regulators, I don't have any special certificate to oxygen-service equipment. That said, I probably know more about BOTH and am more skilled at BOTH, than most of the technicians working at any scuba manufacturers technical service department. My local representative has been campaigning hard to get me to take on this line. I promise you that any demand that I have an "o2 service" certificate would fall on deaf ears. I would NEVER sell a line of equipment if the manufacturer wouldn't sell me the parts to properly maintain the equipment for MY customers.

As to the price issue.....well, the price is the price. I don't find it high, low, or any other way. It is more than would be charged in Alabama, but then they aren't doing it in Alabama. So I think making judgments about that are, for me, out of line.

Phil Ellis
Discount Scuba Gear at DiveSports.com - Buy Scuba Diving Equipment & Snorkeling Equipment

and since i made the original post, and have also dealt with phil ... not only will i say thanks but i VALUE your opinion deeply. (for further reference i would consider chatting with phil about oceanic gt3 cdx5 recalls a year ago .... doubt many people are more familiar than he with what the problem was and how it was found ...)

top notch customer service as well

The question: Is it time to "clone" the Phil Ellis's of the scuba world?

kpdivers:

The question: Is it time to "clone" the Phil Ellis's of the scuba world?

Click to expand...

There is not a large enough supply of "fat", "grouchy", and "old" to make many copies. lol

Phil Ellis
Discount Scuba Gear at DiveSports.com - Buy Scuba Diving Equipment & Snorkeling Equipment