Ordering equipment from online US retailers.

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007wilk

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Location
SW Ontario
# of dives
200 - 499
Just wondering what kind experience you may have with warranty claims.. When you buy, say , a regulator with a lifetime warranty from a US-based online retailer and something is not working as it should... Can it be fixed locally in Canada under warranty? Or is the only option to ship the item back to original retailer and pay all associated cost, including the unknown cost of duties, brokerage fees, etc...

I have a dive computer from Oceanic that needs to be fixed and Oceanic Canada tells me to ship it back to the the place in the US I bought it from. Does it make sense? Is there really no other way?
 
AFAIK this is how it works.
I was told the same re Zeagle, Apeks and Scubapro. Local shops can fix stuff but if its warranty or parts for life then it has to be shipped back to the US.

A US item is a gray market item here.
 
Many people have learned the hard way, that online warranties are filed with hoops at best and non-existant at worst. There are those that are truly an online dealer and thus honor a warranty but there are many that promise this and are less than truthful. I imagine if oceanic tells you to ship it somewhere, that would be the case. Sadly in a case like this, it might be more economical to trash the Oceanic and find another (many solid computers for low $$$).
 
Yes.. you are both right... And yes, in the future I will think twice about ordering online...

Still, from a customer rights perspective, I feel taken advantage of.. I see no real justification for Oceanic Canada to route me though the US with a warranty claim. The only explanation I can see for Oceanic acting this way, is a pathetic (but unfortunately successful) attempt to avoid meeting its warranty obligations.

Oh well.. screw them...
 
007wilk:
Yes.. you are both right... And yes, in the future I will think twice about ordering online...

Still, from a customer rights perspective, I feel taken advantage of.. I see no real justification for Oceanic Canada to route me though the US with a warranty claim. The only explanation I can see for Oceanic acting this way, is a pathetic (but unfortunately successful) attempt to avoid meeting its warranty obligations.

Oh well.. screw them...
Click to expand...

You have not been taken advantage of. You have purchased a grey market product. The manufacturer is well within it's rights to direct you to the country it was purchased in. You purchased an American product, and it is covered by an American warranty. Same thing applies to watches, cameras, cars, etc, when it comes to warranty service or repair. I have said it a million times, THE BEST PRICE IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST DEAL. People all too often jump over dollars to save pennies. Just my "2 cents".
 
muzikbiz22:
You have not been taken advantage of. You have purchased a grey market product. The manufacturer is well within it's rights to direct you to the country it was purchased in. You purchased an American product, and it is covered by an American warranty. Same thing applies to watches, cameras, cars, etc, when it comes to warranty service or repair. I have said it a million times, THE BEST PRICE IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST DEAL. People all too often jump over dollars to save pennies. Just my "2 cents".
Click to expand...

Right you are. 98 or 99% of the time. But not always.

It sounds to me like it is your LDS that is saying "NO", not Oceanic.
 
The identicle product comes off the assembly line.... if it stays in the US warranty good!... if it goes North warranty not good.... WTF?
 
007wilk:
Yes.. you are both right... And yes, in the future I will think twice about ordering online...

Still, from a customer rights perspective, I feel taken advantage of.. I see no real justification for Oceanic Canada to route me though the US with a warranty claim. The only explanation I can see for Oceanic acting this way, is a pathetic (but unfortunately successful) attempt to avoid meeting its warranty obligations.

Oh well.. screw them...
Click to expand...

Oceanic Canada is a Canadian company running under the rules and laws of the Caadian government. Oceanic US is an American company running under the rules and laws of the USA. This is why Oceanic Canada will not cover the warrantee for a product distributed by a different company. Just because they have similar names doesn't mean they are setup as one company.
 
cutty:
The identicle product comes off the assembly line.... if it stays in the US warranty good!... if it goes North warranty not good.... WTF?
Click to expand...

That's probably correct, it is the same product. HOWEVER, go on vacation to Japan, and buy a Canon camera and a Seiko watch, come back home to the USA or Canada. Then try to get Warranty Service from either manufacturer, and see what happens. They will service it/them, but not under warranty. This is not new. Example - Why do you think the New York camera stores, state the fact that "what you are purchasing, comes with a US warranty, or is a grey market unit". The camera shops generally provide the warranty service "in house" non-US warranted products.
 
After 30 years of diving I don't let any one touch my regs I service them my self and buy service kits on line. I haven't been to a dive shop in 12 years because I found you can get everything you need cheaper and quicker on line you just need to source it out and as for warranties I'm not worried regs are made pretty good these days.. I also understand that not every diver can fix there own gear and must use a dive shop for service but be careful I know a few dive shop owners who can't even change there own car tires but do service regs. Manufacturers are now designing regulators that have simple component swap outs no more individual parts to be asssembled and adjusted with special tools and can be preformed by the diver in 5 minute or less.


Safe diving.
 
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