Scubapro-Uwatec and price gouging on battery replacements

diverkim · Oct 10, 2004

I have found out that a battery replacement fee for the Uwatec Nitrox Pro has jumped to C$200. The Canadian agent for Scubapro confirmed this. Is there anyone else out there concerned about this rip off of the dive consumer? Is there any way around this?

It seems that I have to shop for a new computer but definitely not a Scubapro brand.

Knavey · Oct 10, 2004

Hmmm,

When I got my Uwatecs back from the recall, they came with a battery replacement card. IIRC, it might have been good for life. It was good for at least one battery replacement.

Sure hope that is the case when I need one.

rhadamanthus · Oct 10, 2004

Knavey:
Hmmm,

When I got my Uwatecs back from the recall, they came with a battery replacement card. IIRC, it might have been good for life. It was good for at least one battery replacement.

Sure hope that is the case when I need one.

This link should shed some light on their policy, and why they have it in effect. Scroll down to the battery for life portion.

http://www.scubapro.com/consumeralert/consumeralert.asp

Rhad

msandler · Oct 10, 2004

rhadamanthus:
This link should shed some light on their policy, and why they have it in effect. Scroll down to the battery for life portion.

http://www.scubapro.com/consumeralert/consumeralert.asp

Rhad

Pathetic - no thanks SP there are too many competitor products about to start bullying consumers. Too bad, I likED SP.

A local Dive shop (to me) did my Aladin Pro (early 1990's) battery replacement for $25. Replaced and Soldered to spec! Numerous dives since (deep ones) and everything is perfect. PM for LDS details if interested.

rhadamanthus · Oct 10, 2004

msandler:
Pathetic - no thanks SP there are too many competitor products about to start bullying consumers. Too bad, I likED SP.

A local Dive shop (to me) did my Aladin Pro (early 1990's) battery replacement for $25. Replaced and Soldered to spec! Numerous dives since (deep ones) and everything is perfect. PM for LDS details if interested.

The supply chain for foreign products is similar in a lot of businesses. The manufacturer deals with a single importer, then all the authorized resellers purchase from them. When you purchase from someone that is not authorized they generally have setup a retail store in another country, and used that to purchase and import the product, going against the agreement with the manufacturer. This in essence cuts out the middle man. I dont know of ANY manufacturer that will honor any type of warranty on so called grey market products. Dont blame the manufacturer for trying to protect the interests of their importer and retail shops.

EDIT: So, be an informed consumer. Decide when purchasing if the benefit of lower price outweight warranty loss, etc. I purchase from both, depending on the product, the price and what level of service I "need". For a computer it is worth the extra money for me to purchae from authorized resellers.

See the article below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_market

Rhad

drbill · Oct 10, 2004

The price represents what I assume to be a large increase, Rhad. One can't factor in such actions by manufacturers.

IMHO ScubaPro has been substituting cheaper parts in their product and taking advantage of us since it fell into the hands of Johnson. I still like SP's older products, but buy them used on the Internet or from dealers who still have old stock (often at the old prices).

Re: my own Aladin Pro (which I like quite a bit), I figure by the time my battery drains, I'll be looking to buy a brand new computer with more features anyway.

Dr. Bill

rhadamanthus · Oct 10, 2004

drbill:
The price represents what I assume to be a large increase, Rhad. One can't factor in such actions by manufacturers.

IMHO ScubaPro has been substituting cheaper parts in their product and taking advantage of us since it feel into the hands of Johnson.

Re: my own Aladin Pro (which I like quite a bit), I figure by the time my battery drains, I'll be looking to buy a brand new computer with more features anyway.

Dr. Bill

And that is the beauty of open market. You get to choose your product / price. The reality is that you can just buy another Uwatec from LP when your battery dies (in 14 years) for the price of the battery replacement ...

Rhad

drbill · Oct 10, 2004

There is quite a difference between a free and open marketplace (which we don't really have although it is fairly good) and price gouging by a manufacturer who entices customers in with maintenance at one price and then increases it significantly after they buy. It's like a bait and switch. I'm not sure that SP has done that in this case... I need to check out the details. And then there's Enron... and ...

Dr. B.

rhadamanthus:
And that is the beauty of open market. You get to choose your product / price. The reality is that you can just buy another Uwatec from LP when your battery dies (in 14 years) for the price of the battery replacement ...

Rhad

rhadamanthus · Oct 10, 2004

drbill:
There is quite a difference between a free and open marketplace (which we don't really have although it is fairly good) and price gouging by a manufacturer who entices customers in with maintenance at one price and then increases it significantly after they buy. It's like a bait and switch. I'm not sure that SP has done that in this case... I need to check out the details. And then there's Enron... and ...

Dr. B.

I guess I'm not following you. If you purchase a Uwatec (the ones listed at the bottom of the page) the batteries are free for life, and they test them when they are doing the battery replacement. If you purchase those same units from someone who is not an authorized dealer, you get no warranty, no battery replacement for free. Fair enough. The real point is, know who you are buying from, know the policy and make an informed decision.

Rhad

drbill · Oct 11, 2004

rhadamanthus:
I guess I'm not following you. If you purchase a Uwatec (the ones listed at the bottom of the page) the batteries are free for life, and they test them when they are doing the battery replacement. If you purchase those same units from someone who is not an authorized dealer, you get no warranty, no battery replacement for free. Fair enough. The real point is, know who you are buying from, know the policy and make an informed decision.

Rhad

Hmmm... guess I missed something in these posts. If this is the case, then yes I understand what you are saying. By the way... I didn't realize the batteries for my computer were free for life. How did I miss that? Hmmm... I may never need another computer (except to get one that displays water temperature real time).

Bill

Scubapro-Uwatec and price gouging on battery replacements

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