turnaround time to service equipment?

[Pierre46]

I have all Scubapro gear and I took it to the only certified dealer in the area. I relocated from the city i originally bought it and it had been stored for awhile. He
sent my computer off to uwatec for battery replacement and said it could be 4
to 5 weeks to get it back. its going on 3 weeks and the reg, bcd etc arent done yet. Ive only done 18 dives with the gear and he said my high presssure hose
had a huge bubble and had to be replaced.

new job kept me out of water for 4 years and i just dont trust very easy. just
dont know what to expect. he said it would be in excess of $250+ 45 for the
hose to get my scubapro gear back in warranty. i get the warranty part, but does that sound high priced for well cared for top of line gear with 18 dives?

oh and three weeks now to get a tank hydro tested. no word yet on it.

feel free to set me straight. im really itching to get back in the game.

mk25/s600
knghthawk bcd
smart com computer

 

[Jim Lapenta]

It can take weeks to get gear back if the dealer is very busy, has trouble getting parts, or just does not do things fast. Your BCD should take about 20 minutes to do. Basically inflate it, make sure it holds air, test the dump valves, and maybe redo the inflator if it is sticking. If that's the case add another 15 minutes. If someone is not waiting I'll inflate the BC and let it set over night to make sure it holds air. THis is about all you can do with a BC and frankly the average user never needs to take a bc in. No warranty issue with that.

Regs can be completely rebuilt in about an hour. So go from there on that. 250 is alot of money for a service. My reg service rate is 45 an hour plus parts. ScubaPro parts are expensive and many shops charge by the stage. Say in the area of 25-35 per stage. so you'd be looking at 75-100 labor and another 75-100 in parts. The higher prices being in the shops that charge a premium for most stuff. 45 is just highway robbery for a HP hose unless it has a special QD fitting. Around 30 would be more like it to me.

And I'd never buy a computer I could not change the battery in myself. At a minimum the dealer should be able to change it if the user was not comfortable doing so.

 

[Pierre46]

I really appreciate the info. This was my first set of gear, and I like scubapro's warranty, but I wish the smart com was not discontinued, I didn't know better in 2005 when I bought it. I like it, but maybe I could have a better computer with the battery isssue. And since I will get it serviced every year now, it should be cheaper, as I will only have to pay labor, I beieve. My last dive was in 07. I will make sure I take it to be serviced in the winter months!

 

[BennyM]

The prices and turn around time doesn't sound too outrageous to me especially if your equipment is out of warranty. You need to account for regional differences in labor rates. Labor rate (and associated overhead) in NYC is very different from same rates in other areas.

 

[vet1999]

removed

 

[mike_s]

"reasonable turnaround" will differ completely with whatever shop you go to.


1.) some shops doing their own rebuilds, some send them out for service.
2.) some shops have a regular 40 hour employee doing rebuilds, some have a guy come in every week or two doing them.
3.) some shops don't adequately stock parks
4.) some shops that dont' have the parts in don't want to do the "minimum order" with the manufacturer to get the parts and thus put the customer "on hold"
5.) some shops can't get parts in a timely manner because they are on "credit hold" for not paying their bill.
6.) some shops are lazy
7.) some shops will flat out lie to you.


that pretty much sums it up.


As for Hydro's, most shops don't do their own hydro's but "sub" them out to hydro facilities. If you take your tank to a LDS that doesn't do a quick turn around with the hydro facility, then it might well take 3 weeks.


As for your computer battery, let this be a lesson that on the next computer you buy, buy one that has user replaceable batteries.


As for $250 to get your regs serviced.... I'd take that $250 and just buy a new set of HOG D1 regs and sell those ScubaPro regs on Ebay. Nothing wrong with ScubaPro, just $250 to get them serviced is rediculous.



to me... doesn't sound like this new LDS is all that great..... just my opinion.

 

[parzdiver]

Turn around time does vary as other folks have said. The shop seemed up front with you, so that is not big deal. The $250 for service seems a bit high but since your parts are covered under warranty, that is where a bulk of the cost will be. My LDS charges $50 for a first stage, second stage, and octo (parts not included). They then charge $15 for a BC service since there really isn't much to do on a BC. The $45 for a high pressure hose is high unless it is a Miflex hose, they run around that price.

Edit note - I reread the original post regard the warranty status.

 

[BennyM]

Are you saying that HOG is anywhere close to SP regulator quality and performance? Or are you saying the HOG won't cost anything to service? Give me a break. Did you note that he said: "to get my scubapro gear back in warranty"???

The OP has top notch equipment that can't be compared to lower level brands.

 

[mike_s]

Are you saying that HOG is anywhere close to SP regulator quality and performance? Or are you saying the HOG won't cost anything to service? Give me a break. Did you note that he said: "to get my scubapro gear back in warranty"???

The OP has top notch equipment that can't be compared to lower level brands.

I agree that ScubaPro gear is top notch, but I think you'll find the HOG D1 will rank up there in performance. Perhaps even better.


Hog just doesn't have all the overhead costs that Scubapro does and is at a much more attractive purchase cost. Also parts to rebuilt the Hog D1 run about $50 bucks or less.

 

[BennyM]

Although I disagree with you about the difference between SP and the other "no name" brand, but I am not going get into that here. The OP would have received his parts for FREE if he had kept up the warranty.