free parts for life / 30 day return policy

[rick00001967]

i am not sure why this is such a hard question to answer but i have called two canadian dealers, emailed hollis more than once, as well as emailed the canadian distributor.
once and for all i would like a confirmation on whether or not "Hollis" provides free parts for life for their regulators sold in canada.
one dealer here says yes, the other says no, guy at hollis didn't know and sent me to the distributor. they answered by saying a lot but not directly answering my question.

so, please, if someone here repping for hollis could answer a couple of very simple questions.....
1 - if i buy hollis regs from an authorized dealer in canada, do i or do i not get free parts for life
2 - if i buy hollis regs from an authoized dealer in the u.s.a., can a canadian dealer provide free parts for life, or would i have to send them back to a u.s.a. hollis service center

as far as the 30 day return policy goes......the hollis web site says gear can be returned for any reason within 30 days for a full credit. hollis emailed me saying it was actually up to the dealers to decide whether or not to honor that policy. sounds odd to me. so pleae also verify whether this is a hollis policy or is it an individual dive shop policy.

i am trying to put together pricing for a new side mount rig and hollis is one of my options. i would like to understand exactly what i would be buying.

thank you

 

[Jim Lapenta]

This is where the "free parts for life" thing gets confusing. I used to own oceanic regs. Same company as Hollis and worked in an Oceanic shop. I'm an Oceanic tech. What the policy was at the time was dealers had the option to participate but did not have to.
As for getting an answer from them this week you may have some problem there if you don't actually call them. Beneath the Sea is this weekend. I'd guess a few of the people who could answer are way too busy to check every email. Based on my little dealership that gets 50-100 emails a day yours may be in some spam folder on their server.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[rick00001967]

i understand if they are busy with a show. i'll wait and see what happens. i'm sure i'll get an answer from someone some time.

your point about the shops having the option to honor the free parts program seems to mimic what the fella at hollis told me about the dealers having the option to honor the 30 day return policy. if this really is the case (and i am unclear about the free parts policy) i think that is a horrible way to conduct business. can you imagine researching for a specific product, finally deciding which one to go with and when you finally go to the dealer to buy it, you find out the dealer will not honor these types of programs. that would be ridiculous. it basically sounds like false advertising.
pretty sure my local Ford or GMC dealer has no choice but to follow the programs set out by the manufacturer. if they don't, they loose their dealership. just sayin.....

 

[redacted]

Scuba retailers are independent businesses, not franchises or factory stores. Manufacturer "promises" are up to the mfgr to fulfill. Do not count on some unknown retailer to honor them, though many will because it is good business. Also, don't believe for a minute that the manufacturer speaks for the authorized dealer.

PFL is mostly a scam that gets you to pay $100 or more for unnecessary service so you can receive about $10 worth of free parts. You may be better off without it. I recommend you look for a manufacturer that does not play such silly games.

 

[rick00001967]

in my case the service labour costs are not an issue. so when comparing brands to purchase, the free parts programs may not save me a ton of money but better to get free parts every year or every second year, rather than paying for to them right ?? if i have two or three sets, it could save me 100 or 150 bucks each time i want them rebuilt. that adds up.
i would not let the free parts thing be the deciding factor, but if i would be happy with set A or set B, and set A offers the free parts, then thats the one i'm goin with

 

[redacted]

in my case the service labour costs are not an issue. so when comparing brands to purchase, the free parts programs may not save me a ton of money but better to get free parts every year or every second year, rather than paying for to them right ?? if i have two or three sets, it could save me 100 or 150 bucks each time i want them rebuilt. that adds up.
i would not let the free parts thing be the deciding factor, but if i would be happy with set A or set B, and set A offers the free parts, then thats the one i'm goin with

I'm guessing that if service cost is not an issue (but you are interested in free part) then you must work in a dive shop. If that is the case, why not just go with whatever the shop supports and you want. The shop is what really controls your benefits.

 

[rick00001967]

that is exactly what i am trying to do. i am researching what i can get through my lds to put together my first side mount rig. hollis is one of the brands they can get. scuba pro is another but i don't like what i have seen of the SM rig. my first choice would be apeks and xdeep but they can't get those brands. btw....apeks offers free parts for life and apparently scuba pro no longer does unless you buy a complete reg set (octo, spg etc) or a tech rig to go with the regs. at least that is my understanding.

sorry, i don't wanna turn this thread into a brand comparison thread or a discussion about the pros and cons of free parts so i'll just shut up now. haha

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Free parts for life is not that big of a deal when you realize that regs only need service when they need it. I have regs that are a few years old that have never been rebuilt because they don't need it.

What happens when you leave that shop or it shuts down? Or decides to no longer carry the brand? I would never buy a reg based on free parts because they are really not free. You pay for them on the front end.

AUP regs are good regs. I had them for the first 4 years I was diving and still have a couple laying around here. But I can't get parts easily enough. So I'll use them on easy dives until they die and then I'll use them for classroom aids.

I don't understand free parts being a consideration when you are obviously heading down a tech path. Unless I'm mistaken. The tech divers I know don't care about free parts because they don't care about taking regs into a shop for service. If you can get them for key man or some other serious discount buy the Hollis regs and pay for the parts when they need service. On your schedule. If labor is not a concern the parts are not that expensive every two years or so.

 

[rick00001967]

as far as the 30 day return policy goes......the hollis web site says gear can be returned for any reason within 30 days for a full credit. hollis emailed me saying it was actually up to the dealers to decide whether or not to honor that policy. sounds odd to me. so pleae also verify whether this is a hollis policy or is it an individual dive shop policy.

in case any canadians are following this......got word from the hollis canadian distributor. the 30 day guarantee is NOT valid in canada