BUYING FROM LEISURE PRO vs. THE LOCAL DIVE SHOP

[nmccoubrey]

:blinking:Hello Everybody,

I wanted to see if I could get some help on where to best get some equipment at a reasonable cost. I have been looking around, checking ebay, talking to the local dive shop and searching online. Since I have some experience with Scubapro and really liked them...I want to purchase scubapro regs. Here is my dilema...

The local dive shop (which is scubapro certified) is very expensive and will not discount their prices. They even wanted $200.00 for a suunto wrist gecko dive computer-which was very scratched and heavily used. Besides that, the owner is very pushy and almost berates you if you purchase equipment somewhere else and bring it in to them to be serviced. He told me that If I buy anywhere else then with an approved dealer-the warranty for the parts for life is voided and they won't honor it.

I would really like to get some nice equipment but I am back in grad school, have a house and a 7 year old daughter to care for-hense my budget is limited. I started looking at Leisure Pro for their equipment as it is so much less than the local shop. Has anyone bought from them? Do you get a warranty card that still gives you free parts for life? What happens when you have a recall issue?

Any advice would be great! Thanks. :blinking:

 

[Tortuga68]

There are plenty of threads on the same theme; I'll try to summarise:

What do you value?

1. Manufacturers warranty

2. Supporting your LDS

3. Support from your LDS

4. Saving money

I and plenty of other people have purchased gear from LP (and other online retailers) and been happy with the decision

I also buy stuff from my LDS (and pay more than I would if I bought it online)

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

. . . Any advice would be great! Thanks. :blinking:

1. To reiterate the first post. . . the board for "Leisure Pro" and "LDS".
2. Understand that your thread is going to start yet another "passionate" debate about:
a) Leisure Pro in general and whether or not using an unauthorized dealer is good.
b) LDS vs. Online

Number 1 should keep you busy/entertained for a while, and may even answer some of your questions.

As for number 2, well, just and enjoy the ride.

 

[Hockeynut]

:blinking:Hello Everybody,

I wanted to see if I could get some help on where to best get some equipment at a reasonable cost. I have been looking around, checking ebay, talking to the local dive shop and searching online. Since I have some experience with Scubapro and really liked them...I want to purchase scubapro regs. Here is my dilema...

The local dive shop (which is scubapro certified) is very expensive and will not discount their prices. They even wanted $200.00 for a suunto wrist gecko dive computer-which was very scratched and heavily used. Besides that, the owner is very pushy and almost berates you if you purchase equipment somewhere else and bring it in to them to be serviced. He told me that If I buy anywhere else then with an approved dealer-the warranty for the parts for life is voided and they won't honor it.

I would really like to get some nice equipment but I am back in grad school, have a house and a 7 year old daughter to care for-hense my budget is limited. I started looking at Leisure Pro for their equipment as it is so much less than the local shop. Has anyone bought from them? Do you get a warranty card that still gives you free parts for life? What happens when you have a recall issue?

Any advice would be great! Thanks. :blinking:

Dump that lds and get a different one.

 

[redacted]

Part of your problem is just what you have to deal with when you go for Scubapro (or Aqualung) regulators. Both are excellent brands but there are many equally good options.

Your LDS is correct in that if you do not purchase your Scubapro regs from an authorized dealer, then the warranty and the parts-for-life program will probably not be honored by any authorized Scubapro USA dealer. Leisurepro advertises that thgey will match the mfgr warranty and I believe that includes the parts-for-life program, but then you must get all your service performed by LP. That may not be very convienient.

I suggest you look at other brands of gear that do not come burdened with such onerous restrictions. Take a look at scubatoys,com and divesports.com. They have great prices, a large selection of quality brands, and great reputations for service and customer satisfaction.

 

[Dav09040]

I have purchased many times from LP and have always been satisfied, even with returns,(shorty fit) and I usually look at them first. The service issue has never stopped me. I moved from Colorado to Cape Cod and had purchased most of my gear before the move. My LDS did not sell me the stuff and has always handled the service without issues.

 

[rstofer]

I would think that recall issues would be handled by any dealer whether you bought the product from them or not. It is, after all, a factory defect that is life threatening and a dealer would be unbelievably foolish to turn you away. But it will be up to you to monitor the web for recall notices. Actually, your LDS will probably post the notices on the cash register or somewhere that is obvious to customers who may have the product.

As to service, there are a number of online service centers that will do the work and provide decent turn-around. You just won't get free parts. So, since you don't have a warranty anyway, stretch out the service interval. I very seriously doubt that a strict one year program is necessary. If you stretch it to two years, the cost of the parts is made up for by the missed annual labor charge. Do you really think a ScubaPro regulator will suddenly die on the 366th day? The 367th?

Don't forget, LP got this stuff from SP or AL. It didn't just fall off the boat and conveniently land in their shop. They bought it by the truckload directly from the manufacturer with the understanding that they could never mention how they got it and that the factory wouldn't provide a warranty card. Despite what SP and AL say about LP being in the 'grey market' business, they sold the equipment to them or, in one way or another, aided LP in obtaining it. The 'grey market' nonsense is just to frighten people into supporting their LDS and to make their licensed dealers believe that they support them. Actually, it's inventory dumping by the manufacturers. You mean to tell me that SP & AL are incapable of keeping track of the product they have made in East Bezerkestan? Nonsense! Have they ever sued LP for trademark infringement? They don't even try to protect their brand!

The real bummer is that LP is now an Oceanic dealer complete with outrageous dealer prices.

If you can hold off buying SP or AL for a while (say 6 months), you may find that this recession turns into a depressions and all kinds of things change in the scuba industry. Sure the LDSs will close but this will force the manufacturers to turn to Internet sales and, to move any product at all, they will have to back away from MAP and MSRP. Recessions and depressions are good for buyers. Let's hope it doesn't end too soon.

Richard

 

[VooDooGasMan]

nmccourbey, If you do not pay to have your scubapro reg serviced yearly it will void the warranty.

You can go five years or about 150 dives without rebuilding.


Ok call woody's towing and ask for Billy, located on 23 30 mins from you north and get him to get a r190 or 290 scuba pro reg out of the dive trailer they are like 95' or 96' soak in warm water, toothpaste the mouthpiece, Guarantee you can dive them in under the ice today.

I know billy, he hasn't serviced them ever and will go hook a snowmobile, truck, bobcat under the ice today.

Of cuorse I told him to get the S600 so I'm sure thats all he dives and it is at least 5yrs he has been diving it.

Don't worry about dive gear warranty's just buy and dive.

The 295 reg for 200 is a great reg for the great lakes.

Happy Diving

 

[pescador775]

You can read all about the lemon which I purchased from Leisurepro on a sister thread. Surprised you did not read it, it's recent. In all fairness, when Scubapro is not dumping their junk on Leisurepro you can get a pretty good deal. As far as service, regs should not need anything major for at least five years of use. If kept in storage, jump that to 10 years. Take a look at the G250v/MK17. Don't get a piston reg unless it is a simple, budget type unit. A cabana boy could fix one of those. Right now, 123 Scuba is selling nice, Italian made, diaphragm type first stages for 49 bucks. That regulator can be combined with a G250V, be relatively easy to live with and have all the performance anyone would need.

I might have returned the purchase to Leisurepro but a year had gone by and I decided to "fix" it myself. It's only money. But, hey, the G250V is simpler in design than mine and would be harder for the mfgr to mess up.

 

[ShakaZulu]

I think we should ban the next poster who posts this type of thread....