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I just had a really bad experience with Ocean Management Systems (OMS).
I had an OMS wing that needed repair. The wing had only 80 dives and was falling apart internally. Also I accidentally put some holes in the bladder and wanted a bladder replacement.
In short, the people at OMS blatantly lied to me, were unhelpful, did not respond to my e-mail, and were utterly incompetent in their handling of the repair assessment. Yes, I was irate over the manner in which these idiots do business.
The problems were consistent across different departments at OMS, not just one department.
The problems also involved many different people, all of whom were unhelpful, from the top of OMS on down to the receptionist.
If you want to know the details, send me a PM and I will provide you with a full synopsis of discussions, e-mails and telephone calls.
__________________
Harry M
"I crossed that thin line between bravery and foolishness far too many times"
I hear you! I too have dealt with poor customer service from them - and I am a DEALER!!!! It's a real turn off to a product line I once loved. :no
Good Luck!
Terri McDonald
Wow, that really shocks me. Bad service from OMS? Never...
Ok, just kidding. Seriously, this is old news. Everybody by now should know that OMS has the worst customer service in diving. NO exceptions that I have found, yet...
Just try to get it replaced for a brand new one and then sell it on ebay and never buy anything OMS ever again. That seems to be the only way to deal with OMS...
BTW, since this is my first post to SB in like a year, Im glad to say that I am back from a long hiatus... You'll be seeing me...
The best way to find the solution is to go out and dive the problem.
You can lead a diver to knowledge, but you can't make him think.
"We may be welcome here, but do we feel welcomed here?" -- CC
You are not the first who has decided to go that route.
OMS's poor customer service and "not-quite-truth-in-advertising-issues" are legendary. If you don't believe me, go through the last five years of the archives on SB and examine threads from dissatisfied divers who were having problems getting equipment issues resolved with manufacturers. OMS wins hands down. While its not a scientific study, its a very representative and randomly-selected sample. IMHO the entire company suffers from a broad collective inferiority complex.
There are enough other manufacturers of quality equipment out there that you have multiple alternatives for just about anything.
Lessons learned.....
__________________
Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. Flavius Vegetius Renatus, "De Re Militari" (390 AD)
Let him who wishes for peace prepare for war. How far do you want to go?http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/141
Someone asked for the details, but it looks like the reply was removed. Okay, here it goes.....
I had an OMS 30# wing with about 60 dives. The internal zipper skirt started ripping out, but I lived with it. At about 80 dives I put a hole in the bladder and was unable to successfuly patch it.
I wrote to OMS numerous times over many weeks via their web site e-mail, inquiring about the repair process. These many inquiries were never answered, and remain unanswered today.
So I called OMS to ask how I go about getting my wing assessed for repair. The woman at OMS asked for my zip code and directed me to take the wing to the nearest OMS dealer (about 3 hours away). I asked if I could deal directly with OMS since it was such a long drive. She then insisted that I mail it to the dealer so the dealer could mail it to OMS. Again I suggested that I deal directly with OMS since the options she presented to me seemed unreasonable. We argued for quite a while over this issue and she kept insisting that I drive 3 hours or mail it to the dealer. Finally she grudging agreed to accept the wing directly at OMS with a Return Authorization (RA) number.
I mailed the wing to OMS with a cover letter including my RA#, name address, phone number, fax number and e-mail address. OMS informed me that the repair that I desired (replacement of the bladder) was not possible, which is understandable since it is a discontinued item. I received e-mail from 3 different people at OMS about my wing. I received an e-mail from one of the "higher-ups" (John?) who offered to sell me the latest OMS wing. I expressed interest in the new wing and inquired about details, but never got any response.
Then I asked about the fact that the wing fell apart after on about 60 dives and they offered to evaluate the wing for warranty repair. I declined this offer because the major problem was the leaking bladder (which was my fault, not a warranty issue). Again I expressed interest in the new OMS wing but never received a reply to my inquiries.
After waiting a few weeks without a reply, I wrote again to OMS and asked them to just return my wing to me. Again, no response whatsoever.
A couple of more weeks passed without a reply or my wing. I called OMS. The receptionist informed me that they had wanted to return the wing but they had no phone number, address or e-mail information in order to contact me!!!
How can you perform repairs without keeping track of customer information?????
This was the last straw in my dealings with OMS. I asked to speak with someone in charge. The receptionist refused, stating that everyone was "in a meeting." We argued for quite a while and the receptionist put me on hold.
When the receptionist came back she stated that their records indicated that OMS had been calling me but I wasn't answering my phone.
Now I am a business man myself and my Blackberry is turned on 24/7. There were no recorded calls from OMS, no missed calls from OMS and no voice mail from OMS. The receptionist insisted that the delays were my fault because I wasn't answering my phone! In this day and age of digital cellular service, you cannot lie about calling someone. The digital phone records who does and who does not call.
This blatant lying was what REALLY set me off. What a bunch of crap.
So that's the story.
__________________
Harry M
"I crossed that thin line between bravery and foolishness far too many times"
Last edited by Doc Harry; September 9th, 2007 at 01:17 PM.
Reason: spelling error
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