John_B
Grasshopper
Don't guess at how this might work or try to apply common senses to this matter. Definitely don't go by what some guy at your LDS told you.I wouldn't be so sure about that. Uwatek is marketed in this country by Scuba Pro. Scuba Pro provides the US warranty. Consequently, they only warrant the products that they bring into the country. They are not responsible for some Uwatek product that you bought in, say, Switzerland -- where they are made.
This is a pretty common issue in imported products. The same sort of situation arises with Nikon and Canon cameras, for example. Sometimes a company will choose to sell another company's product but under their own name. Chevvy sells Daewoos as Chevy's here. If you imported a Daewoo from Korea you wouldn't expect Chevy to warrant it would you? The same principle pertains to other products even if they are sold under their original names.
Just something to think about...
TED
A safety recall is a matter of legal liability, and tort law is a strange world with strange rules. IANAL, but unfortunately I do have some background with this issue.
The recall itself is an attempt at remediation. By making a good faith effort to correct the problem, they are trying to limit their liability in the event of lawsuits. It does them no good (and makes no sense) to only recall the computers that were sold by authorized US Scubapro dealers, because someone who may have bought their Aladin computer second hand (or their family) will still have legal recourse against Johnson Outdoors if they sold Uwatec computers that are out there bending divers.
And don't forget that all Uwatec computers are made in the same factory. The US models are indistinguishable from EU models, at least to the consumer. And, of course, you are assuming that the computer LP sells are from Europe, which may or may not be the case. (Frankly if I were a manufacturer I'd be more afraid of the EU lawsuits, their consumer protection laws seem to have more teeth.)
Back to your examples, GM doesn't get to refuse to do safety recall work on a Chevy badged Daewoo, no matter where you bought it or whether you are the original owner. And even if they could, their competition would have a field day with it. Nikon/Canon or Sony/Toshiba are a different category, as those recalls are not safety related unless its something like a battery that catches fire when recharging or something of that nature.
So if some guy at your LDS tells you that a computer bought from LP won't be covered in a safety recall, he is flat out handing your false information (whether he knows it or not). I'd personally be thinking long and hard about whether someone like that deserved my business in the first place. Those are usually the same guys who will try to upsell you to a higher priced reg "because its life support!" when they willingly stock cheaper models.
Edit: Check out the CPSC Recall of Uwatec Smart computers from 2003; no proof of ownership or original sales receipt required, just send back any affected unit directly to Uwatec for a free replacement:
Remedy: Consumers should contact UWATEC for a free replacement unit.
Consumer Contact: Consumers can call UWATEC American representatives at (800) 808-3948 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or register on the website at www.uwatec.com.