Where do you folks have your Regs serviced?

[YukonJack]

Sorry, I should be more clear. My regulator set is a MK25 paired with an S600, and then of course the Air2

 

[KeithG]

he specified Air2, and in another post about Deep6 the dive shop was telling him it was junk and he should "upgrade" to scubapro

$35 is well above retail for most regulators. $20 for the second stage, $30 for the first is msrp for most regulator kits.

In the auto world, aren't the rate structures basically dictated by how long the manufacturer says the job should take? I.e. this is a 2 hour job, so we charge at that rate? Raleigh has a higher cost of living by about 5% than Albuquerque, so the wages should be the same. It's not like we are comparing middle of nowhere in Idaho to Los Angeles, so that one is out. I just think he got shafted by the dive shop for either marking up the parts considerably, or charging above standard rates for the service.

Instead of arguing over labour rates, I would rather focus on making people aware that they can (should) perform their own inspection and THEN worry about labour rates if their gear needs serving. I claim proactively performing self inspection and then self election of service is the best route to maintaining equipment health AND lowest costs.

 

[The Chairman]

$35 is well above retail for most regulators.

Just got off the phone with a ScubaPro shop. The RETAIL prices for a G250 second stage rebuild kit is $22.00, for a Mark 14 first stage it's $48.00 and their version of the Duoaire is $29.00. I'm not guessing here... those are actual prices from a ScubaPro retailer. So, now we're "down" to $33/stage average. It could be more. It could be less. Apparently, some of the first stage kits go over $50.Talking to another shop, they charge $30/stage, an extra $5 for Duoaire and $35 for a BC service. Total that up and it comes out to $229 plus tax.

Happy?

 

[The Chairman]

Too late... I priced out another set. I think yours was a fine price. If you want cheaper, you should learn to do it yourself and/or get away from ScubaPro. Apparently, they have some of the most expensive kits out there.

 

[KeithG]

Too late... I priced out another set. I think yours was a fine price. If you want cheaper, you should learn to do it yourself and/or get away from ScubaPro. Apparently, they have some of the most expensive kits out there.

And how often do you really need to purchase these kits?

 

[redacted]

At retail? First, I don't see in the OP that these are ScubaPro. I wonder what their hourly shop rate is? I was in automotive for 30 years. I've seen the people who expect you to sell everything at cost and frankly: it's stupid. Lights, AC, salaries and more are covered by parts markups. Selling parts at retail is NOT a rip-off. Hey, I get that it makes you sound important and all that, but it's just not helpful. Yours is a skewed perspective based on unrealistic expectations. I think the OP should know. Running an LDS on stupid thin margins is a quick way for them to go out of business. As I pointed out earlier: get the prices straight up front so you aren't surprised. If anything, I believe that this is the biggest problem here. No upfront communication which surprised the customer is the real sin.

Yes, retail of $35 per kit is a ripoff.

It is accomplished by inflating the price at each handling node which they get away with, for the most part, because of the monopoly they have created.

Those kits contain $1 to $3 worth of parts at wholelsale quantities. Give them another $1 for packaging.

I understand you are trying to be friendly with manufacturers and LDS, but sometimes it might just be better to say nothing rather than try to support such a RIPOFF.

 

[YukonJack]

Huh, well, maybe I'll sell my regulator set at the end of the year and replace it with the Deep Gear 6 Primary/Secondary setup instead. They seem to have a better servicing model.

 

[The Chairman]

And how often do you really need to purchase these kits?

Whenever I service a reg. However, I don't always buy a kit. If I can buy the diaphragm and high pressure seat for the first stage and the seat on the second stage, I have all the o-rings I need to do the job. If I can't then I buy the kit.

I understand you are trying to be friendly

Just because I don't piss over people at the drop of a hat doesn't mean I have sold my soul for thirteen pieces of silver. I just did the homework. What have you done? Oh. You told us you want it all for next to nothing and presented us with some conspiracy theory about the man trying to keep us divers down. In your jaundiced eyes, not pissing on LDSs is proof positive I must be colluding with them.

I charged @ $100/hr for my shop rate when I was an automotive service manager before the turn of the century. I've been on their side of this equation. You always get the guys calling us a ripoff and we just think they're cheapskates. You want cheap? Shop around for the lowest price and be assured that you'll get what you paid for. The government goes with the lowest bidder too. Just ask the soldier going into war how he feels about the quality of his gear. Me? If I can't do it myself, I want quality and I'm willing to pay a fair price for it. Doing quick checks on prices have convinced me that this was a fair deal.

But go ahead, and piss on the local dive shops all you want. I'm sure you'll be able to get your air fills over the internet some day.

 

[redacted]

Whenever I service a reg. However, I don't always buy a kit. If I can buy the diaphragm and high pressure seat for the first stage and the seat on the second stage, I have all the o-rings I need to do the job. If I can't then I buy the kit.

Just because I don't piss over people at the drop of a hat doesn't mean I have sold my soul for thirteen pieces of silver. I just did the homework. What have you done? Oh. You told us you want it all for next to nothing and presented us with some conspiracy theory about the man trying to keep us divers down. In your jaundiced eyes, not pissing on LDSs is proof positive I must be colluding with them.

But go ahead, and piss on the local dive shops all you want. I'm sure you'll be able to get your air fills over the internet some day.

Stop making crap up. When did I ever say I "want it all for next to nothing"?

Are you actually claiming that $35 each for Mk25, S600, and Air2 service kits are reasonable prices?

But I am touched that you are concerned with my getting air fills.

 

[The Chairman]

Are you actually claiming that $35 each for Mk25, S600, and Air2 service kits are reasonable prices?

Those are the retail prices. I've since verified that from two shops for those regs. Do you have retail numbers from another shop that differs from those???

When did I ever say I "want it all for next to nothing"?

I read between the lines. Any reasonable person can see it there in the snark.