Bad Experience Divers Unlimited Norfolk

[Jupiter31]

Took the words right out of my mouth - but you are not surprised where this went, are you?

Frankly I expected it w/in the 1st five posts

 

[Web Monkey]

A warranty is a warranty. If shop "A" needs to service Brand X regulator bought at shop "B," all they need to do is return the used parts in a package to the manufacturer with the serial number of the serviced regulator and name of the registered owner for either a "credit" toward the repair or replacement parts. This is a pain for some shops to do when you don't buy there, especially one-for-one, so they give you the run around.

The service guy isn't The Amazing Kreskin. Unless the reg came in with a receipt, it's COD. The customer saying "It's under warranty" is almost as useful as saying "The check is in the mail."

If the reg came in with a receipt, and the customer was billed for what should have been free, then the shop screwed up. Even in that case, they offered to take care of the problem, so I still don't see what the big deal is.

Terry

 

[letterboy]

Question - Are there no "dealer only areas" on manufacturer websites where you can check the validity and registration information of a serialized item?

 

[letterboy]

If the shop wanted proof of warranty as he didn't purchase it from them, how hard is it to shoot the guy an email or a call and say "hey I noticed we don't have your warranty information on file, when you come pick up your gear please bring your proof of warranty with you."

I assume the shop notified the guy somehow that his gear was ready . . .

 

[vladimir]

A similiar thing happened to me when I was a Newby Diver. I thought I was getting great deals online only to find out as soon as my BC had an issue and my Reg needed service that they were not covered under warranty because I didn't buy them from a "licensed authorized dealer" The two Mfgs of the equipment had on their website that they required a receipt of purchase. I had that. But the receipt had to be from a licensed dealer . That info was on the website as well - didn't think about checking on that before my purchase. After all, I buy shoes, books, and all sorts of other stuff online so I felt safe with it. Lesson learned the hard way. Now I only purchase from an authorized licensed dealer for specialized equipment. As they frequently say "After all, it's only LIFE SUPPORT" (PS:ebay or craigslist beware - you don't know how long it's been stored in a shed or attic exposed to extreme temps)- (I believe it has to do with supporting their dealers, proper equipment care and storage, and liability issues - probably liability being the biggest).

SCUBAGirl007, where did you buy your gear? Which regulator? Which bc? What was the price difference? I'm just curious, because in my experience the price difference typically buys a lot of regulator maintenance. And bcs, in my experience, don't usually have issues, so I'd like to avoid that brand that you bought. What was the issue? Thanks.

Oh, and do you really think it's "life support," or is that a little hyperbole?

PS. Welcome to ScubaBoard! I see you just joined today. Where on the East Coast of the USA do you live? I used to live there too. We might have been neighbors!

 

[scubadoguk]

Dive shops buy the parts, if they don't have the warranty card, Stock parts are used the center has to buy replacements, lots of times people will say "I sure do have a warranty card I'll be back in with the warranty card tomorrow"never to be seen again. The store offered to run a check once they had the info they needed and refund what was charged for parts what is the issue?? as a customer we have a responsibility to include all the warranty stuff too if it has a benefit to us I:E free stuff.

 

[Schizlor]

I have found the info you get from those guys hit or miss, depending on who you talk to. I took a class there in May when they were offering a special, free Nitrox. All you had to do was purchase the course material (books, tables, etc). When I signed up, I asked the guy on the phone explicitly, "So, I will still have to pay for the C-Card, right?" He said, "No, no that is included too, all you need to pay for is the book". I was like, "wow, that's great! Thanks". When the cards were in, I went in the back to see Capt Tom, who took mine out of the stack, walked me back to the register, handed the card to the cashier and said bluntly, "He needs to pay for that card".

Since the course was free, and the card was $13, I didn't feel like being a horses-a$$ and making a big deal out of it. I just paid for the card, but it did kinda irk me, and as others have alluded to, it made me question the business sense of the people running the shop. Charging people for things you have stated were free before they agreed to obtain the service, regardless of whether or not it was supposed to be free, makes people feel like you intentionally lied to them to trap them. Often it is not the case, but that doesn't matter. I would (and did) gladly pay for the card, I did not expect it to be free. But you said it was. So what the f?

The issue here is simply that his wife was told it was covered, and it wasn't (possibly). Whether or not they were responsible for doing the detective work prior to billing the order, is irrelevant. Point is, you don't tell someone it is covered if in fact you have absolutely no idea. If you don't know, and tell him it is covered anyway, I can only surmise your intention is to prevent him from walking back out the door and taking the job elsewhere. On top of that, if you do lie just to keep the guy in the store, at least CHECK while it's being serviced, so you can justify charging him for the parts if it is not covered. So when he comes in, you say, "You said it was covered, but Mares informed us it is not, so we had to charge you for the parts. Sorry" Offering to check it after the fact is simply a half-assed attempt to salvage any future business he might have brought in, and it seems as though they tried to slip one by him, hoping he would just pay and leave.

Now, if his wife was told "IF the reg is under warranty, the parts will indeed be free", then that's a different story. If that was the case, I would definitely have taken them up on the offer to check the coverage after the fact, if it meant a possible refund of $42. You could have expressed annoyance that they did not check during the service period, but I don't feel they mislead you in that case. That is just laziness on their part. Unacceptable, but not unethical.

 

[TennisCoach]

I think that there was fault in both sides. On the customer side for not taking the warranty card, and on the LDS for not asking for it. But I see more on the LDS for not letting the customer know that they did not have the warranty until he came to pick up the equipment. Business 101 is to keep the customer happy and there are a lot of businesses that do not know how to do this. I alway put Scuba toys as an example. One I know how good they are first hand and second they have a brick and mortar location as well as an online business. So if they can do that everyone can. And they will do the same for you if you go to the store as if you buy something online. Just my .2psi

 

[scuba_punk]

If I would have been told that they needed the info on pickup I would have provided it. The fact the sat on the knowledge at least a week is the frustrating point.

 

[Doc]

So, it's now "tomorrow".

You said they would check "tomorrow" and then you would know.

What did you find out today ? (...which from yesterday's post is now tomorrow)