Galileo Sol - Bulk or Bite?

[John_B]

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

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.

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.

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

My wife just got a Sol and dear god is it big, really big. Dining room table big. It made my Oceanic VT3 crawl away and hide in a corner. But I have to say, as much as I like my VT3, that Sol is sweet. Every piece of info you could possibly need is right there on the main screen and easy to read. The Uwatec transmitters seems to have a little better range than my Oceanic also. She's able to read my tank pressure from a farther distance than I can read hers, and she also loses the link with her own tank a lot less than I do.

Oh, crap! I think I just got computer envy!:11:

 

[H20lover]

... (It also turns off if the pressure drops below 200 lbs.
... TED

I have emptied my tank down to 125lbs and the transmitter did not turn off as you indicated. The alarms will drive you nuts but the monitoring continues.

 

[tdash911]

First dive with the Sol and so far so good. Big display easy to read. so far so good. T

 

[alwaysbroke]

Does anyone know how to delete dives from the Sol? I bought a used one and want to get the previous owner's dives erased. I can't figure out how to do it. The owner's manual sure doesn't help and SmartTrak doesn't either.

 

[Clammy]

Does anyone know how to delete dives from the Sol? I bought a used one and want to get the previous owner's dives erased. I can't figure out how to do it. The owner's manual sure doesn't help and SmartTrak doesn't either.

You could always reset the computer to factory default. It's under "other setings"

 

[Web Monkey]

Does anyone know how to delete dives from the Sol? I bought a used one and want to get the previous owner's dives erased. I can't figure out how to do it. The owner's manual sure doesn't help and SmartTrak doesn't either.

AFAIK, the only way to do it is to dive.

When it's memory fills up, the old dives roll off the end and are replaced by the new dives.

Terry

 

[NiclasG]

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.)

The European models are all configured to use standard units(SI): kilo grams, meters and bars. The American models are pre-set for American units. I think that there could be a difference in language settings, too. No difference in hardware.

In general in Europe the compensation has to be in proportion to the damage and we don't necessarily have the same style of jury trials. I think that Macdonals paid one million USD for someody that burned a finger on a coffee cup. There was no warning on the cup that the coffee is hot(or is this an urban legend?). Anyway, this would never be possible in Europe.

I do think that the consumer protection has improved a lot in Europe. Could be that it is even stronger than in the US.

European antitrust and competition law is also quite diffrent....ask Microsoft. They have ended up on the paying side for monopolizing.

Niclas

 

[Clammy]

The European models are all configured to use standard units(SI): kilo grams, meters and bars. The American models are pre-set for American units. I think that there could be a difference in language settings, too. No difference in hardware.

In general in Europe the compensation has to be in proportion to the damage and we don't necessarily have the same style of jury trials. I think that Macdonals paid one million USD for someody that burned a finger on a coffee cup. There was no warning on the cup that the coffee is hot(or is this an urban legend?). Anyway, this would never be possible in Europe.

I do think that the consumer protection has improved a lot in Europe. Could be that it is even stronger than in the US.

European antitrust and competition law is also quite diffrent....ask Microsoft. They have ended up on the paying side for monopolizing.

Niclas

I bought my galileo at my dive shop (an authorized uwatec dealer), and it was set to metric units as well. I had to change it to imperial. I've had to do this with other computers that were built in Europe. I think by default, they come in metric mode, regardless of where it's sent. All the software is the same way even if I download it from the american version of the site.

Mcdonalds had to pay roughly 3 million in damages to an elderly woman after she received 3rd degree burns to her body from the coffee. It was later reduced to roughly a half million.

 

[cdreamer]

Love my terra!!!!!