Well with the proof of purchase with an authorized retailer you can keep the warranty up and going even if it is online.
I'm paying retail for equipment from LDS
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Doc Intrepid:
Doc,
If that was really the case, then places like ScubaToys wouldn't be in business. They are authorized retailers which means that their prices are usually higher than an unauthorized retailer like Leisure Pro. However, you are always going to have people (like me) who are willing to pay a higher price for better service or the promise of a manufacturer's warranty.
And, in terms of using an online vendor for service, I have no problem doing that and am planning on going that route for my next yearly inspection/service. I can get factory trained and authorized service cheaper than I can get it through my LDS who is not factory trained to service the regs I use. In fact, my LDS ships my regs out to a third-party and then marks-up the service charge.
Well not with everything but with basic gear scubatoys is generally neck and neck with Leisurepro anyway. And when thats the case it makes for a simple choice.
Dive Right In Scuba:They buy their products from dealers that will sell to them....Case closed!! These dealers sometimes get caught when the Manuf. buys the product from LP and they check the serial number to see where it came from......Some Manufs. stop selling to the dealer that sells to LP, others slap them on the wrist.....the dealer makes a bit of money from LP and LP makes a little money from divers.......the mystery is closed
No mystery - it's GRAY MARKET products.
Benthic
Contributor
Here we go with more of the scuba industry rhetoric. :shakehead You work for a dive shop don't you?Carribeandiver:
As others have pointed out--Leisure Pro doesn't hide the fact that they are not an authorized ScubaPro dealer. If ScubaPro (or any other manufacturer) terminates a dealership because of the retailers 'violation' of their minimum price policy they are engaging in blatantly illegal activity (go read the Sherman Anti-Trust Act). So instead ScubaPro "chooses not to do business with them anymore." If that doesn't seem suspicious to you, you need to get out more.
How exactly does Leisure Pro (or someone like them) "screw up an industry for dealers, consumers and manufacturers"? Are you suggesting that a competitive market is a bad thing? In a truly open market, prices are set by the forces of supply and demand. A minimum price policy is an attempt by a manufacturer (ScubaPro in this case) to control BOTH sides of that equation. They can set prices wherever they feel like it. The only reason that they get away with this is because no one has complained loudly enough.
Dive gear prices should be set by supply and demand, just like everything else. Oh, and don't even get me started on the "regulator parts policies."
Brian
Benthic
Contributor
You're missing the point here. The point is that you shouldn't HAVE to purchase from an "authorized dealer" (read: dealer who kowtows to the 'minimum price' crap) in order to get warranty support. Either the manufacturer makes a reputable product or they don't. Who sells it has no bearing on that whatsoever.Swan1172:
Brian
It certainly does have a bearing, it comes down to quite often which shops have been authorized to repair their gear under warranty, as well as, since the manufacturer doesnt have a direct relationship with the big guys, there is no quality control on how their gear is being treated.
Benthic:
Benthic, I agree with your arguments to the point that VALUE is in the mind of the buyer. If you don't care about the warrenty etc. than by all means buy on price from the net. Nothing wrong with that. Than, IMHO, you should also use the net for all the information you require to make that decision and not go into a LDS and take up a lot of time seeking information on which to make an internet buying decision. I choose to buy from my LDS for a lot of reasons - could I have saved another 10% across all the equipment I purchased? Yes and maybe more. But my VALUE proposition is being satisfied.
To your other point, I agree that the internet is not going to ruin the dive industry. The strong will adapt and a new model will emerge.
JR
Pick and choose where warranties are important. There are certain things I buy extended warrenties for - like ipod's. My daughter has gotten 3 replacements, my son 1 and I myself got 1. Made the minimal cost of the extended warrenty worth the price.
When Joe brings up that the new model will emerge I think thats absolutely true. The diving industry isnt the only industry that is delaing with tehse changes, pretty much any electronics store is as well as countless other products including drugs like drugstore.com, books online, and pretty much anything else you can think of you can normally get online for cheaper than going to the store. So all industries are learning to adapt not just the diving industry.
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