Kudos to Salvo Diving for Dive Light repair; Thumbs down to Halcyon warranty policy!

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wb416

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Location
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A couple of months ago Penny picked up a nice dive light from a friend of mine in Indiana. He was forced into a dive hiatus by sinus issues and a newly expected addition that would be joining his family, so he was liquidating much of his dive gear.

He'd only owned the dive light for a few months with a single digit amount of dives on it. The light is a Halcyon 18W 9ah HID. When Penny dove the light for the first time, she found about an inch of water a few days later in the bottom of the canister. Sometimes this happens if the O-ring on the canister isn't lubed lightly or perhaps has grit preventing it from sealing. Unfortunately, the battery had sat in the water for a few days. Grimacing, I advised her to dry it out and later try to charge it anyways (I'd had this happen on a 10W HID a couple of years early and the battery was toast.) Luckily, the battery took a charge and she awaited the next chance to try it.

The following week, I met Penny again for diving, and after looking over the light carefully during assembly, she dove with it. The same thing resulted. She opened the light canister shortly after the dive, and there was about an inch of water that poured out of the bottom. Ugh!!! There was something else wrong that wasn't immediately apparent. It could be things like "light switch boot" torn, or poor "gland seal" on the light cord going into the battery pack.

I took her light home and looked it over. When I decided to cut open the plastic on the bottom of the battery pack, there was a dismal amount of corrosion that was certain to doom this battery in short order.... dang!! I told her to send it Barry Miller (owner of Salvo Diving) to check it out and see what he could do. (Barry had made me a nice battery for my old 10W a couple of years ago, and had treated me well on other small purchases.)

So... A few weeks ago I'm doing electrical/programming training for some folks at the Jeep plant in Toledo and get a message from Barry at Salvo saying that Penny gave him my number and wanted to discuss her dive light. I called him back on lunch break and he says that the light is practically brand new and he hates to touch it since it should be covered under warranty. I advised him that she was the second owner, and he says "So what? If it was a Salvo light, I'd repair it under warranty no matter how many people owned it!"

So, rather than ship it back, we stopped down at Salvo to pick up the light (before Penny's cave training) and take it over to Halcyon about 1 mile away. Halcyon was closed, but Extreme Exposure next door was open, and they are a duly authorized Halcyon representative and repair coordinator. We told them the situation and they told us that since Penny wasn't the original owner, Halcyon would NOT warranty the work. Trying not to get disgusted, I reiterated that the light was about 4 months old and was only used a handful of times. They said sorry, that's the policy.

Okay... deep breath... how much do you think it will cost to repair and what would you guess is wrong with it. They took some best guesses about the problem (as good as anyone could have done), and also said that the battery would have to be replaced. The battery alone was going to be $400!! Yikes!! (Understand, that this light brand new is just over $1500 and Penny got hers used for around $900. Still, I couldn't help but wonder why I advised Penny not to go with a brand new Salvo light, and instead get this used Halcyon 18W HID instead. Perhaps I thought my experience with my Halcyon 18W HID I bought used a few years ago would mean hers would be positive as well.

So I continued to talk with the folks from EE. So... this looks like it's less than a year old right? Oh, definitely, you can tell by these newer features on it... Okay, is it typical for cords and switch boots to fail with less than a year on them? (The light has very few marks on it from diving) ...well no, it isn't. So... wouldn't it make sense that this would be a warranted item for this and also the battery since it caused it to corrode? Sorry sir... the warranty only applies to the original owner. But maybe you can get a hold of the person in charge of repairs and come up with a special arrangement, or talk the original owner into talking to Halcyon for you. {Deep Sigh} Okay (remaining polite despite being awake for about 36 hours and driving twelve hours to Florida)... thank you very much for your time and for looking at the light.

We walked out of EE/Halcyon and drove the mile back up to Salvo. A few years ago I had to battle tooth and nail for a couple of weeks to get warranty repair done on a 10W light that I WAS the original owner on, so guessing what the end result would be I wasn't about to advise Penny (or anyone else) to spend more time or another dime on Halcyon if this is how their warranty policy was going to be to deal with.

The lady at Salvo was like... uh oh... you guys are back quickly... so I explained the situation and said since Barry had treated us fairly and tried to help us do the right thing, that we'd rather that Salvo, not Halcyon, get the money for the light repair. She told us the battery alone would be around $200-250, but wasn't sure what else Barry might find. So we accepted that, hoping for the best, and Penny went off to do her cave training.

Penny received a call on her second day of training that the light was ready, so while she continued class, I drove back to High Springs (from Luraville) to pick up the light. Barry was there to greet me and explained to me what they'd done. Okay, I'm thinking, what's the damage... cringe... Barry says $150 repair cost, including battery replacement. Huh?!? Well now...this wasn't even his model light, and he was treating us more than fairly. So I asked if they carried Aluminum backplates and harness kits since Penny needed one anyway. Sure, right over here all put together... You can have it for the Sale price too (I think the sale was over in December). Wow.... okay!!

So... as you might understand, even though I've purchased 1000's of dollars of Halcyon product over the years and recommended them to buddies, I may never spend another dime with them again. Between warranty disputes with lights and discussions with the Halcyon personnel (that prompted me to sell my two Halcyon Explorer wings and buy a bright red Oxycheq), I think I'm done. (In fairness to JJ, CEO of Halcyon, he did send me a nice and very well written follow-up email after my discussion with one of his personnel.)

So... if you're looking for unsurpassed service... you may want to consider Salvo as one of your options.

Safe Diving…
Bob Overstreet

BTW... Salvo did an awesome demonstration with their HID canister light head. They joked it was a 'roach-killer' and proceeded to smash it repeatedly on the counter with a great deal of force, then turned the light on. (Don't even think of trying that with any other HID light unless you have a spare bulb!!)
 
i totally agree. the warranty should be covered for as long as its within the grace period regardless of the number of owners. i also think that if H were new in the business it would do everything in its power to keep a customer happy. it seems like now that they are quite big and recognized that they can afford to be a little lax in the aftersales service dept.

salvo on the other hand is a case of a different nature altogether. he treats all of his customers and clients with respect and services their products whether from him or not. Customers dont usually forget this kind of treatment and like to feel like kings. barry obviously gives this kind of service and he will be remembered for it. A couple of years from now it will be interesting to see whos brand is well loved and recognized by consumers and if H continues on their current ways then the answer is pretty obvious.

dont get me wrong i have yet to spend a buck on salvo products and most of my gear purchases are from halcyon. have been researching awhile for my next purchase a can light. Im going with barry on this one even if their is a local halcyon service center and salvo doesnt. lets just say i believe in barry's customer service that much.
 
wb416:
A few years ago I had to battle tooth and nail for a couple of weeks to get warranty repair done on a 10W light that I WAS the original owner on, so guessing what the end result would be I wasn't about to advise Penny (or anyone else) to spend more time or another dime on Halcyon if this is how their warranty policy was going to be to deal with.
Pretty lame...

Anyone remember Tommy Boy?

Tommy: "Let's think about this for a sec, Ted, why do they put a guarantee on a box? Hmm, very interesting."
Ted: "I'm listening."
Tommy: "Here's how I see it. A guy puts a guarantee on the box 'cause he wants you to fell all warm and toasty inside."
Ted: "Yeah, makes a man feel good."
Tommy: "Course it does. Ya think if you leave that box under your pillow at night, the Guarentee Fairy might come by and leave a quarter."
Ted: "What's your point?"
Tommy: "The point is, how do you know the Guarantee Fairy isn't a crazy glue sniffer? "Build model airplanes" says the little fairy, but we're not buying it. Next thing you know, there's money missing off the dresser and your daughter's knocked up, I seen it a hundred times."
Ted: "But why do they put a guarantee on the box then?"
Tommy: "Because they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of *****. That's all it is. Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time. But for right now, for your sake, for your daughter's sake, ya might wanna think about buying a quality item from me."
Ted: "Hmm. Okay, I'll buy from you."

You can warranty or guarantee something all you want... but the real quality manufacturers stand behind their products, regardless of how or from whom they were purchased.

Glad to hear Salvo is such a company! Checking them out now.

-Brandon.
 
fairbanksdiver:
but the real quality manufacturers stand behind their products, regardless of how or from whom they were purchased.

Glad to hear Salvo is such a company! Checking them out now.

-Brandon.


this is the golden rule of after sales service. the customer has retentive memory for being treated well. your track record will eventually catch up with you. if its negative too bad! if its positive then good for you! this will usually equate to good brand recognition and repeat purchases by the client. Salvo is indeed the real deal.
 
Hi guys,

I totally agree... I'm keeping an open mind with Mares with regards to my masks problems but I really like speaking to Patrick and I know tobin stands behind his gear.
Until my fiancial situation clears up I'll not be getting a light but I'm leaning towards Nocturnal or salvo. I've yet to speak to the guys at Metalsub but I'm hoping that they are the same.

Smaller is better in my opinion.

SangP
 
Why was it leaking?
 
wb416:
We told them the situation and they told us that since Penny wasn't the original owner, Halcyon would NOT warranty the work. Trying not to get disgusted, I reiterated that the light was about 4 months old and was only used a handful of times. They said sorry, that's the policy.

... (etc)
Man, does that sound familiar ... which is why I no longer own the Helios 9, and have since replaced it with a Salvo 18W. Better product, better service, and lower price don't make it a difficult decision.

FWIW - when I initially flooded my Helios, I was appalled that they were charging $400 for a 9AH NiMH battery ... I found the exact same battery from several other sources for $150.

I'm sure that "H" is decent gear, but I don't think it's worth a 250% markup ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
Bob - - glad to see your post... (I was there with him as we went from store to store)

can't help but throw in 2 cents on this but on a slightly different twist and since you were there when my "H" problems began...

On that final day of our "check out dives" for cavern and cave (w/ Penny as Bob watched and took photos) my Halcyon inflator went into "auto fill" mode of the wing.... worked fine the day before, but on the pre-dive check list ohhh the problem was obviously there. Fortunately the instructor had a second wing that I was able to use (as he joked that a student the month before had a similar problem with his H inflator).

I assured Bob, Penny, the instructor, a few fellow bystanders that it was a "post recall" inflator... but alas the problem was there.

Upon the return to home I checked the date of purchase the the H website. It was indeed a post recall inflator, dating to late April of 2005 (e.g. around 11 months old at time of above dives). Called the place I purchased it from and the inflator is a "periodic maintenance item" and certainly not covered by a warranty period.

I dunno. maybe I should have checked the site more often, maybe I should carry lots of spare o-rings, maybe a rebuild kit or a second inflator...

I've checked the H website and found the special brochure on the inflator (hmm is it new, it didn't come w/ the wing when I bought it?!?). And yep it notes that the maintenance is supposed to take place annually or more if one frequently dives. Guess I'm just surprised that it didn't last a year, and needs overhauled w/ about 70 dives of fresh water....

$19 bucks being the rough estimate to get it overhauled. I'm paying it with a smile, knowing that I need a doubles wing and who it won't be coming from....

sorry for the ramble but thought others might avoid a problem... I wouldn't have been able to finish the class had it not been for the instructor having a second wing...


Dave
 
caverdave:
Bob - - glad to see your post... (I was there with him as we went from store to store)

can't help but throw in 2 cents on this but on a slightly different twist and since you were there when my "H" problems began...

On that final day of our "check out dives" for cavern and cave (w/ Penny as Bob watched and took photos) my Halcyon inflator went into "auto fill" mode of the wing.... worked fine the day before, but on the pre-dive check list ohhh the problem was obviously there. Fortunately the instructor had a second wing that I was able to use (as he joked that a student the month before had a similar problem with his H inflator).

I assured Bob, Penny, the instructor, a few fellow bystanders that it was a "post recall" inflator... but alas the problem was there.

Upon the return to home I checked the date of purchase the the H website. It was indeed a post recall inflator, dating to late April of 2005 (e.g. around 11 months old at time of above dives). Called the place I purchased it from and the inflator is a "periodic maintenance item" and certainly not covered by a warranty period.

I dunno. maybe I should have checked the site more often, maybe I should carry lots of spare o-rings, maybe a rebuild kit or a second inflator...

I've checked the H website and found the special brochure on the inflator (hmm is it new, it didn't come w/ the wing when I bought it?!?). And yep it notes that the maintenance is supposed to take place annually or more if one frequently dives. Guess I'm just surprised that it didn't last a year, and needs overhauled w/ about 70 dives of fresh water....

$19 bucks being the rough estimate to get it overhauled. I'm paying it with a smile, knowing that I need a doubles wing and who it won't be coming from....

sorry for the ramble but thought others might avoid a problem... I wouldn't have been able to finish the class had it not been for the instructor having a second wing...


Dave

In fairness Dave... one of the reasons that the Halcyon SS inflator was designed was to allow for easier rebuilds... so it should be easier to take care of.... there may have been other mitigating environmental factors as well since it DID perform well on the previous days of class...

bob
 
wb416:
In fairness Dave... one of the reasons that the Halcyon SS inflator was designed was to allow for easier rebuilds... so it should be easier to take care of.... there may have been other mitigating environmental factors as well since it DID perform well on the previous days of class...

bob


Agree... (and hope I wasn't being unfair)


but I probably still won't be going with another... :)
 
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