Leisurepro online

[diversteve]

Are you talking about the Gekko? If so understand the LeisurePro is not an authorized Aqualung (Suunto's North America distributor) dealer so any warranty or service will have to be with LP directly.

Aqualung has a statement specifically about LeisurePro on their website: Leisure Pro is NOT an authorized Aqua Lung dealer

I am sick of people bitching about LP on these forums. I have had a long international relationship with this company. They offer their own warranty on things they sell. I have bought items from cameras, computers, bcd's, etc over the last three years. I have had nothing but exceptional service and supply from the other side of the world. I am sure that if you were unsatisfied with the performance or function of any item bought from them within reason they would warrant it out of their own stock. I am sick of seeing other retailers bagging them with all their grey market bulls**t because they are scared of their pricing. Sell your own wares on their merits, you may not be the cheapest but neither do you always have to be. Give a company credit that does it very, very well.

Buy heaps from Leisurepro they are safe and great for the diving industry.

Before the next time that you quote me out of context, please try reading my entire reply first.

Having said that, I buy all sorts of things from LeisurePro. And have always been satisfied with their quality and quick shipment. My personal comfort zone stops at buying computers and regulators online though - stuff that could need technical maintenance I like to buy locally.

All I did was point out the facts concerning their warranty and relationship with Aqualung that the OP was possibly not aware of having never purchased from them.

So hopefully it's obvious now that I was not in any way "bitching" about LP.

 

[ShakaZulu]

Thank god for LP, they have forced the rest of the rip-off over priced scuba industry to lower their prices in order to be competitive, in fact may even have been the reason for the closure of a few dive shops

I bought a Suunto Mosquito from LP a few years back, had problem with it and they replaced it twice.....

 

[mike_s]

Thank god for LP, they have forced the rest of the rip-off over priced scuba industry to lower their prices in order to be competitive,

I agree with that... thank goodness. Otherwise we'd still be stuck with every LDS charging MSRP. LP at least forces other dive shops to be competitive.

The only problem now is that some of the "bigger shops" (even those beloved here on Scubaboard) are whinning to the manufacturers about having to match LP's price. they are tyring to get the manufacturers to make LP authorized dealers. Which many Manufacturers are doing. The problem with that is that LP is raising their prices on a lot of stuf to MAP.

The consumer looses out price wise because of this.

in fact may even have been the reason for the closure of a few dive shops

LP didn't cause those dive shops to close.

Those dive shops closed because they had a poor business model for their location and they did'nt change it in order to compete with the changing business economy and the internet.

Lost customers are very hard to regain....

 

[Mattyo]

Sorry Steve. I should not have included your quote in my reply, I was not having a go at you, rather the fact that when asked questions about purchasing from leisurepro everyone seems to lead with warranty scare mongering. You obviously were not, you were just stating the facts. You are also obviously a supporter of leisurepro. There does however seem to be a lot of sledging of this company on dive forums and even LDS web sites that seems to be just sour grapes.

Long live LP

 

[gotwake]

The biggest problem for the LDS is the manufacturers. Atomic has just started allowing online selling of their products and I think others in the industry will follow........ some kicking and screaming

Oh yea, I've been lurking here for a while and have learned a lot from this community

 

[bane51031]

LDS vs LP is similar to when I ran a small business in a small town and the evil empire "Walmart" was coming into town, all the business owners were freaking out that they would be ran out of business, in fact some have closed however it was those that failed to evolve and build on there strenghts that closed ,the rest did fine, we focused on customer service in our shop as well as offering something Walmart didn't and we did fine.We also had to contend with internet sales and even though online customers could save money they came to our shop.

As far as online sales, I work for a dive shop and I will be honest I buy from both but, here is an example:

Recent purchase AquaLung Legend 1st,2nd stage and octo: Dive shop price $899.00 minus my 25% discount $674.25 + .07 %tax =$721.45

LP price: $474.98 no tax and shipping was free savings of $246.47

I love the couple I work for and try to give them all the business I can but, I cannot afford a loss of over $200.00 to do business with them, I do promote the sport and have brought in a number of customers for training from O/W to specialties.The dive shop I work for does realize that not everyone can afford their own gear at diveshop prices so they do a variety of things to cater to the customers from training to boat dives to servicing gear and rentals and they appreciate the business given to them and are doing well, as far as LDS shops closings in the current economy you will see alot of business owners learning to adapt or closing their doors, if you want to blame someone for small business closures look at the real culprit the Gov't as the taxes and regs. on small business owners is atrocious but, I digress.

LP and other online stores are a fact of life and IMHO the LDS will still be around as long as they offer something that people want and provide good service which in my own experiance is not the case in all diveshops, there are good ones and some that I would never step foot in again even for an airfill.

 

[chipwd]

I have bought many items from LP and never had any issues. Any questions or problems were immediately resolved.

Same goes for Scubatoys, DiversDirect, Dive Rite Express and TDL.

I believe that they all have actual shops as well as their online presence.

I could purchase from one of the two lds but both will tell you up front that they will not compete or even try to compete with online prices. Instead, their approach is to lecture you on the fact that you will probably die if you buy and use "life support" equipment online and you have a responsibility to keep them in business.

Now there are two other lds that are a distance from me but both will at least recognize the difference between their prices and online prices and try to close the gap. They also don't rely on laying a guilt trip on you. I prefer buying from these two shops when I can but it is so easy to sit at home and click a few buttons AND save some serious money at the same time.

 

[scuba&golf]

Everyone has to make their own decisions regarding buying on-line versus buying from your LDS. I have done both, and when looking for a new regulator, I will probably buy again from my LDS over LP, even though LP may be $200 cheaper. Why? Because I can't service my reg, and without the free parts for life from Aqualung or ScubaPro, or whoever, in 4 years I've spent the $200 savings on maintenance parts, and I plan on having my regs longer than that.

As far as Atomic allowing sales on-line, they are still at MAP on-line, so yes, you can buy them on-line, but you won't get them much, if any, cheaper than at your LDS.

 

[Stu S.]

Online discount sales may have a positive effect on local dive stores.

Our family saves money by shopping for gear, and some is from Leisure Pro. The money saved pays for boat trips, and a dive shop owns the boat. Less money for gear means more money for training, and the instructor owns a dive shop.

Everybody is better off when divers have money left over to use and enjoy the equipment. What can a merchant offer a fully-equipped diver that is broke?

 

[offthewall1]

Someone famous once said...

"Ask not what your LDS can do for you... but what you can do for your LDS" or do I have that backwards?

"Ask not what you can do for your LDS... but what your LDS can do for you."

The first is much more similar to the original...
"Ask not what your country can do for you... but what you can do for your country."

The second is what divers are all about today... Penny pinching.

Reality Check... no matter what LDS's do to compete... the overwhelming majority of them will fail within the next decade. There are of course exceptions to this rule... some will thrive and grow and do extremely well... but gone will be most of the hobbyists and mom & pop owners who lack the capital to compete on a grander scale.

This lack of localization will be caused by a host of factors but the results are predictable.

1. Divers will have to drive/travel farther to get certified. This will cost more in time and money.
2. The manufacturers, internet sellers and local shops that remain will ALL raise prices because the shrinkage of the sport will demand it for them to exist and they will have more of a monopoly. Demand will eventually exceed supply.
3. Dive travel will shrivel and dive resorts around the world will close. In essence, leaving few places to dive unless you own the boat.
4. More than half of all manufacturers will go out of business as well as most internet retailers and local dive shops. It is likely that only 1 in 4 (25%) will remain by 2018.

Now here are the reasons the future is so bleak.

1. Internet retailers driving pricing so low, LDS's can not pay operating expenses
2. Manufacturers insistence on MAP & MARP Pricing for LDS's but not for internet retailers.
3. The Wii Generation - sitting at home doing Scuba on the Couch
4. The lack of TV presence for diving... there are no good Underwater based shows today driving interest.
5. DEMA is a joke... and Be a Diver is a miserable failure. While it's had local successes, it has not been what was promoted.
6. The overall economy - as we know, diving is an expendable income sport... and people are not spending right now on much other than basic needs. One - two years of this is all it will take to decimate the sport
7. While SSI & PADI have programs to promote diving among youth, very few shops promote or have active youth programs. Without aggressive pursuit of training young divers, the future is very disconcerting.
8. LDS owners have turned people off for more than a decade by ripping them off at the behest of Manufacturers insistence on MAP and MARP pricing. The manufacturers are too dumb to figure out that the very thing they think protects the dive shops is killing them - or as I suggest, they know it full well - and that is the plan. To go completely internet based along with agencies, eventually selling all product direct with training being done by independent instructors. The flaw in this theory is that indepedent Instructors without big marketing dollars and available pools will be unable to lure students, much less conduct training.
9. Divers as a group (not all - but most) are penny pinching cheapos... and don't take that wrong. Right now, most everyone in the country - whether white collar or blue - are penny pinching cheapos. Hell, I'm one myself. But just like all the major retailers filing bankruptcy, expect the LDS's and even a few of the big online sites to find themselves in grand trouble in very short order. If divers don't go out and spend money soon - they may soon find nothing to buy anywhere.

So in the end... here is my speech... If you're a diver... the best thing you can do right now is put diving related items on your Christmas wish list... and tell your friends where to find them... be it locally or on the internet... because right now... all the dive retailers are hurting... just like all the other non-diving retailers.

Cheers...

PS... we're doing well enough... but we'd still appreciate your support : ) We plan on being here for you for a very long time.