Mares Icon HD upgrade...

[Patrick_T]

I went to my authorised Mares dealer about a year ago after reading this forum and the Mares website about the Air-integrated release date. I was looking forward to buying one.

However the dealer told me:

1. The Icon HD was indeed a good computer, but ....

2. Once Air integration would come out, It would NOT be free of charge, in fact they said users had to buy a new computer. ( This would make sense from a business point of view, Mares would not give away free computers, they would loose money, right)

3. Mares isn't what it used to be,

4. Especially regarding After Sales.

Also taking into account the fact that the Air-integration has been postponed so many times with empty promises made me change my mind.

At this point, there is still no Air-integration, I'm happy I did change my mind. I bought an Air integrated UWATEC Galileo luna instead and I am very happy with it.

I don't think there will be an Air-integrated Icon any time soon.

So good luck to all you users out there who are still waiting for the upgrade.

PT
The Netherlands

 

[harland]

i pretty much have tossed the idea of the air unit ever coming out the window. In one aspect, i am really pissed about it, but on the other hand, it does have a pretty doof dive log, and works good as a back depth guage, however, if i wanted a back up depth guage, i'm sure i coulda bought one for less than 800 bucks ha ha..will i ever buy from mares again? nope. would i recommend any of their products-nope..does the software ever work to download maps from the site to my computer nope...do some of the comments like "mares aint what it used to be" get said more and more ofeten-yep..my divemaster instructor even told me she stopped repping them..i cant even order more scratch shields..WTF? i bought mine this past august, and it was advertised with air integration unit..i dont give a damn who sold it to me brand new..it even has the cut out for it in the box..i should place bets to see who has had one the longest, waiting for this supposed air integration unit..also I was told the cost difference was something like another 400 bucks..so buy that other brand for that price..might even have to head toward legal actions, or just name slamming on the google reviews for "mares"

 

[Ex nihil]

i have the galileo sol. the luna is the same but without a heartbeat monitor (and resulting integration into your decompression calculation) and without the "predictive multi-gas" upgrade (where you can use three different nitrox mixes), although these can be purchased separately. to decide between the two, just decide whether you need these extras. (i wouldn't have, but the luna wasn't out when i purchased the sol.)

i haven't used the other two. i heard uwatec looked into making the sol line with a color display, but found it had a large impact on the battery life. (i don't know what the value is of a color computer underwater! i can barely see anything diving in swiss lakes already, much less trying to see a screen that has less stark writing than black!)

The value of having a colour screen is that it is backlit, so depth has no effect on the colour. The Icon HD can do this because the battery is rechargeable. I have been using it and just love it; I need reading glasses these days and bought the Icon because it was the only one I could find that didn't require me to wear a prescription bifocal mask. As far as I am concerned this unit is a total solution to that little problem.

 

[njdivebuddy]

I also purchased this unit early, last spring 2010, when my box also said coming in spring 2010. I immediately had a problem with the software and interface with my laptop. I was told the only way they could fix it would be for me to ship it to Mares directly and have them reprogram it. I did, at a shipping cost of $48 overnight because dive season was starting. They could not reprogram so they sent me another new unit. I was happy with this service, but the hoops I had to jump through to get to this point were ridiculous. NO REAL CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT. I got the unit back and everything worked as described. When I questioned reimbursement for the shipping costs I was again given another run around. I eventually got an e-mail from Mares offering me a free mask in lieu of money. (I had even offered the idea of getting credit towards my AI TX and was again just offered a mask.) I accepted my fate with this plight and gave my mask size. It has now been 10 months, NO mask, and NO reimbursement. When I posted a similar post about this in the fall, my post just got deleted. I think that Mares runs this board and controls what's left on. I too, am very disappointed that the TX is not delivered as promised over the last 10 months. I also questioned the price since when I bought my unit it was about $1300 and since that time I have seen it as low as $750 and currently at $900-$1000. I was told that these prices are not authorized and it was due to marketing software. How this is my fault, I don't know. So for me the upgrade with computer will now cost me $1750 and anyone that was lucky enough to get a $750 unit it will cost them $1200. (Less than I paid for just the unit.) It would be great if Mares said "Produce your receipt and the upgrade will cost you the true difference." If I had it to do all over again I would pick another computer, not for the quality, but for a better customer service experience. Mares HD is a great product and I'm sure there are equivalent quality products so do your homework. These posts have been going on for well over a year. The early ones had little merit since it was due to be out within a few months. But now, the dead horse has been beaten for far too long. No dates, no ball park estimated availability dates have come to fruition, so my guess is we are in for another dive season playing this year old waiting game.:mooner: I have cut and paste this post and saved it to add it again when it gets deleted so don't worry. I'm not going away.

 

[njdivebuddy]

Below is the conversation that took place after my post above. Thanks Zak for your help.

Originally Posted by Zak OHara
Hi there,

I don't know anything about the mask, but called into our office this morning to discuss. They are happy to send you the mask of your choice and color today. Not sure what happened, maybe it was overlooked. Not making excuses, the U.S. office is very overworked and understaffed this last year. It is quite possible this was accidentally over looked. Not a great answer, but they are really good nice people in the office, they are trying to do their best. While you may not have had the best experience, it definitely wasn't intentional. Things are getting better in the office, sales are improving, leading to a position that we are now hiring more people. This should lead to a better customer service experience. So I apologize on their behalf.

Air integration is coming. We are reluctant to make an official date release due to the delays in the past. I'm not sure what is worse, not saying anything, or stating another date that could be missed. Between you and me, we are expecting to begin upgrading into air computers soon. There are still some things that can go wrong that are completely out of our control. Hence again the reluctance to publicly state a firm date. I'm sure you don't care why, I'm just trying to have a candid conversation with you to explain.

If you would like to forward me your information and which mask you like, I'm happy to facilitate.

I wish you the best and sorry for the miscommunications.

Sincerely,

Zak

Originally Posted by njdivebuddy
I appreciate you getting back to me. I understand your frustrations as well, but Mares in general needs to realize the frustrations of their customers. Unfortunately for you, the only avenue for us to get answers is through this scubaboard and that means everyone can see the malfunctions of the company. I do love my HD and everyone that has seen it while I've been diving liked it too. One of the things that I've come to realize is that most times when there are delays like this, it's for the betterment of the product and the safety of the user. Even after I get the AI TX I plan to continue to wear my pressure guage and do my calculations on my own. As I've come to realize diving is about safety through redundancy. With that said I was looking at the Essence Liquidskin in Black. Last year when I had the problems with my Icon I had to do a lot of searching to find contact information and when I finally found it I was able to make contact with Scott and he is the one that got my icon replaced quickly. Then it was turned over to Steven and he was the one that said he would take care of me due to my shipping issues. Then I never heard from him again.
Thank you for your time,
Brian

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your feedback, I am going to pass it on to upper management. I appreciate your thoughts and thoughtful remarks. I wish they had been posted this way on the board. Like you said, it is for the betterment of the end user, but it is not always translated this way. I also appreciate yours and everyone elses frustration, I feel it too. We are working on it, and before long, we will be in a better position with this product!

Will you please send me your email address if you don't mind? We'll get you this mask as soon as possible. Please note: the black Essence mask was on back order, we just received some into stock today, and have more coming this month. Due to the demand I'm not sure if I have it available today, if not I will have it shortly. I'll let you know either way.

Thanks,

Zak
__________________


I will keep the readers posted when I receive what was promised.

 

[scubalog.com]

I purchased my ICON HD 12/09 under the premise that air integration was coming later that Spring. I was extremely disappointing when Spring came and air integration was delayed, then delayed again, and again... I delayed from purchasing a pressure gauge because of that first date and ended up coughing up fees in rentals during that time only to eventually purchase a pressure gauge that Spring.

That being said, I have really enjoyed my ICON HD... I don't regret purchasing it although I would not have purchased it in retrospect had Air Integration not been promised. I am excited that Air Integration is coming and think it will be the perfect dive computer when that happens.

HOWEVER, about 5 dives ago (60 logged on computer) it started acting screwy. I will randomly get a message that says please clean contacts before charging. This will happen when there is still 30-40% power in the device, and it will not log a dive if you take it down with this message displaying--the only way I can get rid of the message is to charge it.

I have been prolonging doing anything about this message because of the fact I will be swapping it in to do the upgrade, but now I am concerned how long that might be...

In summary, I suppose what I would like to know is when I pay for the Air Integrated unit, will that come with another 2 year warranty?

 

[njdivebuddy]

I purchased my ICON HD 12/09 under the premise that air integration was coming later that Spring. I was extremely disappointing when Spring came and air integration was delayed, then delayed again, and again... I delayed from purchasing a pressure gauge because of that first date and ended up coughing up fees in rentals during that time only to eventually purchase a pressure gauge that Spring.

That being said, I have really enjoyed my ICON HD... I don't regret purchasing it although I would not have purchased it in retrospect had Air Integration not been promised. I am excited that Air Integration is coming and think it will be the perfect dive computer when that happens.

HOWEVER, about 5 dives ago (60 logged on computer) it started acting screwy. I will randomly get a message that says please clean contacts before charging. This will happen when there is still 30-40% power in the device, and it will not log a dive if you take it down with this message displaying--the only way I can get rid of the message is to charge it.

I have been prolonging doing anything about this message because of the fact I will be swapping it in to do the upgrade, but now I am concerned how long that might be...

In summary, I suppose what I would like to know is when I pay for the Air Integrated unit, will that come with another 2 year warranty?

Try contacting Scott Cook he's the one that helped me with my initial problems. Work out the shipping info first though. Insured overnight with usps is about $48.
Here's his e-mail address SCook@us.mares.com

 

[njdivebuddy]

So if you've been following along, I've been saying that Mares customer service is lacking. Today a package came from Mares containing a mask as offered last summer for my shipping reimbursement. Not the mask I picked as Zak told me to do and not the color I picked, but one did come. So I guess this is par for the course with Mares customer disservice department. Prior to receiving the mask I did receive an e-mail from Steven that said the reason they never sent it to me last season is because I never gave my address. I re-sent the e-mail that I sent him last year with my address in it. Thanks anyway, hopefully they keep trying. To the readers, if you have customer service experience and need a job, you should send your resume in to Mares USA. They need you.

 

[remi101]

Zak, I have noticed an ongoing glitch with my Icon. Whenever the battery gets low, the computer resets the date. So when I upload my dives into the dive log the dates are wrong. It shows dives in correct order but the most recent dives are dated before older dives. Do you know if the new upgrades have addressed this?
Thanks

 

[zoranb]

My icon did a similar thing. It changed the time. After my second dive I noticed the clock showing 3am, when it was in fact 7 pm. No time zone was changed, but it did happen after a period of inactivity + charge. Not a big issue, I just have wrong times in my dive log (and I can't correct them).

G