The problem of long-term support for boutique equipment

[Bob DBF]

I have no need of the many excellent technical oriented smaller companies because vintage stuff serves my needs better. (and metal is cool)

So wait for a reg to get old enough to have a following, and boutique parts and service will evolve.

Works for me!!


Bob

 

[kelemvor]

Which of the major brands was it that had a "free parts for life" deal that they changed the rules on?

It was Scubapro. I was a victim myself. The problem was that Scubapro decided to eliminate the program for customers who had already bought a regular with "free parts for life". If Scubapro had simply stopped offering it on newly sold pieces of gear that would have been one thing. That's not what they did. I should have hired a lawyer just to make a point.

They didn't completely eliminate the program, they changed the rules. Now days "FPFL" only applies if you buy all your gear from them. BCD, Reg, Mask, Fins (I think?). I only bought a scubapro reg, so I'm out of luck.

I won't be buying anything else from Scubapro, that's for sure. It's kind of therapeutic to share my story.

 

[boulderjohn]

It was Scubapro. I was a victim myself. The problem was that Scubapro decided to eliminate the program for customers who had already bought a regular with "free parts for life". If Scubapro had simply stopped offering it on newly sold pieces of gear that would have been one thing. That's not what they did.

For most divers, their abandonment of the free parts for life should have saved them a lot of money over time. In order to have free parts for life, they needed to have the regulators serviced annually. With no such requirement, I bet a lot of people realized that an annual service really isn't important for many and perhaps most divers. By getting service less frequently, they saved more money than having to pay for the parts cost them.

 

[abnfrog]

I was a real scuba pro fan till this happened I wont buy another new scuba pro product they really hung their customers out to dry

 

[lexvil]

To be fair, SP only laminated the ability to buy back into the program at the same time they extended the service requirement to two years, it’s still a costly program from the user end, I consider the whole thing a waste of time and money. Buy used and learn to service them yourself even if you have to jump through some hoops to get the kits you’ll save a fortune (per regulator because once you start doing your own work you’ll buy to many regulators).