Warranty coverage

[Randy g]

I purchased 2 NEW sets of V42/Proton regs a year ago this january. I am getting them serviced next week and was asked to bring a purchase reciept from a Mares authorized dealer for the warrantee to be valid.

Originally the LDS qouted me $200+ more for "each" than I bought them for on ebay. This morning I found out the guy was not an authorized dealer who I purchased them from and without a "dealer" receipt, I will have to eat the cost of the warrantee service, which I have no problem doing as long as its normal protocal and not the LDS's rule.

Question is:

Doesn't Mares warrantee item sold "new" regardless of wheather its a distributor or dealer, as long as it is within warrantee period?

I was a car dealer for along time and factory warrantees were good regardless of where or how the vehicle was purchased.

 

[ScubaInChicago]

why not print out a receipt from a LDS that has gone out of business? I don't think Mares cares as much as your LDS does...

 

[oly5050user]

I purchased 2 NEW sets of V42/Proton regs a year ago this january. I am getting them serviced next week and was asked to bring a purchase reciept from a Mares authorized dealer for the warrantee to be valid.

Originally the LDS qouted me $200+ more for "each" than I bought them for on ebay. This morning I found out the guy was not an authorized dealer who I purchased them from and without a "dealer" receipt, I will have to eat the cost of the warrantee service, which I have no problem doing as long as its normal protocal and not the LDS's rule.

Question is:

Doesn't Mares warrantee item sold "new" regardless of wheather its a distributor or dealer, as long as it is within warrantee period?

I was a car dealer for along time and factory warrantees were good regardless of where or how the vehicle was purchased.

You purchased it online at a lower cost,ok ,that is your choice.Pay now or pay later,you choose to pay later.
But now to want the same level of service that goes along with the higher cost does not fly..Mares warrantees item for original owner.You are NOT the the original owner,the unauthorized dealer who sold it to you is.It can be brand new in the box,but if item came from unauthorized source then warrantee does not apply.
Also the US distributor is the one who pays for the rebuild kits,not Mares themselves,so the cost is built into the price.If the regulator came from an overseas distributor how can one expect the US distributor to pay the costs involved if they never sold the product? The US distributor will not reimburse the LDS if it is not originally their product.The LDS does not have to honor the warranty either,especially if purchased elsewhere.They can tell you to get your warranty service from Mares, not the US distributor,maybe,so ship it out to the factory and see if they will.
Car dealerships are reimbursed by the auto maker for any warranty work needed to be done.The LDS wants to be reimbursed for the parts they put out to rebuild gear,no difference.

 

[Randy g]

You purchased it online at a lower cost,ok ,that is your choice.Pay now or pay later,you choose to pay later.

True! I saved $450 by buying online. I have no problem paying $100 per reg to service ($40 for parts/$60 for labor), I am still ahead $250! I will be servicing one reg myself following the LDS owner on the other one, inorder to learn exactly how to do it.

Oly your explanation is reasonable, I simply wanted to know if this was typical of Mares or it was the LDS rule?

 

[ScubaInChicago]

LDS rule, they are pissed off that you purchased your gear somewhere else....now they want you to pay the difference.....

 

[oly5050user]

True! I saved $450 by buying online. I have no problem paying $100 per reg to service ($40 for parts/$60 for labor), I am still ahead $250! I will be servicing one reg myself following the LDS owner on the other one, inorder to learn exactly how to do it.

Oly your explanation is reasonable, I simply wanted to know if this was typical of Mares or it was the LDS rule?

NOT a LDS rule..the LDS has to use rebuild kits..they pay for rebuild kits.if regulator is in manufacturer warrenty then LDS submits paperwork that shows item was purchased from authorized dealer and manufacturer then reimburses LDS by sending them replacement rebuild kits at no cost. You are ahead $250. this year.Next year only by $50. after that you are in the red..like they say pay now or pay later..Very kind of the LDS to have you see it done and to let you do it too.Hope you show your appreciation by patronizing the facility.

 

[ScubaInChicago]

Then after you pay the $100 bucks, he'll submit his copy of a receipt to Mares and get a free kit to replace the one you paid for...I love America...

 

[oly5050user]

Then after you pay the $100 bucks, he'll submit his copy of a receipt to Mares and get a free kit to replace the one you paid for...I love America...

Nope..Mares would not honor it.. They would go by the serial # on where it was sold and if unauthorized the lds has to PAY for a new replacement rebuild kit.Same with Scubapro,we just had a customer who was 3 months late on their warrenty, we submitted request for replacement kits and Scubapro charged us for the rebuild kits.Good thing is that with Scubapro the warrenty for parts for life is reinstated for next year.

 

[Zak OHara]

Hi,

To clarify. In N. America only, Mares U.S. has a policy that qualifies the original purchaser of a Mares regulator (post 2006) from an authorized dealer only, free service parts at regular service intervals. The owner must have the regulator serviced annually as recommended by Mares. Should the original owner not have the regulator serviced annually, they can pay for the parts on the service outside of the policy and then be reinstated. This does not include regulators purchased outside of the Mares N. America network.

As for the warranty against manufacture defect. This applies to our worldwide network. This policy is exclusive to the original consumer, purchased from an authorized dealer, and must have a valid receipt or proof of purchase. For details about the warranty visit www.Mares.com - corporate - warranty. Hope this helps.

Happy holidays,

 

[redacted]

NOT a LDS rule..the LDS has to use rebuild kits..they pay for rebuild kits.if regulator is in manufacturer warrenty then LDS submits paperwork that shows item was purchased from authorized dealer and manufacturer then reimburses LDS by sending them replacement rebuild kits at no cost. You are ahead $250. this year.Next year only by $50. after that you are in the red..like they say pay now or pay later..Very kind of the LDS to have you see it done and to let you do it too.Hope you show your appreciation by patronizing the facility.

Let look at this another way. First year you saved $200 each on 2 regulators - that's $400 in the black. If you take good care of your regs, you should expect to be able to go at least 3 years (100+ dives) between servicing. That means you should inspect your regs and pass on the annual service the first year. Take about $25 and buy an IP gauge which is like a regulators blood pressure - the primary indicator of internal condition besides the obvious leaks and noticeably poor performance. With annual service labor cost of about $75 per, that's another $125 in the bank for a balance of $525 in the black. Another year down the road, you should still be good so deposit another $150 in the bank for a total of $675 in the black. If you have not done it already, it would be a good idea to purchase a backup kit - one will cover both divers. I tend to buy regs used for under $150 and figure another $125 to service it. (If you are doing your own by then, the parts should run $25 to $60) that brings the bank down to $400, still in the black. Let's be pessimistic and assume you have to pay for servicing both original sets after 3 years (you could well go 5 years). That's going to cost you $150 in labor and about $120 in parts and now the bank is down to only $130, but still in the black. If you keep this up, the bank will never go below that and should continue to grow in the long run. And if you do get into DIY and find a good source of parts, the higher prices that come with full price dealers and unnecessary annual servicing will be a thing of the past.