3 Year Old Cobra from Leisure pro Died, what are my options?

[Ann Marie]

The computer is gone, not repairable. If it was underwarrenty (which it's not because of age) and purchased from a dealer they would replace it.

I understand the problems with gray market and I don't blame people for price shopping and purchasing it at the least expensive shop.

There are two sides to this problem. First, if Aqualung didn't have minimum pricing then you would have large dive shops (like Sport Chalet) being able to offer the product at a much less price, like LP. This would cause a similar problem that some areas are seeing with Walmart. It could put the little guy out of business. See, a shop that buys a more product from a manufacture may get a better price than a shop that only buys one or two every couple months. So the shop that gets a better price could sell it for less since they are paying less. Now the problems come in when it causes the little shops to go out of business. Where do we get our air?? LeisurePro isn't pumping gas as far as I know.

Second, I've been told the following. Take it for what it's worth as I can't prove anything. Say Aqualung sells 100 computers to a dive shop. A dive shop keeps 20 for their stock and then sells 80 for less than retail to someone else. This person jacks up the price a little and they make their way to LP. I've been told that Aqualung does not sell directly to LP. How many hands have they passed thru...one or ten? I don't know--I'm a nobody. Why would Aqualung care? They say if you don't buy it from an authorized dealer we won't back the item. Aqualung is still selling the computer to an authorized dealer and the owner of the computer is saving money. The only people that this hurts is #1 the little dive shop and #2 a customer if they have a problem.

I'm not saying price fixing is the answer and I'm not telling anyone where to shop. I am just trying to show another side of this.

John is right. He didn't have any problems until the computer was out of warranty. If it was purchased from an authorized dealer would Aqualung have done something more to help him out? Maybe/maybe not, but then I could have asked and tried to work something out.

It hasn't been that long since internet stores started poping up. Heck, it hasn't been that long since diving opened up to more people. There are still lots of wrinkles to be ironed out in this industry.

 

[Ann Marie]

Ann Marie I really do appreciate all of your help and don't hold you or Sport Chalet responsible. My issue is with Suunto/Aqualung. QUOTE]

Thanks. I thought that you were upset about how we treated you. I appreciate your comments and am sorry that I couldn't do more.

 

[Scared Silly]

Injohn,

Are you saying that Suunto refuses to even give you a quote to fix the thing? It's more than understandable that they wouldn't fix it under warranty (after all, you don't actually have a warranty from them), but to simply refuse to work on it at your cost is unconscionable.

Not really, this is how a lot of the gray market stuff works these days, especially with cameras. For instance, the subsidiaries of manufacturers ( for instance NikonUSA and CanonUSA) will not work on cameras purchased outside of the USA. As such, you have to send the camera back to the country where it was originaly distributed from. And these are subsidiaries of the manufacturer which is quite different from AquaLung which is the distributor - which is another story all together.

 

[ZzzKing]

Yes I did from the LDS and it is for the lifetime of the product (when the manufacturer stops making it). Since they are large and have been in business here since 1961, I trust them to honor it too. I'm a good customer and they have no reason not to make me happy with my purchase. That was for the Cobra model. They don't stock the D9 or the Vytek and I can't say if they make that guarantee for all models.

A lot of people don't like Aqualung products because they don't service equipment not purchased through an authorized dealer and I can understand that. OTOH, they need to understand that if they buy a gray market Aqualung product, they need to accept that they may not get any service for it.

That is a great deal, then. You buy once and never have to buy another. That is worth at least 2x.

 

[scubapro50]

Well 1st thing you do is put the used Computer on Ebay with a 99 cent starting bid and no reserve .... be sure you list it as "non working needs service and battery" ..... next take the $300 you saved and added another $100 and purchase a new one from LeisurePro ...... that way you have at least 2 more years with a working computer with a warranty (be sure to keep receipt and try to purchase it with a visa or mastercard that will double the warranty) .... now if you believe this then I would like to show you some "waterfront property" (durning low tide) in Lousiana I'm trying to sell ...

 

[Scared Silly]

Second, I've been told the following. Take it for what it's worth as I can't prove anything. Say Aqualung sells 100 computers to a dive shop. A dive shop keeps 20 for their stock and then sells 80 for less than retail to someone else. This person jacks up the price a little and they make their way to LP. I've been told that Aqualung does not sell directly to LP. How many hands have they passed thru...one or ten? I don't know--I'm a nobody. Why would Aqualung care? They say if you don't buy it from an authorized dealer we won't back the item. Aqualung is still selling the computer to an authorized dealer and the owner of the computer is saving money. The only people that this hurts is #1 the little dive shop and #2 a customer if they have a problem.

Oh I bet AquaLung cares ... because this is their way of taking care of the little guy.

There is one thing here. If the computer in question got back to AquaLungUSA I am willing to bet that they traced the serial number. And if the serial number started out going to a distributer outside of the USA they probably contacted them about it as AquaLung does not want gray market imports. But as Ann Marie said it probably changed hands several times before LP got it. (If a foreign distributor sold directly to LP then AquaLung USA should talking to their parent company as I believe AquaLung is the world wide distributor for Suunto dive products).

However, if the computer was distributed by AquaLungUSA in the USA. I bet they are talking to the dive store that it went to and asking how it managed to end up being resold by LP. (I.e. that dive store would be having a sale on Suunto computers cause they would no longer be an authorized dealer).

 

[lowwall]

These products have serial numbers right? Which means Aqualung either knows exactly who is reselling to the gray market, or is willfully ignoring this information. Either way, large numbers of gray market sales of Aqualung products could not occur without their tacit acceptance. I don't belive for a second there is more than one or two middlemen involved, otherwise LP couldn't price the units so low.

So Aqualung is punishing owners of its products by refusing service (not warranty work which makes sense, but paid service) for units purchased through the gray market that they are all too happy to supply? This is at least unethical. I could never support a company with such policies by purchasing any of their products.

 

[Scared Silly]

Okay I need to add one thing in here.

AquaLung gives a 5 year prorated warranty. After year two they prorate.

http://www.aqualung.com/product_warranties_b.html

The first two years is 100% replacement.
From years 2-3 it is 75% replacement
From years 3-5 it is 50% replacement

LeisurePro says they will do the same period offered by the manufacturer

http://www.leisurepro.com/Downloads/Warranty.pdf

So it would seem to me that LP is not holding up to their warranty as I would think they should be giving a new computer at 75% off. Of course they may argue that it is not a defect.


Finally, Oceanic has a very generous trade in program.

http://www.oceanicworldwide.com/services_upgrades.html

 

[Scared Silly]

These products have serial numbers right? Which means Aqualung either knows exactly who is reselling to the gray market, or is willfully ignoring this information. Either way, large numbers of gray market sales of Aqualung products could not occur without their tacit acceptance. I don't belive for a second there is more than one or two middlemen involved, otherwise LP couldn't price the units so low.

So Aqualung is punishing owners of its products by refusing service (not warranty work which makes sense, but paid service) for units purchased through the gray market that they are all too happy to supply? This is at least unethical. I could never support a company with such policies by purchasing any of their products.

From all the noise I hear about AquaLung and some of their policies I would guess that they are probably the most aggressive in the dive industry about following up. As such, I seriously doubt that they are taking a blind eye this issue.

More on this issue in the Whine & Cheeze
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=154961


BTW - this arrangement only involves Suunto Dive Products. But not the rest of Suunto's products which are distributed by SuuntoUSA. For instance REI sells lots of Suunto watches, in store, by mail, and internet.

 

[scubapro50]

Oh I bet AquaLung cares ... because this is their way of taking care of the little guy.

There is one thing here. If the computer in question got back to AquaLungUSA I am willing to bet that they traced the serial number. And if the serial number started out going to a distributer outside of the USA they probably contacted them about it as AquaLung does not want gray market imports. But as Ann Marie said it probably changed hands several times before LP got it. (If a foreign distributor sold directly to LP then AquaLung USA should talking to their parent company as I believe AquaLung is the world wide distributor for Suunto dive products).

However, if the computer was distributed by AquaLungUSA in the USA. I bet they are talking to the dive store that it went to and asking how it managed to end up being resold by LP. (I.e. that dive store would be having a sale on Suunto computers cause they would no longer be an authorized dealer).

You would be surprised how many manfuctures don't track the serial numbers all that well .... reason is the cost to keep up the paper trail. The distributor gets large numbers of products from them and they don't log in the individual numbers. THAT'S WHY YOU FILL OUT WARRANTY CARDS and KEEP RECEIPTS. Most times the companies don't track the serial numbers until they receive the cards back. Other than products such as firearms (which are required under federal law) companies don't record the serial numbers of products they make and where they were shipped because it raises their costs. You the buyer must keep track of such things. How many times have you seen recall notices but never got a card telling you about the problem. I own a Ford Explorer (purchased new) and never got a card telling me about the "cruise control" problem. I had to see it on TV and call a dealer to find out I had one. .......... If there is a "factory recall" due to defective parts used then the company wished it had tracked the serial numbers better. Look at the Areis BC recall because of the defective power inflator ..... how many of them are still out there not fixed because the company couldn't track who they sold them to.