Aqua Lung Legend LX Supreme what would you do?

[pwraudio1]

Hi all, I will be getting this reg in the next 30 days and have look at it at my LDS and on LP....

My LDS wants : $610.00
LP wants : $399.95 + $10 shipping

Who would you get it from??? I know that I will have to send it to LP for work or pay my LDS to do it....

thanks for your time!

 

[AtomicWalrus]

Hi all, I will be getting this reg in the next 30 days and have look at it at my LDS and on LP....

My LDS wants : $610.00
LP wants : $399.95 + $10 shipping

Who would you get it from??? I know that I will have to send it to LP for work or pay my LDS to do it....

thanks for your time!

I'd recommend going to your LDS and discussing the LP price with them. If they see that they're going to lose a sale, they might cut their price a bit (although probably not as low as LP.) If you can live with paying a bit more, I'd recommend going through your LDS because you'll get the Aqualung warranty and lifetime replacement parts. I tend to be a supporter of local shops because I need them for air fills, and that's where I got my training. On the other hand, I don't believe in giving them a captive market and letting them charge whatever they like. Recommendation: give them a chance to give you a better price. If you can live with it, go local. If you can't, at least you've got a clear conscience by having given them a shot at making the sale to you.

 

[MaresMan1]

Pwraudio1,

I understand your dilemma, that is a big difference in price. However, I have to agree with AW, talk to your LDS first. If they will not budge, you might want to try Larry at ScubaToys.com. They have been matching LP prices and they are also a certified AL house, so you will get your warantee and parts.

I have purchased gear at LP also and they have been very good to me. However, if you want your AL warantee LP cannot guarantee that (they have their own warantee and service house).

I always like to support my LDS when I can, but when I can't, ScubaToys is a good alternate. If your LDS will not support your tune-ups, ScubaToys can handle that too.

Best of luck with your selection.

Dive Smart; Dive Safe
Enjoy the ride
:14:

 

[theskull]

For any component that will need service, especially the "life support" components, go with the LDS!

Because they will assemble and test it for you? Y
Because they will show you how to take care of it? Y
Because they can make last-minute adjustments before a dive trip? Y
Because they will probably give you a loaner if it needs repair? Y
Because they might make you a deal on some free air fills or reduced price training if you buy gear from them? Maybe

For a mask or fins I can see buying cheap online (but I don't myself). For life support equipment I cannot see risking it.

theskull

 

[pwraudio1]

Thanks for the feedback... I did not know scubatoys.com sold aqua lung? They don't show it on the site! I just got my new zeagle BC for Larry... I'll give them a call and see or if Larry reads this PM with more info...

Thanks,Lee

 

[pwraudio1]

PS: I like my LDS very much and the people that work for them and would love for them to have my MONEY but I just can't if they don't want to work with me on the price! $200+ bucks is a big profit!

 

[bigredbill]

Unless you are very much a captive audience ....with no other dive shops around... the idea that a local dive shop will not work on your reg because you didn't buy it there is laughable. If someone at the shop told you that, I would definitely take my business elsewhere. Though I believe in supporting the local shop if possible, if they are going to use threats and intimidation to get your business, I would not want them to stay in business - let them rot and hopefully someone ethical will rise up in it's place.

The truth is that overhauls are VERY LUCRATIVE to the dive shop, and turning one down under almost any circumstance is not in the best interest of that dive shop...and if dive shops are looking out for one thing, I can promise you, it is their own interest.

If someone threatened you that they would not support you, you can knuckle under and buy from them but what will be the next move - only tanks with their mark on them that prove they were purchased from them? All underwater film must be developed through their shop or no air for you!!! Scuba Air Nazis? Is it a single guy operation? I don't know how they would enforce a service ban, but maybe you do.

Worse comes to worse, drop it off for service in a year when they have forgotten you had this conversation with them, and if they ask where you got it tell them your brother in Texas bought it, but his wife said he couldn't scuba, so he sent it to you. Damn him...he didn't follow up with the warranty card!!

BTW, lifetime warranties, with the possible exception of Atomics (which has a 2 year timeframe) are not really that exciting. In Aqualung's case, the dealer is not even required to participate. And it is free parts every two years IF you maintain their schedule, whether you need to or not. If you forget to haul the reg to the shop at an anniversary, your warranty is void.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Unless a dealer agreement prohibits it, a local dive shop should be willing to match an on-line price or at least meet you somewhere in the middle and throw in some free air fills or something to make up the difference. Even if the dealer agreement does prohibit a large discount, the shop can still do the free air fills, free annual service the first couple years, etc which benefits you but also benefits them as their costs are realtively low and they guarentee you will be back in the shop often, most likely spending more money each visit. They can also throw you a sweet package deal with very steep discounts on items not covered by the dealer agreement, like wetsuits from other manufacturers, etc.

The thing is you need to convince the LDS that you are sincere about doing all your business there if possible but that you have financial limits to that desire and that they need to work with you to benefit both of you.

You also want to make the offer to the owner or manager and not start at the bottom with some one who has no power to give that kind of discount anyway. For the most part dive shops are not like car dealerships where the salesman will talk to the sale manager about an offer. The more likley response is a straight "no" and the owner or manager may then feel pressed to support the sales person with another "no" response.

 

[pwraudio1]

I was also told that if I become a SM they would not do the warranties even if I buy from them.... So why should I pay them full retail if I want even get warranty work for free ? LP keeps looking even better to me... Or scubatoys...

 

[diversteve]

I was also told that if I become a SM they would not do the warranties even if I buy from them.... So why should I pay them full retail if I want even get warranty work for free ?

I'd definitely start looking for a new LDS...Anytime an LDS implies that they won't warranty items they sell it's time to look for a new LDS. Don't they understand the concept of warranty service?

I would think that a smart LDS would offer warranty repair even if you didn't buy from them, it can't cost them much, they're already paying the tech to be there, the repair kits are cheap, and they'd have you looking around in the store at least twice. You'd think that someone would consider that in their marketing strategies. I don't know about you but I almost can't look around at a divestore without buying something.

I took my friends regulator in for a freeflow adjustment to an LDS I frequent about once a year, due to distance, so I'm not a great customer. While there I bought a $40 mask and they didn't charge me anything for the reg, although the tech probably worked on it about 20 minutes. And it was a brand they service but no longer sell.

Would I go back there? Absolutely. I even recommend them to other divers in my local scuba group. So that little bit of goodwill has probably netted them many times over the cost of the repair.

LP keeps looking even better to me... Or scubatoys...

I'd go with Scubatoys, I've gotten the same quick shipment for a $30 pair of finstraps as other people seem to get for more expensive items. If I lived in Dallas, I think they'd get all my business.

Seriously, why not save the money upfront by buying online and apply it to your maintenance costs. I bought an Atomic a couple of years ago, from an LDS about 1/2 hr. away. Had I known about Scubatoys then, I would have bought from them. I like the breathing of my Atomic, but I paid more than I should have - one of those combinations of on sale, cash in hand, and divetrip later that summer.

I don't know that I'm as big a fan of LeisurePro since it's their warranty and not the mfgs. But I don't really think warranties matter much anyway once you have the reg and it works.

Since I bought my reg, my local LDS became an Atomic dealer. So for my service last summer I paid $60 for a 2 yr. service. So in that scenario, you could pay for 3-4 years of service - for the $200 you'll save.

By then there'll probably be some fabulous new reg out that you'll buy anyway.