Aqualung and gray markets...FYI

[rawls]

This a statement Aqualung has made regarding gray market dealers such as Leisure Pro.

Leisure Pro is NOT an authorized Aqua Lung dealer
Aqua Lung does not sell or provide products to Leisure Pro. We do not plan to sell, nor have we authorized any of our global authorized distributors, dealers or other customers to sell Aqua Lung products to Leisure Pro. We consider any Aqua Lung, Sea Quest, Apeks or Suunto products sold through Leisure Pro to be “Gray Market” goods.

Gray Market goods are distributed in the United States without Aqua Lung's authorization, and may place the consumer at risk. We do not support or provide warranty services for products purchased through Leisure Pro since we cannot determine if the product is new, damaged or used. You should be warned that consumers who have bought Aqua Lung products from Leisure Pro in the past have found out after their purchase that certain rights to warranties and other value added support benefits could not be obtained.

Utilizing our global serial number tracking system, we have documented evidence of products being obtained by Leisure Pro through unauthorized gray market channels. In these cases we have taken severe actions to cut off the source of gray market products. We will continue to take aggressive measures to prevent our products from being sold through gray market channels.

We are committed to protecting our brand image. We take great pride in our products and in the enjoyment our customers receive using our products. To support these ideals we sell only through a network of authorized distributors, independent specialty stores and retail partners. These are the organizations that provide the infrastructure so you can enjoy diving -- training, air fills, travel and equipment service. They employ professionals who receive up-to-date training on our products so they can instruct you in their safe and proper use as well as proper care and maintenance. Buying from an unauthorized source can put you and those who make the dive business possible, at risk.

Purchasing equipment from an Authorized Aqua Lung dealer assures you of receiving the highest quality equipment and customer service available in the industry today! The benefits to you are:


· 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee

· $100 Future Technology Upgrade on selected products

· Limited Lifetime Warranty on all Regulators and Buoyancy Compensators

· “Free Parts for Life” on all Aqua Lung and Apeks regulators

· 5 Year Limited Warranty on Suunto dive computers

· 3 Year “Free Battery Replacement” with Suunto computers

· Professional assistance in determining the right equipment for your needs

· Professional setup and instruction in the use of your Aqua Lung purchases

· Service and repair by Aqua Lung trained technicians

 

[jeraldjcook]

We are committed to protecting our [-]brand image[/-] high prices, profit margins, and our complete control over those we allow to sell our products.

I went ahead and made the necessary corrections.

Goes for the majority of manufacturers as well, not just Aqualung.

 

[rawls]

I went ahead and made the necessary corrections

Look at it as you wish...You still do not get the warranty...

high prices, profit margins, and our complete control over those we allow to sell our products

It is called "business." Aqualung is not the only dive equipment manufacturer that takes issue to the gray markets. If you want to buy higher end products without getting warranty coverage then have at it...

 

[24940]

You could duplicate this post and Replace Aqua Lung with Scubapro.

 

[CMAN]

 

[24940]

With 220 posts in six years, what possessed you to reply to this thread with this reply? Just curious.

BTW, I think that is too much popcorn for this topic. This shouldn't even rate as a two bagger.

 

[hlsooner]

There is a legal concept amongst "gray market" goods known as the Lever Rule. It has been codified in a Federal statute and it allows manufacturers to apply for protection with U.S. Customs and keep gray market goods from being imported into the United States. If granted Lever Rule protection, Customs will not allow the importation of the gray market goods.

The key to Lever Rule protection is that the manufacturer must demonstrate to Customs that the foreign gray market product is somehow physically and materially different than product being sold under the same trademark in the United States. The fact that this company is not using Lever Rule protection in their supposed "fight" against Leisure Pro is pretty strong circumstantial evidence that the goods LP is selling are not physically and materially different from any sold by authorized dealers.

A brief summary of the Lever Rule here.
Lever Rule

 

[SparticleBrane]

Look at it as you wish...You still do not get the warranty...
If you want to buy higher end products without getting warranty coverage then have at it...

Oh no, grey market goods!!! Whatever will we do?! :11: The exact same thing as the stuff sold across the street, but much cheaper, allowing us to save some money or buy something else. Heaven forbid...

There is still LeisurePro's own warranty and return policy, which I believe is quite competitive. I'll go over a few points posted in the original post:

• 60-day satisfaction guarantee where they will refund your purchase for any reason, plus another 60 days after that for in-store credit.
  
  
• With the money you saved buying from LeisurePro you can probably put that $100 (or more) away in a bank somewhere.
  
  
• LeisurePro's own in-store warranty is equal to that of the original manufacturer's.
  
  
• I already know what kind of gear I want, so the last thing I need is some dive shop employee trying to get me to buy something I don't need.
  
  
• I know how to set up my own gear.

The fact that this company is not using Lever Rule protection in their supposed "fight" against Leisure Pro is pretty strong circumstantial evidence that the goods LP is selling are not physically and materially different from any sold by authorized dealers.

I'd agree with that. This whole thing us a bunch of FUD: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt.

 

[fireflock]

How is this different than what their policy has been for the last 5 years?

AquaLung products are among the easiest to find on the gray market, and have been for years. How hard are they really trying? Do dealers believe this stuff? The company is either incompetent, or not trying very hard. Either way, that's not someone I want as a partner in my business.

 

[bfw]

Gray Market goods are distributed in the United States without Aqua Lung's authorization, and may place [-]the consumer[/-] our profits at risk.

We do not support or provide warranty services for products purchased through Leisure Pro since we cannot determine if the [-]product is new, damaged or used[/-] the markup was sufficient.

In these cases we have taken severe actions to [-]cut off the source of gray market products[/-] engage in anti-competitive restraint of trade.

We take great pride in our products and in the enjoyment our customers receive using our products, provided, of course, that the customers have suffered sufficient economic pain to deserve that enjoyment.

To support [-]these ideals[/-]abusive markups we sell only through a network of authorized distributors, independent specialty stores and retail partners.

These are the organizations that provide the infrastructure so you can enjoy diving -- training, air fills, travel and equipment service, all of which LeisurePro provides, but it doesn't count unless subsidized by outrageous equipment markups.

They employ professionals who receive up-to-date training on our products so they can instruct you in their safe and proper use as well as proper care and maintenance, and if you have a brain and don't need it, they'll make you pay for it anyway.

Purchasing equipment from an Authorized Aqua Lung dealer assures you of [-]receiving the highest quality equipment and customer service [/-] paying the highest markups available in the industry today!

· Limited Lifetime Warranty on all Regulators and Buoyancy Compensators
· “Free Parts for Life” on all Aqua Lung and Apeks regulators

And we learned our lesson on that one with Dacor.

· 3 Year “Free Battery Replacement” with Suunto computers

Feature vs. benefit. Unless you have a service tech everywhere I dive, it's actually a detriment because it makes you think you don't need to make them user replaceable.

· Professional assistance in determining the right equipment for your needs

I already paid handsomely for training so I wouldn't NEED that.
· Professional setup and instruction in the use of your Aqua Lung purchases

Ditto above