AQUALUNG and LEISUREPRO

[kelemvor]

You mean when you buy a new Mercedes from a dealer is price fixing?

The difference is that Mercedes and most other companies issue an MSRP. Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price. Scubapro, and apparently Aqualung mandate a Required retail price. A practice that in my opinion should be illegal.

Have you ever paid MSRP for a car? I hope not.

I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to me the practice is in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Maybe nobody has bothered to challenge these companies in court. My guess is they aren't treating shops that sell the same product as competitors

 

[muzikbiz22]

Having an MSRP, is not price fixing. Having a MAP (Minimum ADVERTISED Price), is not price fixing. An Authorised Dealer of any said product, (scuba, kitchen appliance, car, fur coat) can SELL a product for ANY price they want.

 

[kelemvor]

Having an MSRP, is not price fixing. Having a MAP (Minimum ADVERTISED Price), is not price fixing. An Authorized Dealer of any said product, (scuba, kitchen appliance, car, fur coat) can SELL a product for ANY price they want.

According to my LDS and other posts I've seen on scuaboard, Scubapro products must be sold at a particular price. They have the option of giving a 10% discount, no more. They aren't allowed to advertise at that 10% discounted price. This post makes it sound like the policies for AquaLung are the same.

 

[redacted]

Having an MSRP, is not price fixing. Having a MAP (Minimum ADVERTISED Price), is not price fixing. An Authorised Dealer of any said product, (scuba, kitchen appliance, car, fur coat) can SELL a product for ANY price they want.

Yes they can; BUT, the manufacturer/distributor may (and has) cut them off from any future authorized supply.

 

[WB2GLP]

It's my understanding that leisure pro sources some of their inventory from failed dive shops going through liquidation. If that's the case and if AL is truly concerned about black market goods, why not buy back stock from those shops? Maybe they do and I'm way off base. IDK.

 

[Edward3c]

I stopped using Aqualung products back in the 1980s, because of their policy of not providing spares once a product is 3 years out of production. Don't know if it still applies, but I still encourage students to purchase other makes.

In the UK the retailer is responsible for a product, not the manufacturer. However, if the retailer goes out of business the manufacturer has to sort things out - authorised dealer or not.

 

[KD8NPB]

I stopped using Aqualung products back in the 1980s, because of their policy of not providing spares once a product is 3 years out of production.

Please explain?

I serviced a ~1960s Conshelf 1st stage last year (1 LP / 1 HP port i think?)...took a PN900001 SVC just fine.

 

[Slamfire]

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
· Limited Lifetime Warranty on all Regulators and Buoyancy Compensators

LeisurePro has a 60/120 day return policy and they do have a Warranty Policy that covers Aqua Lung's "grey" products.

Warranty PolicyLeisure Pro buyers find the best products at the lowest possible prices wherever they are. Since (sometimes) that means that we do not buy it directly from the manufacturer, nor are we authorized by them to sell their products, so we are not bound by the official/unofficial manufacturer's suggested retail prices, and we can pass on the tremendous savings to you. In some instances the product will come without an English language manual or manufacturer's warrantee cards valid in the United States. In those cases, we provide our own Leisure Pro Warranty, which offers equal or greater protection.

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

I service my own regulators with industrial and generic parts. Most of the parts that you change are orings that are very, VERY cheap (3 to 5 cents are tipical costs). Other generic equivalent parts are easily available from Trident and others for a few dollars ($3 for a high pressure seat is typical). So, even though Aqualung might want end users to think their orings are made from a magical substance and any other oring will just kill you because they violate the integrity of these "life support" highly sophisticated equipment equipment, the truth is that regulators are easy to understand, simple mechanical gadgets that are easy AND CHEAP to service.

· 5 Year Limited Warranty on Suunto dive computers
· 2 Year “Free Battery Replacement” with Suunto computers

I would never buy a dive computer that does not allow the end user to change the battery on his own. That kind of product design boils down to a coercive tactic to keep end users tied down as a continuous revenue stream based on purposefully bad design. When I buy a product, I would like to think that I pay the manufacturer to build it for MY needs. 5 yr limited warranty from Aqualung? I prefer to stick with Shearwater Research and their superb tradition of standing by their products to the benefit of the end user.

· Professional assistance in determining the right equipment for your needs
· Professional setup and instruction in the use of your Aqua Lung purchases

Right... ever heard of the phrase "used car salesman"? You go to this character and he will also give you "Professional assistance in determining the right equipment". But whose needs will this right equipment advice serve best?

· Service and repair by Aqua Lung trained technicians

Thanks, but no. I don't do "trust me dives" and that includes taking personal full accountability for the state of my own equipment.

The heart of the matter is that putting the roles of mentor/instructor together with that of equipment sales person is a conflict of interest that goes directly against the end users.

 

[Pongo1998]

I still prefer to support my LDS. I may be wrong but it seems like a lot of people have a deep dislike for LDS's but they provide a lot of services that some online shop can't. Can you go to leisure pro and try things on and get in their pool? Can you go in and BS with them, get advice, go on dive trips with them? I'm not bashing leisure pro but I have had bad experience with buying from unauthorized dealers that provide their own warranty. Maybe I am really fortunate to have a great LDS that I deal with that are extremely knowledgeable, know me when I walk in, that I consider friends that are reasonably priced. They try to match or get close to internet prices on most stuff, some stuff they can't but I don't mind paying more for the services they provide. Plus, if I have a problem I can call or stop in and everything in their power us done to correct it. I can walk in and try everything they have on in the store. For me, I will pay the extra for what all I get.

 

[BoltSnap]

LDS and manufacturers want to make a profit and earn a living by selling their products and services??? OMG, how dare they? This is totally un-American, let's hang them and burn them alive for their evil and satanic ways.