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Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
If they were to separate out their Conshelf 14/1085 reg production facility that they have for their military and commercial clients, that BTW is still machined and hand soldered right here in the US, and expand that market to civilians who are willing to pay the money (which there are), I would be happy. The rest of Aqualung’s line I don’t care about. A bunch of newfangled overly gimmicky crap AFAIK.
Get back to basics with a proven design spanning almost 6 decades.
Get back to basics with a proven design spanning almost 6 decades.
GearheadExplorer85
Registered
This past April, I wanted to get back into diving after a 7 year hiatus. I took my Aqualung Balance BCD and Titan LX regulators to the local shop where I originally purchased them. I was told they would be ready in a month. This seemed like a long period of time, but I was still okay with it. Post-COVID, I know a lot of people are itching to get out on the water again. I figured it was reasonable to assume that my LDS had a backlog of service work.
A month later, I never heard anything from the LDS so I called to follow up. I was told they haven't started work on my gear since they were waiting for parts. Parts shortages aren't unheard of, so I let it go and let them hold onto my gear. But the warning bells were going off in my head.
Fast forward 2.5 months later, I haven't heard a word from the shop about my gear. I followed up with the shop again this morning. They still haven't started work on my gear. I asked some pointed questions about what the problem was. The guy I spoke to told me that there were supply chain issues with Aqualung because of COVID and they have been waiting upwards of a year for parts. Blaming COVID for supply chain issues seemed like a flimsy excuse to me. So I decided to do a deep dive (pun intended) to find out the root of the issue. It didn't take long for me to find this thread
I'm not sure what I'm more pissed about...the prospect of my practically new $3000 set of scuba gear (with only 30 or so dives on it) becoming paper weights...or the LDS feeding me BS this whole time, knowing full well that they can't service my gear.
A month later, I never heard anything from the LDS so I called to follow up. I was told they haven't started work on my gear since they were waiting for parts. Parts shortages aren't unheard of, so I let it go and let them hold onto my gear. But the warning bells were going off in my head.
Fast forward 2.5 months later, I haven't heard a word from the shop about my gear. I followed up with the shop again this morning. They still haven't started work on my gear. I asked some pointed questions about what the problem was. The guy I spoke to told me that there were supply chain issues with Aqualung because of COVID and they have been waiting upwards of a year for parts. Blaming COVID for supply chain issues seemed like a flimsy excuse to me. So I decided to do a deep dive (pun intended) to find out the root of the issue. It didn't take long for me to find this thread
I'm not sure what I'm more pissed about...the prospect of my practically new $3000 set of scuba gear (with only 30 or so dives on it) becoming paper weights...or the LDS feeding me BS this whole time, knowing full well that they can't service my gear.
It's not the shop, AL has been telling there dealers the parts are on the way, for a long time.
GearheadExplorer85
Registered
Right...just spend thousands for a brand new set of gear...simple. Who cares about everyone else (myself included) who have already spent thousands on equipment, can't get it serviced now, and can't replace it.
GearheadExplorer85
Registered
I don't buy that the LDS isn't part of the problem. If replacement parts are unobtainium, the LDS shouldn't be telling customers that they will have their gear ready in a month.
Do suppliers have any control over what LDS say to their customers? I'm wondering if there is some kind of contract where the LDS is obligated to accept customer work no matter what. I don't know the ins and outs of running a scuba shop but I'm curious to know how this works.
If my LDS was forthright and told me they couldn't service my gear because of supplier issues, I would still be pissed no doubt. But I would appreciate their honesty. In fact, I would be more willing to work with them in the future.
Just curious, if LDSs can't service customer's equipment, what are they doing to address their own rental gear?
Still Kicking
Contributor
Do you know what parts they are waiting on? If it's standard service kits, that shouldn't be an issue. AL still has stock on those, especially a common model like the Titan. A decent shop should have plenty on hand too.
If it's something else that needs replacing -- say one of those purge covers that tended to deteriorate from UV -- that might be another matter. Some odd parts were hard to come by even before the pandemic.
I would find out from the shop what parts they need -- get the part numbers -- and then call another AL dealer and see what they say. Perhaps you'll get lucky and find a dealer with stock on hand. Your reg isn't obselete and I think you have waited long enough.
They are being told the parts are on the way
GearheadExplorer85
Registered
I feel sorry for the shops that have a ton of AL rental gear that they can't service. So their alternatives are to buy all new rental gear from another brand, or their SOL? That's really ******.
Part of the reason I sold my apek regs and went deep 6.
