Buying Gear at your LDS VS internet!!!

[Tampabay]

WOW!!! I have been busy shopping this week. I would like to thank all ScubaBoard members who have given me so many tips and advice... With all the different brands of scuba gear and all thinking they were the best....It was hard to choose..

Special thanks to Gene at AquaticAdventures.net This guy knows his stuff....

One thing I discover through all this is: What price is service worth to you as a buyer?
Yes, you might find a better price online store but is your item or items warranty after the sale by the Manufacturer? You be shock to learn that unless is bought from a Dive shop that is authorized by the Manufacturer. It won't be....

So how are we to save money as Divers..? Simple, If you are a first time buyer and you know what you want... Buy it all at once and you be amazed with the little room your LDS has to negociate, how it will add up to big savings.

If you only need a couple of things. Talk to friend divers. See what they need and buy as one.

After searching through the internet and getting price from online stores. I was happy to realize that I saved $107.00 from my LDS...

Now I have a place to service my items without fear of not having a warranty... Work with your LDS and they will work with you....In the process you might make a friend.....

Best Regards to all Rey

 

[Furner]

I will buy from my LDS whenever possible, because they will do layaway for me, and let me take my stuff and dive with it whenever i want before i have it paid off

 

[scubasean]

WOW!!! I have been busy shopping this week. I would like to thank all ScubaBoard members who have given me so many tips and advice... With all the different brands of scuba gear and all thinking they were the best....It was hard to choose..

Special thanks to Gene at AquaticAdventures.net This guy knows his stuff....

One thing I discover through all this is: What price is service worth to you as a buyer?
Yes, you might find a better price online store but is your item or items warranty after the sale by the Manufacturer? You be shock to learn that unless is bought from a Dive shop that is authorized by the Manufacturer. It won't be....

So how are we to save money as Divers..? Simple, If you are a first time buyer and you know what you want... Buy it all at once and you be amazed with the little room your LDS has to negociate, how it will add up to big savings.

If you only need a couple of things. Talk to friend divers. See what they need and buy as one.

After searching through the internet and getting price from online stores. I was happy to realize that I saved $107.00 from my LDS...

Now I have a place to service my items without fear of not having a warranty... Work with your LDS and they will work with you....In the process you might make a friend.....

Best Regards to all Rey

I think that talking about price v. service is a misnomer, unless you would really get the additional service by buying locally. Many LDS's in the SF bay area seem to look at me as only being as good as my current purchase....

As for warranty, I never fear not having it. I try to buy equipment that is built only be reputable manufacturers anyway, and haven't had a problem with my gear that having or not having a warranty would have made a difference.

 

[Quarrior]

I buy from my LDS when they either have or will get what I want at a price I'm willing to pay. They know this as we have discussed it several times and are good with it. So far they have been able to come through on everything except my PST tanks and used dry suit.

They just couldn't get there hands on the tanks and they knew I could not afford a new dry suit. Everything else came from them, including my BP/W, HID light, reg, weights, etc.

I had a previous LDS that didn't care to work with me, so, they are no longer my LDS.

Basically, some shops are good and some are not. You just need to shop around.

 

[scuba_frog]

Big ticket items I like my LDS. If there is ever a problem, I know where I can go for help or repairs. For the little piddely stuff...I look for price and price alone.

One way I found to save a bunch of money, especially if the LDS is owned by only one person, is to ask what the cash price is. I saved almost $450 on BC, reg, octo, computer and weights by offering a cash price. And yes, everything was brand new. What he did with the money is no business of mine...lol.

 

[Tampabay]

Welcome to scubaBoard... I did the same thing...I offered cash and saved also...

 

[theskull]

It also pays to have alot of dive buddies and advise them of upcoming purchases you are planning. You will be surprised at how often they will have the item you want and were planning to sell it so they could upgrade to something else. Ditto for items you own and are no longer fond of.

theskull

 

[Xanthro]

When someone dies because of recall of a "gray" market good that the manufacturer wouldn't allow to be registered, and thus notified of the recall, will equal huge civil suit award against said manufactorer.

These "gray" market sellers are buying their goods from someplace, and it's not retail. This means somehow, they are getting them from the manufactorer, unless we are to believe they all somehow fell off the back of the truck and are stolen items, and the manufactorer lost the serial numbers to track them.

Xanthro

 

[baitedstorm]

I support my LDs and will continue to do so as long as we keep the relationship we have the way it is. I've taken all my PADI classes from them so I've spent a ton of time in their store. If they ever made me feel like it wasn't cool for me to just be in there hanging out and BSing, I'd probably find somewhere else.

 

[mikswi]

I will buy from my LDS whenever possible, because they will do layaway for me, and let me take my stuff and dive with it whenever i want before i have it paid off

I have to admit, that my LDS has gone way above & beyond on this. I have had as much as $2,700.00 out on credit between my wife & I, (which we paid off in less than 5 months).

In addition to his patience & generosity, he has taught me reg repair and has gotten me factory cert'd on reg repair.

I realize that this does not fit everyones situation but, it worked for me.