Did I just get taken by ALL WET Scuba in Tempe??

[vladimir]

Sorry to nitpick but you can call it a rip off, overcharging, a scam or even theft but you can't call it USURY. (With the exception of the hose protector - the charges seem reasonable to me though).

I was restraining myself, but since you opened the door to nitpicking, "usury" refers to the charging of exorbitant interest, specifically. So he may have been gouged on the hose protector and swindled on the labor, but unless the whole thing is on credit at 2% a week, no usury is involved.

 

[Web Monkey]

I was restraining myself, but since you opened the door to nitpicking, "usury" refers to the charging of exorbitant interest, specifically. So he may have been gouged on the hose protector and swindled on the labor, but unless the whole thing is on credit at 2% a week, no usury is involved.

Is usury even a crime anymore?

I've seen banks charging close to 40% interest on credit cards.

Terry

 

[vladimir]

In 1978, in Marquette vs. First Omaha Service Corp, the Supreme Court took away the ability of individual states to regulate nationally chartered banks, leaving us all at the mercy of the South Dakota State Legislature and spawning the modern credit card industry. It is unbelievable to me what they get away with charging the ignorant, and they don't even have to break kneecaps.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

$60 each for labor, for a job done right, is reasonable. The quoted parts prices look like the usual 100% markup over LDS cost. But if they did not explain that their quoted price of $60 each was only for labor and that parts would be extra, then I can understand why you may think you were scammed. I also would have expected them to provide an estimate of parts costs to give you a more accurate estimated total cost.

1+

$20 per stage ($60 total) plus parts seems about "standard" rate for a lot of shops. It does vary a bit by region, and by brand.

The shop should have been up front on a total service estimate with you however, and I think most good shops will call you if they find an unanticipated problem that will drive the price well above the estimate.

Best wishes.

 

[oly5050user]

Thanks guys. The Scubapro was purchased used. The Aqua Lung was new and purchased at Sports Chalet almost 2yrs ago.

scubapro purchased used?Probably never will be able to reinstate warrenty.Only for original owner when purchased from authorized dealer.If LDS does it they screwed up and could possibly find out when they process for part replacement that they will not get their parts replaced at no cost.

 

[PhilEllis]

So just how many man hours goes into servicing 1 reg? I am not talking about the time that parts might sit in a solution somewhere (if they do, I don't work on these things) but actual time spent inspecting, breaking down, replacing and putting back together. Are we talking 1 hour, 8 hours? what?

sucks for your washer but I would think that is out of the norm. Most last much longer then that but do cost way too much to fix when they break.

If done properly and completely, it would be very difficult to complete a first stage, a primary, and a back-up second stage in less than an hour. On some models that are extremely adjustment sensitive, it can be longer. Parts cleaning takes only minutes and is done while other stages are disassembled/assembled. We also test all rebuilt regulators on an atmospheric flow column, so this adds about another 15 minutes.

Phil Ellis
www.divesports.com

 

[PhilEllis]

and no, I said NEW Honda.

The point I attempted to make, although sloppily, is that a $130 repair on a car would not be unusual, and it would be large in relation to the original purchase price of an $800 car. But, the particular repair takes what it takes, regardless of the cost of the car.

The same applies to regulator rebuilds. The cost (labor and parts) is the same for both a regulator that originally costs $300 and one that costs $900.

Phil Ellis
www.divesports.com

 

[OldNSalty]

If done properly and completely, it would be very difficult to complete a first stage, a primary, and a back-up second stage in less than an hour. On some models that are extremely adjustment sensitive, it can be longer. Parts cleaning takes only minutes and is done while other stages are disassembled/assembled. We also test all rebuilt regulators on an atmospheric flow column, so this adds about another 15 minutes.

Phil Ellis
Discount Scuba Gear at DiveSports.com - Buy Scuba Diving Equipment & Snorkeling Equipment

So, almost $60 an hour for a tech? I know, its not all profit and I don't blame the shops for charging what they can but if I were buying new I would definately be looking for a reg with the longest service interval. No matter how you slice it, main. cost is a little unreasonable IMO.

Again, not blaming the shops, but why can't the engineers make a system that last longer?

 

[fdog]

My Atomics have a 2 year service interval.

Although performance was my primary purchasing criteria, the service interval definitely factored in, too.

All the best, James

 

[Web Monkey]

My Atomics have a 2 year service interval.

Although performance was my primary purchasing criteria, the service interval definitely factored in, too.

All the best, James

1 year vs 2 doesn't sound like a big difference, but the service really adds up, especially if you have more than one reg and maybe an SS1 alternate.

Nice regs too!

Terry