DiveInn.com and Service/Warranty ?? (for Apeks regs)

[jshimmer]

I'm thinking about purchasing the Apeks TX50 reg + TX40 octo from diveinn.com in the UK. Great price for the set $337 shipped to my door.

What I'd like to know is, has anyone from the USA purchased regulators or BCD's from diveinn AND had them serviced? Do you send them back to diveinn, or do you have them serviced locally? Local dive shops are giving me the cold shoulder every time I say I don't want to spend $699 + 6% state sales tax for the exact same setup that I can get from diveinn.com for $337.

Comments? Thanks.

 

[large_diver]

A few thoughts --

Contact Apeks directly to see what their warranty policy is for gear ordered from diveinn and sent to the US.

I guess you are taking a calculated risk here -- if you need work covered by your warranty, you will have the choice of sending it back to Spain on your dime. For the same cost, you could probably pay your LDS to do the work.

At the same time, odds are that you will never need warranty work done........

 

[jshimmer]

>> For the same cost, you could probably pay your LDS to do the work.

$35 bucks for round-trip shipping between UK and my home. I can't imagine having ONLY $35 worth of charges for any service that's not covered under warranty (parts + labor).

The LDS implied that they wouldn't even perform the work if necessary. Or do you think he was saying that it just would not be covered under warranty, and that I'd have to foot the entire bill (if it needed unscheduled service) ??

Thanks.

 

[large_diver]

Yeah, you're right....shipping would probably be cheaper, although it would take longer and you might have to pay the freight in both directions (not sure about this)

If you threw down the "I can get it for half price on the net" gauntlet in front of the LDS and then asked them if they would perform service if you ordered it online, no doubt you received a surly response. They view you as a growing trend that will put them out of business.

Hopefully you have multiple choices for LDS in your area, because this guy may actually refuse to service your reg even if it's on your dime if he knows you bought it online. I've seen similar reactions before.

 

[Mverick]

For the price you could buy 2 regs and if one needs service just use the other reg. Tell the LDS that. Better be wearing a Bullet Proof Vest though.
I buy my gear online too. All I hear at the dive shop is how bad that is. I refuse to pay double for a reg. I use my own compressor so I'm not worried about them filling my tanks either.
If someone walks into the shop and asks about a reg. Which one I recomend. Try new gear in the pool. To try on a wetsuit. Ask the new features of a BC and try it on for sizing. Then goes out and buy's one online I'd be pissed to. I buy site unseen and take the risk. I know my sizes and know what kind of gear I'm looking for. But as far as servicing them. It's there responsability to do that. In my eye's anyway. If I gave you all the info about the reg at the shop and you bought it online. I probably wouldn't work on it either. That would make my time worth nothing and I don't believe that or you wouldn't have asked my opinion or for me to work on it. Most of the gear I buy isn't carried by my shop anyway.

 

[Scubaroo]

Hi,

I've bought the same reg set from DiveInn only a few weeks ago. Very impressed - ordered them one Saturday night, was holding them in my hands Wednesday morning. Talk about fast! BTW, DiveInn is in Spain, not UK.

Regarding warranty, read the following URL (http://www.sea-quest.com/pages/wtypagesq.html). Aqua Lung are the US distributers of Apeks regs. This link clearly states that their equipment will only be covered by warranty if purchased OVER THE COUNTER from an AUTHORIZED reseller. An over-the-web purchase voids warranty. Note that this is warranty only, the annual servicing that your LDS would do has nothing to do with where you purchased the regs from. You'll be paying for this anyway. However, telling a shop that you're going to buy online because they're too expensive is probably a bit tactless, and it's VERY understandable if they imply they're going to refuse servicing for you! Sort of like Bart and Millhouse being banned from the comic book store

I felt the likelyhood of Apeks regs needing warranty work was so slim I decided to wear the risk and buy them online anyway. But the real cost you pay buying things over the web is that you miss out on all of the service and advice (good) staff can impart when you're contemplating a purchase. Just don't walk into a dive shop to check out gear you're planning to buy online - that's just not cricket.

 

[Zagnut]

I have been looking into purchasing my own gear. I have checked alot of the online shops and they all have better pricing than my LDS, but they all seem to be within a few dollars of each other. Then I ran across the diveinn.com website and their prices are much better. How can they do this? Do they get better pricing from the manufacturer overseas, or does it have sometning to do with the exchange rate or what? Are U.S. online stores pricefixing? It sounds too good to be true.

 

[turnerjd]

Originally posted by Zagnut
I have been looking into purchasing my own gear. I have checked alot of the online shops and they all have better pricing than my LDS, but they all seem to be within a few dollars of each other. Then I ran across the diveinn.com website and their prices are much better. How can they do this? Do they get better pricing from the manufacturer overseas, or does it have sometning to do with the exchange rate or what? Are U.S. online stores pricefixing? It sounds too good to be true.

I have found that generally the european dive stores are cheeper than US ones for the same kit.

Part of this is that a lot of the gear is european, especially the Apeks regs that were being considered.

Do they get better prices from the manufacturer? This is probably more to do with bulk discount. If you sell several hundred Apeks regs a year you will get a better price for them from Apeks than if you sell 20-30, as most LDS's will do. Equally, buying european kit (Apeks, Faber, Luxfer, Uwatech, Beauchat, Cressi, Mares, Spiro, Aqualung.......) in europe will be cheeper than buying it in the states, simply due to things like shipping, handling, import agents charges etc..

Obviously, the same applies in reverse for buying US kit in europe. To buy a DUI Drysuit in europe you practically have to take out a mortgage.

Are the US stores price fixing? Probably it isn't the stores, but the import agents / distributors selling at a certain price, and the stores all selling at a certain markup. Although some (the best example is scubapro) will drop a dealer if they go below list price, which is akin to price fixing.

Also, for people on the western side of the pond, the poor value of the euro at the moment means that prices of kit bought from euroland will be very nice!

Jon T

 

[kcbdiver]

Should you decide to buy the reg from diveinn.com, I will tell you that your LDS will ask for a warranty card which may or may not be in the package. If the warranty card is missing, you are looking at at least $60 in labor and repair parts. If you do get a warranty card (which is unlikely) what dive shop name is going to be on it? Wouldn't it look funny if you are in the U.S. and you purchased your equipment abroad? For many this is an unrealistic idea. LDS's aren't that dumb! The warranty is null and void unless you buy from an authorized dealer. Should you then choose not to have the gear serviced because of cost, you will be playing with you life. Glad I don't have to make that choice!

I have been hearing many subjects lately about saving money and buying online, but where would you be without your lds? Untrained, no air fills, no rental equipment, no one on one attention with your needs in mind (not every dive shop is out to rip you off), no place to properly size your equipment, and nowhere to try equipment that you are interested in. They cannot help the "Dealer Agreement" that they sign. Also, there are bills of a physical address that is open every day to deal with, instead of the online ghost that you are clicking on.

Please read the article in the August edition of Rodale's Scuba Diving, I think it is very enlightening.

 

[nitrox]

STOP!!!!!!!
dive in .com is commonly known to us uk divers as dive in ltd based in kings norton in the midlands, i have dealt with them in the past and they are a serious cowboy outfit!!
there training is poor and there after sales service leaves a hell of a lot to be desired!! i found this out when i returned faulty equipment to them and they didnt want to know!!, the kit was less than 2 months old and had been well
cared for and was genuinly faulty and was even backed up with proof of sale and they just dont want to know, they are a serious take your money and run establishment!!!
so my advice take your cash elswhere!!! and VINNY OF DIVE IN LTD AND MR HUGHES!!!! if your reading this well ha ha ha!!!