Divestock.com still legit?

I didn't purchase grey market. I purchased from an authorized dealer over here. Not sure, whst you state is correct. When I purchased my Aqualung drysuit over here I spoke with AL about the possibility of moving back to the US and they told me that if I had any issues that I could access them through their dealer network in the US.

-Z

 

I don’t know when you bought that reg, but LP used to be a gray market seller of AL gear. They are now an authorized AL dealer. Not sure exactly when that changed. Last couple of years, perhaps.

 

I don't believe the Aqualung Dealer is prohibited from working on the regulator. I think there would be challenges if you need to exercise your rights under the Limited Lifetime Warranty and a gray market Aqualung regulator would not be eligible for Parts for Life program that is in place in the US.

If you show a purchase receipt for a regulator purchased from a dealer in Germany while you are in Germany and the S/N shows the regulator was sold to that dealer...warranty is in place. Consumers that purchase items overseas to take advantage of exchange rates or less expensive pricing due to regional price differences is not considered Gray Market.

Show a receipt for a regulator purchased from Leisurepro and the S/N shows the regulator was sold to a dealer in Cambodia...you are almost certainly going to have issues making a warranty claim. I do not believe paying for repairs (and the dealer paying for the parts to make the repairs) would be prohibited.

 

Maybe I should just contact the various manufacturers and specifically ask what would happen if I purchased their product at a vendor like Divestock but live in Canada.

 

Have you verified that they will ship the products you want to Canada? Add them to your cart and select Checkout.

I selected a Scubapro MK25 First Stage (Added to Cart) and when I went to checkout I was shown the screen below.



The same thing happened when I selected an Aqualung Mikron.

 

When I have dealt with Divestock, I have received all relevant warranty information and coverage; have not experienced any problems whatsoever; and that issue with regulator availability, from that previous posting, is quite brand-specific.

Alternatively, I have also turned to freight-forwarding services, with an EU address (such as www.mailboxde.com) which can easily bypass those manufacturer's distribution rules; or to obtain harder to find items, should that be required; and, besides, I have learned, over the years, never to depend upon their pissant warranties.

I'll roll those dice.

Here are two arbitrary screen captures, taken today, just for kicks -- one, of a Cyklon regulator, manufactured just across the Baltic from Divestock, at a couple of hundred dollars less -- DHL shipping included -- than most US dealers, along with the direct-sales price from the US distributor, Salt Blue, for comparison (at nearly 900.00 with tax and shipping) -- VAT-free, and sans sales tax, which is getting dangerously close to an additional ten percent, here, in California -- a mere US 314.81 discount, which I am sure that you could manage to blow somewhere else -- perhaps, to wisely invest in Lotto . . .

 

I purchased the LUX in 2015, at the time LeasurePro had U.S. warranty and grey warranty, the website also had the two online but you can't purchase the grey online. LP is an authorized dealer and had a special agreement with Aqua Lung to sell grey market items in the store only. The grey market I purchased for $750 was around $250 less with a one year LP warranty. LP's techs are good, all the repair work is done right behind the showroom and half my crew in Key Largo can maintain and repair gear. Buying grey market was the best way to go for me and have some extra cash in the pocket.

If you buy AL with U.S. warranty you get a Limited Lifetime Warranty, but you have to get in inspected every year and documented along with servicing every other year. This has to be done by an authorized AL dealer and records must be kept with every inspection and service. If you don't keep up with AL requirements and miss an inspection or service, you will loose you lifetime warranty.


This is from Aqua Lung Headquarters:

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT MAIL ORDER SALES OF AQUA LUNG AMERICA PRODUCTS Beware of any retailer that offers to sell and ship our life support products by mail, for orders placed by phone or the internet. These retailers are NOT Authorized Aqua Lung America dealers. All Authorized Aqua Lung America Dealers must execute a Dealer Agreement that does not allow the sale of Aqua Lung America products except (in store). Many Aqua Lung dealers advertise on the internet, but they are not allowed to deliver our products other than «over-the counter». This is our assurance that you will receive the proper presale, point of sale, and post-sale assistance. If you obtain our product from one of these unauthorized retailers, your warranty is not valid and we cannot offer you the assurances of quality and satisfaction afforded by the Aqua Lung America Warranty program. If you would like to verify whether or not a retailer is an Authorized Aqua Lung America Dealer, please call or write to Aqua Lung America, Inc. using the address or phone number provided on the rear cover of this manual. Or, you can visit our website at: www.aqualung.com

 

I got the same thing when I added a Scubapro MK19 Evo but when I tried with Poseidon, Mares and Apeks regs, it accepted the order from Canada. So the Poseidon prices especially are lower than direct from manufacturer for sure.

 

This may be old information, but a couple of decades ago when I was working at a LDS in Germany, Poseidon used to heavily discount spare prices based on volume of the shop. And with Divestock selling across the planet, I bet their volume discount (if it still exists) affords them massive ability to price competitively. I recall numbers north of 60% off...

 

Some prices were, indeed, on the competitive side, all of which would be rendered moot, by shipping costs; but no mention was ever made of any volume discounts.

Oddly enough, the Divestock catalogue freely lists just about every conceivable service tool and sundry part for Poseidon regulators, from pistons to servo valves; OPVs to pin bushings (most of which involves cracking the damn things open, to a greater or lesser degree); but it took an e-mail inquiry and a copy of a tattered certificate, to free up their price list for the service kits, after a blanket statement of:

"Unfortunately, we are not allowed to sell service kits to unauthorized end users. We can provide kits only for authorized service technicians . . ."