eelnoraa
Contributor
Doing something that you don't do for living is always more fun. People who fix iphone and laptop all day will probably prefer drysuit repair too, that is if they even have a clue what to do
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but from his perspective I am pretty sure he always believe he is right..
If he knew he was moving and could not service the wing then this is a misrepresentation
The warranty doesn't matter because the wing is out of warranty.
The OP is did not say he was losing sleep over it. He is just giving a friendly warning.
I would not use you as an instructor or patronize any dive shop you work for.
Who is this overbearing "LORD" you speak of?
Thank you for your civil reply. I am not sure what DSS actually is/was. When I called them on the phone for the wing repair, I talked to someone other than Tobin. The receipt came back saying Performance Lighting, but the envelope said DSS. I assumed that DSS is his side business. In my opinion, his move was handled wrong and shows his total lack of concern for his customers. He did not announce that he was moving to let people know that if they wanted something to order up. The only clue was his inventory was getting lean. I am sure he did not decide to move on a whim, he is not stupid. He could have set someone up to repair the wings. On many occasions he mentioned that he would repair the damaged wings for a reasonable charge. Whether or not this can be construed as a promise is for the courts to decide, if someone wants to pursue this legally. For a $300 product, I cannot see that they would.
The difference between your smartphone example and a wing is that smartphone manufacturers (other than Apple) do not advertise that they will repair the phone. I just bought a new Motorola phone, the battery is not replaceable, so I know the life of the phone is only 2 years, three if I am lucky. I don't believe that was the expectation of anyone the bought a DSS wing. The wing was not marketed as disposable.
I would be much more sympathetic towards Tobin if it was a health issue because that is beyond his control. Moving and retirement are his decisions and should be announced to let people know.
My big problem with DSS, is as soon as someone asks about a backplate and wing, the DSS cheerleading squad comes out and recommends DSS. Saying the wing is high quality (it is not), the customer service is great (it is not), and that they need to consult Tobin (which they do not). If someone pointed out that DSS is not a well-designed product, they got attacked either by Tobin or part of the cheerleading squad. If someone complains that Tobin is difficult to deal with, you are told he does not tolerate fools. In other words, you are a fool if you disagree with him. I was a fool for expecting that a wing returned from repair would actually hold air. It was my fault that it didn't. A newbie diver is not going to know that DSS is a small manufacturer and it at the mercy of Tobin after purchase.
To repair the wing, my thought is that you would need to rip the seams (where the zipper would be on a normal wing) to access the bladder. Then patch the bladder, and take it to a shoe repair or uniform shop to have it resewed. Alternatively, I guess someone could Rube Goldberg it and punch some grommets or eyelets into the wing to hold it together. I don't think Velcro would be strong enough. This is another problem with DSS, Tobin does not explain how to fix the wing and access that bladder. Full disclosure: I have LCD wings and they have zippers. I have no idea if my thoughts above are correct as I never seen a Torus wing in person.
. . .
So, you're saying that patching a car tire is the same as soldering a tiny resistor that could kill your phone?
I have two wings, Apeks and Sopras, both of them zippered bladders , so it's easier to get to them, than to get to a car tire. Rest of the process is the same, apart from different glue and patch.
That you elected to use the word "victim" simply confirms your poorly concealed animism for all things DSS.