Excellent service by Aqualung. Not

[undrwater]

From the "Register a Product" page:

WARNING:
If you obtain Aqua Lung products from an unauthorized dealer, your warranty will not be valid, and we cannot offer you the assurances of quality and satisfaction afforded by the Aqua Lung Warranty Program. To verify whether or not a retailer is an authorized Aqua Lung Dealer, please check our dealer locator.

Nothing there about circumventing authorized system of distribution or whether or not the purchase was made online. If I find the product cheaper in Estonia, and buy it from an authorized dealer, I should expect that warranty is valid, no?

I think AL should update their site. They need a fix.

 

[diver0008]

The manufacturer in this case did not inform the consumer of the "authorized system of distribution".

I highly doubt that the buyer inquired with Aqualung on this point prior to the purchase. If he had, I'm sure that the answer would have been negative.

 

[diver0008]

Nothing there about circumventing authorized system of distribution or whether or not the purchase was made online. If I find the product cheaper in Estonia, and buy it from an authorized dealer, I should expect that warranty is valid, no?

Yes. You just need to seek any service from Estonia. Not Canada.

And lots of luck (and expense) with that.

 

[undrwater]

So, we agree that the warranty should be honored. Perhaps the way it should be honored is to send the item to where it was purchased in order for the service to be done (service covered by warranty, not shipping)?

This is still shady. If I purchase an AL product, then move, I can't take advantage of authorized service in my new area, even if there is one?

 

[diver0008]

If I purchase an AL product, then move, I can't take advantage of authorized service in my new area, even if there is one?

I would not count on it. Too difficult to distinguish from grey market.

The overarching point is seek service from the point of sale.

 

[frndrfoe]

I have seen this in shopping online for watches as well. Even different resellers on Amazon _in_ the USA may or may not be able to give you a USA manufacturer warranty. I had to spend a little extra to get the normal warranty and hope I never have to try to use it and find out it was a shell game. Still saved enough to buy two of them online for the price of one in a local store.

 

[diver0008]

It's the consumer's job to find value where they wish within the rules.

Most people don't consider the rules much. They are more focused on getting what they want at a cost as close to free as possible.

Then when there's a problem, they want the rules.

 

[kelemvor]

I'm not convinced it would be likely a shop in europe is the official distributor for canada. it doesn't add up to me.

AL does have weird rules about online sales, but I can only see that being an issue because OP took it back to a different LDS for the warranty support. OP should be taking this up with the shop where they bought the reg in the first place.

You wouldn't buy a samsung laptop from Amazon and then complain samsung won't let you return it at best buy.

I would assume if I bought a product from a dealer the manufacturer recommended that I could get it serviced by a place that services the product anywhere in the world. Isn't that supposed to be one of the benefits of going with a big name like Aqualung or Scubapro? I've certainly seen people recommend brands for that particular reason on SB hundreds of times. Maybe they were all wrong.

 

[kelemvor]

From the "Register a Product" page:


Nothing there about circumventing authorized system of distribution or whether or not the purchase was made online. If I find the product cheaper in Estonia, and buy it from an authorized dealer, I should expect that warranty is valid, no?

According to the original poster, the seller in question IS listed on the aqualung website as an authorized dealer. So either she's lying or Aqualung is in the wrong. So far, they haven't shown up to say the former, so I believe the latter.

 

[frndrfoe]

So if you go overseas and have a problem with your reg you cannot get it repaired if it's a warranty issue, but you can buy a new one that you will have no warranty on once you get home. Great plan, great CS!