expectations in a Backplate?

[raposarose]

Thanks for taking the time to post that here FredT.

Thanks also NWGratefuldiver, scubatexastony, scubadobadoo, everyone!

I have a lot of clear directions if I decide to finish hers (there are no burrs, just the edges are not smoothed out), or get her a new one. We'll work it out and be more discerning customers regarding BPs in the future!

 

[JDog]

BTW, The DR plate also eats the webbing......anyone want to buy mine?

That bc is less than a year old. What are you planning on getting?

 

[raposarose]

You know, I heard about COVCI from this board and people said he is a good guy. The webbing was getting eaten after only 3 dives and she only has about 12 dives on it. I am going to first give it one more try and have her explain the situation to him to see what he'll do about it. The sad thing is, as I mentioned, an LDS (Hollywood Divers) would have matched the price and included steel buckles on the cam straps instead of plastic.

Chris didn't write us back before, but maybe there was a reason for it. Now it is later but since we have become more knowledable about equipment we can ask better questions and also present him with the opinions offered here. I hope he can help us to be satisfied customers! It's at least worth a shot, and if not, well then as I said before we've learned a lesson that others here can learn from.

 

[scubadobadoo]

BTW, The DR plate also eats the webbing......anyone want to buy mine?

I have read this before from other posters but I just took a long look at mine and after close to 75 dives on it, it still looks great. No "eating of webbing" on my DR.

 

[wb416]

[snip]

Chris didn't write us back before, but maybe there was a reason for it. Now it is later but since we have become more knowledable about equipment we can ask better questions and also present him with the opinions offered here. I hope he can help us to be satisfied customers! It's at least worth a shot, and if not, well then as I said before we've learned a lesson that others here can learn from.

I heard a rumour that Chris is in the Bahamas.... I have no confirmation of that.

I'm not sure, though, what you expect Chris to do. This is the way the plate comes. Several different BP's require tweaking, with the extreme case being what FredT described (I bought one of Fred's years ago knowing I would need to use some elbow grease.)

Not to be too harsh... but you had artificial expectations based on the plate you have vs. what your wife has. Your's might be the exception, not the rule. Make the needed touch-ups and move on... otherwise... what will you do when the harness wears out on your plate (and it will eventually), send if back for replacement? I hope not... that's a DIY project.

Regards,
Bob

 

[raposarose]

WB461, you don't sound harsh, I welcome your opinion. Thanks for responding!

You may not have read the entire thread though. I called the thread "expectations in a backplate" and started it to ask exactly what I should have expected in the new backplate. So no, I don't think it is the case that I had artificial expectations, I came here specifically looking to learn if "this is the way the plate comes" or if I could reasonably expect the plate not to chew the webbing after only 3 dives.

Before you chimed in I also got several opinions, on the board and off, that it is reasonable to expect less sharp edges, though I also got advice for how to remedy it on my own as a DIY project. I even got some suggestions to sell it and buy a new plate from manufacturers known (not something you want to hear after making a purchase).

Of course I wouldn't send my own plate in if, after many dives, there was wear on my harness. But this is quite a different issue than my wife's plate, which produced very significant wear after only 3 dives. I'm not the one of us with duct tape wrapped around my harness. And when I noticed an issue with my system early on, I did contact the company that made it -- and I received a prompt response informing me about it.

Anyway, if it was a DIY project and that is "the way that the plate comes" then the least I would expect would have been for COVCI to have responded to her initial emails asking as much. Before we bought it I specifically asked if the plate was finished and I was told that it was. When FredT and Kracken finish plates, they smooth the edges.

 

[Rec Diver]

What type of expectations do you have in terms of quality and performance for a backplate?

Here is why I ask. My wife purchased an Oxycheq wing with a (Koplin?) BP from COVCI, I purchased one from another company.

Mine has performed without a hitch. Hers on the other hand chewed significantly through her webbing after just a few dives. It was not very well finished or polished. On hers I can see slight rust stains where the steel bends. It also weighs less than mine.

Now, I know that she (or I) could buy some sandpaper and smooth out the edges on hers (right now she just put some duct tape on it as a temporary fix). But, for the cost should she have to do that? It was a significant investment. Not all BP purchasers are DIY types. Perhaps some feel like it is no big deal to smooth it out a bit, but she is really disappointed in the quality of the BP and feels it should have come to her "dive ready." Though COVCI was helpful before her purchase, when she wrote back about this issue several times she never got a reply again.

So what do you expect from a backplate? Is this acceptable to you? What are your standards?

p.s. If she could have done it over she would have bought it from a local vendor.

You should have bought them from Hammerhead; www.hammerheadscuba.com. They would have been unconditionally guaranteed, including shipping.

 

[wb416]

WB461, you don't sound harsh, I welcome your opinion. Thanks for responding!

You may not have read the entire thread though. I called the thread "expectations in a backplate" and started it to ask exactly what I should have expected in the new backplate. So no, I don't think it is the case that I had artificial expectations, I came here specifically looking to learn if "this is the way the plate comes" or if I could reasonably expect the plate not to chew the webbing after only 3 dives.

Before you chimed in I also got several opinions, on the board and off, that it is reasonable to expect less sharp edges, though I also got advice for how to remedy it on my own as a DIY project. I even got some suggestions to sell it and buy a new plate from manufacturers known (not something you want to hear after making a purchase).

Of course I wouldn't send my own plate in if, after many dives, there was wear on my harness. But this is quite a different issue than my wife's plate, which produced very significant wear after only 3 dives. I'm not the one of us with duct tape wrapped around my harness. And when I noticed an issue with my system early on, I did contact the company that made it -- and I received a prompt response informing me about it.

Anyway, if it was a DIY project and that is "the way that the plate comes" then the least I would expect would have been for COVCI to have responded to her initial emails asking as much. Before we bought it I specifically asked if the plate was finished and I was told that it was. When FredT and Kracken finish plates, they smooth the edges.

I did scan the entire thread before I "chimed" in. What caught my eye in particular was the implicit theme throughout your posts (and stated explicitly as well) about Chris making you a satisfied customer. That's where I thought your expectations were askew. What do you expect him to do? ...or how can he possibly make you whole? It's the nature of BP's from various mfg's and to suggest that "finished" BP is a defined industry standard somehow [my words... not yours] is not realistic.

I'm guessing that the "expectations" regarding new BP's of the quasi experienced/tech/cave crowd is probably different than the recreational [for lack of a more accurate term] crowd. Therein may lie the rub [...well... there and also the slots on your wife's BP ].

In Chris' defense, if I'd have gotten the follow-up emails regarding the plate, I might have thought... HUH? My guess is that he traditionally caters to customers that know what they're getting when they ask for it... but then I'm not his company spokesperson.. so what do I know? eyebrow

Good day!
bob

 

[raposarose]

The idea about contacting Chris at this point only came about later as I looked into my options. I started out the thread genuinely to get opinions about whether it really was typical and accepted to have to do a little work on a new BP before diving it.

Kraken, FredT, and others knew exactly what I was talking about regarding the plate and did not respond "HUH?"

Different LDSs, and all retailers really, have their own ideas of customer service and expectations. I don't mean to sound like I am attacking COVCI over this. I am just sharing my subjective experience and being very clear about steps I have taken, issues about which I am not knowledgeable, and what my experience has been. Obviously I would have preferred for the slots to have been smoothed on her plate, so there is some dissatisfaction. But I was also open to getting opinions to see where this dissatisfaction should be directed and what to do about it.

So as far as my expectations from COVCI-- at this point I don't have any, I am exploring options. My preference for customer service is like that described by Kraken above (I know COVCI is a distributor though, and not a manufacturer), FredT, Hammerhead, DSS, or Halcyon (someone commented that maybe I should have purchased from them then). A lesser, but also understandable, type of customer service would be to be told that the item in question was within the degree of acceptability and how I could fix it myself. Maybe if I were a technical diver I would just expect to have the plate delivered in a timely manner with no further dealings afterwards – no sweat if I have to spend an evening working on it. I freely admit that I prefer the first two types of customer service -- and perhaps even expected one of them. So you could be right -- my expectations regarding customer satisfaction may be askew (though probably not atypical for a recreational diver).

But the best option is often communication, which is why my wife wrote Chris again. Maybe he'll have a suggestion, or maybe knowing our experience will help him to deal with a recreational diver in the future. Maybe it will not be fruitful. But it worth a try.

p.s. I know some divers here are thinking "just grab a Dremmel, fix it, and dive." I don't want to belabor this issue or make it all about COVCI’s customer service. But then hey, these questions and this conversation are why I started the thread.

p.p.s. The Hammerhead guarantee described on their site sounds great. But the bikini model parading around with a steel plate on their website in a variety of poses is...a little funny.

 

[wb416]

The idea about contacting Chris at this point only came about later as I looked into my options. I started out the thread genuinely to get opinions about whether it really was typical and accepted to have to do a little work on a new BP before diving it.

Kraken, FredT, and others knew exactly what I was talking about regarding the plate and did not respond "HUH?"

I knew what you were talking about too.... that's WHY I said "huh?"

Different LDSs, and all retailers really, have their own ideas of customer service and expectations. I don't mean to sound like I am attacking COVCI over this. I am just sharing my subjective experience and being very clear about steps I have taken, issues about which I am not knowledgeable, and what my experience has been. Obviously I would have preferred for the slots to have been smoothed on her plate, so there is some dissatisfaction. But I was also open to getting opinions to see where this dissatisfaction should be directed and what to do about it.

So as far as my expectations from COVCI-- at this point I don't have any, I am exploring options. My preference for customer service is like that described by Kraken above (I know COVCI is a distributor though, and not a manufacturer), FredT, Hammerhead, DSS, or Halcyon (someone commented that maybe I should have purchased from them then). A lesser, but also understandable, type of customer service would be to be told that the item in question was within the degree of acceptability and how I could fix it myself. Maybe if I were a technical diver I would just expect to have the plate delivered in a timely manner with no further dealings afterwards – no sweat if I have to spend an evening working on it. I freely admit that I prefer the first two types of customer service -- and perhaps even expected one of them. So you could be right -- my expectations regarding customer satisfaction may be askew (though probably not atypical for a recreational diver).

But the best option is often communication, which is why my wife wrote Chris again. Maybe he'll have a suggestion, or maybe knowing our experience will help him to deal with a recreational diver in the future. Maybe it will not be fruitful. But it worth a try.

I just saw another reference on an email list today that someone is waiting for COVCI to get back from vacation after this next weekend.

p.s. I know some divers here are thinking "just grab a Dremmel, fix it, and dive." I don't want to belabor this issue or make it all about COVCI’s customer service. But then hey, these questions and this conversation is why I started the thread.

p.p.s. The Hammerhead guarantee described on their site sounds great. But the bikini model parading around with a steel plate on their website in a variety of poses is...a little funny.