Is leisurepro.com the best place to buy?

[The Kraken]

In summation to this never ending, philosophical debate . . .

No one LDS or on-line suba supplier is "THE BEST". To lay claim to that title the supplier would have to be the best supplier to every facet of the diving population.

To paraphrase the old adage, "You can supply some of the divers all of the time or you can supply all of the divers some of the time; but you can't supply all of the divers all of the time."

I hope this debate is now laid to rest.

 

[Sean326]

i would certainly not buy any regulators from these guys.

I've bought maybe 6 or 7 different regs from them over the last 4 years.
Pony bottle regs, ice regs, L.post, R. post etc.

Except for the price being about 1/2 of what my LDS charges and not being a 4 year old model left in the display case of my LDS what am I missing?

 

[Sean326]

My problem would be if they're not in fact divers, while claiming that they are. The inside front cover or their catalog states, "LeisurePro's highly professional staff are divers themselves..."--Marek

I am also an avid hunter and I order a lot of stuff from Cabela's. I know they have a lot of hunters that work at Cabela's but I don't expect every sales person I speak with when I place a phone order to be a hunter... Nor do I need them to be.

It funny.... when I go to my LDS to buy an item I get lots of good advice, generally it's advice that directs me towards what he has in the shop whether it is 2, 3 or 4 years old or even if it's not what I really want.

 

[ScoobieDooo]

I wish my LDS stocked 1/2 the stuff Leisure Pro always has - the same prices, selection, and return authorizations as LP.

I don't feel I've missed anyhting buying from LP - esp since I servce my own regs, etc.

If I had had to purchase all my stuff thru an LDS I would have never been able to afford to take-up diving.

Sorry, but LP gets my vote again and again...

 

[Ted S]

Aside from the board itself I am involved in several large e-commerce stores who are our clients (mostly not SCUBA related). I would consider myself extremely knowledgeable in the field, or at least knowledgeable enough to have clients and working in e-commerce has made one thing extremely clear -- read the fine print. LP clearly has limitations on the warranty for some products and another site may have their own draw backs. With that said, there is nothing saying a store is free from flaws. Every company has strengths like price, warranty, service, or expertise and conversely every company can have short comings in these same areas. LDS' will always have a place in the industry until such time as online shops figure out how to provide air fills or last minute parts. Still, someone people feel supporting their shop is vital and that makes sense, but that may not be your stance. If LP has the product you want and you are comfortable with whatever warranty they are able to offer then they might be right for you. The same may not be true for someone else, that's the beauty of competition and choice.

My point is not to promote one option over any other but simply to encourage you to be an active consumer who investigates his or her options prior to making a purchase. The last thing you want to find out is that you have no warrenty the day after you open the box when you were not aware of that fact.

 

[Marek K]

I am also an avid hunter and I order a lot of stuff from Cabela's. I know they have a lot of hunters that work at Cabela's but I don't expect every sales person I speak with when I place a phone order to be a hunter... Nor do I need them to be.

It funny.... when I go to my LDS to buy an item I get lots of good advice, generally it's advice that directs me towards what he has in the shop whether it is 2, 3 or 4 years old or even if it's not what I really want.

Hi Sean--

I assume you're agreeing with me... that it's not necessary for a mail-order outfit's sales people to be experts, or even participants, in the activity.

On the other hand, checking out Cabela's web site, I don't see a single claim -- implied or otherwise -- about the qualifications of their employees. And LP does make such an implied claim... although I admit it's debatable as to what LP's statement, "LeisurePro's highly professional staff are divers themselves," actually implies... What proportion would that be? Some might understand it to mean -- obviously erroneously -- all of their staff. Others, that at least two are ("are divers," plural).

Do I sound like I'm fence-sitting? Regarding that claim of theirs, yes I am. But again, It's not their real expertise I'm concerned with... just with what that statement implies.

Splitting hairs? I don't know... maybe... what do you think?

--Marek