Is leisurepro.com the best place to buy?

[redacted]

I still don't understand what's so great about scubapro though anyway, i've used lots of regs, and yes they're nice, but i've used much nicer. I love the way the atomic regs breath.

Most mfgrs now build high performance regs that will meet the human breathing machines demands for most rec diving conditions. My personnal preference for scubapro is based on affordability and servicability. I can get a high performance setup (1st, primary, octo, and guages) for under $150.00 and reasonable access to the service I need to support them. While there may well be other mfgrs who can match that, I have not found them. I'm pretty sure Atomic, granted - an outstanding reg, can't do that.

Obviously, I'm not talking a Mk25/X650 or any of the other scubapro models in their current catalog. I'm diving Mk10s, Mk5s, and the metal 2nds. And my requirements for service is parts only which are reasonably available on ebay and from a few sympathetic dealers. Thankfully, there are lots of SP dealer to seak support from. I have not found that from Atomic either, but I have not been looking very hard.

 

[ScottZeagle]

I will try to cover this, as best I can, point by point...

Q: apparently zeagle allows internet sales and still backs up the warranty?

A: Zeagle allows dealers to sell on the internet as long as they adhere to our minimum advertised pricing. Products purchased through these online AUTHORIZED dealers are covered under warranty.

Q: would you say that zeagle is any better or worse for doing so?

A: I don't believe we are in worse position for allowing our dealers to sell online. We fought internet sales for years, but at some point you have to wake up and realize that the internet is not going to die off or fade away. Allowing dealers to sell online has allowed people who do not live anywhere near a Zeagle dealer to still use our products. Zeagle is a family owned company - we are not huge like Scubapro or Aqualung, etc. - we only have about 200 active dealers in the USA...maybe less than that.

through my very novice level research i have come to the conclusion that apeks, scubapro,aqualung,seaquest,dive-rite (at least) are some of the top manufacturers of scuba equip. in terms of quality and service. i am also under the impression that zeagle is a high-quality company. however, while at least SP and AL are sticking together on the discount/warranty policy (i'm not sure about apeks and dive-rite, though dive-rite does allow internet sales through diveriteexpress at least but disparages buying from LP and a few other hoodlums!) zeagle *appears* to have disregarded this policy. are they holding out?

Apeks, Aqualung and SeaQuest are all owned by the same parent company, if I recall correctly. You can buy most of their products online. Scubapro is the exception - as far as I know.
The ONLY manufacturer that I am 100% sure sells directly to LeisurePro is Apollo. Zeagle has said since day one that LP is NOT a dealer and we consider the goods they sell to be GREY MARKET. How have we disregarded any policy??
DiveRiteExpress is just a Dive Rite dealer who sells online - no different from ScubaToys or Scuba.Com as far as that goes.

Q: are SP and AL just more money-hungry or are they really more safety conscious?

A: I cannot answer for SP or AL, but when you walk into a LDS to buy a BC, do they REALLY ask you for proof of certification? Be honest.... :06:

Q: if zeagle et al. are gaining more sales and legions by selling every which way but loose, how can SP and AL ignore these policies?

A: I highly doubt that Zeagle is "gaining more sales and legions" by any means. The truth is, we make every BC we sell in a small factory in Zephyrhills, Florida. Our goal is to make 60 BCs per day, which is 300 per week. By comparison, ScubaPro and Aqualung probably bring in more BCs from Taiwan or China in one month than we produce ALL YEAR. I hardly think we are gaining sales or legions. Zeagle is very fortunate to have customers that LOVE our products. They stop by the booth at scuba shows just to tell us how much they love their Ranger BC, or how many dives they have on their Alpha or Beta BCs that are 15-20 years old. They love to talk about how the Flathead 6 regulator kept them breathing easily at 180ft while they were stalking a 100 pound grouper - and we LOVE to hear their stories. Our AUTHORIZED ZEAGLE DEALERS love the fact that they can call us and order a 7XL BC (that's XXXXXXXL for those of you keeping score) or order a custom made Ranger or Escape BC for the loyal customer that "has to have this BC - only made in PINK!" Try either of those examples with SP or AL and let me know how it turns out... :11ztongue

Ok, it is after 7pm. I have to be back at 9am to set up a DEMA booth, so I am gonna go eat with my wife and kids now. Sorry that this was a rambler, but I hope I cleared some things up for you. Have a great weekend, and people on Floridas east coast - stay safe!!

Damn, one last thing to answer...

of course my LDS only really sells SP et al. goods so i don't have much of a choice.

You do have a choice - you can shop online if you choose. If my local WalMart doesn't have the jumbo "big fish holding" cooler I want, I do not have to do without the cooler - I can buy it at WalMart.Com.

Welcome to 2004.

Scott

 

[ScubaNorth]

Hmmmmm the Scubapro dealer agreements sound like restraint of trade to me. If I remember basic trade law this is price fixing and is illegal. Two area dealers selling the same product can not agree to sell for the same price without discount, it is not legal, so by having this agreement they are basically price fixing. I have usually found Scubapro adequate for the money but would not go out of my way to buy any of their products. All I ever hear about is the warranty, has anyone ever had a warranty claim? I have not on any scuba gear, but have on other products and have had little success getting the items replaced and repairs took way longer than I care to be without my gear. Manufacturers count on you not using the warranty and make it difficult to claim anything under the warranty. Just my 2 cents.

 

[rescuediver009]

r.d.009,
you raise an interesting point about buying in bulk. as i understand it, the LDS would not be able to pass the discount on to you. they would merely be able to gain more profit for themselves by buying in bulk. this assumes that they are able to get a discount for bulk buys.
i would guess that they do not get a discount for buying in bulk, as this would defeat one of the purposes of limiting discounts to the final customer to 10%. this has the effect of promoting LDSs in the first place which might be a small shop in northern nowhereland. this way they are not penalized for being small. if bulk buying does give the divestore owner a discount, it seems to be a contradiction in policies.

.

Incorrect. When buying at an advanced dealer level a differenct MSRP is provided. I KNOW.

Also this is off the retail price. It should also be noted that alot of distributors specify that no prices be posted. Don't forget the S in MSRP and what it stands for.

 

[scubatoys]

Incorrect. When buying at an advanced dealer level a differenct MSRP is provided. I KNOW.

Also this is off the retail price. It should also be noted that alot of distributors specify that no prices be posted. Don't forget the S in MSRP and what it stands for.

Hmmm... Not for any of the brands I carry. The Suggested Retail Price is set for a product, not for a dealers buying level. Same with the MAP and or MARP... hate acronyms - Minimum advertised price, and minimum advertised and retail price.

So for example. Let's say I have a snorkel from some company. It has a Manufacturers suggested retail price of $40. They set a map price of 35. That means I must advertise it for 35 but I can sell if for what ever I want... just the price on a flyer, web page, etc must be 35. Or if that was their MARP price - as in SP products, that is the lowest price you can sell it for. And in scubapro's case - must be an over the counter sale.

Now that $40 retail snorkel being advertised for 35, some of the dealers might be paying $30 for it... if they buy in small quantity. While larger dealer might get it for 25. Put together a large purchase and hound the company threaten to take your business to another vendor, wave a $50,000 purchase order in front of their nose just before the end of their fiscal quarter, and low and behold, you might get it for $22... But the MSRP, MAP and MARP are all still the same.

Now there are some companies that really don't publish a MSRP price, and then dealers have a tendency of taking cost times some variable and calling it MSRP... Let's suppose that snorkel had no MSRP and each dealer took cost times 1.5, that means the dealer paying 30 would say the MSRP is $45 and the dealer buying for 22 says MSRP is $33. Each is maintaining the exact same margin, but big difference in price to the consumer - but that price is not a MSRP because the Manufacturer did not set it.

Every brand that we carry that has a Manufacturer setting the MSRP price is the same whether you are buying millions of dollars of stuff from them as we are, or just a corner dive shop open 3 days a week and buying $5,000 a year. Yes... different dealer cost - but same MSRP.

 

[Danny-Louise]

Hi all... I'm a new diver too and I'm piping in because I have had two recent experiences with LP: The first time I bought two masks and I thought the price and and service were excellent. The second time I bought fins and can you believe it, they sent me USED fins?! I'm not making it up... the box they sent it in was fine but open it up and the bag they sent it in is shredded, the fins themselves have deep sratches and are really scuffed... I'm not talking about stuff that can be wiped off.

I don't mind used equipment as a rule, but I bought new and I expect new. So far, there is no resolution... I emailed them Friday but have not heard back from them yet.

On the other hand... as a new diver... I'm finding I am having better luck at my local dive shop in terms of getting good advise and a GOOD FIT!

All for now,
Louise

 

[CRDiver]

LeisurePro does sell used gear... Perhaps they just got things messed up in distribution. I've ordered stuff from LP quite a few times, and even if something is messed up, they seem willing to fix it.

 

[keyshunter]

Danny-L,
In my experience Leisure Pro is not very good about answering emails. Call customer service if you want a quick resolution to your problem.

 

[davidr]

Hi all... I'm a new diver too and I'm piping in because I have had two recent experiences with LP: The first time I bought two masks and I thought the price and and service were excellent. The second time I bought fins and can you believe it, they sent me USED fins?! I'm not making it up... the box they sent it in was fine but open it up and the bag they sent it in is shredded, the fins themselves have deep sratches and are really scuffed... I'm not talking about stuff that can be wiped off.

I don't mind used equipment as a rule, but I bought new and I expect new. So far, there is no resolution... I emailed them Friday but have not heard back from them yet.

On the other hand... as a new diver... I'm finding I am having better luck at my local dive shop in terms of getting good advise and a GOOD FIT!

All for now,
Louise

You didn't give them much of a chance as they close early Friday's and you posted this on Sunday, just call them I'm sure it probably was a return from another customer that they just didn't inspect good enough.

Abe

 

[Marek K]

Danny-L,
In my experience Leisure Pro is not very good about answering emails. Call customer service if you want a quick resolution to your problem.

Hmmm... I've always found LP to be very responsive to e-mails... A couple times they've consolidated items that I've ordered separately into a single shipment, to save me on shopping costs... I'm sure someone had to go out of their way to do that. And they've been good about issuing return authorizations.

What they haven't been very good at is giving very knowledgeable answers regarding their gear.

--Marek