LDS or Walmart????

[marusso]

hahahaha, that would be awesome! walmart airfills, that's funny

 

[gangrel441]

Larger LDS like world water sports or Divers discount to name a couple will meat or beat on-line prices, so you can have the best of both worlds. In free market we don't owe the LDS a living, but they do deserve a shot. Ask your LDS to meet your prices and see what they can do. Many will. They do buy from the same venders and manufactuers as on-line stores so if LDS has an issue with pricing they need to look towards the venders to make the competitive, not to us to pay more.

This is an uninformed opinion, my friend....

Most of the online retailers are not authorized dealers for their given brands, and buy and sell gray market goods at cheap prices without warrantees. The manufacturers allow this to go on, possibly even support it, but publically condemn it.

The LDS, on the other hand, generally has an agreement with the manufacturer to be an authorized dealer. The product they sell carries the warranty and support if a product is recalled. However, as an authorized dealer, in many cases the LDS has Minimum Advertized Prices and Minimum Selling Prices or Maximum Discount programs that they have to adhere to in order to continue to be an authorized dealer. Many times, these programs do not allow the LDS to lower their prices enough to be competitive with non-authorized online dealers. Therefore, it may not be possible for the LDS to price goods competitively with online dealers while still maintaining their authorized dealer status.

P.S. I agree with many here that in a lot of cases, a warranty is overvalued. My main concern is support for recalls. I have heard of manufacturers not honoring a recall order because the product was not bought from an authorized dealer. I also agree that we don't owe the LDS a living. However, it is the manufacturers and the industry as a whole that need to rethink pricing and policies, as the current structure does not lend itself well to the modern marketplace.

 

[ckjacques53198]

I'm confused - does walmart sell scuba gear?

 

[MSP Rescue Diver]

I'm confused - does walmart sell scuba gear?

Maybe.

FWIW I bought my Canon waterproof housing online from Walmart.com. They beat the cheapest price I could find by $20 and had free shipping. It was a bit of concern as they sent me an email telling they had shipped the wrong item and I was to return it. But they did in fact ship the correct item and it arrived on my doorstep the next day.

Walmart also sells Pelican Litesaber clones. Unfortunately they weren't quite as waterproof.

Marc

 

[Mafiaman]

This is an uninformed opinion, my friend....

Most of the online retailers are not authorized dealers for their given brands, and buy and sell gray market goods at cheap prices without warrantees. The manufacturers allow this to go on, possibly even support it, but publically condemn it.


.

Having a different opinion does not make it uninformed
But I chalange you to find me one product that is not a store exclusive (BestBuy Walmart and others have the same product with a slightly different product number keeping them from having to pay the 10% when called on it) anyway find me one product that I can't get from a etailer with the same warranty.

 

[1RUSTYRIG]

This is an uninformed opinion, my friend....

Most of the online retailers are not authorized dealers for their given brands, and buy and sell gray market goods at cheap prices without warrantees. The manufacturers allow this to go on, possibly even support it, but publically condemn it.

That is totally untrue. While some of the "too god to be true" deals are exactly that, too good and gray market, many online retailers operate legit businesses supported by the manufacturer and backed with full warranties.

Take for instance welding. You can buy a brand new Lincoln TiG welder online that carries a manufacturers warranty. You can even be referred to said online retailer via the Lincoln official website should you choose not to buy from a local shop.

Scuba.com is a fully licensed retailer of every product they sell...along with being an authorized service center as well. The only "well known" gray market dive gear peddler that I am aware of is Leisurepro...and their gray market status has been argued both ways.

 

[trucker girl]

Fight nice, girls.

That's what my grandfather told my mom and her sister. That's what my mom told my sister and me. So... fight nice, guys.

I don't think anyone has to take any of this personally (except, of course, Sam Walton's grandkids and the LDS owners...).

I buy lots of stuff at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Best Buy... but if I need quality and knowledge, I know I am more likely to find it at a local store. Specialty hardware? Local hardware store. Specialty electronics? Forget it, every "local" store I've been in (I live in the corn fields... so there are no local stores for me!) feels like a scam waiting to happen...

As far as scuba goes, I think I already said this, there are good LDS and there are bad LDS. If you find a good one- even if it's somewhere OTHER than local to you- cherish them. The knowledge and service you get will far outweigh the flippers from Billy's Buoy Bin...

Did that make ANY sense?

 

[Charlie59]

If you shop at Walmart or at an On-line dive outfit you are personally contributing to the decline of the United States of America. You, personally, should stop or we will become a cross between Canada and Mexico. And you know how Un-AMERICAN that is!

Please stop and desist.

Brought to you from a computer purchased at Walmart to obtain dive gear from LP.