Leisure Pro vs. Other Internet Retailers

[redacted]

Hi Awap,
You can be can be as skeptical as you would like. I'll give you a real life local example: A LDS near us carries Aqua Lung and Mares. This knocks out Aqualung, Apeks, Seaquest (all under the Aqua Lung Banner now) and Mares. We carry Aeris, Atomic, Cressi, Hollis, Oceanic, OMS, Zeagle and Dive Rite. Other stores in their territory carry Apollo, Genesis, Scubapro, Sherwood, Tusa XS and Poseidon. Since these are protected territories, they only have access to the lines he already carries - PERIOD. What can they do? I'm only using the manufacturer's that you gave - there are others included in this such as Promate, Armor etc. but the results are the same.

Hope this puts things in a better prospective for you.
Safe Diving,
George

You lost me in this. Which LDS is it that wants to be competitive but can't? Is it one of these existing shops? If so, which one? Or is it a additional shop that wants to open (and compete) but can't because all the main lines of gear are taken by the existing shops already in the area?

 

[rollerboi]

You lost me in this. Which LDS is it that wants to be competitive but can't? Is it one of these existing shops? If so, which one? Or is it a additional shop that wants to open (and compete) but can't because all the main lines of gear are taken by the existing shops already in the area?

I think that person is trying to figure out which of the brands LeisurePro is an authorized reseller for by the process of elimination, based on the stock/territory of the nearby brick and mortar shops.

I, too, would actually be curious to know which brands I can expect a manufacturer's warranty on besides the LP one. Couldn't find any such list on their website. Not that I have a problem with grey market goods, but I want to know which is which when considering the purchase.

 

[rescue15]

I have never had any problems with LeisurePro in over 4 years. The one time a piece was missing from something my wife bought me she called and I had the missing piece the next day along with a apology for the inconvenience.

I have also had occasion to return some things because I changed my mind and they took them back with no hassles.

Every business has occasional burps, the measure of a good business is what they do to correct the mistake once they are aware of it.

Also, the web site clearly indicates what is in stock and what is out of stock.

The item I ordered did say it was in stock. That was what was disturbing to me...and then the items offered as replacements BY LP were also out of stock. The first one they offered the next level up of the same product, then a different brand with similar features. Each time I said ok, send me that one and each time a week later, when I was expecting to see it on my porch, I got another e-mail saying it was back ordered. This happened 3 times before I cancelled my order. All they said when I cancelled the order was sorry for the confusion. The tone of their e-mail to me was - Oh well, we screwed this one up but no worries we still have other customers.

 

[redacted]

I think that person is trying to figure out which of the brands LeisurePro is an authorized reseller for by the process of elimination, based on the stock/territory of the nearby brick and mortar shops.

I, too, would actually be curious to know which brands I can expect a manufacturer's warranty on besides the LP one. Couldn't find any such list on their website. Not that I have a problem with grey market goods, but I want to know which is which when considering the purchase.

You will have to go to the mfgrs web site and check his list of authorized dealers to see if they show Leisurepro. Some mfgrs are better than others at keeping there dealer list current.

While it is somewhat comforting to have a warranty, IMHO it is not worth the added cost that some (many) brands demand. And a 1 year warranty is more than enough to cover most problems.

I personally prefer used gear with no warranty. The very few lemons I end up with still provide spare parts at least. And the price usually well less than half the cost of new.

 

[moneysavr]

hope all of them have/offer air fills!
DUHAAAA!
dive smart
don't support your lds
get your air fill at LP!

 

[mike_s]

Today, LeisurePro is BY FAR the largest scuba retailer in the world. Much of their inventory comes directly from the scuba companies, under dealership agreements

How can this be true? LP states on their own web site they get their merchandise from other sources.
.

If LP is not following normal "authorized dealer agreements/contracts", do you really think they are going to post on their website something saying that they are getting most of the product "direct from the manufacturer?"

They didn't become the biggest Dive Shop (local, catalong or online) in the nation by being stupid..... They surely aren't going to give "amunition" to their competitors.

 

[Standingbear56]

Sell Salvo or one of the brands AWAP didn't list. If you want to compete, you can find a way to do it.

Salvo is taken also, as is all the other major brands. You can't compete when the manufactures won't sell to you because you are in another dealer's territory. The shop I mentioned has been around for 30 years - it's NOT a johnny come lately. They know the game and the industry. If they could get other dealerships, they would. Their biggest problem is that their biggest line - Aqua Lung is also one of LP's biggest movers, and LP can do internet and ignore MAP, but the LDS cannot. Most of the Aqua Lung sold by LP is traceable, but it just seems that they have a never ending supply. Wonder where it comes from? You can't compete when the very manufacturers you represent work against you, while others can't sell because of territories. That's the problem, plain and simple.
Safe Diving,
George

 

[DwayneJ]

I purchase from LP and several local dive stores. LP has some great pricing but I have found its worth checking around for pricing before to confirm the best price on the street. As an example, an Atomic Aquatics Z2 for my pony bottle was $100 cheaper at my LDS than at LP.

As far as the so called "grey market" is concerned, its a distribution channel discussion and not a quality discussion that applies to a subset of what LP sells online - It think the big one is Aqualung. I have found the staff at LP to be great to deal with, and in a number of instances, far better than some of my LDS's.

Recently, I was attempting to purchase a specialized component at a LDS. I went through their catalog and identified the model number. They said it should be about a week before it arrives. I stopped by every week for the next month only for them to finally come back to me and say they did not bother ordering it, and to get it online. What a waste of time.

For me, there are specific dive stores that stand out for excellent service/great value. Here are my current favorites:
Hollywood Divers
Dive N' Surf
Dive Right In SCUBA
Leisure Pro

 

[ReefHound]

Salvo is taken also, as is all the other major brands. You can't compete when the manufactures won't sell to you because you are in another dealer's territory. The shop I mentioned has been around for 30 years - it's NOT a johnny come lately. They know the game and the industry. If they could get other dealerships, they would. Their biggest problem is that their biggest line - Aqua Lung is also one of LP's biggest movers, and LP can do internet and ignore MAP, but the LDS cannot. Most of the Aqua Lung sold by LP is traceable, but it just seems that they have a never ending supply. Wonder where it comes from? You can't compete when the very manufacturers you represent work against you, while others can't sell because of territories. That's the problem, plain and simple.
Safe Diving,
George

From the consumer's point of view it doesn't really matter if it's the shop that doesn't want to compete or the manufacturers who won't let them. Bottom line is the same - the shop can't compete.

In your case example, not that any one case proves much, who was there first? Did that poor shop come in last and all the other brands had been snapped up except Aqualung and Mares? Then they should have made sure they can compete with those brands or not get into the market. If they were first and had their pick of brands and chose those two, then they got what they chose. Either way they simply have to live with the consequences of their choice, whether it was picking brands whose manufacturers are restrictive or getting into the business when that was all that was available.

 

[redacted]

Salvo is taken also, as is all the other major brands. You can't compete when the manufactures won't sell to you because you are in another dealer's territory. The shop I mentioned has been around for 30 years - it's NOT a johnny come lately. They know the game and the industry. If they could get other dealerships, they would. Their biggest problem is that their biggest line - Aqua Lung is also one of LP's biggest movers, and LP can do internet and ignore MAP, but the LDS cannot. Most of the Aqua Lung sold by LP is traceable, but it just seems that they have a never ending supply. Wonder where it comes from? You can't compete when the very manufacturers you represent work against you, while others can't sell because of territories. That's the problem, plain and simple.
Safe Diving,
George

OK, so it is the Aqualung shop that wants to be more competitive. Most shops I have seen that carry Aqualung or Scubapro tend to push them as their main line. So one option they have is to push Mares as its main line while keeping the AL brand tied up in the area but supporting their AL owner customers. I believe Mares has MAP which is the least restrictive of the many measured used by mfgrs. Plus these "areas" seem to be a rather flexible restriction (at least in the Austin, TX market) so they could always approach another distributor with an offer that is hard to refuse. Plus, even with the AL line, all the value added tactics are viable. And, yes, there will be that occasional local customer who wants the same price they can get from LP (but I don't believe it is really a large portion that can't understand a truthful explanation unless they have already been given reason to distrust the LDS). For those customers who opt to buy from LP, they probably can't do any better than to honestly thank them for stopping by and tell them you will be there when they need service or any other scuba needs. Or they could tell them they can get their service, training, and gas from LP too -- that's always a smart move.