Leisure Pro warranty policy...

[RAWalker]

This is a case that both LeisurePro and ScubaPro are wrong and both responsible. The problem is that we the consumers allow them to get away with it because it would cost us more in time and legal fees than it is worth to us individually.

LeisurePro has the option to repair or replace but it shouldn't cost the customer anything beyond the price to ship it to them. If you sue you would win on that but it would cost you time and fees in small claims court at which point they would probably settle with you. If you mail ordered it you could get the postmasters office involved as mail fraud for not honoring the warranty.

As for ScubaPro:
If they manufactured it they are responsible regardless of their policy. The authorized dealer clause holds no weight since it is a attempt to regulate the price and stop competative marketing. It may very well violate FTC regulations. But again do you want to start a federal case over a $500 item.

I personally feel that we should boycott all manufacturers that do not properly back their products. Further I'd love to see a few Legal Eagles from the dive community go after the manufacturers that use the authorized dealer issue to ignore end users and second hand purchasers. And please don't tell me that this is life support equipment that is a BS excuse. This is recreational sporting goods that provide life support during an optional activity. Real life support equipment is the stuff in hospitals that keeps people alive that would otherwise die under non optional conditions.

 

[jnorman]

If the manufactures did not do this and everybody bought online the LDS would go away and it will hurt the dive industry you still need reg services and air vis on tanks and stuff like that try to get that from LP every person that dives can't afford there own compresser and the LDS can't make it on that stuff alone. Ask LP to come to you for your classes or better yet you travel to them how much money do you save then.

 

[ReefHound]

Please, spare us the tired old arguments. They have all been exposed for what they are - the scaremongering and bullying tactics of those who cannot compete.

 

[RAWalker]

If the manufactures did not do this and everybody bought online the LDS would go away and it will hurt the dive industry you still need reg services and air vis on tanks and stuff like that try to get that from LP every person that dives can't afford there own compresser and the LDS can't make it on that stuff alone. Ask LP to come to you for your classes or better yet you travel to them how much money do you save then.

As you said we all need service, fills and classes so the LDS isn't going anywhere but they will have to compete for our business just like any other retail business. The good LDS will survive the poor ones will be history.

 

[Web Monkey]

This is a case that both LeisurePro and ScubaPro are wrong and both responsible. The problem is that we the consumers allow them to get away with it because it would cost us more in time and legal fees than it is worth to us individually.

It's not quite that simple. Both SP and LP say that SP items bought at LP have no manufacturer's warranty, and the purchaser is aware of this.

With all three parties agreeing up front that the manufacturer is off the hook, I think you would have quite an uphill battle proving that SP was liable for repairs.

I personally feel that we should boycott all manufacturers that do not properly back their products. Further I'd love to see a few Legal Eagles from the dive community go after the manufacturers that use the authorized dealer issue to ignore end users and second hand purchasers.

I personally feel that people should live with whatever deal they made.

This is like the people who want to get bailed out on the sub-prime mortgages. Who would have ever thought that a variable rate mortgage given to a poor credit risk for a house they couldn't afford might go up?

Terry

 

[redacted]

As you said we all need service, fills and classes so the LDS isn't going anywhere but they will have to compete for our business just like any other retail business. The good LDS will survive the poor ones will be history.

Some areas may just lose there independent local shops. Diving may get to be al bit more difficult in some areas that just don't have enough demand. But where the demand exists, I expect non-profit clubs will replace LDSs and life will go on. There is also a good possibility that we will see successful online shops move into local markets with franchises. I don't think it is something to fear. I'm looking forward to this inevitable change.


Scott & Sara

If you end up posting that LP refused to warranty a problem that the mfgr is covering, it will cost LP a lot more the $100 in lost business. The local shops and their representatives on this board can be counted on to make the most of incidents like this.

 

[DPJ]

If it's a SmartCom, that would be $300 - $400 and a couple of months.

Terry

$300 to $400 to replace a battery is ridiculous, considering many new computers sell for less than this amount. This is truly the manufacturer punishing people for not buying from an authorized dealer. This is more reason to buy a computer with a user replaceable battery.

 

[Web Monkey]

$300 to $400 to replace a battery is ridiculous, considering many new computers sell for less than this amount.

Or get the computer from a dealer, in which case it comes with free batteries for life.

This is truly the manufacturer punishing people for not buying from an authorized dealer.

It's a special battery (you can't buy in in a store), and changing it requires opening the case, re-filling it with whatever goop they use to make it pressure-resistant, then resealing the case, testing it, calibrating it and then sending it back.

It's not just a guy in the corner with a box of watch batteries and a screw driver.

Terry

 

[redacted]

Or get the computer from a dealer, in which case it comes with free batteries for life.

And keep it for the rest of your life because it has so little resale value.

It's a special battery (you can't buy in in a store), and changing it requires opening the case, re-filling it with whatever goop they use to make it pressure-resistant, then resealing the case, testing it, calibrating it and then sending it back.

It's not just a guy in the corner with a box of watch batteries and a screw driver.

Terry

I have an old scubapro bottom timer that required this kind of mfgr support. The support is no longer available so they are junk. But a mechanical bottom timer of the same vintage (I think from Ikelite) is still working and divable. Why buy something that is so dependent on mfgr support that can be withdrawn at any time?

 

[ReefHound]

Or get the computer from a dealer, in which case it comes with free batteries for life.

It's a special battery (you can't buy in in a store), and changing it requires opening the case, re-filling it with whatever goop they use to make it pressure-resistant, then resealing the case, testing it, calibrating it and then sending it back.

Nope, I refuse to support such onerous policies if at all possible.

The purpose of a battery is to supply power and standard lithiums have proven capable of this for other dive computers, watches, cell phones, and hundreds of other devices. The fact some uwatecs require proprietary batteries and procedures is the result of Scubapro's design to make you dependent. Having to open the entire unit is a piss poor design in the first place. A better design would be to isolate the battery compartment from the electronics so the main unit never has to be unsealed and a flood just means replacing the batteries.

On another note, for such a ballyhooed reputation it sure seems as if Scubapro has a disproportionate share of "recalls" and need for warranty repairs.