LP Warranty on AquaLung, SP, Apex etc.

[gj62]

Weekender -

Larry's post doesn't really directly help him, though he is an LP competitor on some things. As an LDS (as well as online store), he is already restricted to selling SP products only through his shop. I guess he could be influencing folks in the DFW area to not go to LP, but that seems a bit of a stretch. Plus, give him credit for being upfront with who and what he is - he could easily be posting this without identifying his LDS connection...

That said, I would still consider LP if the savings were significant, only because in my 20 years of diving, having a reg fail completely is (a) rare, and (b) if there is a recall, my experience has been that manufacturers and LDS' will generally update any regulator, regardless of where it was purchased (including equipment bought used). Granted, they aren't *required* to, but again, my experience has been that they would.

Just to note, I have bought stuff from ScubaToys (and would recommend them), but not LP. However, I continue to believe that LP fills a needed role in the dive equipment economy and would have few reservations from ordering from them.

Just my 2psi worth - One thing I probably would not order from a non-authorized dealer is a computer. This paid off recently when I bought an Oceanic unit from an LDS, got home and the next week the LCD screen flaked out - something neither I nor my local dealer could fix. The LDS overnighted a unit to me (I bought it in FL, where I go every month) without requiring me to do anything, other than send my unit back by "the cheapest mode possible". They picked up the shipping to me - it cost me $4 to ship it back to them.

 

[darylm74]

I ended up going with scubtoys.com and ordered an Aeris Atmos Sport which fit my budget and left me with a solid distributor who is an authorized seller. Larry is great and gave me advice when I needed it. It is just sad that a lot of the major labels won't let dealers sell over the internet. If you can qualify an LDS then you should be able to have standards that an internet store can provide as well. Make sure they have a solid Customer Service department. Demonstrations could be given via webcam or something. There has been plenty of discussion on this already, but my 2 cents is, if you are certified to dive, then you should be able to order. When you can order a vehicle and other items over the internet, it is sad that this little niche market has not stepped up. I work in IT so I guess I am biased.....so take it for what its worth.

 

[Genesis]

make sure you understand this also:

Leisurepro is not an authorized service center. This means that the parts do not come from the mfg no are the techs trained by the mfg.

Sre they do. At least for the seats. For the rest? Who cares who made the O-rings. I don't. Especially when I can buy them for 1/10th what SP wants.

becareful here. you are assuming way to much. What going to happen is that they are going to tell you that beacuse you bought from an unauthorized source you will have to pay for any recall.

Wrong and illegal. The CPSC does not allow such games, and no manufacturer will attempt it. This has already been tested (e.g. with the recent computer recalls) and they were swapped - no questions asked.

That's the law, of course, which is why.

now you also need to look at what will it cost to get fixed each year. Scubapro cost about $54 in parts per year on the higher models. http://www.scubapro.com/registration/savings_matrix.pdf

And? You can overhaul your own reg for fifty cents in parts most of the years. Once every 2 or three years you'll need a seat. So buy a kit that one year. Now your overhaul costs (for parts) are 1/2 to 1/3rd of SP's inflated estimates.

Doubt me? Come by any time. I'll strip a couple of SP regs in front of you, on my kitchen table, and show you EXACTLY what goes in there. Then I'll go over to my PC and show you how much those parts cost.

is paying less now cheaper over lets say like 4-5 years. If so then you might feel its worth buying from LP.

SP, of course, ignores the time value of money. If they didn't then they'd lose so badly its not funny. I will note that at 10% earnings power, you double your money every 7 years.

So if you save $300 on that reg, in 7 years you can buy ANOTHER one with the savings. Oh my. So much for SP's "argument". Indeed, even paying as you go the savings work. If you save $300 on the reg, the interest alone on that money in the public markets pays for the parts - forever!

BTW, its dishonest to ignore the time value of money, because it is both a cost (when you pay it) and a benefit (when you save it.)

Now you know how honest SP is willing to be as a company. Any more questions?

you might want to call LDS from cities around you, you might find one willing to match the price or come very close to it. If the LDS around you won't work with you go else where.

also look at http://www.scubatoys.com/store/regs/regs.asp. they have some good prices on many brands that can be shipped.

I give the LDS a fair shot at the business, but if they refuse to be competitive with the mail-order places, then I buy online.

 

[triggertravel]

My wife and I bought four apex regs for a total of $480 off LP. We just got them serviced and it cost $440 to service two sets of regs. Two dive shops have gone out of business over the last couple years in our town and a I can see why. I will by a new regulator every year off LP to avoid this LDS scam.

What is the average price to service a reg? I'm considering in taking a course on how to service regs which could pay for itself the first year.

Re' sending regs via mail: Dive shops still get their regs via the mail just like LP.

 

[gj62]

My wife and I bought four apex regs for a total of $480 off LP. We just got them serviced and it cost $440 to service two sets of regs. Two dive shops have gone out of business over the last couple years in our town and a I can see why. I will by a new regulator every year off LP to avoid this LDS scam.

What is the average price to service a reg? I'm considering in taking a course on how to service regs which could pay for itself the first year.

Re' sending regs via mail: Dive shops still get their regs via the mail just like LP.

$440 to service your regs? Really? What was the name of the shop? Were they so badly maintained that everything had to be replaced?

Not sure on Apeks, but normally a parts kit is between $25 and $50, and the labor is usually less than $75. Even with octos, that's quite a chunk of change... I'm sure you could mail them to a reputable shop and have it done much cheaper...

 

[triggertravel]

Midcoast scuba in Omaha, NE. They are only 1 and 1/2 years old and no parts needed to be ordered other than the normal service kit. They do take the computers to depth via a device to certify they work properly. This added $45 / computer.

This LDS must not count on repeat business...It makes me want to open a LDS as the competition in Omaha is not so great.

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

I've had similar experiences, but none of my equipment is Apeks brand, so the syndrome is not brand specific. My "local" representative for one brand I own charged me $190 for service of one first stage, two second stages, and SPG, including rendering O2 clean (my mistake was not requesting an estimate up front when I dropped this stuff off). And, the second stage still has a flutter on exhale, and none of my "used" parts accompany return of my equipment.

The long & short is another shop within a 2 and one half hour drive does the same service for less than half the price, and is also a Kodak Sea Processing center, so we just take a Saturday road trip when dropping off film and equipment to be serviced, and have a nice supper at a good restaraunt in a different city, etc. So the whole experience is much more pleasureable, and the staff and owner, when hey made a mistake on their part with our film and an employee charged us for the mistake, went out of their way to make good and took full credit back off in my favor. Much more credibility with me personally.

I probably won't ever start servicing my own equipment. As Detective Callahan said, "A man's gotta know his limitations." I have limited talent and patience for working with my hands with small, intricate equipment.

Maybe some day I can talk my wife into servicing our equipment though. After all, she rebuilt the carbureator on a 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner I once had after I had given up and put the whole think on the shelf to gather dust (I realize I'm a VERY lucky man!). But, not until our pace of life in our careers slacks back some.

Anyway, it was worth my time to vote with my wallet to take my business elsewhere, after calling around and getting estimates. And even with gasoline, dinner, etc. I'm still money ahead, and enjoy the whole experience more. Heck, one could e-mail different shops for estimates in writing (my hidsight is ever better than my foresight).

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Wow... Apeks annual service for two regs for $440???? Thats mucho dinero... I would expect to pay $15-20 per stage, and maybe $10 per computer if they *ACTUALLY* do a pressure test on them. If the reg is under warranty, you should NOT have to pay for the parts. I see that you bought them online at LP, so you would have to pay for the parts. Even then, if you have two first stages, and four second stages, the parts would only come up to ~$105 for all the regs. So, that would be $200 for labor (at the most), and $105 for the parts.

I think they definitely padded this one...
I would be talking to the owner. Did they give you a detailed breakdown of the costs? Did you ask them what it was going to be before you gave them the regs to service?

 

[Genesis]

That also assumes the parts actually had to be changed!

Most of the time - they don't, other than the O-rings. Oh sure, eventually seats will all have to be changed, but not every year - not if you take good care of your gear, anyway.

There are about $0.50 (yes, that's right - fifty CENTS) worth of O-rings in most regulators.

 

[gj62]

Unless I'm mistaken, Apeks only recommends bi-annual service too. You've got a great reg, and a questionable LDS... I'm sure other board members can recommend an LDS that will service yours via mail and save you money (plus do a good job)...