You make some good points Phil Mintz. The fact you and other SCUBA industry business people are here on a public forum openly discussing issues with your customers shows a level of dedication to communicate and listen to customer issues. It is appreciated by many, if I may say so. But ultimately, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. My following comments will not please you. However, I would hope you take them as intended - constructive criticism. Sometimes the language used is not specific and different people may be discussing different aspects, so feel free to clarify any points made. Nonetheless, taking this discussion as a whole, here are my comments.
In regards to the issues being discussed, specifically the question of parts and labor coverage by the Mares warranty, you first stated After I posted a quote from an older Mares warranty explicitly stating it covers labor you stated The language in the newer Mares warranty posted by Marek K is more confusing and ambiguous than in the older warranty I quoted from. Thus, it is more difficult for the consumer to clearly understand, as clearly evidenced in this thread. The following quote from you is spot on in this case There is no reason a warranty can not be clear and specific in simple language that can be easily understood by the vast majority of consumers, while still upholding company interests. The ambiguous nature of these warranties create a false appeal for many consumer, as evidenced by widespread consumer misconceptions about warranties in general. They have a tendency to believe they are covered by more than actual coverage. The fact some dealers and company reps engage in further spreading contradictory, vague, or false information compounds the confusion. To some extent this favors business. Its common practice so many probably view it overall as a net positive for the bottom line. The Mares warranty discussion here illustrates some of these issues quite clearly, though these issues are not exclusive to Mares by any means as you stated.
I would hope the company commitment stated in the first quote above leads Mares to reverse the trend evident in, and in regards to the aforementioned warranties.
Basically:
Mares co.is the only one obligated for warranty performance.
Warranty covers parts and labor when stipulated conditions are met.
Authorized dealers are under no obligation to honor warranty. They may do so on a voluntary basis, fully, partially, or not at all.
Customer is responsible for shipping charges to Mares Service Center, at a minimum, unless authorized dealer chooses to resolve the issue at no cost.
And so on.........
By the way, you state you can not mandate authorized dealers to honor your warranty, yet, Im sure you have a dealer agreement/contract with them stipulating certain conditions be met. Mares has made a business decision to exclude warranty performance as a condition of authorized dealership by choice.
On to other issues.
The issue of adjustment has repeatedly come up. A new regulator that needs "something" after three dives in a month in order to function properly through no fault of the buyer is not operating correctly as a new product should. This can be remedied under the warranty.
In all fairness, abitton, the dealer you purchased from appears to have offered to honor the warranty. So did Mares as per Phil here. You chose to go with a dealer you want to build a personal, and as is often the case - costly relationship with, who did not come through for you in this matter. I am not passing judgment, we all have our reasons and justifications. Its quite possible that after reg service expense, you still came out ahead price wise by buying online.
Im glad to see Mares allow online sales. Now if they only stood behind their products sold through all legitimate retail dealers with their warranty and worked out an agreement with their authorized dealers for warranty service! Oh, that's too much to ask for, I guess. Silly consumer that I am.
It is in the interest of business to find a profitable way to meet the interests of consumers.
