Oceanic Chute II weight pockets and What should I Do about this purchase?

[shaxs]

I bought a BCD used from ebay. The auction just said it was an oceanic weight integrated. It looked like a chute III so I email the guy and asked if it was a chute III and was told yes it was, but when it arrived I found out it was a chute II. Also, the ad said large, when infact it is a medium.... Also said it was only dived in 4 times, but that definitely does not look true.

So, what should I do? Should I ask for all my money back and demand he return it? Or should I aks for a portion back? BTW, I paid 205ish after shipping for it.

This is my first bc and I was super excited toget one at a good price. I was getting ready to buy a chute III from a scuba board member for 300, but they guy stopped communication so I thought I would buy this one. It looks like a decent BCD for a brand new diverand I have heard good things about it. But, the weight integrated pockets puzzle me. I believe the chute III has velcrom that helps keep the pocket in. this has some wierd wired I have failed to figure out. I placed the weight pocket into the bc and strung the wire through a whole, but it does not stay and I can see if easily falling out under water. Also, are there any rear weight pockets for this bcd? I could not find any, but I could be wrong. I would really appreciate any help you guys could offer and your opinion on what I should do. Thank you!!

EDIT: I found the rear integrated weight pockets

 

[humanFish]

I bought a BCD used from ebay. Te auction just said it was an oceanic weight integrated. It looked like a chute III so I email the guy and asked if it was a chute III and was told yes it was. Also, the ad said large, when infact it is a medium.... Also said it was only dived in 4 times, but that definitely does not look true.

So, what should I do? Should I ask for all my money back and demand he return it? Or should I aks for a portion back? BTW, I paid 205ish after shipping for it.

This is my first bc and I was super excited toget one at a good price. I was getting ready to buy a chute III from a scuba board member for 300, but they guy stopped communication so I thought I would buy this one. It looks like a decent BCD for a brand new diverand I have heard good things about it. But, the weight integrated pockets puzzle me. I believe the chute III has velcrom that helps keep the pocket in. this has some wierd wired I have failed to figure out. I placed the weight pocket into the bc and strung the wire through a whole, but it does not stay and I can see if easily falling out under water. Also, are there any rear weight pockets for this bcd? I could not find any, but I could be wrong. I would really appreciate any help you guys could offer and your opinion on what I should do. Thank you!!

Ouch!!!

I would ask for a refund on grounds that it is the wrong size and he misrepresented the product. If the seller has misrepresented the product you have legitamate recourse. Keep all your emails from him as proof. If I were you I would open a case with Squaretrade and have them broker a deal with you and the seller. They are eBay's official dispute resolution channel and can make things happen, for a small fee. Of course, both you and the seller will have to come to terms. Hopefully, you haven't already given him feedback.

I would not recommend buying life support gear without having first tried it or at least having the typical satisfaction garantee most dive shops will give you. Especially if you aren't familiar with what you are buying.

Try Squaretrade...get your money back. Best of luck.

 

[shaxs]

Ouch!!!

I would ask for a refund on grounds that it is the wrong size and he misrepresented the product. If the seller has misrepresented the product you have legitamate recourse. Keep all your emails from him as proof. If I were you I would open a case with Squaretrade and have them broker a deal with you and the seller. They are eBay's official dispute resolution channel and can make things happen, for a small fee. Of course, both you and the seller will have to come to terms. Hopefully, you haven't already given him feedback.

I would not recommend buying life support gear without having first tried it or at least having the typical satisfaction garantee most dive shops will give you. Especially if you aren't familiar with what you are buying.

Try Squaretrade...get your money back. Best of luck.

Thanks for your opinion, I appreciate it. The bc is in good shape and I think I figured out the weight pocket things. I understand what you are saying about not buying life support equipment without try it out first. Unfortunately, no one in my area carries the chute III in stock and I can't afford a new one anyways. From what I have read and heard, its a great bc. I hear the chute II is as well.

If you think I should buy a new one, do you reccomend a good one for around 300? I took a look at the bcs in the shops here and did not find one I thought was close to the chute series in my price range that was new.

EDIT. Now the little plastic wire that keeps the weight poches broke... :confused4 I assume these are replaceable. Also noticed rust on a few of the d-rings along with some sticking coming undone by the weight pockets.... 4 dives my butt!

 

[humanFish]

Thanks for your opinion, I appreciate it. The bc is in good shape and I think I figured out the weight pocket things. I understand what you are saying about not buying life support equipment without try it out first. Unfortunately, no one in my area carries the chute III in stock and I can't afford a new one anyways. From what I have read and heard, its a great bc. I hear the chute II is as well.

If you think I should buy a new one, do you reccomend a good one for around 300? I took a look at the bcs in the shops here and did not find one I thought was close to the chute series in my price range that was new.

When I read your post it lead me to believe that you were unhappy about the weight system, disparity in size, and that the BC seemed more used than had been advertised.

Now it sounds like you are talking yourself into it. Are you sure you aren't suffering from buyer's remorse? It happens to all of us If you feel you can live with this BC, then the first thing I would recommend that you do is go to a dive shop and have it inspected. I would also see about getting proper training on how to load and use the weight system and other features. Also, have the shop check you for proper fit...taking into account what type of thermal protection you will be using, or hope to use in the future. Is a medium going to be big enough for a drysuit, for instance?

It's just a matter of personal opinion, really. That is, whether to buy new, used, from a shop or online...etc.. You will find this debate raging until the end of time. I understand your concerns regarding price and such, and you had your heart set on that particular BC. What concerns me is that you bought a used BC that is begging for an inspection, which will cost you more money, and that you bought a BC based on what you heard rather than what you experienced for yourself. When you look at the big picture...there are several BC's in your price range and proper fit is really the most important aspect next to having the BCD actually function properly i.e. it does the job it is designed to do.

Here is the BCD in question from leisurepro: an often controversial online retailer here on the board. Perhaps this will help you calibrate price being that you went the online route and don't have a warranty anyway(LP does not give the same warranty as your LDS, generally).

http://www.leisurepro.com/Catalog.aspx?op=ItemDisplay&ProductID=OCNC34

Best of luck...be safe....

 

[Michael Schlink]

First try to get your money back if you don't want the BCD. However does the BCD fit you PROPERLY? If you were told large and you have a medium does the med. fit? If so and the BCD is in pretty good shape then $200 is pretty good deal. The weight pocket keepers ( the little white sticks ) are easily replaceable and you can "fix" the seam with a little superglue. Live and learn- But definitly complain to ebay-whenever you are going to bid on an item first be sure to do a little homework both on the item and the seller.-M

 

[shaxs]

Hey Thanks guys for the input. Im definitely not having buyers remorse. It I had gotten what I had thought I was, I would be super happy right now. Youw hould have seem me jump when the auction ended and I won and seen me skip to my package when I saw it arrived at work. I mean, from what I know its basically the same thing as a chute III, just with different ways of keeping the weight pockets intact.

As for fitting, I am at work, but when I get home tonight, I will put the ol wet suit on and try to see if this will fit.

It think it will fit. So maybe its not as big a deal as I thought. Im currently getting certified right now, so my teacher said he would take a look at any used equipment I may buy. He did say there is not much to check on a BCD. He said taking it to a shop would not be worth it.

So should any reputable shop have "weight pocket keepers"? Maybe I will run out tomorrow and buy some replacements and go fittle with the bouyancy in a pool and try a dive on this puppy for class.

As for the chute 3 at leisurepro, I mean I am willing to spend the extra cash, so maybe its worth it.

As for the ebay thing, the guy had great feedback and had been selling alot of his scuba gear in the past couple weeks. So, I think maybe it was a mistake or something. Regardless, he left has DAN ID card on the BCD and he lives about 1 hour away so... Im sure I can get ahold of him. Also, I paid with PayPal and I can file a dispute.

 

[Michael Schlink]

You'l need to go to an Oceanic dealer and even then they may have to order them for you. Get a couple extras. If your instructor is willing to help you with your BCD buy him/her dinner. As far as having a shop check it out be sure to check that the inflator mechanism is working properly and all dumps are working properly. If you aren't able to do this yourself be sure that someone qualified does-M

 

[shaxs]

You'l need to go to an Oceanic dealer and even then they may have to order them for you. Get a couple extras. If your instructor is willing to help you with your BCD buy him/her dinner. As far as having a shop check it out be sure to check that the inflator mechanism is working properly and all dumps are working properly. If you aren't able to do this yourself be sure that someone qualified does-M

Thanks for the input. I know you don't know my experience, but I know equipment fairly well. My course is a 6 month course. I have been diving for two months now in classes. Its at my College and is a 3 unit class compelte with midterms, first aid cert, CPR cert, ect. Our instructor gets us for 6 and a half hours a week, 4 of which are dedicated to diving. I appreciate your info. I hope those little sticks arent hard to get.

 

[Michael Schlink]

Send Oceanic an Email and tel them you need a few of the little white things fro the weight pockets, they may just send you a couple NC

 

[Web Monkey]

You can do what I did, resell it on ebay, get what you can for it, and close your account.

The only thing I got consistantly on ebay was screwed.

I don't know what "Square Trade" is, but any companyy that wants more money from you after you already got hosed is not looking out for your best interest.

I bought a rechargeable Dive-Rite light on eBay that smoked and would have caught fire and burned my house down if I hadn't been working in the same room with it (the owner bypassed two fuses with wire).

There have been others, but I don't want to spoil my cheerful mood.

I wouldn't buy a $20 on ebay even if it were $10.

Terry

I bought a BCD used from ebay. The auction just said it was an oceanic weight integrated. It looked like a chute III so I email the guy and asked if it was a chute III and was told yes it was, but when it arrived I found out it was a chute II. Also, the ad said large, when infact it is a medium.... Also said it was only dived in 4 times, but that definitely does not look true.

So, what should I do? Should I ask for all my money back and demand he return it? Or should I aks for a portion back? BTW, I paid 205ish after shipping for it.

This is my first bc and I was super excited toget one at a good price. I was getting ready to buy a chute III from a scuba board member for 300, but they guy stopped communication so I thought I would buy this one. It looks like a decent BCD for a brand new diverand I have heard good things about it. But, the weight integrated pockets puzzle me. I believe the chute III has velcrom that helps keep the pocket in. this has some wierd wired I have failed to figure out. I placed the weight pocket into the bc and strung the wire through a whole, but it does not stay and I can see if easily falling out under water. Also, are there any rear weight pockets for this bcd? I could not find any, but I could be wrong. I would really appreciate any help you guys could offer and your opinion on what I should do. Thank you!!

EDIT: I found the rear integrated weight pockets