Right to repair shop list

[kekle]

I went to a local shop to buy an exhaust/purge valve for one of my regulators, and they would not sell the part to me.
Has anyone started a list of friendly shops that will sell parts to the public? I know I can get parts online but I would rather buy local if possible.

 

[TravisD]

If you want to buy local, than stating your location might help....

 

[lizardland]

Depends where you are. Most shops won't sell you anything they can charge £50 + parts to fit themselves, at least not in the UK. Because "safety".

God forbid that I might dare to fix the brakes or suspension or steering in the mobile petrol bomb I drove at 70mph to get there.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

We need an Amazon for scuba gear and parts.

 

[TravisD]

We need an Amazon for scuba gear and parts.

I think that's already there - it's called Amazon

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

This is why the internet is cutting their throats.
The sooner they realize that there are online gear companies with a right to repair policy the better off they'll be.

 

[TravisD]

Is this about the shops or the manufacturers? I've talked to more than one dive shop owner who lives in fear of getting caught selling parts and losing their distributorship, even commenting that they frequently get calls looking to buy parts from people who are trying to trick them into doing something that will get them in trouble.

 

[macado]

I know this is not the answer you want to hear but almost every dive shop in the United States will not sell parts or service kits to the general public. If they do they won't really advertise it for fear of losing their dealership. You either need to "know someone" or wave some sort of special handshake. I've given up on local dive shops.

We're sort of stuck in this sh*tty perpetuated system until scuba manufacturers/vendors adopt more "right to repair" friendly policies.

This effectively means that most of us are stuck ordering gray market parts from overseas.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Is this about the shops or the manufacturers? I've talked to more than one dive shop owner who lives in fear of getting caught selling parts and losing their distributorship, even commenting that they frequently get calls looking to buy parts from people who are trying to trick them into doing something that will get them in trouble.

Yes that is a big factor.
I should have clarified that the manufacturers need to realize their competition and should think about adjusting their policies if they want to stay relevant.
The dealers are puppets.
The internet has ripped open and exposed the long history of protectionism, and some newer more progressive companies have used this stalwart mentality to their advantage.
Basically, the old way of doing business is to brainwash the public into thinking they are too stupid to ever work on regulators and should leave that to the "trained professionals".
There are many "trained professionals" that I wouldn't trust to change a wheel on my wheel barrow.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I know this is not the answer you want to hear but almost every dive shop in the United States will not sell parts or service kits to the general public. If they do they won't really advertise it for fear of losing their dealership. You either need to "know someone" or wave some sort of special handshake. I've given up on local dive shops.

We're sort of stuck in this sh*tty perpetuated system until scuba manufacturers/vendors adopt more "right to repair" friendly policies.

This effectively means that most of us are stuck ordering gray market parts from overseas.

It's very frustrating!
I'm lucky I have a source (for now) which I will never disclose, but for others it a real pain in the ass. A lot of people switch to older stuff that after market parts are made for like older Scubapro MK5's and 10's.
I remember during the 2008-09 crash when a ton of dive shops went out of business, the market was flooded with all sorts of contraband parts.