Shearwater Teric or Perdix?

[loosenit2]

Not everyone can be an internet juggernaut like Amazon that can absorb costs in an effort to dominate the market.

Understand that perspective but you don’t have to be an “internet juggernaut” to have good business practices. I order through smaller retailers often (DGX, Divers Direct, Cave Adventures, VDH, online scuba) and have yet to encounter an archaic return policy like a 10% restocking fee although I admit I have not done returns to many of them.

 

[FezUSA]

You're absolutely right, you should not have received an unopened empty package from them, first time or ever, or even from any other vendor. Seems kind of hard to get a package all sealed up and labeled and yet not have the item in it, especially if it's only one item on the order/ pick & pack list! I mean how can that happen? Yet it has, and without being present at the time it's kind of hard to figure out how that could be.

I'm not going to make excuses for them sending you an empty package, however how has been your experience with their customer service since, as that should be the bigger issue? Everyone makes mistakes, everyone. It's what happens next that matters. If this happens to me then I'm calling the company long before I'm complaining about it on the interwebs. I give the company a chance to fix their error, just like I would want others to give me a chance to fix my mistakes. Have they apologised and sent you a replacement, refunded your money, given you the choice? What would actually make you happy in this situation, knowing that you can't undo what has already happened? Communicate that with them, and see what they do. Then, if they make good you come on here and tell everyone that it was ridiculous that someone would send an empty package, but that the company sorted it for you; or conversely you come on here and detail how they messed up and you gave them a chance to fix it and they refused/ blew the opportunity etc.

Oh, and "poor business practice"? Please. Do you seriously think that they intentionally sent you an empty package? To what end? It cost them money to send it. When you call them up you're either looking for a refund or for them to ship you your item. Either way this mistake is costing them additional money, and worst case future sales because you couldn't handle them making a mistake. They lose either way. No business operates this way intentionally, so no it's not a business practice.

This is my first and only order so far. Having an empty package arrive should never have been my first experience with this company, CountyComm. Poor business practice.

 

[delacrue96]

You're absolutely right, you should not have received an unopened empty package from them, first time or ever, or even from any other vendor. Seems kind of hard to get a package all sealed up and labeled and yet not have the item in it, especially if it's only one item on the order/ pick & pack list! I mean how can that happen? Yet it has, and without being present at the time it's kind of hard to figure out how that could be.

I'm not going to make excuses for them sending you an empty package, however how has been your experience with their customer service since, as that should be the bigger issue? Everyone makes mistakes, everyone. It's what happens next that matters. If this happens to me then I'm calling the company long before I'm complaining about it on the interwebs. I give the company a chance to fix their error, just like I would want others to give me a chance to fix my mistakes. Have they apologised and sent you a replacement, refunded your money, given you the choice? What would actually make you happy in this situation, knowing that you can't undo what has already happened? Communicate that with them, and see what they do. Then, if they make good you come on here and tell everyone that it was ridiculous that someone would send an empty package, but that the company sorted it for you; or conversely you come on here and detail how they messed up and you gave them a chance to fix it and they refused/ blew the opportunity etc.

Oh, and "poor business practice"? Please. Do you seriously think that they intentionally sent you an empty package? To what end? It cost them money to send it. When you call them up you're either looking for a refund or for them to ship you your item. Either way this mistake is costing them additional money, and worst case future sales because you couldn't handle them making a mistake. They lose either way. No business operates this way intentionally, so no it's not a business practice.

I sent Mike, CountyComm Corporate Office, an email and a picture of the empty package. His response was "Just file a claim based on your Route App policy included at the time of receipt and you will get it." No apology, no replacement, no other action. When I made the order and saw the shipping was $5, which applies to any order from $0- $98.99, I thought this was great! Little did I know, there was no quality control in the shipping process to account for an empty package, which is a poor business practice. In the end, Mike stated "it was a USPS issue with this order. We did ship the full package with your order since the label weight is made after its packed up and weighed." It does not cost CountyComm a dime to ship an empty package because the customer bears the shipping cost.

Again no apology, no replacement, no other action. So here I am waiting for my refund minus the shipping cost.

 

[Joneill]

I sent Mike, CountyComm Corporate Office, an email and a picture of the empty package. His response was "Just file a claim based on your Route App policy included at the time of receipt and you will get it." No apology, no replacement, no other action. When I made the order and saw the shipping was $5, which applies to any order from $0- $98.99, I thought this was great! Little did I know, there was no quality control in the shipping process to account for an empty package, which is a poor business practice. In the end, Mike stated "it was a USPS issue with this order. We did ship the full package with your order since the label weight is made after its packed up and weighed."

Again no apology, no replacement, no other action. So here I am waiting for my refund.

So HUGE fail on the follow-up customer service as well = a vendor to avoid!

 

[Griffo]

Back to the OP's question for a minute, I had to make the same choice and ended up going the Perdix. The larger display, and the easy to change batteries pushed it over the line for me. I've been stuck on a live-aboard before thinking I was going to miss dives because the F'ing computer decided it didn't want to recharge.

AA's on the other hand are universal, and it's one less device to set up to charge at night (when you have two divers with camera's, can lights, and computers it really does add up).

 

[Joneill]

Back to the OP's question for a minute, I had to make the same choice and ended up going the Perdix. The larger display, and the easy to change batteries pushed it over the line for me. I've been stuck on a live-aboard before thinking I was going to miss dives because the F'ing computer decided it didn't want to recharge.

AA's on the other hand are universal, and it's one less device to set up to charge at night (when you have two divers with camera's, can lights, and computers it really does add up).

Certainly not a bad choice! I have both a Perdix AI and a Teric and love (and wear) both for different reasons.

 

[FezUSA]

I sent Mike, CountyComm Corporate Office, an email and a picture of the empty package. His response was "Just file a claim based on your Route App policy included at the time of receipt and you will get it." No apology, no replacement, no other action. When I made the order and saw the shipping was $5, which applies to any order from $0- $98.99, I thought this was great! Little did I know, there was no quality control in the shipping process to account for an empty package, which is a poor business practice. In the end, Mike stated "it was a USPS issue with this order. We did ship the full package with your order since the label weight is made after its packed up and weighed." It does not cost CountyComm a dime to ship an empty package because the customer bears the shipping cost.

Again no apology, no replacement, no other action. So here I am waiting for my refund minus the shipping cost.

That is sad to hear. Not sure why he would think it's a USPS issue unless he believes they tampered with the package. Could happen, but let's be serious here, probably not. Either way, it would have been much better CS if he'd recognise that you, the customer, have done nothing wrong and he should send you 'another' one or refund you etc. and then file the claim himself. That's what our CS does when there's a shipping issue to our customers. It's the right thing to do, especially if you want to earn/keep their business!

Like I said previously, I have bought from them for over a decade, my son loves their stuff and buys quite regularly also, and we have had little to no issues with them. I've traded emails with Mike before, and while somewhat abrupt, it has worked out in the end. They do have a lot of good reviews of their products and their service in general, but this treatment kind bites and is certainly a head scratcher.

 

[lexvil]

Certainly not a bad choice! I have both a Perdix AI and a Teric and love (and wear) both for different reasons.

I have both, I soon stopped using the perdix after the Teric arrived but the perdix in along on any trip just in case.

 

[delacrue96]

I've had the Teric for a year now and dove in Pompano Beach, Catalina Island, Cozumel, Honolulu, cold fresh water quarries nearby. Outstanding dive computer in all environments!

 

[martincohn]

I was worried about banging up the crystal. I side mount and am banging my computer on stuff all the time while moving cylinders around. Once I found bull bars for the Teric I pulled the trigger x2. Sold a ham radio I wasn't using and the old Perdix to fund it.

I like the Teric screen so much better, even with having to look around the bull bars. Much cleaner and easier to read with old tired eyes.

I like the idea of threading bungee through the OEM band. KISS Plus am pinching extra curricular $$ to buy a drysuit.