The Aqualung Discussion [ Moved ]

[vox]

Awap reminded me of a post Larry made a few months ago regarding his Scubapro dealership. Worth posting here, as it concerns many of the same issues people are having with Aqualung, and reinforces that this is an industry wide problem.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=1404664&postcount=37

-Brandon.

Brandon, thanks for the link.

The more and more I read, it is clear that the manufacturers are going to have to take the lead. I get the impression that that won't be happening though because of the economics involved.

I repeat...What. A. Racket!

 

[cerich]

Chris

That pretty much laid all your cards on the table and I'm pretty sure I'm looking at a winner.

But the problem is some (maybe many) shops really don't want those retail price restrictions to drop or disappear. They don't want to compete. They want/need the manufacture to control any price competition so their profits from the sale of big ticket item is not cut. I hope they can change and adjust.

Absolutely, and I'm the bad guy when those shops hear what I say (notice I used hear not listen?) If they feel they can stay in business making the "full" margin on the 1 "full sets" of gear they sell to 1 or 2 out of ten students when half of the those ten students are buying 'full sets" online and half of those are grey market of the brands that LDS pushed....

They have been backed into a corner by misconceptions of the true nature of the business that is reinforced by the very people who are taking advantage of the situation.

The problem is some just want to "believe", others don't want to have it pointed out that they have made a mistake and many feel that it's just the Oceanic guy trying to take some business away from his competition, after all his AL rep is telling them "Oceanic encourages the INTERNET, what problems you have with our products on there would be ten times as bad with a company that actually sells on the INTERNET" My answer is always "ask my dealers that do both and see which is easier/more profitable for the LDS to compete with"

I fear that some stores will only see the truth after the doors are closed, and I AM SICK OF SEEING THE DOORS CLOSE!

 

[mdb]

I fear that some stores will only see the truth after the doors are closed, and I AM SICK OF SEEING THE DOORS CLOSE!

cerich: Me too. Many a store owner has tried to hold the no internet, no advertising price policy while their customers and potential customers were, and are, getting well informed on the www.

Some store owners take a combative approach-that will not work, others quietly discount, many are faced with buying at "level one" while the gray market folks are buying at far greater discounts. They are simply not playing on a level field. More and more retailers are becoming aware everyday.

Oceanic has a fair and open approach to the market. I would not be surprised to see your methods being used by other SCUBA companies. When that happens the LDS will have a much better opportunity to compete and survive.

 

[jwdiverdude]

Some store owners take a combative approach-that will not work, others quietly discount, many are faced with buying at "level one" while the gray market folks are buying at far greater discounts. They are simply not playing on a level field. More and more retailers are becoming aware everyday.

Funny how many people who participate in scuba as an activity (and are not in the industry) can see this but the manufacturer either don't see it or don't acknowledge that it is part of the problem.

 

[mdb]

Funny how many people who participate in scuba as an activity (and are not in the industry) can see this but the manufacturer either don't see it or don't acknowledge that it is part of the problem.

They just hope it will go away. It will not.

 

[jwdiverdude]

They just hope it will go away. It will not.

head in the sand effect I guess.

 

[mike_s]

So did anything ever happen with the FTC complaints?

I got the "reply" from them from the one I filed, but I haven't seen any other discussion.

It's just a shame to see a big corporate enity like Aqualung try to "squash" a small shop dealer who is just trying to compete in a fair market system.

 

[Brandon]

So did anything ever happen with the FTC complaints?

I got the "reply" from them from the one I filed, but I haven't seen any other discussion.

It's just a shame to see a big corporate enity like Aqualung try to "squash" a small shop dealer who is just trying to compete in a fair market system.

I never heard anything back...

Technically, I'm fairly sure what Aqualung is doing is legal, and the FTC won't do anything about it.

It was worth a shot... enough complaints may get the FTC to re-evaluate the portion of the law that is letting Aqualung slip by with de facto price fixing.

I have a couple other ideas as soon as I get some free time...

-Brandon.:11doh:

 

[tehkraken]

Hey, just so Aqua Lung and everyone on SB knows, I was ready to head up to my dive shop and buy all my own gear, for about 2000$ worth, of alllllll aqua lung gear from my LDS, and the same day I saw Dandy Don's signature with the aqua lung discussion So I read it, was appalled and it ended up that, I bought all scubapro!!!!! SEE THAT AQUA LUNG YA AIN'T GONA KILL LOUISVILLE'S LDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HAHAHA!

 

[tehkraken]

Oh and a non-gray market internet site that I haven't heard meantioned on SB yet is www.joediveramerica.com This guy offers full manufacterers warranties on all of their stuff, and a joediver warranty, also unlike many others.......THEY HONOR IT!!!! Check em out,they are a great alternative to gray markets. (They're authorized dealers of what the sell :O)
Have a nice day ya'll!
Cheers, Josh