The Aqualung Discussion [ Moved ]

[Kim]

A wise man recently posted - So please... continue the discussion as YOU see fit.

I think he was referring to the original discussion rather than making it into another one. Maybe that's just me. As a member of SB I am just pointing that out.

 

[homo maris]

Sad. Censorship through legal action. Very sad.
That behaviour is causing me to decide that I will no longer buy or recommend Aqua Lung products. That is I will boycott Aqua Lung.

I am also going to meet with friends at the ACLU.

JL

PS: This posting is the opinion of the author protected under the First Amendement of the United States Constitution

 

[garyfotodiver]

A wise man recently posted - So please... continue the discussion as YOU see fit. AND Feel free to agree or disagree, but don't let ANYONE control the content of our conversations here on ScubaBoard.

Unfortunately, because this is a private forum, the content IS controlled. It is controlled by the owner and his appointed moderators. That's just a fact of life.

Get used to it.

 

[Kim]

Unfortunately, because this is a private forum, the content IS controlled. It is controlled by the owner and his appointed moderators. That's just a fact of life.

Get used to it.

For the record...in this case I wasn't 'controlling' anything. I was just commenting, as an ordinary member, that it was getting off topic. IMO that would be counter-productive...but I don't have my 'Mod' hat on right now.

But you are completely correct Gary - content IS controlled according to the TOS.

 

[cerich]

Sad. Censorship through legal action. Very sad.
That behaviour is causing me to decide that I will no longer buy or recommend Aqua Lung products. That is I will boycott Aqua Lung.

I am also going to meet with friends at the ACLU.

JL

PS: This posting is the opinion of the author protected under the First Amendement of the United States Constitution

Please don't. I posted in the last thread(the closed one) near the end that a boycott would only hurt the LDS who is simply playing by the rules. The vast majority of shops truly love this sport and want more than anything to share that love while being able to provide for their families.

The industry has changed, policies need to change with it. These dealers have been placed in a horrible situation where they find themself by design unable to compete. This has fostered the attitude of the "LDS Sucks" which has been so common when you gather together as divers (you know like on Scubaboard )

What really needs to occur is for certain manufs. to truly understand that the LDS is the backbone of diving.

Right now the LDS needs to be supported and divers need to express that they want to support the LDS but need the LDS to be allowed to compete.

The big issue(as I understand it) with AL and Phil is that Phil matched prices to get the sale. If the product he matched prices on wasn't commonly sold at the prices Phil had to match this whole issue would never had happened. This is an essential truth that exists in a market based economy.

PS- If AL has indeed threatened legal action againts Divesports (Phil), then calls for a boycott will only increase their percieved damages, making Phil's life that much more complicated.

 

[Walter]

Would any ethical company threaten a law suit to squash critics? In my opinion, no. If I know a company to be unethical, I cannot, in good conscience, do business with them. Hopefully, Aqualung learned from PADI's mistake and won't actually file such a suit. Either way, Aqualung has shown their set of ethics is on a par with PADI's and will never see another dime from me.

 

[jwdiverdude]

Please don't. I posted in the last thread(the closed one) near the end that a boycott would only hurt the LDS who is simply playing by the rules. The vast majority of shops truly love this sport and want more than anything to share that love while being able to provide for their families.

The industry has changed, policies need to change with it. These dealers have been placed in a horrible situation where they find themself by design unable to compete. This has fostered the attitude of the "LDS Sucks" which has been so common when you gather together as divers (you know like on Scubaboard )

What really needs to occur is for certain manufs. to truly understand that the LDS is the backbone of diving.

Right now the LDS needs to be supported and divers need to express that they want to support the LDS but need the LDS to be allowed to compete.

The big issue(as I understand it) with AL and Phil is that Phil matched prices to get the sale. If the product he matched prices on wasn't commonly sold at the prices Phil had to match this whole issue would never had happened. This is an essential truth that exists in a market based economy.

PS- If AL has indeed threatened legal action againts Divesports (Phil), then calls for a boycott will only increase their percieved damages, making Phil's life that much more complicated.

Wrong C,
there wasn't a call to arms for a boycott. there was suggestion that the consumer could leverage manuafactures to do right by their customers.
and I, becuase it was I who was arguing that the consumer could not in fact leverage the market that way, was stating
1. that nothing short of a full blown boycott of all the manufactures product would get their attention.
2. that it was impossible to achieve. becuase there are always people who don't care about what is going on in an industry as long as they get the product they want as inexpensively as possible.
and 3. that the Middlemen (read LDS owners) would feel and bear the brunt of such action way before the manufacture did.
Summary: it was to point out, to the optimistic individual that you and I as Joe and Joanne consumer cannot force the market as was suggested and it was even compared to the ridiculous, don't buy gas for one day and see how the oil companies like it scenario.

I also stated that when the Few AL products I am diving with have seen their day they will not be replaced by AL or AL related Products.

 

[jpsexton]

I guess we know now that of the 24,733 reads, at least some of them were Aqua Lung.

I guess we also know that change won't be comming anytime soon. :sad_2:

 

[DennisW]

Aqualung has shown their colors. I will never buy a piece of Aqualung equipment.

 

[cerich]

Wrong C,
there wasn't a call to arms for a boycott. there was suggestion that the consumer could leverage manuafactures to do right by their customers.
and I, becuase it was I who was arguing that the consumer could not in fact leverage the market that way, was stating
1. that nothing short of a full blown boycott of all the manufactures product would get their attention.
2. that it was impossible to achieve. becuase there are always people who don't care about what is going on in an industry as long as they get the product they want as inexpensively as possible.
and 3. that the Middlemen (read LDS owners) would feel and bear the brunt of such action way before the manufacture did.
Summary: it was to point out, to the optimistic individual that you and I as Joe and Joanne consumer cannot force the market as was suggested and it was even compared to the ridiculous, don't buy gas for one day and see how the oil companies like it scenario.

I also stated that when the Few AL products I am diving with have seen their day they will not be replaced by AL or AL related Products.

In the last thread I hit reply on your posting, I should have picked another post to do so. In fact you had discussed the effects, my NO!!! was not directed at you per say because others had suggested a boycott.

You have made some good points here and the other thread (whoever didn't get to read those postings will have to take my word on it...)

I do feel however there is a way for the consumer to affect change without hurting the LDS. In fact change will help the LDS if done well.

As far as getting attention, that seems to be happening already.

Best,

Chris