I should point out here, that it is not the desire of either the staff or ownership of
www.ScubaBoard.com that ANY company should "fall on it's face" legally or financially. Many of the issues that are being freely discussed here apply to MANY manufacturers in our industry with the exception of a few bright lights (Aeris, Apollo and Oceanic to name a few). The opinions expressed in this (and all other) threads are those of our USERS, which are a force in and of themselves.
www.ScubaBoard.com exists only to serve their needs and if we ever loose sight of that we will go the way of the dinosaur.
While a few users have called for a boycott of certain manufacturers, that should not be construed as
www.ScubaBoard.com's official stance. If any individuals or corporations feel that they have been "flamed" during the course of this or any thread on
www.ScubaBoard.com, they should feel free to "report" the post(s) in question by using the "Report Bad Post" link that is in the the bottom left of every post; it looks on some of the skins like an [!] and you have to be a registered user to use it (registration is free and easy). However, this is not to be used on posts where you merely disagree with the user's perspective.
The staff and ownership of
www.ScubaBoard.com feel that the free and open discussion of industry policies is important for our sport to grow and prosper. Consequently, we have done nothing to steer this discussion either for or against any manufacturer(s). The internet is here to stay for the foreseeable future and any corporation that ignores discussions such as these do so at their own peril. If you don't give us YOUR side of the story, there is no way for our discussions to be balanced, and that is ultimately your fault. ScubaBoard is committed to all view points being aired in a friendly atmosphere and we will do all we can to facilitate this, including the removal/editing of any acrimonious posts. After all, we are the ONLY real time moderated forum on the internet (not to mention the largest
) that is dedicated to the sport of Scuba Diving.
www.ScubaBoard.com is also committed to providing a useful interface for manufacturers and their prospective and current customers. We have even gone so far as to provide private forums for any manufacturer that wishes to have one at NO COST to the manufacturer. Please go to our
Q&A from Your Manufacturers Forum and feel free to ask a question in any of the private forums there. To date, only 6 companies have taken us up on our offer, and in today's current climate these 6 stand out as pioneers into the information society that we have become. Instead of handling a hundred separate phone calls, a manufacturer can answer a single question and now many, many users can see the answer as they research your products on the web. If you want one for your corporation, please just ask!
Should anyone feel that the "Report Bad Post" link is insufficient for their needs, my e-mail and phone number are included in every single one of my posts for your convenience.