Good / bad online experience
Mike
have very good experience with LeasurePro.com, bought lots of stuff of
these guys. Orders are arriving very fast, items are brand new.
Scubasteve
need servicing or might need to be warrantied. Usually my shop will
fix stuff that I'd otherwise have to pay to get fixed. I've bought
very little online. I think I just want to be able to bring my stuff
in and talk to a real person when something goes wrong.
M M
twice as much as online retail. Plus, scuba gear almost never breaks.
PR Jim
fortunate to live near one of the largest Online/"Bricks and Mortar"
dealers in the country. ScubaToys.com.
I know Larry and Joe (owners) personally. They are a great group of
folks. Fair and reasonable. I see them frequently. They are my LDS.
As a consumer, whether purchasing dive gear or a house, you are best
served being educated. Know what you should be paying for any given
item. When I buy gear or services, I "shop' the internet, then go talk
to my LDS. They have without fail, delivered at or below the "shopped"
price.
Be advised that all online retailers have a disclaimer that they
reserve the right to substitute color, model or manufacturer. This is
best known upfront rather than once you receive your product.
A word about online purchase of dive gear. You may see a cheaper price
online, only to find out that you pay a premium for shipping and
handling.
If you purchase say tanks online to go along with your recently
purchased Reg and BCD, who do you go to get you annual inspection? Do
you pay to ship it in and pay to have it returned? Do you pay for you
inspections at all? If you deal directly with your LDS, you will likely
not have to pay for small( but very important) services like
that...they will know you and will perform these gratis. Good customer
relations.
Let's get wet!!!
STEPHEN ADNEY
I agree wholeheartedly. I've seen people bring "online stuff" to the local dealer and wind up paying a lot more for servicing than they would have if they would have purchased it from the dealer. I guess it also depends on what kind of relationship you have with the dealer.
CrazyFrenchMan
Diving Products, Nitrox Technologies Inc. and StClaire USA I just
joined this group today and was wondering if anybody out there
remembers me.
A lot of people around the world think I must be dead since I went
through a nasty divorce and let go of everything.
Any way for who knows me, just believe I have thought about all of you
and the diving community all along.
Christian StClaire StCla...@GMail.com
PR Jim
Doesn't Bob Olsen own NTI? Bob put a Nitrox system on a Liveaboard I
worked on for a while, that was a few years ago...I guess he could have
sold it. I think he was out of Petaluma Ca. or Cali somewhere. Are you
from that area?
PRJim
Christian Stclaire
Nitrox Technologies In September 1996. A California corporation
Talks about starting membrane systems with Bob Olson started in 1994
during a lunch with a gentleman named Gary Baumoel.
We had a few live aboard installations some being Peter Hughes in the
Atlantic, Pacific some for NURC off North Carolina (actually a very
nice system with ramp up controller on compressor which is in my
opinion how all compressors should operate) and some Aggressor Fleet
in Pacific.
StClaire Diving Products was know world wide shipping to countries
including Japan Taiwan Korea Australia etc.
A few trade mark:
Gage-Gard computer/gauge stainless protectors
Uni-Quik modular attachment system
MasterClip stainless steel quick on quick off attachment used by navy
seal on a system I designed featured in life magazine 1994??
SeaBelt still considered the best weight belt made (not coming from my
mouth but actual divers that have been using it since 1984 some almost
every day since they are educators) I encountered a few these belts
and some were analyzed to find out that my claims of longevity were
totally understated back then.
Conshold console holder responsible for a lesser impact on coral reef
not to mention preservation of equipment itself
OctoQuik emergency disconnect system still available through England
SuitSaver
360 mouth piece Tye wrap
DuoSlate
SpareHold
AquaLock
ExactWrench if you never seen one you are missing out.
SeaGrip
123 System
Some Gas Filling equipment has been commentated by Nasa Johnson space
center and is now being used in White Sand.
Belagio hotel is using some of my equipment in their show since 1998
funny enough some current project involve Belagio in Lighting see some
of my contributions at : http://www.anotherplanetlighting.com
The UniQuik system alone was in my opinion a little revolution in the
industry where a lot of companies small and big benefited by the
standard.
I visited and made a demonstration at what I called the "Cousteau
factory back in October 1996 in Carrosse Southern France" and was
fortunate to be invited in the private museum Mr. Cousteau Senior
where I found some contraption/inventions/development that never saw
the light of day in commercial or civilian applications, what a trip
that was and what a parallel as my employee tripped on a number of my
own prototypes buried deep in my usual mess, and still in my opinion
viable and useful thing to come.
Thank you for responding to my post. I feel that all above is self
serving but it all makes me quite a few years younger and proud to
have been in the Scuba Diving Industry for so long, this year is the
first absence to Dema since 1984
--
Best Regards and Happy Holiday Season
Christian StClaire
Best Regards and Happy Holiday Season
Christian StClaire 707 235-3095
alm...@gmail.com
possible. Unless you want to buy your gear from WalMartDiving.com in
the near future, you should avoid spending your money anywhere but with
friendly local dive shops. Of course it's a few extra bucks, but
you're already investing thousands in gear, you need to invest those
few extra bucks in your dive shop so they will be there to answer your
questions, fill your tanks, offer you training, and give you a place to
hang out when the in-laws come to visit. If nothing else, the good
will you build up with the dive shop is worth the extra bucks. They
are much less likely to "hook you up" with the good deals or coveted
information if you shop at the shop but buy gear online. If we don't
support our local dive shops, we'll be filling our tanks at the service
station, and at last check, they are only good for about 80 pounds of
pressure.
Scuba Diving
out of business you cannot get your tanks filled from the Internet!
Work with your dive shop. If you buy everything from your local shop
they will give you a discount to keep you as a customer within reason.
ascention
Mike/all: I wanted to let everyone know the only online shop I have
used is leisurepro. I have (in the last 6 years) spent over a thousand
dollars with them. I have never had a bad experience. They have always
exceeded my expectations in delivery time, product representation,
quality, and of course PRICE. I love them.
Now for the disclaimer. Being a N.A.U.I. instructor I must say this.
Everyone should be VERY aware that you will trade price for
manufactures warranty. Leisure pro does not hide this. You most likely
will get manufacture over-runs, products intended for sale in other
country's (by the legitamate manufacturer)and/or discontinued items.
You WON'T get imitation and knock off products. The products are all
legitamate and from the actual manufacturer. You should always have
tried the product you wish to order and be sure it is what you want and
the fit/size is correct. You should always have your regs. serviced at
the manufactures suggested time intervals (some shops will not service
the regs if you don't have the manufactures warrenty card) but most
will if you tell them you simply lost it and never turned it in. They
will charge you full price of course. I generally sell mine and by new
every 2 years of less. Since I got a deep discount from leisurepro to
begin with I always get about 70% of what I paid, even with-out the
warrenty card. So I have only spent about 60.00 having them serviced
one time. Now for the servicing. Most manufactures will tell you to
service once a year. I believe it should be related to amt. of dives
not time. I do mine once a year because I dive 100-150 times a year. If
I start active instructing again I will do it 2-3 times a year. For the
recreational diver putting in less than 25 a year (in MY OPINION) I
would service every 2 years. As long as you are very diligant about
cleaning and proper storage.