Saying Goodbye to SCUBA Daddy's

[SCUBA Dog]

I would like to add another good reason to buy from a local dive shop. By buying from a local dive shop, you have the benefit of the manufacturer's warranty. Any problems and you can just stop in your local shop and have the problem corrected. If it had to be sent in for repair your local dive shop could easily offer a loaner to keep you in the water. As opposed to having to send your gear via mail back to where you purchased it and be without until they send it back. All based on their warranty and customer service and not the manufacturer's warranty.

Additionally, I have purchased my equipment from a local dive shop and keep it under warranty by proper maintenance. As a result, when the manufacturer discontinued my regulator and parts were unavailable for service, they upgraded my regulators with brand new ones for a very nominal fee. The same with my 10+ year old dive computer that was acting up and needed batteries (non user replaceable). I was quoted approximately $200 each to send in the computer and transmitter for battery replacement, with no guarantee that it would correct the problem. The equipment sales rep, through the local dive shop offered me a deal to trade the old computer for a brand new current equivalent (about $1200 retail) for about $300 bucks.

I will gladly pay a little more to do business at a local dive shop for all the benefits that come with it.