Robin I know how it goes. I had one shop that pulled "you didnt buy it here, we wont service it" routine and as a result I never went back to that shop (i have 4 sets of regs and 2 BCs that needed service) along with a couple of items on order that I canceled as well (about $3000 worth of gear not including the tanks). It doesn't matter that shop went out of business a couple months later and its stock was bought up by scubatoys who weren't a "authorized dealer" for that shops inventory.
Personally I buy regs from a variety of places but It shouldnt matter where i bought them when they need service. The cost issue I dont buy if you cant cover your costs raise the price or don't service items then. I also have a issue with the prices for parts that the industry charges. Perfect examples are "parts" kits costing $30 a stage for parts items in total that dont come to two bux. I know everyone needs to make there cut but bohica redux ad neausem is very anti-customer, and the same can be said for the "warranties". Personally for my regs i pay about $45 a stage plus parts every 12-18 months and until last year I had to send them California or the upper east coast for service. This was because there was no one locally i trusted or would service them or without lecturing the customer for 30 min plus about how one regulator is the best and the other one is a time bomb waiting to happen; Thanks but no thanks I take my business elsewhere. I now have one shop that will service all of the brands of regs i use but then again im not a gold mine to most shops as I have most of my gear already and the gear i need they dont/wont carry.
And why would a dive shop ever learn where you got your gear? Because you told them. Answer to "Where did you buy this?" --- given to me by a friend works just fine, no need to elaborate that you gave some $$ to them for it.
The very shop that gave me grief when I moved here, has an excellent technician, who argued with Scubapro for ~ 3 months to replace a warranty part of the first stage that he felt needed replacement -- and that I deserved to get for free, as I had strictly adhered to the annual service requirements with Scubapro -- he felt that it was a personal challenge. He does my reg now with overnight service, and calls me personally to let me know it is done! that is the way customer service should be!
I even called Suunto last week, as it seems that my Vytec seems to think that I will get O2 toxicity doing my 4 dives a day on 32% mix. (I do admit that does account for a fair number of hours breathing that 32 mix
) I started the call speaking to the folks in Finland (after calling the US #. They gave me another # to call here in the US)... The very nice guy in Chino, CA listened to my explaination of the problem, and thought it was purplexing to him. I outright told him that I bought the computer in Bali, Indonesia..... Needless to say, he said to send it in to him to check it out..... none of this... you didn't buy it here stuff.... Just another example of how business should be conducted. (And yes, I would pay for the service to be done if there is a problem.)
Edited by secretsea18, 28 February 2010 - 05:44 PM.
Since I will be using the old regs as well, I can't just take the SPG off that set to use with the new. 
