SeaJayInSC
New member
Coral Diver, that's how much of the tight-knit community of scuba divers thinks of Scubapro - and Aqualung - and many other manufacturers of dive gear.
...Which is a real shame, because the first manufacturer to cut the crap is going to have a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace. I hope yours wakes up and sees that, because I am a big fan of Scubapro gear.
1. Stop penalizing those shops that have embraced the internet as a means of doing business. Consumers across all markets have decided (and they're the ones that decide - not the manufacturers or the merchants) that they enjoy doing business over the internet. Period. Amongst other things (like having stuff delivered directly to the consumer's door), it totally levels the playing field... That is, it gives all merchants a fair shot at consumers through advertising, service, and price... Regardless of geographical location. The internet, phone orders, and catalogs should no longer be blacklisted by Scubapro. You're shooting yourself in the foot if you do that... You always have been.
2. Make available to the consumer anything and everything that he could ever need to keep his life support gear working safely and correctly. Period. Offer parts that may break or need to be replaced (I once had a factory authorized shop refuse to sell me a piece to fix a cracked faceplate of a Scubapro regulator, because "Scubapro doesn't let us sell just the parts"). Offer the right tools ANYONE needs to fix or service the items they purchase from you. Heck, why not offer classes for the consumer so that he can learn how to maintain his gear? Working on regs isn't exactly rocket science, you know... If you can change the tire on a car, you can easily service a regulator...
3. Control your "factory reps." Fire the company that's doing your job for you in terms of dive shop relations and start dealing with the shops yourself. They are NOT doing a good job for you, and are making promises on your behalf that are bogus. They are simply a "middle man" that is doing a really terrible job. Look - it's almost 2010, and there's simply no need for this "middle man" to even exist. Deal with the shops directly yourself and pass the savings along to your consumers. You'll sell more gear and your company image will improve.
4. Price controls are for drug cartels. Even your local junior college's "Econ 101" class will teach you that prices are consumer-driven, not manufacturer-driven. Yes, you should tell a shop what the MSRP is, so that they can get a good idea of how something they've purchased from you should be priced to sell at retail... But from there, if they decide to sell the reg or BC or whatever for $10, that's their call. Do not threaten to "drop" a dive shop for selling an item below MSRP - that's their decision, and they should suffer the consequeces or enjoy the benefits of doing so if they choose to do that. That's how capitalism works - you do not have to attempt to control it through a heavy hand. Remember, your merchants are really YOUR consumers, and they need to be respected as such.
5. Cut out this "factory authorized" garbage. Look - the bottom line is that once the product leaves your hands and someone pays you for it, it is no longer yours... And you no longer have control over it. Stop spending time and money and effort trying to control it all (you'll find it does a fine job on it's own if you'll let it go) and instead focus on what you do best - making great scuba gear.
6. Bring back the Fino mask. In black only. If you can't, then please find stock wherever you can and send them to me.
The mask was a top-seller for almost two decades - why did you stop making it? Now there's like 50 different clones of it out there, and none of them are as good as the Fino...
7. Many divers love the Jet fin. I am one of them. Those that aren't, often find themselves becoming a lover of Jet fins as their diving advances. As much as we love them, we ALL complain about the foot pocket, and we ALL replace the strap with spring-heels. Hello? Why are you not selling them with the same foot pocket as the rest of your fins, with factory spring heels?
8. You guys are foolish to stop allowing magazines like Scuba Diving to include your gear in tests. Literally, your company built itself on these magazine tests all through the '70's and '80's. Now - what - you're too good to be included? Have you lost your minds? Cut the political crap and be included in the tests so that people can see how your gear stacks up.
9. Stop trying to make wetsuits. Look - you guys suck at it. You have sucked at it for decades. Just put the damn things out of their misery and outsource the making of the Steamers, hunh? I don't know of a better wetsuit than an O'Neill, yet O'Neill has distribution problems... A marriage between you two would be incredible. Do it and stop trying to sell a substandard product.
10. Let me know when you do the above so I can buy stock in your company. Alternatively, I'll take a 6% commission on growth for 5 years for the above advice... But ya gotta cut the crap, Scubapro.
...And PLEASE stop telling the consumer that you're not going to let him have a service manual "to save him from himself." It's insulting, and nobody believes you anyway.
...Which is a real shame, because the first manufacturer to cut the crap is going to have a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace. I hope yours wakes up and sees that, because I am a big fan of Scubapro gear.
1. Stop penalizing those shops that have embraced the internet as a means of doing business. Consumers across all markets have decided (and they're the ones that decide - not the manufacturers or the merchants) that they enjoy doing business over the internet. Period. Amongst other things (like having stuff delivered directly to the consumer's door), it totally levels the playing field... That is, it gives all merchants a fair shot at consumers through advertising, service, and price... Regardless of geographical location. The internet, phone orders, and catalogs should no longer be blacklisted by Scubapro. You're shooting yourself in the foot if you do that... You always have been.
2. Make available to the consumer anything and everything that he could ever need to keep his life support gear working safely and correctly. Period. Offer parts that may break or need to be replaced (I once had a factory authorized shop refuse to sell me a piece to fix a cracked faceplate of a Scubapro regulator, because "Scubapro doesn't let us sell just the parts"). Offer the right tools ANYONE needs to fix or service the items they purchase from you. Heck, why not offer classes for the consumer so that he can learn how to maintain his gear? Working on regs isn't exactly rocket science, you know... If you can change the tire on a car, you can easily service a regulator...
3. Control your "factory reps." Fire the company that's doing your job for you in terms of dive shop relations and start dealing with the shops yourself. They are NOT doing a good job for you, and are making promises on your behalf that are bogus. They are simply a "middle man" that is doing a really terrible job. Look - it's almost 2010, and there's simply no need for this "middle man" to even exist. Deal with the shops directly yourself and pass the savings along to your consumers. You'll sell more gear and your company image will improve.
4. Price controls are for drug cartels. Even your local junior college's "Econ 101" class will teach you that prices are consumer-driven, not manufacturer-driven. Yes, you should tell a shop what the MSRP is, so that they can get a good idea of how something they've purchased from you should be priced to sell at retail... But from there, if they decide to sell the reg or BC or whatever for $10, that's their call. Do not threaten to "drop" a dive shop for selling an item below MSRP - that's their decision, and they should suffer the consequeces or enjoy the benefits of doing so if they choose to do that. That's how capitalism works - you do not have to attempt to control it through a heavy hand. Remember, your merchants are really YOUR consumers, and they need to be respected as such.
5. Cut out this "factory authorized" garbage. Look - the bottom line is that once the product leaves your hands and someone pays you for it, it is no longer yours... And you no longer have control over it. Stop spending time and money and effort trying to control it all (you'll find it does a fine job on it's own if you'll let it go) and instead focus on what you do best - making great scuba gear.
6. Bring back the Fino mask. In black only. If you can't, then please find stock wherever you can and send them to me.
The mask was a top-seller for almost two decades - why did you stop making it? Now there's like 50 different clones of it out there, and none of them are as good as the Fino...7. Many divers love the Jet fin. I am one of them. Those that aren't, often find themselves becoming a lover of Jet fins as their diving advances. As much as we love them, we ALL complain about the foot pocket, and we ALL replace the strap with spring-heels. Hello? Why are you not selling them with the same foot pocket as the rest of your fins, with factory spring heels?
8. You guys are foolish to stop allowing magazines like Scuba Diving to include your gear in tests. Literally, your company built itself on these magazine tests all through the '70's and '80's. Now - what - you're too good to be included? Have you lost your minds? Cut the political crap and be included in the tests so that people can see how your gear stacks up.
9. Stop trying to make wetsuits. Look - you guys suck at it. You have sucked at it for decades. Just put the damn things out of their misery and outsource the making of the Steamers, hunh? I don't know of a better wetsuit than an O'Neill, yet O'Neill has distribution problems... A marriage between you two would be incredible. Do it and stop trying to sell a substandard product.
10. Let me know when you do the above so I can buy stock in your company. Alternatively, I'll take a 6% commission on growth for 5 years for the above advice... But ya gotta cut the crap, Scubapro.
...And PLEASE stop telling the consumer that you're not going to let him have a service manual "to save him from himself." It's insulting, and nobody believes you anyway.
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