Beware Buying Scuba Gear Onboard - Deceptive Sales Practice

[aks753]

So, I bought a regulator and octopus on-board the Adventure in April, 2017. I was told it was brand new and it was a good price. So, when I bought it to my local scuba store to get a depth gauge hooked up, I was told that the regulator was 8 years old and sold to RCCL in 2009! I sure am glad I checked on this before I used it. This is clearly deceptive. Has anyone else seen this from them before??

 

UPDATE: So, I called RCCL and they said it is not their problem. They said all of their concessions are run by someone else and I have to take it up with that third-party company. As a loyal RCC customer (I am Diamond + and have been sailing with them since 1983 as a child) this is outrageous.

Edited August 4, 2017 by aks753

[harlekuin]

I'm not sure I understand. Brand new doesn't necessarily mean made this year. It means it has never been used by anyone else. Unless it has a manufacture date on it, the sales person would have no idea.

[aks753]

I'm not sure I understand. Brand new doesn't necessarily mean made this year. It means it has never been used by anyone else. Unless it has a manufacture date on it, the sales person would have no idea.

 

I disagree with that. New in a legal sense is different from unused. That is why you see the term "new and unused" together in the same phrase. Unused is unused. But there is a period after which something that is new and unused is no longer new. In the equipment industry, this is commonly three years. Certainly, something that is 8 years old is no longer new. And, critical for this particular situation, a new model came out in 2013.

[Ocean Dancer]

Never buy that inch of gold crap either, it'll turn your neck green the day after you are off the ship.:*

[harlekuin]

I disagree with that. New in a legal sense is different from unused. That is why you see the term "new and unused" together in the same phrase. Unused is unused. But there is a period after which something that is new and unused is no longer new. In the equipment industry, this is commonly three years. Certainly, something that is 8 years old is no longer new. And, critical for this particular situation, a new model came out in 2013.

 

And as a good consumer, you should do your due diligence and check out the product, compare prices and models before you spend money like that. It seems to be a matter of asking the right questions of the sales person and your own investigations.

Also, as a "Diamond", as the OP is stating, you would think he would know after that many cruises, that the concessions are not run by RCL proper. I am not a "cheerleader" as some will claim, but I do know to check before I buy expensive items.

[aks753]

And as a good consumer, you should do your due diligence and check out the product, compare prices and models before you spend money like that. It seems to be a matter of asking the right questions of the sales person and your own investigations.

Also, as a "Diamond", as the OP is stating, you would think he would know after that many cruises, that the concessions are not run by RCL proper. I am not a "cheerleader" as some will claim, but I do know to check before I buy expensive items.

 

I did some checking while I was on-board. Researching the regulator, I could not tell that it was an old model. They look essentially the same. Only a dive shop was able to notice the slight differences between the new and old model (and it is not the features of the old model that are the problem - it is that all of the o-rings and lubricants are now brittle and need to be replaced). The sales person on-board was (yes doing her job) and telling me how great a regulator it is - what a great price it was - and that the ship was "giving them away" at these prices. Yes, in hindsight, it was probably too good to be true. But, fraud is fraud. The duty is not on the buyer if there are false misrepresentations from the seller.

[Capt_BJ]

I understand you feel ripped off. Deceptive? Well yes and no ....

 

If it had never been sold b4 (wholesale to the retailer don't count) it was BRAND NEW. Had it been on the shelf a while? YEP, but did you ask that question? I recently bought a 'new' car that because I knew where to look I knew was in the dealer's inventory for over 12 months .... I used that information to get a deal. Was age a reason you got a great price ....

 

Sad to say but sounds like you fell prey to a typical issue on the ship or in the islands .... you THINK you are getting a good price but later find it is an odd or old model, or a different model from what's commonly available in the states or you simply were not as familiar with prices as you should have been.

 

I'm sure your dive shop told you all is not lost. They probably have overhaul kits for the reg so just replace all the rubber parts and learn from your mistake. I've seen plenty of folks make similar mistakes buying dive gear on the web .....

 

IME your best bet with dive gear is to develop a relationship with your local dive shop - which is probably a 'small business' as well. these guys will work with you and in my case I've even had my local guy match an online price that was significantly lower than his price, when the item was the SAME ITEM. (I lived in CT for a while .... there are dive shops up there ....) & sometimes you can get great deals when a dive shop is replacing 'rental gear' that isn't all that old ....

 

IMO the day of finding great deals on ANYTHING in the islands is just about over ... if you plan to buy ANYTHING in the islands or on the ship KNOW YOUR FACTS.

 

(I worked in the islands, on and off, for better than 20 years .... with cruises and dive vacations interspersed)

[scuba diver]

Beware of buying anything on board a ship. Especially dive gear. You should always buy dive gear from a properly certified/qualified dive store. Always research the store before buying.

[time4u2go]

So, I bought a regulator and octopus on-board the Adventure in April, 2017. I was told it was brand new and it was a good price. So, when I bought it to my local scuba store to get a depth gauge hooked up, I was told that the regulator was 8 years old and sold to RCCL in 2009! I sure am glad I checked on this before I used it. This is clearly deceptive. Has anyone else seen this from them before??

 

UPDATE: So, I called RCCL and they said it is not their problem. They said all of their concessions are run by someone else and I have to take it up with that third-party company. As a loyal RCC customer (I am Diamond + and have been sailing with them since 1983 as a child) this is outrageous.

So did you? What was the result?

[aks753]

So did you? What was the result?

 

Not yet. I want to try American Express first.

[setsail]

https://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/when-is-dive-equipment-considered-old.476180/

[Capt_BJ]

They said all of their concessions are run by someone else and I have to take it up with that third-party company.

 

100% true ...... same as the spa .... art auctions ..... most shops ....

 

if interested there are a TON of books written by 'former crew of crew ships' ... and they ALL describe the fact that the ship vendors are just this side of crooks!!!!!!

[matj2000]

I cannot believe that anyone would buy any sort of items like that on a ship...

[aks753]

Yes, was in hindsight a bad idea, but I had no idea they would sell 8 year old gear as new. The dive shop holds itself out as a dive shop with classes and organized dives.

[ONECRUISER]

https://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/when-is-dive-equipment-considered-old.476180/

Good link. Thanks

[Thetrail]

I did some checking while I was on-board. Researching the regulator, I could not tell that it was an old model. They look essentially the same. Only a dive shop was able to notice the slight differences between the new and old model (and it is not the features of the old model that are the problem - it is that all of the o-rings and lubricants are now brittle and need to be replaced). The sales person on-board was (yes doing her job) and telling me how great a regulator it is - what a great price it was - and that the ship was "giving them away" at these prices. Yes, in hindsight, it was probably too good to be true. But, fraud is fraud. The duty is not on the buyer if there are false misrepresentations from the seller.

Have you dived before or was this your first experience????? Do you own your own dive equipment???

[Thetrail]

Not yet. I want to try American Express first.

LOL...good luck with that explanation to Amex.:loudcry:

[aks753]

Have you dived before or was this your first experience????? Do you own your own dive equipment???

 

No, I have been diving for years, but had not bought my own equipment yet.

[aks753]

So, I called the third-party vendor "Starboard Cruises" and was told they do not sell scuba equipment.

[aks753]

To update - RCCL has resolved this in a good manner.

[jsausley]

I'm not sure I understand. Brand new doesn't necessarily mean made this year. It means it has never been used by anyone else. Unless it has a manufacture date on it, the sales person would have no idea.

 

This is an exclusive problem with scuba diving gear, as it should be function checked every 1-2 years. There are o-rings in a regulator that could go bad. While it is unlikely that they would go bad without being used, it IS technically possible, and if that had happened and the OP had tried to use the regulator without having it tested first, he literally could have died.

 

While I understand your point and agree somewhat, this is quite different than say, buying an off-the-rack Polo shirt or house knickknack that has been sitting in a warehouse for 8 years.

[AWOL]

I would suspect the dive shop of trying to sell you something you did not need. O-Rings have a longer shelf life than those in the regulator. Regulators have butyl N or butyl rubber, both with 15 years shelf life.

See https://www.oringsusa.com/html/shelf_life.html

[shipshape sam]

To update - RCCL has resolved this in a good manner.

 

Great! I am glad to read Royal stepping up and doing the right thing.

 

It does or it should remind us all that we need to do our homework and that Royal may not step up and take the lead in being responsible.

 

I would too say that IF Royal is not responsible, they should have something clearly putting the sailing public on notice that they are dealing with 3rd party vendors before purchasing something onboard. My guess is they would NOT want to be doing that as they rely on, IMHO, the cruisers thought process that I am dealing with Royal on this purchase and as such have a comfort level that I would not have if I am told that I am buying/dealing with a company not backed by Royal.