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Category: Scuba Equipment Recall Info
Date: 09 Aug 2004
Time: 19:11:35 -0700
Remote Name: 68.4.224.151
Remote User:
Caveat Extempore. Consumer beware. Most of the time when a consumer buys an inferior piece of merchandise, it is merely inconvenient when the product fails to perform as expected. The most that the consumer has lost is some money. However, there is a very real and dangerous situation brewing in the scuba diving industry that is literally life threatening. Gray market goods – items that are sold by unauthorized dealers and come without a USA warranty, are flooding the market. Some of the major mail order, online and traditional retailers have gray market items on their shelves that are sold to unwary consumers on a daily basis. The danger is when one of these products faces a manufacturer or a Consumer Product Safety Commission recall, there is no mechanism to contact the consumer and alert them to immediately stop using the potentially dangerous merchandise. These gray market products have been sold by unauthorized dealers, so the manufacturer has no record of the purchase, and no means to relay a safety warning to the consumer. Scuba diving is generally a very safe sport. But it does require products that are engineered to the highest standards — because at 100 feet below the surface of the ocean, there is little room for error. However, even the best manufacturers do occasionally have the need to issue safety or product notifications, which are routinely sent directly to people who have purchased the product. Within the past few months, there have been several products that have been recalled due to faulty workmanship. One such product, the Oceanic Reliant BC Power Inflator, was recalled with a bold type warning from the manufacturer: “Do not continue to use.” However, this urgent message did not reach many consumers because some retailers sell this product without the manufacturer’s authorization. These retailers have obtained the products on the gray market, and sell them to unsuspecting consumers without any mechanism or warranty that would allow the manufacturer to contact the customer. These retailers are not shady operators running a business from a dark alley. They look and act like normal companies, and offer their products for sale through major online retailers such as Amazon.com. There is little way for unsuspecting consumers to differentiate between products that are sold through authorized dealers, and those that are not. Some companies look legitimate, but pump up their profits by obtaining products on the gray market without manufacturer’s authorization. It's recommended that consumers ask the question: “Are you authorized by the manufacturer to sell this equipment, and does it come with a valid manufacturer’s USA warranty?” With this information in hand, you can then make an informed choice as to whether or not they wish to purchase the product, knowing the risk that they take. Companies that sell unauthorized products online are in violation of the Federal Trade Commission’s Dot Com Disclosures Guidelines. However, there is little enforcement of these regulations. So, at least for the time being, the buyer must beware.