"Ethics" of selling service kits

[mkhari]

the monooly issue is the big problem though.

This isn't a monopoly, as that would be illegal in the EU. You can get your regs serviced at more than one company and there is no collusive price fixing. A monopoly is when you only have one providor.

I do agree it would be nice to have the service kits freely available. I don't see this as any different to buying new brake pads for my car. I can go to a dealer and have it done, or I can buy original parts from Mercedes, or I can get equivalent parts from a motor factors. Why can't it be the same for service kits.

[dry suit diver]

This isn't a monopoly, as that would be illegal in the EU. You can get your regs serviced at more than one company and there is no collusive price fixing. A monopoly is when you only have one providor.

I do agree it would be nice to have the service kits freely available. I don't see this as any different to buying new brake pads for my car. I can go to a dealer and have it done, or I can buy original parts from Mercedes, or I can get equivalent parts from a motor factors. Why can't it be the same for service kits.

call it what you want, if we can't purchase the kits here , there is no law saying we cannot purchase in the uk and you can prchase them in the EU . its plain wrong.

would I service the regs myself- No but its all about choice.

[Frankie Price]

The reason reg service kits are not available in the UK has sod all to do with health and safety and all to do with commercialism. Service work, with it's very low inventory costs, is a nice source of income for many dive stores.
However, I've had regs serviced by dive stores in the past and on a couple of occasions ended up with sub standard results.

[MarkP]

This isn't a monopoly, as that would be illegal in the EU. You can get your regs serviced at more than one company and there is no collusive price fixing. A monopoly is when you only have one providor.

You're right, it's not a monopoly, it's a cartel.

So that's alright, then.

[mkhari]

You're right, it's not a monopoly, it's a cartel.

So that's alright, then.

Actually a cartel is when there is a price fixing arrangement between different companies, but lets not labour the point.

While I agree that service kits should be freely sold, in most EU countries, apart from Germany, they don't have to be made available, the manufacturers can choose who they sell them to.

[MarkP]

Actually a cartel is when there is a price fixing arrangement between different companies, but lets not labour the point.

While I agree that service kits should be freely sold, in most EU countries, apart from Germany, they don't have to be made available, the manufacturers can choose who they sell them to.

Yeah, I knew that, but couldn't resist an instant, inaccurate response.

Effectively though, it is a restrictive operation that only allows a limited number of cooperating organisations access to a "service". It's very similar to a cartel.

I simply despise the public reasons the manufacturers / dive shops / SITA trot out. When they're pulled up on them the stammer and say something along the lines of "Well, we don't want to supply the public, so there."

I wish they'd just say "Survival of LDSs is borderline, so this is essential to keep them going". I'd have a bit of respect for them if they told the truth.

I do understand the manufacturers a bit; I've known DMs who can't thread a cam band. Would you want people like that dicking about with their kit when it has your name on it?

[Rupert Bear]

agreed, but the point being mooted was if your " serviced by myself regs " failed on your buddy.

Whats "a buddy"?

Seriously though, how much chance is there of that both in the reg going wrong and the chance of being sued if it did.
Taking the car analogy I would take the chance of being sued if I gave a lift to a friend and was in an accident. Unless it can be proved to be directly linked to incompetence when working on any part of the car myself then why should this be a problem when diving?
You are far more likely to be in a crash in a car being driven by someone else who has maintained parts of that cars systems than be involved in the scenario mentioned for regs and you don't hear of loads of cases involving cars?
You can take that argument to extremes.
I shouldnt drive anyone to the dive site in case I get sued as I maintain my own car, not drive them out in the RIB cos I built the RIB from a bare hull myself, not put them in the water cos I picked the divesite and it may be dangerous.
Thinking to that extreme means sitting in a cellar in the dark your whole life eating nothing but roughage.
I know of far more failures from dive shop professionals that from anybody that did their own and in all seriousness I really couldn't give a monkeys about the main LDS in my area making money as they are a bunch of clowns that I wouldn't trust to tie their own shoelaces!