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NORTHERN DIVER = NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

79K views 140 replies 72 participants last post by  scubanerd 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi,

I would like to share my recent experience with Northern Diver after buying there top of the range Guardain GTEK Ultra BCD.

My dive instructor organised the purchase as he is a regular customer and recommends ND to new/current students. As arranged, I telephoned them with my credit card details to pay for the BCD £199.99 and 14 kg of lead shot £75. This was be collected by the instructors friends who were at ND at the time buying some gear of their own.

I received the BCD and lead shot but did not get a receipt of purchase which I did not really give a 2nd thought about.

My instructor said it would be a good idea to test the BCD so joined his club night at local leisure centre diving pool. As soon as I put the BCD on with the weight of the tank, one of the shoulder straps loosened completely itself and would not stay tight. The other strap was not as bad but still could not get the strap to fit me correctly in the position I wanted.

He tried to sort the problem but said that it would have to be returned to Northern Diver.

After telephoning Northern Diver customer service, Ian Evans, I was told I would have to return BCD at MY COST!

Because this was a Monday and I was doing my Dry Suit Speciality on the Friday, I needed it for then so had to pay £21 next day (Tuesday) delivery.

The "Repaired" BCD was returned to me on the Thursday. ND has just fitted 2 new shoulder strap buckles.

Kitting up for my Speciality Course, immediately the same problem happened again but having no spare BCD I had to do the first dive of the course with the BCD in a terrible position on my back which is not the best when learing to use a dry suit for buoyancy etc

I perservered for the 2nd dive but the instructor cable tied the straps down which allowed me to complete the 2nd dive and my course.

As soon as I got home I telephoned Ian Evans but had to leave a message on his answer phone to call me back regarding this BCD problem. I received no call.

So on the Monday morning I called again and spoke to Ian who took ask where was my receipt which I explained I did not receive one. He said he could not help me as he would have to wade through loads of paperwork to find my order!!!!!!

After sourcing my credit card bill I gave him the date etc of the purchase andmiracuously the receipt was found.

I stated that I wanted a full refund for the BCD and would accept nothing else.

ND arranged for a courier to collect the BCD on the Thursday which what happended. I waited a full week and did not receive a call, email or any communication whatsoever regarding the BCD to say that they had even recieved it or when I would get my refund.

I could not get hold of Ian Evans as he "was away on business". I spoke to another guy who was very unhelpful and said he would pass it on and nothing more he could do.

I waitied another week and still no refund so contacted Ian Evans again who said he would refund me and took my credit card details.

Guess what another week went by and no refund. As I am away offshore I had to email him and told him how disgusted I was with the customer service that I received and he apologised and said he had been so "busy".

Eventually I received a refund of £186 and not the £199.99?????????????

I emailed him again and he said that is all the invoice said???????

When did ND sell their top of the range Guardian GTEK Ultra BCD for £186 when they are now on sale for £249.99????????

He said if I could prove the price paid he would refund me the difference when he knows fine well I did not receive a receipt in the first place.

Northern Diver have the most appalling customer Service I have ever encountered and will never ever buy any thing from them again.

So for the pleasure of owning the ND BCD has cost me £21 + £14= £35

ND are rips offs!

I had to borrow a BCD to complete my Advanced Open Water, a Tusa Platina Evo, which was awesome and have since bought the same from simplyscuba.com

Barry
 
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#42 · (Edited)
They get away with it by pricing their crap very competitively, getting it to look good on the surface backed up with a big advertising budget, and cash in on the human weakness of thinking you're getting a bargain.

I wouldn't touch anything ND it's mostly poor quality passed off as top quality and they dont care about customer service thats obvious.

As with most things in life you get what you pay for if it looks to good to be true it often is!
 
#11 ·
My dive instructor organised the purchase as he is a regular customer and recommends ND to new/current students. As arranged, I telephoned them with my credit card details to pay for the BCD £199.99 and 14 kg of lead shot £75. This was be collected by the instructors friends who were at ND at the time buying some gear of their own.
This bit I don't quite get. An instructor recommending kit, fine ish, but organising the purchase? Dunno, but sounds wrong some how.
I don't really like the idea of an instructor recommending kit. Giving advice, yes. But not full on on "buy this, it's good" kind of thing. Maybe that's just me...

:)
 
#15 · (Edited)
I can see your point here and maybe that would explain the discrepency in the money but my instructor did not push this sale or the BCD. If I paid with a credit card how would he benefit out of it?

He actually showed me a Buddy Tekwing first and I did not like the straps on it so started looking around.

His mate had just bought a new ND Gtek Ultra which I liked the look of (£199.99 looked a bargain) so said could he get another one as his mates were going down to ND. He gave me the number of the guy to ring in ND and the saga started from there.
 
#17 ·
Question - your instructor recommended a Northern Diver BC, you didn't collect or try it on before you purchased, I wonder if the instructor received a discount he didn't tell you about and that is the reason for the price difference.

I used to deal with Ian Evans in the early days as ND were really the only local option for buying dive kit and back then they had a good reputation and I only received good service from Ian, found him to be a decent guy to deal with.


Oops looks like others have already thought about the same thing. Should read all the posts before responding :)
 
#18 ·
It's such a shame to see a previously well respected company apparently losing the plot like this. I had a couple of ND suits in the 1980s and at the time they were the market leaders. When I bought a Divemaster suit 3 years ago, I was shocked at how quickly it deteriorated and it was knackered after 50 dives.

ND are not a company I'll be dealing with again.
 
#19 ·
when I learned to dive the only suit to have was ND and the only BC to start with was a buddy. It's a shame ND seem to have generated so much anti feeling on this forum. Is it the same on other forums (I don't bother with other forums) or just a YD lynching?

I must admit my own experience with them has been ok apart from the charisma devoid person serving me at the dive show who seemed to give the impression I was incoveniencing him by being there causing trouble and asking questions before I bought stuff. That said, at my previous club our DO had a divemaster suit that leaked from almost every seam at some point. It looked more like an advert for aquasure by the end of it!!
 
#23 ·
I'm surprised by Ian Evan's attitude. I've dealt with him quite a number of times over the past 16 years and always found him very helpful. My wife and I both have ND suits and have never had any trouble with them although a couple of others in our club got suits from them a couple of years ago and have had lots of problems.

It is a shame to see what was once one of the most respected names in the business go downhill so rapidly. Reputations once lost are difficult to rebuild.
 
#45 · (Edited)
I'm surprised by Ian Evan's attitude. I've dealt with him quite a number of times over the past 16 years and always found him very helpful. My wife and I both have ND suits and have never had any trouble with them.
+1. Always had good experiences dealing with ND. Ian practically bent over backwards to sort out a problem I had with a Sea Harrier Wing. Joe Public is under the mistaken belief that the customer is always right. Take it from me, they aren't and are often the instigators of the so called poor service they receive. Rudeness achieves little. Most problems are usually down to misunderstandings and poor communication, individuals overly demanding, not being realistic nor acting reasonably. Not saying that's what happened here. I doubt it's Ian's fault, probably something more systemic in the company, like being short staffed, over committed elsewhere, using sub-standard materials etc.
 
#25 ·
Well, they got it right with their pouch weight belts. All three of us here have them, although the velcro on the tongue of the belt can be a bit stiff is it's dried out.
 
#26 ·
Just a thought - demand he send you a copy of the invoice, so you can see what's on it. If it adds up to the correct amount (i.e. the lead was extra) then probably not a lot you can do, but if it doesn't match what you paid then you've got a very clear case.
 
#33 ·
You sure you're not being just a little bit protective of your instructor here? Whilst I can understand the loyalty, I too feel that there's something here that your instructor isn't telling you. Have you asked him why he thinks you might be a tenner out of pocket? I'd ask him straight whether he gets any commission out of 'recommending' ND kit to his students.

As others have said, ask ND to send you a copy of the purchase receipt so you can see how the total you have on your credit card breaks down...
 
#32 ·
Going off at a tangent, Is it possibly a case that Northern Diver haven't so much declined in quality, but their competition has raised the game? I used a (7mm) ND drysuit for 10 years from '86, however even with rose tints I can't remember it being 100% dry, but it was better, or at least a lot cheaper than the competion at the time. During the early 90's everyone had a ND suit and accepted what they had. In contrast my Otter and now DUI are completely dry and so much better. Perhaps with increased competition and consequential loss of core dry suit sales ND has diversified into selling cheap tat, the BCD's being an example, as is just about everything else in their cataloge, except for their rock swim boots, they're great!
 
#35 ·
I had a ND compressed neoprene suit for 8 years from 92 to 2000, it was fine - no leaks. I only got rid of it because it had shrunk ;) I bought it because ND suits at the time had a reputation for quality and longevity and after several Vikings (which are apparently made from Kleenex) I was fed up being wet.

Nowadays I hear nothing but complaints about them. It isn't just on the internet either. A member of my club bought a ND Divemaster and had nothing but trouble and I was standing in a LDS not so long ago when a commie brought in his ND suit and opined that it was now leaking just the same as his mate's ND which had been returned to the same shop only a few weeks earlier.

However, I suspect part of the problem may be that allegedly their suits are no longer manufactured in the UK and are no longer true MTM, they simply take the closest approximation and tailor it to the client. I can't see that dismantling a suit, re-stitching and gluing it is going to be 100% succesful.

Looking at their website it looks very much as if the majority of their equipment is manufactured abroad and simply branded ND and can be bought elsewhere under a different brand name or even unbranded (although this 'confection' appears to be unique to ND; Northern Diver Weight & Trim :eek:mg:)
 
#36 ·
After having a full factory tour the other week me and the wife can't knock them but I must admit this only happened when I was being ignored by the staff checking there emails then the owner came out (sorry don't know his name)he said the majority of our work is online your the first customer in person all day,bearing in mind I was picking a pre paid Xmas present up which was not in stock at the time but I needed.These are our bread and butter totally down to earth "show him around" hence the tour didn't even know they made body bags etc etc What I found out of a staff member was they design all kit (suits) etc but it is all made in china but honestly phew I can not fault them ps the end
 
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