NEWS was last updated 3/17/2007 - Call to change Liability Policies and enact Diving Liability Law .

We now have a forum for discussing dive related matters, including but not limited to Diver's Union! Come by and visit!

Who are we and why are we here?

Simple - this is a loose association of divers who are tired of the practices in the scuba industry that have restricted pricing freedom and service availability as policy by the manufacturers of scuba equipment

We believe that such policies are an unacceptable business practice, and pledge to work together and lobby the manufacturers, as divers, shop owners and consumers, to change these practices.

Specifically, as members of Diver's Union, we agree that:

• Diving is a matter of free CHOICE. Claims that one must have "certifications" for various types of diving are a blatent attempt to rip off the conusmer - the diver. There are other models that work better and lead to more freedom of choice, while not impacting safety. The Equine (Horse) industry is one such example.
• MOSTLY RESOLVED: The use of pricing policies that punish dealers for discounting, whether implicitly or explicitly, is wrong and unacceptable. Additionally, policies that prohibit sales via means other than face-to-face contact punish consumers for shopping for the best overall value, to the detriment of the dive community as a whole. Dealers should be able to set their own prices for the products in their shop without fear of retaliation by manufacturers or distributors, and should be able to sell to all who desire to buy.
• MOSTLY RESOLVED: Product warranties should apply to all new products delivered to an end-user at retail, irrespective of the seller, and should be valid at all authorized dealer service centers. Is a manufacturer making a quality product - or junk? Does the quality of your product - and its lack of original manufacturing defect - depend on who sold it? We think not!
• ALMOST COMPLETELY RESOLVED! Restricting parts and service certification availability to "authorized dealers" is wrong and unacceptable. You wouldn't tolerate General Motors claiming that only one of their shop mechanics can fix your brakes, effectively putting MIDAS out of business, and you can buy literally any part for your automobile from any dealer's parts window - no questions asked. Why should you tolerate your regulator manufacturer claiming that someone who has taken their class to repair their regulators suddenly becomes "not qualified" if they quit working at that particular shop, and why should you not be able to purchase an overhaul kit and hand-carry it to the technician of your choice - including yourself, if you believe you are qualified to perform the work?
• INCREASINGLY BEING RESOLVED! Restricting service information, including classes on repair of their devices, shop manuals and technical bulletins, to authorized dealers, is wrong and unacceptable. You can buy a shop manual for your car from GM regardless of who you are. You can take a class and become an auto mechanic at any one of a hundred places, and be qualified to work on highly-specialized - and life-dependant - equipment in vehicles for others. Why should we, as divers, tolerate manufacturers who refuse to allow us, as owners or independent people, to take their repair and maintenance classes and receive certification in the repair of their hardware - whether we intend to perform that service for ourself or others?

We pledge, as members of Diver's Union, to purchase preferentially from those equipment manufacturers who refuse to employ the above policies and tactics, and who instead embrace an open, competitive market philosophy for both their products and the servicing of same.

This site maintains a petition, which encompasses not only notice to manufacturers of your agreement with the above, but also your intention to follow this pledge. If you are in agreement with these principles, please sign the petition by clicking the button found on the top left side of this page.

There are no fees to be a member of the Diver's Union, or any requirements - other than agreement with the above. Whether you are a diver in a recreational or commercial environment, the owner of a shop, or even a manufacturer of scuba diving related equipment - if you are in agreement, you are welcome to join.

What do we mean by "mostly resolved" and similar statements above?

That for the most part, the fight has been won! There are now multiple online sites where you can purchase extremely high quality, name-brand dive gear without the "minimum sale price" games that some manufacturers would like to see enforced. Further, you can now purchase, at retail, regulator and other repair parts over the counter. This represents 90% of what we've been trying to accomplish since January of 2003 - in other words, we've won!

We would like to identify the following locations where you can purchase regulators and other dive gear AND repair parts for same.

We strongly urge you to patronize these firms!

If you are a retailer and you will sell repair parts for regulators and other items "over the counter" to customers, whether in person, by phone or over the internet, please provide us with this information including the brand(s) for which you will offer this service and we will add your name to the list. If you also set your own retail prices without regard to claimed "minimum pricing" constraints, please also so indicate. You can contact us at info@diversunion.org

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This site is operated and maintained by a private party. If you wish to make inquiries of the webmaster about the contents of this site, please contact info@diversunion.org.