Increase in Price of Subal Glass FE Dome Port

Hi,

I'm not going to name the shop. However, a couple weeks ago I inquired about a housing for my camera.

I'm buying the whole package (Subal housing, GS VIewfinder, Dome Port, Flat Port, etc) which comes to over $4,000. When I asked, I was quoted $1,135 for the Dome Port. It was on the telephone and was not written. I offered to send money to hold the housing, but was told it was not necessary. When I called back to finalize the deal and to let them know what specific items I'd decided on, a time span of about two weeks at most, the price of the Dome Port jumped to $1,298. I asked if they would honor the earlier quote and was told no. The price to the shop had increased and they had to pass it on.

Am I out of luck here?

Also, I thought that the items were in stock and I'd get them soon, but was told they are ordered from Germany and take quite a while to arrive. Is this the norm? How long have others waited for their ports to arrive from Germany?

One more thing, the package quote did not include o-ring grease for the port and housing o-rings. Is special grease required for Subal housing o-rings?

Thanks.

Ellen

Try Ryan at Reef Photo

http://reefphotovideo.com/

I bought 2 complete housings, ports and 5 strobes from him.

A good guy!

No special grease required, and sellers usually send a tube, they are cheap. The housing and ports also usually ship with extra o-rings.

As Okuma said, do some research and try other sellers before making a final decision on your purchase. Ryan is great (I got my kit from him), and Underwater Photo Tech also sells Subal.

Just to put the other side of the story (and perhaps create some discussion!) from another perspective:

Most of us who sell underwater photographic equipment are actually interested in it! Speaking personally, and I know it to be true for others too) I spend a lot of time (too much) discussing equipment/requirements/best solutions/checking/testing/gaining experience with it - building up a knowledge base of the equipment and its applications. Many of my customers ring me with new questions years after buying equipment from me, which if I can I answer quite happily spending time to back up the equipment I sell, thoroughly.

In common with virtually every selling industry, prices I quote are subject to change due to manufacturer's price changes and currency fluctuations. Assuming a dealer has a cost increase, why would you think it unreasonable for this to be passed on? Should the dealer take a loss or reduced profit (thereby devaluing their time) simply because of quoting an at the time price? I ask because underwater photo equipment is relatively high cost and in my opinion often requires substantial explanation/help which somewhere along the line has to be paid for.

HI,

As most of the equipment is made to order & not mass produced you have to wait

& in some cases take months to arrive. So hopfully when they get to you, you can just

use them without any problems. As others have said the prices do change sorry its one

of those things.

Andy

Ellen, Subal is based in Austria. If you are buying something from Subal from Germany, you may be going through one extra layer. Check directly with Subal if that shop is an authorized dealer.

As for price changes, the € has been rising against the US$ which may be the cause of the rise in price. However, if you really want to get into it, you should compare the € vs $ exchange rate for the last month. I remember it did go up a percentage point or 2 but has since equalized. Fuel costs are another variable with delivery.

Or maybe the guy pressed the wrong button on the calculator the first time.

I believe the Stephaneks (Subal) order in batches, to meet a JIT inventory system vs stocking everything. If you order during the lull period, there can be a wait.

If you feel you are being taken for a ride, order from someone else or even another make.

PGK, obviously anyone in business is doing so to make money. Cost passing is one of those things we all live with, especially with products that are sought after.

. Assuming a dealer has a cost increase, why would you think it unreasonable for this to be passed on?

Where did you ever get the idea that I think it's unreasonable for the increased cost to be passed on??

I don't think it is unreasonable at all and would fully support a shop who passed on the costs that they had incurred.

I merely inquired if I was out of luck.

I talked to the shop earlier this morning and straightened everything out. I am completely satisfied with the way they handled everything. It turns out that the item was in stock when I called earlier. The shop then sold what they had left of the older inventory and, consequently, I have to pay the higher price for the new item which,I found out this morning, will be in stock by the end of week.

I also found out that some of the housings went up in price by $1,000!! That's quite a price jump, IMHO.

So, all in all, I don't have too much to complain about

Thanks all for your responses.

Ellen

I can confirm that there has been a lot of price fluctuations in the business lately. Fantasea Line will be having an increase on many items the end of the month. These parts are ordered in batches and it can be up to the supplier to change prices from batch to batch. Currency fluctuations also add in. I don't know of many shops that can afford to eat a $150 increase, the margins are very tight on all photo gear.

If you've been getting good service and advice, stick with the dealer you're working with.

Jack

A current omission from the dealer and distributor is to make sure their price lists are up to date, In the past as a camera sales person I had to deal frequently with 3 to 4 years old price list, part of it was the distributor not updating their price list often enough, part of it was the manager's fault for not requesting recent price list. Unfortunatly the end result for the consumer mostly made for unhappy surprise.

The logistic of underwater photography is complex, most products are issued from small scale production and more than often hand crafted. they typically often come from abroad and subject to monetary fluctuation and finally, very few dealer actually carry inventory, not really a package for short fused consumer.

As for the grease, please confirm with your dealer or the manufacturer, some grease are petroleum base and can swell the o-rings rendering them useless. its not so much what to use as what not to use.

Aluminum has been going up all over the place and though a hefty investment, I think that the demand for these housings has never been higher. The manufacturer realizes both of these things and this coupled with the Euro gaining ever more ground over the dollar, it is no surprise higher prices are being squeezed out. Still fine products though.

Luiz, you are fortunate I guess?? I've never received any spare orings, nor port covers, nor caps, or anything extra that I didn't pay for?? Though I still received excellent service and a great product.