C4 carbon fibre blades

[EmicMalta]

This is what the Omer boss replied on the italian forum.

La garanzia in italia come all'esetro funziona in questo modo.La sostiuzione viene fatta dal negoziante che te l'ha venduta.Spesso,se lui stesso ritiene che il problema non e' causato dal mal utilizzo del prodotto e se ne ha in negozio la disponibilita',te la sostituisce subito
Se invece non ne ha la disponibilita' ce lo segnala e noi gle la spediamo

la cosa e' ancora piu' complicata dal fatto,se non ho capito male,che la pala l'hai comprata in Italia ma vivi a Malta.
Lasciami contattare CARDONA e vediamo come posso risolverti il problema
Ciao
.........

Ho appena parlato con Cris che perlaltro mi ha detto che eri appena passato in negozio
Ti sostituisce la pala con una nuova
ATTENZIONE.Questo vale per te come per tutti gli altri.La garnzia vale se almeno si presenta lo scontrino con la data di acquisto.


I had bought it from Italy cos was half the price.

[markcam]

The guy I had talked to from omer had told me a different story ed....If that was the case he would have saved me alot of hassel and I would have a brand new pair of fins.  But i'm 100% sure he had told me to go back were I baught them from, thats why I had given up. 

[Seahunter]

emic i have ice fins and never broke. i find them very handy and flexible to swim with. Guess you don't now how to swim 

this is why they changed them 3 times, 4 blades and after 100 dives per fin. Pls read reviews about them. Its material is Macrolone and not plastic, which it should be undistructable. Ask seahunter how he broke the fin!

Yes my ice fins broke after about 8 months.  I dived a lot last summer so I think Emic is right about the 100 dives per fin.  Fortunatley, I was in about 5 meters when it broke, because it's not nice trying going up with a broken fin.
The local dealer changed them for me because these were still with the 2 yr guarantee.
A pair of a friend of mine also broke after about a year and half, but he goes to the sea much less than I do.

[spearerr]

maybe the ice fins don't have a good wear and tear what do you think!

[baghira]

It also depends on how carefull you are for your equipment.
I have to say that i saw fins that broke off with normal usage, (like seahunter's) but, there are many other ways how fins esp. carbon fibre can break, like during transportation, in ribs, on leaving the bottom, on entering water, getting up on a rib etc. so its not always fault of the fins. I have seen a pair of carbon fibre fins, (not to mention the brand), that have been sent to the manufacturer, and were repaired magnificently, but these cracked since they were drilled to be attached to a footpocket. It also depends, from where they break.
But be carefull, I never wish to go through the experience of an emergency ascent with broken fins.

[SPNOTTA]

plastic fins take abuse.

[Simon G]

i agree plastic fins take abuse for general spearfishing but when you start heading towards the abyss carbon give a better performance

[Aquatica]

    Hi to everybody,

We just would like to make a few clarifications and explain to the forum members a few facts that i am sure will help you make a better choice when purchasing an item or just as general knowledge to have for any future reference.

    Currently this is the situation in Malta - When an item is bought from abroad, even though there is a distributor in Malta, you are not automatically entitled to take advantage of any warranty scheme from the local dealer - even if the brand or product is issued with an international warranty certificate. According to the local consumer's regulations (at least in Malta) state that the distributor in Malta is not obliged in anyway to change the broken/damaged item. However the client has two choices a) resend the product to the original shop/supplier overseas that sold him the product to be able to get warranty b) contact the local dealer to see if he (and only from his own good will) would be ready to take responsibility and change the item that falls under warranty.

    It's obvious not to mention that the second option would be the better solution for the consumer since it would be certainly of much less hassle.. However if you think about it when you purchase products from overseas you may get a better price but is it really worth it on the long run ? Especially when items fall under warranty schemes........but this is a question that can have different opinions and also according the various occasions.

    However a good example of this is in fact what Emic mentioned earlier. I would like you to note that we had changed the omer fins not because they had an international warranty but because we agreed with omer to change he fins ourselves and eventually wait for omer to replace them the broken ones at a later stage.

    If you would have it all one way i would have thought that if someone takes the "risk" to purchase a pair of fins 1/2 price then you would have your deal - then be ready to take the risk also regarding the warranty (so having to pay shipping back and forth for the warranty change.) Anyway as Emic himself had explained we had changed his fins without any hassle and he did not have to pay extra for anything - i guess that is what you would expect in the end of the day from an outlet that represents a respectful brand like Omer in Malta.

    I hope that these points can give you more to think about and if there are some other opinions i will be glad to receive feedback.

    Also i would to know, Have any of those posting on this particular subject have mentioned that if in the unlikely event that your fin would break (or maybe just get a cramp during your ascent - you know.... anything that can cause difficulty to reach the surface) the first thing to go off must be the weights? I guess not..... anyway i think you get the point - drop off the weights and get as buoyant as possible. That is why you should always have one hand on your weight buckle during ascents at all times. 



    Guys - be safe and think with your brains not your balls ;-)

[busumark]

does anyone know what is the warranty law in malta since we are in the eu and we always hear that now we are in one big market that has the same rules. so i think that if i buy something from england and i have an international warranty that warranty should be good for malta because both malta and england are in the eu. maybe the local shops want us to beleive that they have a right to not respect the warranty. Does anyone knows what is the truth?

[benri]

If I'm not mistaken, the law in Malta is like Aquatica is stating that means that the local company is not yet obliged to honour the International warranty. BUT, the mother company offering the International warranty is obliged to honour it from wherever you claim.
e.g. I buy something from brand X in the U.K. and it is defective however, the local representative for brand X refuses to honour the warranty. When however I write to Brand X in the UK and inform them of the problem, they have to honour the international warranty and most of the times this is done through their local distributor (not because he is obliged by law, but by the mother company).
If the international warranty is offered by a European company, and they fail to honour your claim, the consumer affairs department in Malta will assist you even if you bought the item from abroad or over the internet and the company is foreign.

[fish-noob]

thanks for the clarification benri, so basically if an item has warranty from abroad i can still pursue the case from malta, even so, with the help of the consumer departement.

[mellieha]

Busu,

I represent a brand that has international warranty.  To be fair not in the fishing market.

The deal I have is to repaire the particular item or if need be replace and then I will be refunded or conpensated at a leter stage.

The problem arise in the following areas. 1).  Not all shops buy directly from the mother organisation.  2).  Some decide deliberately to repair or replace only items which they have sold themselves.

The law precisely obliges a trader to repair or replace a product which he has sold.  The issue or representation is different.  Legally speaking one knows the company he has listed on the receipt.  The rest all stands to the manufacturer.

An additional comment concerns warranties.  In the UK it is only obligatory to give a 1 year warranty, whilst in Malta it is 2 years.  With this being said the number of pro-visos in Malta is than greater than those of the UK.

[mellieha]

fish-noob,

Kindly be aware that the local trader is not obliged the mother company is bound to do so.  And not a common trader of the brand but you have to find the one that purchases directly from the mother company.  Which is not always easily.

[benri]

Yes fish-noob, certainly - they really had helped me out.

@Mellieha - If you're part of the EU, then the product is warranted for 24 months. UK also have to offer a 2 year warranty irrespective of what the commercial guarantee states.

[skip]

If bought from outside of the country the local distribution has no automatic obligations......if the mother company chooses to pick up the bill and instruct the local distrubutor all well and good otherwise you have to return it to the place you bought it from or directly to the company at your own expense.

With mother companies it's usually you pay freight up and they pay freight down but not always.

As some of you know, I tend to look to buy locally so long as the difference in price doesn't exceed 10% after which I will buy online/overseas. Of course alot depends on the item, I wouldn't do it with something that would cost the earth to ship back.