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14230
Westheimer |
Houston,
TX 77077 |
Phone: (281) 493-4358 |
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Zeagle BCD Defect Notice and Upgrade |
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| WARNING:
If you
purchased or own an older Zeagle Concept buoyancy compensator
device produced after 1992 (similar to those units pictured)
please read the following notice |
| DO
NOT ATTEMPT
TO DIVE WITH THIS BCD UNTIL THE BCD AIR CELL AND FITTING HAS
BEEN INSPECTED AND TESTED! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THIS BCD! |
| HISTORY:
During our annual inspections of these older buoyancy devices we
have discovered what we consider a serious elbow air cell
attachment defect that could cause the separation of the oral
inflator hose elbow from the inner air holding bladder. Zeagle
has been notified and is aware of this problem |
DANGER:
This problem
may not be apparent during typical pre-dive inspection or
pre-dive testing.
This component separation can cause the BCD to fail, and not
hold air without any warning.
This could cause total loss of surface support and buoyancy
control for any diver using this product.
The general appearance or condition of the Zeagle Concept
buoyancy compensator DOES NOT appear to be a factor in this
problem elbow / air cell attachment point, only the age of the
BCD.
All suspect BCD's should be professionally inspected and tested
BEFORE use! We suggest that you NOT dispose of this product
until it has been determined if Zeagle Systems Inc. is
responsible. Zeagle Systems Inc. has NOT acknowledged or
approved of this notice. This notice is being provided by
Universal Scuba Distributors Inc. as a public safety alert in
hopes of preventing panic, potential injury and inconvenience to
our valuable customers and scuba students who may be considering
a purchase of a used unit |
SUSPECT
MODELS:
This defect has been discovered by our service technicians on 15
older Zeagle Concept models, (Black, Blue, and Pink) with
retractable wings made from a black colored elastic mesh
material on the back side of the air cell. However, this defect
could also involve non retractable covers. The separation of
these critical component parts are hidden from view, inside the
air cell cover. This problem has been observed on all versions:
Those with RE remote exhaust valve, standard elbow
attachments, standard power inflator and Zeagle Octo-Plus
devices in all the sizes and assorted colors.
We have already observed many such suspect, and possibly
defective older Zeagle Systems buoyancy
devices being recycled on eBay.
Using dysfunctional
life support products can be extremely dangerous! |
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Original Zeagle Printed Warranty is Now Void |
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These older Concept
model BCD's at the time of purchase included a life time full
coverage factory warranty. We were informed by Zeagle Systems
Inc. that this original factory (as shown below) that was
included with the product is now voided. |
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"All diving
equipment and accessories manufactured by Zeagle Systems, Inc.
are unconditionally guaranteed against defects in materials and
workmanship to the original owner." |
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WARRANTY
POLICY: Due to changes in Zeagle's management policy, the once
famous "lifetime warranty" of repair or replace on Zeagle buoyancy
products has since been revised. According to Zeagle Systems, Inc.
"That model older
Concept BCD is a non current product, and replacement parts are no
longer available, and they cannot be repaired. We suggest selling them a
replacement BCD" |
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We have
been told by Zeagle Systems Inc service personal that these BCD's will
NOT be repaired or replaced free of charge under the original terms of
the lifetime warranty that was in force at the time of retail purchase.
We are obviously very disturbed with Zeagle Systems Inc. decision, and
we are very concerned with the additional risks and liability that a
defective product may present |
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OUR
OPINION: We feel that any defective life support device represents a
serious risk, and it's clear that Zeagle Systems is NOT honoring the
terms of their original factory lifetime customer warranty. At the time
of this publication, the Consumer protection agency and Zeagle Systems
Inc have NOT taken any official recall action. However, we are prepared
to take action immediately for safety reasons, and are offering FREE
inspections by a Zeagle certified factory trained technician, and a
practical solution for our customers |
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OUR
POLICY: Although Universal Scuba Distributor Inc. did NOT
manufacturer, nor have any prior knowledge concerning this Zeagle
Concept BCD defect, we do take diving safety issues serious. Therefore,
we want to remove any possible defective or life threatening life
support products from future use before any potential injury can take
place. Because of the lack of Zeagle factory customer warranty support,
and the more recent quality control issues with this product line, we
have made the decision to delete the entire Zeagle Systems product line
from our selection of quality diving products offered to the public.
Therefore, we will no longer be providing any free warranty service /
parts and labor on any current Zeagle System Inc. products |
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SOLUTIONS:
Customers who
currently own a suspect Zeagle buoyancy device should immediately have a
safety inspection and evaluation completed by an authorized Zeagle
Systems dealer or by the Factory. |
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