Royal exclusiv will not warranty their products in Canada

[ultreef]

FYI for everyone. I have an actual RE skimmer, a BK mini180. And my pump recently died. Well as you all know, no one in n. America can help so I email RE directly. Couple emails later, they are going to send me a new motor block + impeller. Which is awesome cuz it's only the motor block that's dead.

So I think warranty service for BK products are still great.

Where ppl are getting screw is a Vertex product that has the RD pumps. Now Vertex have no access to RD pump/parts for warranty replacement.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by ultreef

FYI for everyone. I have an actual RE skimmer, a BK mini180. And my pump recently died. Well as you all know, no one in n. America can help so I email RE directly. Couple emails later, they are going to send me a new motor block + impeller. Which is awesome cuz it's only the motor block that's dead.

So I think warranty service for BK products are still great.

Where ppl are getting screw is a Vertex product that has the RD pumps. Now Vertex have no access to RD pump/parts for warranty replacement.

[albert_dao]

Okay, let's clear some things up:

1. RE is moving to a direct sales model. Some of you may recall EuroReef did this a while back. It wrecked their business model. Why did they do it? Who knows, but it was BS.

Unfortunately, there is nothing Proline, nor Vertex for that matter, can do about this. When a small company (RE) decides they want to change the direction of their business, there is no board or committee to recommend against toxic actions. It's sad and it f**ks a lot of us, but it's happening.

2. Vertex has moved manufacture of the entire Alpha line to their own factories in Germany. There will be a slight lull as they retool everything, but all molds and designs are owned by Vertex and were previously commissioned to RE for assembly.

3. The pumps will be available once retooling is done. RE pumps are not magical. They're an Askoll motorblock with some well thought out custom components, components that should be readily/easily engineered by a competent firm. I may be going out on a limb here, but I feel (given my affinity) that Vertex is a competent firm.

4. The rest of what you get on the forums is hearsay.

Edit: Dave is right - Parts for Alpha skimmers are still readily available. In the future, they will no longer bear the Red Dragon moniker. That is all.

As an added bonus, removing the commissioned manufacturer will open a few doors for the sake of making improvements and/or price reductions, especially on parts.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by albert_dao

Okay, let's clear some things up:

1. RE is moving to a direct sales model. Some of you may recall EuroReef did this a while back. It wrecked their business model. Why did they do it? Who knows, but it was BS.

Unfortunately, there is nothing Proline, nor Vertex for that matter, can do about this. When a small company (RE) decides they want to change the direction of their business, there is no board or committee to recommend against toxic actions. It's sad and it f**ks a lot of us, but it's happening.

2. Vertex has moved manufacture of the entire Alpha line to their own factories in Germany. There will be a slight lull as they retool everything, but all molds and designs are owned by Vertex and were previously commissioned to RE for assembly.

3. The pumps will be available once retooling is done. RE pumps are not magical. They're an Askoll motorblock with some well thought out custom components, components that should be readily/easily engineered by a competent firm. I may be going out on a limb here, but I feel (given my affinity) that Vertex is a competent firm.

4. The rest of what you get on the forums is hearsay.

Edit: Dave is right - Parts for Alpha skimmers are still readily available. In the future, they will no longer bear the Red Dragon moniker. That is all.

As an added bonus, removing the commissioned manufacturer will open a few doors for the sake of making improvements and/or price reductions, especially on parts.

I'm good with this.

[asylumdown]

Perhaps this is a really naive question, but I know nothing about retail or supply chains: Why is a direct to customer model considered bad? Why would that make stores drop a line of products?

[albert_dao]

Originally Posted by asylumdown

Perhaps this is a really naive question, but I know nothing about retail or supply chains: Why is a direct to customer model considered bad? Why would that make stores drop a line of products?

Because customers/stores don't want to go through the nightmare of international shipping and customs. A distributor is there in this sort of scenario to:

A. Make bulk purchases, thereby reducing/mitigating these overhead expenses.

B. Localize the product.

C. Increase the visibility of the product.

Let's get something straight, RE does not have the manpower, knowledge or finesse to turn BK into an international brand. That is something that others did through hard work, directed market planning and salesmanship.

[asylumdown]

ooooooh, yah when you put it that way I'd probably stop carrying the product as well (if I had a store). Wouldn't that also mean that any individuals who wanted to buy product 'direct' (as in, online) would also have to pay crazy international shipping fees?

[Seriak]

Originally Posted by asylumdown

ooooooh, yah when you put it that way I'd probably stop carrying the product as well (if I had a store). Wouldn't that also mean that any individuals who wanted to buy product 'direct' (as in, online) would also have to pay crazy international shipping fees?

Bingo!