Original > Hot Tub Forum
I hate hot tub shopping.
cranbiz:
One method of determining if a dealer is good is to call their service department and make up a service call for a tub that doesn't have a dealer nearby. See if they are willing to answer questions or give advance troubleshooting tips. See if there is any issue with getting a service appointment. You don't actually have to set one up but you want to see if they will, whats the lead time between call and potential service date.
If the service department balks at coming out to service something like a Dr Wellness X2, ask why? Is it because they won't work on it, is it because they may not be able to get prospective parts, is it simply because they only will do their brands. That may actually be a big deal. Why, you ask? Because what if they change a line of tubs. Now they don't sell them and could possibly, not service them.
The Wizard of Spas:
"C. Wheatley is a polarizing figure that throws out opinions all over the place. It’s hard to trust him, as he is financially motivated, but so is every other expert out there"
I find myself with cognitive dissonance in terms of this.
There will always be some form of bias and people are in this business to make money. He is a private citizen doing what he feels is the best. He has a business model and he utilizing his experience, skills, and capitalizing on a deficiency in the market. And he seems to be doing quite well. He has positioned himself as an expert and lays out his credentials. All of this is fair and seemingly above board.
However, he also positions himself as an unbiased / trustworthy to the general public.
The brand I work for has been misrepresented flagrantly numerous times with statements that are flat out false in his Q&A sessions. I have contacted him and offered to correct him , but if we are not interested in paying for him to review our spa, he is not interested in learning about it. If he was to make statements based on opinion and label them as such, that is one thing.
But he has built a brand, and an audience, and thus has created a demand and is leveraging that to extract money from manufacturers. That seems disingenuous to me.
Its things like this that make me empathize with you and anyone else looking for information on hot tubs.
Moving forward, as noted by others already, go for what is physically comfortable and couple that with the reputation of the dealer. Whittle down from there (stay away from brands that are not locally available to keep your warranty intact, etc) and find the right price point. From there the answer should be pretty clear, or at least the options should be easier to pick through.
I hope this helps. Good luck moving forward.
EDIT - Clarity on the quoted header
CanadianSpaTech:
I have seen almost every sales ploy out there and HTU is just another. Anybody remember Cashable Vouchers
Sammi:
--- Quote from: ejj on February 22, 2021, 09:36:55 pm ---This industry seems somewhat archaic. I have been spoiled with info on cars and other goods that are relatively transparent. I’ve decided to buy a 7 foot open tub. Soaking with wife and daughters is my goal. I value well-built quality.
C. Wheatley is a polarizing figure that throws out opinions all over the place. It’s hard to trust him, as he is financially motivated, but so is every other expert out there. People seem to hate the Master Roadshow model, but we have an enormous Master dealer a few minutes away.
A few candidates: Legacy by Master, Jacuzzi J245, Hot Springs Rhythm, Cal Spas. All are available relatively soon in the Minneapolis. All have local dealers. Are these all pretty similar? Do I just pick the one where my daughters feel most comfortable?
--- End quote ---
I see you are in Minneapolis area. Are you looking at aHot Springs tub from Hot Springs Spas (local dealership name). If so I purchased from one of their satellite stores in the last 6 months. I have been happy with spa availability, price, and service (other than getting differing opinions from different employees on occasion). I'd purchase from their satellite (probably not the best term since it is a brick and mortar store - just not in the Minneapolis area) again.
Other than the short titanium salt stick lifespan which my dealer has backed each time under warranty I've been extremely happy with my HS Envoy.
Spatech_tuo:
--- Quote from: cranbiz on February 23, 2021, 03:41:45 pm ---One method of determining if a dealer is good is to call their service department and make up a service call for a tub that doesn't have a dealer nearby. See if they are willing to answer questions or give advance troubleshooting tips. See if there is any issue with getting a service appointment. You don't actually have to set one up but you want to see if they will, whats the lead time between call and potential service date.
If the service department balks at coming out to service something like a Dr Wellness X2, ask why? Is it because they won't work on it, is it because they may not be able to get prospective parts, is it simply because they only will do their brands. That may actually be a big deal. Why, you ask? Because what if they change a line of tubs. Now they don't sell them and could possibly, not service them.
--- End quote ---
A service department will always prefer to deal with their own brand and don't have parts for every brand out there but that doesn't reflect on ability necessarily. I think you'll find many service departments at dealers who have sold many spas over the years just don't have the time to work on other brands. Its not that they can't and if they do change brands they can switch to servicing their new brand (and the previous one) but if they beg off its not typically or necessarily a bad sign though the key would be asking why and if its just "we don't have time/availability" then that's another story.
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