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Gullible Guy is Gullible (or How I Deluded Myself on an On-Time HT Delivery)

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HoW2001:
So when I ordered an Artesian tub back in February, the dealer did say "while we cannot guarantee delivery for your scheduled May installation date, we do have transparency with Artesian so we do have certainty where you are in the pipe line as we get closer to your delivery date."  And when I followed up last week before undertaking some pricey repairs to my back deck in preparation for the install I was told "your order actually already did have a delay, but scheduled delivery to the warehouse was still within your install date, and at this late date you don't really see further delays," so of course I moved forward with the work.  Sure enough, just as the work was completed, I receive this:

Unfortunately Artesian is once again bumping out production dates. They are still working at full capacity but have delays due to material sourcing. Their suppliers cannot get the components required at a steady rate to make items such as control panels and Resin shells. Please be aware that this does not affect (only) your individual tub but the 300+ we currently have on order. Three other hot tub companies have recently shut down and others are only working at 30% capacity due to these delays.

As of April 1st, any spas shipping will be invoiced to us at a 10% increase. We refuse to raise the price to our customers and will honor our current sales even though we must pay the increased price at time of shipment and deliver these tubs at a loss. We do this in good faith to honor our commitment to our customers and to provide the best service possible considering these crazy times. We will continue to monitor this situation and are reaching out now so there is clear understanding ahead of time and are being proactive instead of delayed responses to this situation. Unfortunately, we have no control and are at their mercy.

I understand this may be troubling and frustrating, but we will keep you updated. It goes without saying that we will be more than happy to refund your purchase as a result of being unhappy with the situation but strongly recommend you stick with their order if you wish to receive a spa within the year as again, every company is affected, and any new orders submitted have lead times of 2023 as of this week.

All that said, I will move your hot tub install to our absolute soonest date.  

Not sure why I was expecting it would go any differently for me than it seemingly has for everyone else!

cranbiz:
It's all the manufacturers. Most of them have 12-18 month or more lead times. Unprecedented times are upon us. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the components needed (chips, plastics, resins, etc) are in containers in Egypt. Another issue is there are not enough truck drivers to haul the loads. I have a friend in the commercial lumber business and he can't get companies to haul his loads, no drivers, even when offering a premium for the load.

My tub has been delayed by a month. 2 weeks ago, my tub was supposed to be in final assembly and QC but apparently, it got delayed another 2 weeks. According to the dealer, it will leave Vegas this Friday. That was my call to him yesterday. Artesian is at least still trying to manufacture tubs. Some manufacturers have stopped production of some models, some manufacturers are shutting down due to lack of parts. I ordered my tub in January, it was unsold in a shipment of tubs that was ordered in August of 19. I was told then that it was scheduled for arrival in Feb, for install the beginning of March. 2 weeks later, it was pushed out to install early April, now it's mid May. Unfortunately, your dealer can only give you information as they get it and in these times, things are changing daily.

Balboa has a shortage of components to make Spa Packs and top sides, Gecko is no different.

It does suck but a lot of this is out of their control.

HoW2001:

--- Quote from: cranbiz on May 04, 2021, 04:16:25 pm ---It's all the manufacturers. Most of them have 12-18 month or more lead times. Unprecedented times are upon us. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the components needed (chips, etc) are in containers in Egypt. Another issue is there are not enough truck drivers to haul the loads. I have a friend in the commercial lumber business and he can't get companies to haul his loads, no drivers.

My tub has been delayed by a month. 2 weeks ago, my tub was supposed to be in final assembly and QC but apparently, it got delayed another 2 weeks. According to the dealer, it will leave Vegas this Friday. That was my call to him yesterday. Artesian is at least still trying to manufacture tubs. Some manufacturers have stopped production of some models, some manufacturers are shutting down due to lack of parts.

Balboa has a shortage of components to make Spa Packs and top sides, Gecko is no different.

It does suck but a lot of this is out of their control.

--- End quote ---

Totally get all of that, but it would have been nice to have been told in February "we'll schedule you for May, but keep in touch, as delays are likely, and can be as long as 12 months.  For example, the most recent tubs we delivered were ordered in ___________, and our oldest outstanding orders date back to ______________."   I honestly would have still bought a tub, but would have set expectations properly.  Given what I was sold, I will definitely NOT be happy if its another 9-15 months out!

cranbiz:
I'll bet, in February, that was the latest data the dealer had. I also wouldn't be surprised if he didn't add a small fudge factor to the timeline. I know my dealer did.

I also would have liked a bit better communications but I can also imagine the nightmare that would be, calling everyone with a tub on order to say, oh, your tub is now delayed another month.

I didn't nag my dealer but everytime I called them, I feel I was getting the best info they had at the time. My dealer also has insight to Artesian production schedules and I'm sure if they knew that it would not be until this week for my tub to ship, he would have told me.

CanadianSpaTech:
Get your money back and find a quality used spa. Save money and have it when you want it. Just throwing it out there.

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