I read here that buying from a reputable dealer with an established history is pretty important. Some have said that the dealer is as important as the spa's quality. That may be coming from dealers on this forum. Please know that I am in no way diss'ing the many valuable forum members who are dealers. They contribute a wealth of knowledge and seem to be very respectful not to dump on different brands. That is a gift all it's own! Heck, I'd be saying it if I was an established spa dealer.
I ask because I have been quoted pricing on the Bullfrog A6L & A7L, all three trim levels, by a brand-new spa dealer which are very significantly lower than the largest dealer in my area with many stores. ≈ 28% lower on the two spas for the Standard Trim. ≈ 19% lower for the two spas for the Plus Trim. ≈ 20% lower for the two spas for the Select Trim. That's between a $3,000 to $5,000 difference from the large dealer's website posted prices.
The new dealer has two stores. The one that is an hour away has sold spas for 9 months. The store that I am talking to, 30 minutes away, has been open for 2 months. This new store also sells fireplaces. They have been in the fireplace business for 8–9 years and just added spas. This store has 13 spas on display, eight of them are Bullfrogs (A5L, A6L, A6, A7, A7D,
A9L which is filled for wet tests, M8). That is way more than the larger dealer, because he also sells Sundance, which I believe is their primary over Bullfrog. I will be going to their store between Christmas and new year's with my wife to wet test all the JetPaks in the A9L, which has 8 JetPaks and 3 Jet Pumps.
Granted, I have not called the large dealer back and asked if they would price match the new store in the area. I would certainly do that when I get closer to settling on the specific model and Trim Level.
Assuming, for the sake of discussion, that the larger dealer would drop their price ≈ 1/3 of the new dealer's discounted amount. What dollar amount or percentage of price discount would you pay above the low price offer, to get the more experienced dealer? A dealer is obligated to Bullfrog Parts, Plumbing & Labor 5-year warranty.
To save $2,000 - $3,000 on the purchase price, I think I might lean on Bullfrog's reputation for quality and think there might not be any significant problems in that 5 year time frame. If it means saving $5,000 or 30%, I would definitely roll the dice for that amount of money personally.
So bottom line, what is the dollar or % amount you'd pay extra for a perceived, potential more experience service team for your five-year warranty. I am assuming the larger Bullfrog dealer's service dept would not deny servicing my Bullfrog tub out of warranty, when they are billing for parts and labor. Correct me if I am mistaken on this.
Thanks for any input from this knowledgeable community!
Dave
PS. Although it may seem like I am spamming the forum with Davekro posts, I am just very excited to learn as much as possible quickly so I can make a well-informed hot tub purchase decision. OK, and maybe somewhat OCD. LOL
I am glad this community is here. I hope I am not annoying forum members with too many post/ questions. I will definitely post back what I learn here on the forum about my questions and other posts that I have some knowledge to share. I do believe posting back info... But that may become TMI also. Oye