Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: rubiconruby on July 23, 2005, 07:25:10 pm
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anyone have any comments on gulf coast spas. thier price is right but no local dealer service. im looikg at them and reflections
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Let me say something nice, they make Hot Water, but your statement tells the story, no local dealers services. Do you think you are ok with that? The price is at the low end of the spectrum making it an attractive consideration, but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
Do a search and take it back 36 months, read and become informed on what others have said and learned, good, bad or indifferent. Then come back and ask questions. :)
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anyone have any comments on gulf coast spas. thier price is right but no local dealer service. im looikg at them and reflections
What makes you say that?
Brewman
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My wife and I looked at Gulf Coast and considered them before deciding on HotSpring. You're right, the price was right but the distributer here would service them (northern VA). They were one of the first spa we looked at but I had a tough time fitting in the seats with the shoulder jets. So for the size of spas I was looking at, that would be 2 seats in each that I couldn't sit in. We pretty much moved on and I didn't go back to re-evaluate after I learned more....
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From what I've heard, Gulf coast spas are worth just about what they're charging for them. Not the $13,000 that they claim as their suggested retail, but the $5000 that they actually sell for. You'd be getting a $5000 spa, and not much more.
Brewman
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I looked at them during my search. Everything the dealer had was a "custom tub" left over from a home show. I felt like I was being nickel and dimed to death because nothing had standard equipment. He had a hard time telling me prices because of that. I moved on and marked them off my list of possibilities.
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Their standard operating procedure seems to consist of having individuals sell their spas out of storage facilities and on the side of the road. There is always a story about "overstock" or "leftover spas from a building contract", etc.
The local peddler in Texas goes by several different aliases. If you ever answer an ad in the Thrifty Nickel newspaper and talk to a woman named Stacy Diego, Stacy Juarez, Stacy Smart, Stacy Whoever, DO NOT GIVE HER A DEPOSIT! You will LOSE your money. Several people who are now my customers found out the hard way that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Terminator
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They were one of the first ones I looked at years ago when I started looking and they are tempting if you are just starting out. I'm in the Chicago suburbs and they were doing the selling out of a storage building thing. He said that they were opening a retail store though and he was going to be the manager, which sounded promising. Well, years later and that still has not happened. Personally, I'd go for someone more established, but that's me. Good luck whatever you do.
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From what I've heard, Gulf coast spas are worth just about what they're charging for them. Not the $13,000 that they claim as their suggested retail, but the $5000 that they actually sell for. You'd be getting a $5000 spa, and not much more.
Brewman
Just curious, what's wrong with a $5000 spa? That's still a lot of money if you ask me. That's about what we spent. I will give my review after I take my first soak which should be within the next day or two.....
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Just curious, what's wrong with a $5000 spa? That's still a lot of money if you ask me. That's about what we spent. I will give my review after I take my first soak which should be within the next day or two.....
What brand did you choose Rach?
Gary
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HI Gary,
We chose a Four Winds Maverick I
The reason being it's manufacturer is right here in Tennessee where we live and the price point. The Dealer also sold Sundance and Caldera as well as Nordic. We could not afford the mac daddy so we had to go with a less expensive brand. I will certainly give my honest review here soon. :)
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Just curious, what's wrong with a $5000 spa? That's still a lot of money if you ask me. That's about what we spent. I will give my review after I take my first soak which should be within the next day or two.....
Nothing, unless you're being promised that it's a $10,000 spa that you're getting for a steal at $5,000. The concern I'd have is when something goes wrong I think you'll find yourself on your own without a local dealer to service your needs.
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Dammm you people are getting ripped offffff,they are selling the Gulf Coast for $3995,,,,Allentown Pa. area..
Yep they sell them at warehouses with no water in them so you can't try it out......
Gulf Coast and the salespeople yukkkkk.JohnnyT
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The $5000 amount I listed originally was meant as a ballpark figure, not a price quote.
Brewman
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Thank you for your interest in Gulf Coast Spas. Allow us to respond to some of the points addressed in this thread:
As far as service, Gulf Coast contracts with professional service technicians in every area it sells. It pays twice the going rate to ensure its customers receive priority attention and offers the industry's only 24/7 technical support hotline.
As far as pricing, Gulf Coast has never claimed the suggested retail prices indicated here. And when comparing prices make sure you are talking about the same model spa.
Most importantly, Gulf Coast does not condone the activities alleged to have taken place in Texas. If this is true, and you are a customer please contact Gulf Coast Spas corporate headquarters in Clearwater Florida and we will do everything we can to rectify the situation.
Beware misinformation.
Sincerely,
Gulf Coast Spa Manufacturers, Inc.
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As far as service, Gulf Coast contracts with professional service technicians in every area it sells. It pays twice the going rate to ensure its customers receive priority attention and offers the industry's only 24/7 technical support hotline.
Twice the rate of that paid by whom? Twice what a service tech would get from Hot Springs, Sundance, Etc.?
Anyway, the complaint I often see from GCS owners is you may be able to get phone help but often you end up serving as your own service tech which is not what they're expecting when they read the warranty.
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Funny that Idiot that says he is from Gulf Coast has 1 post on this site,so i would think nothing from his post.Try and call at 12 midnight and see if any TECHS picks the phones up....I don't think they will but you will get a answer machine and maybe if they find the time they might give yea a call but i don't think so..
So the guy that says hes from Gulf Coast has 2 strikes against him for Lying about his 24 hours tech surport.
2nd strike is saying he's from Gulf Coast...Johnny
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Twice the rate of that paid by whom?
The rate charged by a local service company that services any and all spas.
... you end up serving as your own service tech ...
Again, this is just an additional OPTION given to the customer. If they want an immediate solution, our trained technicians are there to help as is our step-by-step, interactive instructions on the Gulf Coast Web site. Otherwise, they can choose to schedule a call from a local service company. No other spa company offers both of these extra levels of customer support. With other manufacturers, you have no choice but to wait for service.
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As far as service, Gulf Coast contracts with professional service technicians in every area it sells. It pays twice the going rate to ensure its customers receive priority attention and offers the industry's only 24/7 technical support hotline.
I know someone that did warranty work for Gulf Coast. My conversations with him support this statement as far as service rates and prompt delivery of parts and cheques to the service company.
The 24/7 technical support line is somewhat misleading.
Unless something has changed..there is not a live person 24/7.
I do not sell Gulf Coast, do not service them and certainly do not endorse them.
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The guys is a IDIOT,,,its his FIRST response on this forum. and he says OFFICIAL RESPONSE lollllllll.
Yea Yea Yea call them up at 3 am and see who picks up.
I just don't like someone that sells JUNK and backs it up saying that they will have someone over to fix our problems if we cannot fix it ourselfs.
So far he has had his Third STRIKE (throw him off this site)JT
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The guys is a IDIOT,,,its his FIRST response on this forum. and he says OFFICIAL RESPONSE lollllllll.
Yea Yea Yea call them up at 3 am and see who picks up.
I just don't like someone that sells JUNK and backs it up saying that they will have someone over to fix our problems if we cannot fix it ourselfs.
So far he has had his Third STRIKE (throw him off this site)JT
Johhny,perhpas it is someone from Gulfcoast that heard there was an issue in this forum and decided it was best to login and address it directly; hence the newbie status.
My dealer did exactly the same thing and I respected them for doing it.
So just because it says "newbie" doesn't mean it's not an offical rep from GC. And judging from the tone of their replies, The user seems to be who they claim.
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Let's tone down the idiot remarks. IMO they are not helpful. I appreciate any/all the responses we get from dealers/manufacturers. If you want to question or debate anything they say, feel free, but I don't see anything to make me believe they are being less than honest.
note:The IP address of the message posted by the person claiming to be from Gulf Coast Spas just happens to be owned by Gulf Coast Spas.
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Twice the rate of that paid by whom? Twice what a service tech would get from Hot Springs, Sundance, Etc.?
If memory serves, they pay between $60-80/hour and travel time.
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He sounds legit to me. I just think I would stick to having a "brick and mortar" local dealer who can service your needs, which they seem to have in some areas but not in others (I'd skip those selling out of at a storage unit or their garage). I still have issue when I read that they warranty the spa only if you send in the warranty registration card back to them with 10 days (or something like that). I know many people blow off sending in those cards when they buy things so I think that's simply finding a way to skirt responsibility (IMO). GC is a tough one to gauge IMO as I see many posts relative to them and most all seem to be one extreme or the other. I'll try to stay in limbo with my opinion and let those with the direct experience chime in.
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The same person is also responding to a Gulf Coast thread over on Doc's board, which make him all the more appear to be who he says he is.
Brewman
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He also appears to be responding on the www.poolsearch.com board as well.
For what it's worth, I have a friend in the Toronto area that has a Gulf Coast spa and he loves it. He had a problem just after he got it where he needed a pump replaced. A technician was there a day or two after he called to replace the pump. I don't think he's had any other problems with it and it's been close to 2 years now.
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I think since he has been in the spa business for a few years you would think he would have been on this good forum many times.But then again I don't see Jacuzzi or hotsprings on here also.But then again they are Million dollar companys....I think if i owned a small company like GC I would have been on this site along time ago when people were calling their spas trash.Its funny he shows up now....Maybe its me...........JohnnyT
???
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....Maybe its me...........
Almost certianly!
What are the estimates? over 200k spas sold in the US last year........... and what? Maybe 200 of them came here first?
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I think since he has been in the spa business for a few years you would think he would have been on this good forum many times.But then again I don't see Jacuzzi or hotsprings on here also.But then again they are Million dollar companys....
???
Well, maybe Jacuzzi and HS aren't here because:
A) They aren't being bashed the same way
or
B) When they are bashed, they are defended by dealers
I did a representative from HS post on Spasearches forum to address misinformation being posted by he whos name we will not speak"
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I still have issue when I read that they warranty the spa only if you send in the warranty registration card back to them with 10 days (or something like that).
Gulf Coast would like to have warranty cards returned within 10 days, however we do allow for a pretty reasonable and substantial grace period if it is submitted a few days or weeks later in good faith. What we are trying to avoid is having consumers wait a year and then try to register their spa when they need service.
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Gulf Coast would like to have warranty cards returned within 10 days, however we do allow for a pretty reasonable and substantial grace period if it is submitted a few days or weeks later in good faith. What we are trying to avoid is having consumers wait a year and then try to register their spa when they need service.
Well then, what if I NEVER send it in as we happens a lot. I know you're trying to verify actual receipt dates and I hear ya on that but if there is no registration card AT ALL why not defer to a sales receipt from the customer/dealer OR at a MINIMUM the date at which GC knows the dealer received it from GC which is certainly before the customer actually got it but at least it creates a date to work from. IF you void the warranty ALTOGETHER it is nothing more than an idea someone came up with to save money and avoid backing the warranty.
Response?
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Er, isn't it illegal nowadays to *require* that you return such a card in order to get service? As long as you can prove you bought the item on a certain date (as spatech says, you have the original receipt...), I think this is outdated thinking, and probably not enforcable.
I'd check with legal before telling people they are out of luck this way!
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Er, isn't it illegal nowadays to *require* that you return such a card in order to get service?
Even if it is, it would vary greatly from state to state.
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Gulf Coast would like to have warranty cards returned within 10 days, however we do allow for a pretty reasonable and substantial grace period if it is submitted a few days or weeks later in good faith. What we are trying to avoid is having consumers wait a year and then try to register their spa when they need service.
You stopped just short of saying you wouldn't honor it. In this day of internet, fax, email, toll free numbers you depend on the mail service? I would reply, prove I didn't send it. Do you give a legally binding confirmation to the owners that they registered so they will know you received it? I'm positive I sent it in and I have all the documents a court would ever need to confirm my purchase date. That would be the situation I would be in if I had bought one. ;)
(ps) I just noticed they have a REGISTER YOUR SPA link on thier website
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Hummmm sent my card into Jacuzzi and they never sent me anything telling me that they got it...
Receipt should be good enough and GC knows when they sent it out of where ever it came from.
But anyone before buying one find out who services their spas before you buy one and have a long talk with the guy that will do the labor if something goes wrong...Johnnyt ;)
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I also was under the impression that mfg.s cannot require someone to register the product for warranty coverage. My sales reciept is the proof that I paid for the spa, and the date of sale, and the serial number. What more coud be needed? If the manufacturers want this information it seems that the dealers could provide it to them much more efficiently than the customers.
Brewman
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I'm still hoping the GC rep replies to my previous response!?!?
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I'm still hoping the GC rep replies to my previous response!?!?
I've seen him on several hot tub forums. While I am confident of his identity, I was a little dismayed when I saw that he replied to one of the typical, "this spa is junk, they don't support me" type of messages. His reply accused the originator of being abusive to GC people. Even if true, I found that a little tactless and JA like.
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I agree ;)
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With respect to the Gulf Coast Warranty, per FTC rules and regulations, customers are required to return their registration cards within a given period of time in order to receive complete coverage and the vast majority of customers adhere to this policy. However, we just had a customer try to register his spa 80 days after purchasing it. As a manufacturer, we have to guard against multiple variables including but not limited to the purchaser placing the spa into commercial use. Gulf Coast voided only his labor warranty, but kept the rest intact. He still has a parts warranty, shell warranty, etc.
Gulf Coast Spas
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Hotspring will honor the warranty even if the warranty card was not 'sent' in. The dealer just needs to show the delivery date or the purchase date, which is easily verifiable with a sales receipt. However, the dealer may not be reimbursed as quickly as usual due to the hassle of getting the paperwork together. It isn't a big deal because I would assume many do not send it in. I would say most major manufacturers have the same policy.
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With respect to the Gulf Coast Warranty, per FTC rules and regulations, customers are required to return their registration cards within a given period of time in order to receive complete coverage and the vast majority of customers adhere to this policy. However, we just had a customer try to register his spa 80 days after purchasing it. As a manufacturer, we have to guard against multiple variables including but not limited to the purchaser placing the spa into commercial use. Gulf Coast voided only his labor warranty, but kept the rest intact. He still has a parts warranty, shell warranty, etc.
Gulf Coast Spas
Why would you void a portion of the warranty and honor a portion?? That doesn't make sense. Is it to punish this customer or save GC money. I fail to see the logic of your comment. If you, as a MFG, sent a service tech, and it is not used as commercial, why your "draw the line in the sand attitude"?? Does any other MFG have the same policy?? Dealers please respond. Why in this day and age of information sharing would want to tarnish your image over a few $ of savings on the labor for this customer. It seems like the bad press gererated by your actions would not be worth it. Your stand that he did not send the warranty card, and the FTC says you CAN void the warranty, or any portion of it, is petty, IMO. Many dollars are spent for advertising to get positive results and the negitive results from this or similar situations, just does not make sense. He bought your product in good faith, with the warranty, and didn't violate any of the terms execpt, not sending the piece of paper to you. He should get the coverage the warranty is suspose to provide. IMO sorry for the long winded post
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Comments like that make me glad I went with Sundance. I didn't have to send them anything to validate my warranty.
I've never HAD to send in any card to get warranty coverage for anyting I've ever bought including several new cars, electronics, you name it.
I have a purchase agreement, receipt, and other documents that I can show to prove I bought the spa on a certain date. Why would they need more thn that?
Brewman
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Why would you void a portion of the warranty and honor a portion?? That doesn't make sense. Is it to punish this customer or save GC money.
I believe your last few words say it all.
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With respect to the Gulf Coast Warranty, per FTC rules and regulations, customers are required to return their registration cards within a given period of time in order to receive complete coverage and the vast majority of customers adhere to this policy. However, we just had a customer try to register his spa 80 days after purchasing it. As a manufacturer, we have to guard against multiple variables including but not limited to the purchaser placing the spa into commercial use. Gulf Coast voided only his labor warranty, but kept the rest intact. He still has a parts warranty, shell warranty, etc.
Gulf Coast Spas
If anybody needed a reason not to buy a Gulf Coast Spa, well there it is.
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With respect to the Gulf Coast Warranty, per FTC rules and regulations, customers are required to return their registration cards within a given period of time in order to receive complete coverage and the vast majority of customers adhere to this policy. However, we just had a customer try to register his spa 80 days after purchasing it. As a manufacturer, we have to guard against multiple variables including but not limited to the purchaser placing the spa into commercial use. Gulf Coast voided only his labor warranty, but kept the rest intact. He still has a parts warranty, shell warranty, etc.
Gulf Coast Spas
So I guess the premium spa makers aren't following the rules when they go ahead and honor their warranties even though the owner doesn't send in that all important registration card. Maybe you should turn them into the FTC for this egregious act. I hope you guys have a great Christmas party each year with the $$ you save by not honoring these warranties.
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Major manufacturers have established dealers that keep detailed records of their customers. These records indicate date of purchase, delivery, all service work done. I imagine it's hard to keep track of all this when individuals are selling spas out of storage buildings and on the side of the road.
Terminator
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Major manufacturers have established dealers that keep detailed records of their customers. These records indicate date of purchase, delivery, all service work done. I imagine it's hard to keep track of all this when individuals are selling spas out of storage buildings and on the side of the road.
Terminator
Good point East Tx.......... another reason for the dealer to be involved in the sale.
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Need I say anything more?You heard it from the LIPS of the OWNER of Gulf Coast INC...
He hope you don't send them in and i am sure if you do send it in,it might just get lost on Gulf Coast part.
Funny I keep my receipts and never send in the Cards and never had a problem...
I just bought a GE washer and dryer and dishwasher and not sent the cards in but put them in the garbage.Hope nothing goes wrong because GE with not honor the labor cost as MR. Gulf Coast says....
You heard the words from the Horse's mouth.He must be a real idiot in the business world....JohnnyT :o