Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: rfraboni on September 23, 2005, 09:53:59 am
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My wife and I have been looking for a hot tub for about 2 years, and actually called to finalize an order for a marquis last year when the deal fell through from district rep interference.
The issues faced by my wife and I are there is only 1 local dealer and until about 2 weeks ago only carried HotSprings,TR. Granted these are nicely built spas, but the dealer seems to think they are made of platinum and was charging almost 30% more than other HS dealers about 80-100 miles away. In addition this dealer only will give wet tests in the models he has up for display, not the models we would even be interested in, we do not want a lounge in the tub.
The tub that my wife and I realyl fell in love with was the Marquis Euphoria but the closest dealer, about 35 miles from my house was dropping the line at the time I contacted him and would not order the marquis for me. I was concerned about support after the sale if he was no longer going to be a dealer where would that leave me? The closest dealer for Marquis is now 60 miles away and will only sell on a Cash and Carry basis without any support.
Any advice would be helpful for the local dealer my choices appear to be the HS Grandee at 9500+ without lift/steps/etc or the Coleman 480 basic model for almost 7000 without anything either. One other drawback for the local dealer is he is pushing Baqua really hard and the two wet tests we had where Baqua was used we didn't like it, it made us cough.
Wife and I want a hot tub other than the local dealer we are concerned about service and support after the sale.
I am currently in Eastern North Carolina only 15 miles from a 50k city and that is where the HS dealer is. we did have a D1 for a while but he was an order taker only, and didn't have anything instock to test at all.
Thank you for your time and advice.
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rfraboni:
Don’t take offense to this, but do you know how much of a pain in the butt it is to fill one tub just for you? I don’t know if I would do that for you, and I don’t think most dealers would. Most dealers will have their most popular units on display with water and I generally will say that those units will give you a general idea of what your spa will feel like.
Secondly, the Grandee is not 30% higher than what others purchase price. Many dealers sell that spa for that price without any options. I know dealers here in Philadelphia that sell the Grandee for over $10,000 with FWIII ozone, a Hotspring Cover Cradle, and Steps.
If he is pushing Baqua Spa that isn’t a problem because you can tell him you want to use di-chlor. That really isn’t that hard to tell the salesperson.
Edited to note: if your local dealer was selling the Grandee at 30% more than the dealer 80 – 100 miles away , that dealer 80 –100 miles away would be selling the Grandee for $7307.69. Is that what he is selling it for? If that was the price, I would buy it and worry about service later.
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I agree with Chris: if you can get a 2005.5 Grandee for less than $8K I would get it. You mentioned $9500+ which is not out of line for that tub. Again - be sure we are talking the 2005.5 and not a left over 2005 model.
And the Baqua is a non-issue. If the dealer will not supply anything else, tell them to deduct the cost of a startup kit from the final price and go to a local pool store, or shop www.rhtubs.com, www.poolandspa.com etc.
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rfraboni,
PM me with your zip code and I will see what I can do to help find you a Marquis and the support to take care of it if that's what you would like.
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My appologies the the price was not a full 30% , actually only 22%, higher but it was under 8k for a grandee with steps/lift. verses 9500+ the costs of steps and lift.
I understand it is a pain in the butt to have to fill a tub for a potential customer, he has two tubs with water at the moment an envoy and a solana at this time. I do have trouble with the idea of spending well over 10,000 for a tub that I cannot wet test since I have test a couple including the envoy(last year) that dry were fine and wet they were not a good fit. The reason I didn't get a grandee in the past was that the old moto-massage didn't feel quite right to us, but the new version looks like it may be a much better feel.
There isn't a satisfaction clause that allows me to try the tub at home and return it if it is not a good fit so I would expect the dealer to have more options for testing a tub.
I am sorry if I sound like a pain in the butt to deal with but this is a large investment and want to make sure that I am getting the right piece of equipment.
Other than the above mentioned local dealer, I have a couple other dealers that are willing to service me but they are all more than 80 miles away and I am scared that if I have issues since I am so far away I will not get the response times I would expect. In the long distance category I have master and there is a marquis dealer but he is 150+ miles away.
I guess I did not know what to expect while posting and was doing so out of frustration and as an outlet.
As far as price I guess i just get frustrated I see alot of people getting what I consider far better pricing on the boards than what I can get here. I know there are local differences but when it is only 80 miles is still so much different in price.
The dealer 80 miles away will not service or deliver to me so it makes it a mute point I was just pointing out the cost difference that frustrates me.
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If the dealer was really serious about wanting your business, he would make arrangements for you to wet test the spa you are interested in. I still do not understand why some dealers act like a customer is a burden to them.
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b206/EastTexasSpa/apathy.gif)
Terminator
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sorry to some of you but I 110% agree with Terminator. If I am going to be spending in the neighbourhood of $10,000 you better dam well fill the tub I want to test. My dealer was more then willing to accomodate us 100%. If the dealer doesn't want to help you out before the sale just picture what they would be like after you are out the door and they have your hard earned $$$$ in their hands. Come on people get with it. If I was out buying a tub and came in one of your stores and was serious about a certain tub but you were not willing to fill it up for me Id tell ya to shove it up your #*&@^#@ and that I am taking my business to somone that actually cares.
I feel sorry for you rfraboni. Not sure what you should do other then maybe look a little further away or maybe someone on this board actually knows of a good dealer in your area. I do know this I would't buy from either of those two dealers you spoke of. They sound like a couple of smucks!
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If the dealer was really serious about wanting your business, he would make arrangements for you to wet test the spa you are interested in. I still do not understand why some dealers act like a customer is a burden to them.
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b206/EastTexasSpa/apathy.gif)
Terminator
WELL SAID East Tx...... There is another slogan that says "If we don't take of our customers someone else will"
In PROFESSIONAL sales (cars, real estate, furniture, appliances, Hot Tubs ect.) sometimes it is nessary to jump through hoops to excell , that is part of the job!!
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Here's a suggestion. Offer the dealer $20-$30 to fill the tub so you can wet test it.
I'm suggesting this for three reasons:
1. This lets the dealer know your serious.
2. It's a $10,000 (give or take) purchase. Even if the dealer is being a jerk about it, it should be worth it to you to pay a little now so you can make an informed decision. And, later on if you decide to purchase it, you can ask him to deduct the "wet test fee".
3. (and this should probably have been first on the list) If the dealer has any sense of what "customer satisfaction" means, he should feel embarrased about taking your money and fill it for you for free. Guilt can do wonders! ;D
Phil
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Some dealers may only keep one or two tubs full, but they have pumps to transfer the water from one spa to another to accomodate customers, and to not have to keep a full set of spas filled and hot.
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Thank you all for your advice and understanding.
I found out a little more from some other customers that have had good experiences and I called back. Eventhough the one person thought they had a grandee in stock they do not and that is the reason then cannot wet test. All they needed to do is let me know that and I would have been better off.
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If I was told I could not wet test a specific spa, especially a 10k spa, that dealer would never get any business from me nor would I ever recommend them. Remember negative word of mouth travels a heck of a lot faster than positive... I would probably even complain to the manufacturer about that dealer representing their line.
Just my opinion..
Karl
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rfraboni...no need to apologize for your frustration. We have all felt that way when going thru the process of purchasing a hot-tub.
I agree 100% with Terminator--great post with that picture. Sorry, Phil--I'm not going to pay a dealer anything to fill a tub. I see your point, but I wouldn't even offer to do that. A good dealer who is interested in customer service and sales will accommodate the buyer. When we looked at Master they didn't have the model that we were interested in filled...but he offered to do so.
Again, Rfraboni, don't worry about your questions. We were all first-time buyers and this forum has helped a lot of us.
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Though we dont offer it at all of our stores, we do have an area set aside especially for this purpose. We will fill and set up a wettest for any model you'd like to try as long as the tub is readily available. I have personally sold several tubs this way. Our salesmen from every store can send their potential customers there to wettest.
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I'm sorry, but there is NO WAY I am sending my customer to some other store for a wet test, so some other sales man can get his hands on them, not in this life time! I don't care if it is in the same company of stores, most of us have been in this business long enough to know what problems this can create. But I'm sure every sales person crusader has work with is far above reproach. What ever tub you want to wet test just say the word.
Though we dont offer it at all of our stores, we do have an area set aside especially for this purpose. We will fill and set up a wettest for any model you'd like to try as long as the tub is readily available. I have personally sold several tubs this way. Our salesmen from every store can send their potential customers there to wettest.
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I get such a kick out of dealers who say "it's a pain in the butt to fill a hot tub for just one customer." All I can say to that is BOO HOO. I wouldn't consider paying a dealer just to fill a tub either. Word of mouth can go a long way........
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I'm sorry, but there is NO WAY I am sending my customer to some other store for a wet test, so some other sales man can get his hands on them, not in this life time! I don't care if it is in the same company of stores, most of us have been in this business long enough to know what problems this can create. But I'm sure every sales person crusader has work with is far above reproach. What ever tub you want to wet test just say the word.
Well it is set up so the customer gets to deal with a non comission sales manager that is well versed in the product, and I personally have no problem sending people to him as I have known him for 10 yrs and am certain that each customer is well taken care of.
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I get such a kick out of dealers who say[ "it's a pain in the butt to fill a hot tub for just one customer." ] All I can say to that is BOO HOO. I wouldn't consider paying a dealer just to fill a tub either. Word of mouth can go a long way........
Everyone on this site says how important dealers to the purchase of a hot tub. This lets customers know that some dealers are not to commited to customer service!
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Great thread!
I had no idea that filling a tub (from a dealer's perspective) could be such a problem. Why would I though? When we were testing our tubs for purchase, it was never even suggested to be a problem. Both Beachcomber and Arctic even offered to do so without asking. For the record, the tub that we did purchase in the end was one that was brought out and filled specifically for us to test.
Seems pretty effective to me.
Jc
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Just another thought. Most dealers would sell a spa to someone 100 miles away and still service it. I think the problem with that dealer is he is selling the spa too cheaply and can not afford to have multiple service calls that takes up a techs entire day. This is unlikely with a Hot Spring but also something the dealer must consider.
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Great thread!
I had no idea that filling a tub (from a dealer's perspective) could be such a problem.
Jc
You're right, Jc, filling a spa for a wet test is something I do not mind doing in the least. If the customer is taking the time to try my product, I am more than happy to accomodate. I keep 8 spas wet, clean, and ready to go at all times. I've stated many times before (and some cupie doll dealers have tried to ridicule it), if I were able, I'd have every spa in here wet and a dry one as well. Maybe I'll be able to at some point.
When a dealer whines about not wanting to go through the effort for the customer while they're shopping, they sure as squat aren't going to go out of their way after they've taken your money.
I see a whole bunch of dealers on here posting and posturing and arguing about this and that, me included. Selling spas is not the most demanding job in the world, obviously. I'm not saving the world from lawyers and liberals or curing cancer, truly noble causes. I'm selling luxury products to people who want to give me large amounts of cash, plain and simple. No one out there is so all-fired busy that they can't hook up a few wires and stick a hose into a spa.
Terminator
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Toshay Tooshay Tushay ???
Aw heck, nicely said !! ;)
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You're right, Jc, filling a spa for a wet test is something I do not mind doing in the least. If the customer is taking the time to try my product, I am more than happy to accomodate. I keep 8 spas wet, clean, and ready to go at all times. I've stated many times before (and some cupie doll dealers have tried to ridicule it), if I were able, I'd have every spa in here wet and a dry one as well. Maybe I'll be able to at some point.
When a dealer whines about not wanting to go through the effort for the customer while they're shopping, they sure as squat aren't going to go out of their way after they've taken your money.
I see a whole bunch of dealers on here posting and posturing and arguing about this and that, me included. Selling spas is not the most demanding job in the world, obviously. I'm not saving the world from lawyers and liberals or curing cancer, truly noble causes. I'm selling luxury products to people who want to give me large amounts of cash, plain and simple. No one out there is so all-fired busy that they can't hook up a few wires and stick a hose into a spa.
Terminator
THANK YOU EAST TX......WELL SAID!!!
I bet you will be in business as long as you choose to be in business.
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today, i had a shopper in he store. I pumped one spa into another, 3 times, three different spas. They bought a tiger river sumatran.
raise your nose to people in your store? Accomodate, sometimes you'll sell one.
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today, i had a shopper in he store. I pumped one spa into another, 3 times, three different spas. They bought a tiger river sumatran.
raise your nose to people in your store? Accomodate, sometimes you'll sell one.
BINGO...
Our local HS, Jacuzzi and Sundance dealer will pump water into any spa they have on the floor to wet test. All the ask is a few hours notice so they can set it up. The actual moving of the water only takes about 15 minutes according to the sales guy. Pretty much every dealer in our area was willing to do this for us when we were looking. Any dealer who was not willing was dropped off the list immediately. I'd say if you want to sell a 7K-10K spa it's worth the 15 minutes to move some water in it to let the customer try it first. I don't understand why so many dealers think this is such a big deal.
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Had a good experience at a home show this weekend and have posted that in a new thread. Thank you for your help and advice.
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rfraboni:
Don’t take offense to this, but do you know how much of a pain in the butt it is to fill one tub just for you?
Do you know how much of a pain in the butt it is going out of business? :-/ I think you'll actually find that exceptional dealers offer the ability to test any spa. It's one of the aspects that makes them exceptional! ;)
Steve
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Filling tubs that are ready to be filled or on the floor is not a big deal, and if you have a dealer that won't do that while they are trying to sell you, it is hard to believe they will go out of their way to service you once they have your money.
I have run tubs from one store to another, been getting a tub ready for a wet test for the next day at 11pm and the people don't even show or call the next day. If the tubs are not sitting in the showroom you have to get guys away from other work to get them down and moved inside. It is not always as easy as putting a hose in another tub in the showroom..
I think both customer and dealer have to respect each others situations. If it is a tub you are serious about and you will buy with a good wet test, but it is not a tub set up to wet test, it is reasonable for you to want to test it, even if the dealer doesn't have it set up. If you are undecided about what brand you want, try out the tubs the dealers has ready to wet test, to see how that brand feels to you.
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You should be able to get a MArquis Spa in Raleigh, NC.
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Kyle,
You are correct I have spoken with the manager at this store this weekend and we had a few issues to discuss. The short of the issue is that, because of the previous manager I currently do not have a Euphoria.
The new manager seemed very concerned but all in all it will end up costing me around 1500-2000 more than it would have this past winter (jan/feb time frame).
As I told the new manager it was hard to call and look them again.
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Steve,
Most dealers do not have electric hook ups in every area of their stores. It is difficult to move a spa to one area so a consumer can test it. Many times to do this you would have to put the spa for a day or two in the middle of the hallway or walkway, which for the obvious reasons is unsafe to do and it also makes your showroom look extremely unprofessional. If a dealer has electric lines throughout their store to take the electric out of one spa and put it into another it is extremely easy to do and I think most dealers can offer this service very easily. To ask a dealer to physically move a spa to test it, I think that is unreasonable.
I find it disrespectful that you think dealers that won’t fill a spa will automatically be out of business. I personally know 3 dealers that have been in business 30+ years and I can guarantee they never physically moved a spa so someone can test soak it. I believe if a company has been in business for 30 years they must have been providing exceptional service.
Chris
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Steve,
Most dealers do not have electric hook ups in every area of their stores. It is difficult to move a spa to one area so a consumer can test it. Many times to do this you would have to put the spa for a day or two in the middle of the hallway or walkway, which for the obvious reasons is unsafe to do and it also makes your showroom look extremely unprofessional. If a dealer has electric lines throughout their store to take the electric out of one spa and put it into another it is extremely easy to do and I think most dealers can offer this service very easily. To ask a dealer to physically move a spa to test it, I think that is unreasonable.
I find it disrespectful that you think dealers that won’t fill a spa will automatically be out of business. I personally know 3 dealers that have been in business 30+ years and I can guarantee they never physically moved a spa so someone can test soak it. I believe if a company has been in business for 30 years they must have been providing exceptional service.
Chris
Thanks for your reply Chris. Dealers move spas every day and all that is needed is the drive to want to do it, one 220V line and the correct spa for the customer to try.
I'm not saying that they are guaranteed to go out of business if they choose not to, but if it came down to one dealer willing to do this and one that won't, guess who's going to get the sale the large majority of the time!
This industry is very competitive and finding ways to satisfy the customer is paramount before, during and after the sale. If one of those is missed, it can and will affect the total annual sales.
I'm not saying it's easy to do or even convenient. What I am saying is that it can and should be done. If not, expect some thank you cards in the mail from your local competitors. ;)
Steve