Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: marianb on July 19, 2006, 05:47:57 am
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Thinking about the salespeople I have met.....I met a Marquis dealer who warned me about getting spas with 24 hour pumps, a Caldera dealer who told me that the Sundance dealer is "too new", luckily the HS salesperson didn't have anything negative to say about other products or dealerships.
Granted, I am only first learning about spas. The people I deal with are giving me first impressions that may change t which product I eventually purchase.
Has anyone else experienced this?
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Most will do that, but not all.
I went to about a dozen dealers and they were all different - a couple seemed great, one of them my dealer.
This is part of the process and unfortunately it's something we all have to go through with every big ticket item. When I was shopping for a car, I walked into a dealership and the salesman "knew" exactly what I wanted - a $31,000 mini van when I actually wanted a $21,000 mini van - I walked!
DON'T be swayed by the sales BS - other than buying a P.O.S., which none of the tubs mentioned seem to fall into that catagory, they all keep water hot and clean and feel good when inside it. The level of comfort with the tub and dealer is a personal thing and only you can decide what's right for you.
We all have our preferences on why we selected our tubs - mine was comfort, price and performance. A dealer called me an idiot when I didn't buy his brand of tub but I didn't and am very happy with my decision.
Don't be pressured and don't buy anything "on the spot", if you have second thoughts - go home and think about it and if it's right for you - then go back and buy it!
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One thing I learned in my search is the SPA business is a very strange business. Like Vinny said stick with the name brands (there are many) and narrow down the sytle and price you want to spend.
Most (not all) sales people are pretty sleezy IMO.
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The people I deal with are giving me first impressions that may change t which product I eventually purchase.
Has anyone else experienced this?
DEFINITELY. The biggest offenders are those that concentrate on berating the competition instead of extolling their own products. All spa shoppers need to educate themselves at sites like this site in order to sift the b.s. Sounds like Marquis and Caldera are off your list for the same reason Sundance was stricken from mine. Marquis, Caldera and Sundance are great products but I'm not going to support an idiot salesperson just to get a particular brand of spa...there are too many good spas to do that.
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I met a Marquis dealer who warned me about getting spas with 24 hour pumps,
You could say something like that, or mention there are two ways of doing it and state the benefits of using the 2 speed pump.
a Caldera dealer who told me that the Sundance dealer is "too new",
I would just talk about how long the store I am at has been open, how long I have been in the business and mention the various lines I have sold. We also like to let people know we book and perform our own service calls (some of the competition subs it out).
You can promote yourself and your product with out bashing. You can even lay "landmines" by mentioning the things you differently or well and hopefully the shopper asks about these things at the next store. If you are really lucky, the questions will set the competitors salesperson into some bashing.
I try really hard not to bash, but it does happen occasionally. I usually can tell if I crossed the line, but usually at that point the damage is done.
Good luck with the shopping, good advice above.
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I have a question when you say warn you....did he actually use that verb-age or was that the way you interpreted it....I like Hot-tub mans approach ..... :) lol...I should add talking about the good things we do.....we simply focus on what we and our manufactures believe Hot tub ownership is really all about....for us...its comfort, reliability, therapy and ease of ownership....
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If a sales man only has bad things to say about other
brands dosen't that tell you their must not be much good thing about his brand he is selling. When customer walk in to my store we only focus on the brands we sell and on selling our servic and not on the other brands or dealers.
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Both of the Hot Spring dealers we went to were very good. The dealer we bought our tub from was excellent. She didn't try to sell us a more expensive tub or sell us on something we didn't need/want. She even poked fun at the "water features" when I made a comment that it would be nice to have one. I made the comment becuase the Jetsetter doesn't have a water feature, but the Soverign does. So she says, "let me show you 'water feature' in a sarcastic tone". I thought she was pretty honest for saying that.
We really didn't look at any other tubs because I was sold on Hot Spring, because of their moto massage, reputation, ect. The moto massage is awesum!! Especially the DX.
Like others have said, keep looking around here and don't put up with any BS at the spa dealerships. Good luck!!
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just for grins, ask your dealer to take off the front panel of whatever tub you're looking at, right there, on the showroom floor. The first dealer I went to gave me some BS line about how HARD that was to do, because they had to go into the back of the store, get the drill/driver, and remove FOUR (count 'em, ladies and gentlemen, 4!) screws! I asked on 3 separate visits before they opened 'er up, and I was NOT impressed with the mess under the cabinet. That made me rethink buying from them, as I wondered how hard it would be to get someone to come the 5 miles to my house in the event of service needed......FORGET IT!!!!
the dealer I bought from grabbed the drill, pulled the panel off the first time I asked....then asked if there was anything else he could do for me. Now THAT was what I wanted to deal with!
Best of luck!
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just for grins, ask your dealer to take off the front panel of whatever tub you're looking at, right there, on the showroom floor. The first dealer I went to gave me some BS line about how HARD that was to do, because they had to go into the back of the store, get the drill/driver, and remove FOUR (count 'em, ladies and gentlemen, 4!) screws! I asked on 3 separate visits before they opened 'er up, and I was NOT impressed with the mess under the cabinet. That made me rethink buying from them, as I wondered how hard it would be to get someone to come the 5 miles to my house in the event of service needed......FORGET IT!!!!
the dealer I bought from grabbed the drill, pulled the panel off the first time I asked....then asked if there was anything else he could do for me. Now THAT was what I wanted to deal with!
Best of luck!
My dealer did the exact same thing - they went into their truck to get the drill driver - that impressed me a lot!
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If a sales man only has bad things to say about other
brands dosen't that tell you their must not be much good thing about his brand he is selling.
Absolutely NOT. It means that the salesperson is flawed or lacks confidence in himself, store or the product. It could be a Hot Spring / Hydropool / Sundance , if the salesperson bashes, does that make the HS / HP / SD low quality?
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LOL...A sales rep with (Napoleon syndrome) attempted to keep us in the store, like car sales reps do....I asked the sales rep for a fact sheet on the spa since they didn't have a brochure and I couldn't stay any longer. He was READING the entire fact sheet to me. (Boring) He became very rude when I attempted to explain to him that I needed to leave. He said, "you took my time in asking questions, now you need to give me your time".
And would not release the fact sheet to me!
What a PSYCHO!
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I'm a newbie to the world of spa shopping. However, it didn't take long for me to see that it is much like buying a car. I suppose I didn't realize just how competitive the spa market is. What a rude awakening!
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I know some of the spa dealers here get a bit ruffled by us (consumers) comparing you (dealers) to car salesmen..... the problem is that, well, a lot of your collegues come across that way. Most uf us had bad or at least frustrating experiences with spa dealers before finding the right one to buy from. I know I did, and it was soooooooo tempting just not to think about buying a spa at all after my first couple shopping days.
But I'd like to throw this out there- we consumers know that there are good, conscietious, knowledgeable dealers out there, and there are also manipulative, seedy, greedy, DUMB ones, too. That is a generalization of humanity....... of which you represent a cross section. The only reason anyone compares you to a car dealer is that a car is the closest big ticket item most of us have had to purchase.
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I did not have a bad experience when I was shopping for a spa. If a dealer had bad mouthed his competition, though, I would have run like hell.
Bill
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I know some of the spa dealers here get a bit ruffled by us (consumers) comparing you (dealers) to car salesmen..... the problem is that, well, a lot of your collegues come across that way. Most uf us had bad or at least frustrating experiences with spa dealers before finding the right one to buy from. I know I did, and it was soooooooo tempting just not to think about buying a spa at all after my first couple shopping days.
But I'd like to throw this out there- we consumers know that there are good, conscietious, knowledgeable dealers out there, and there are also manipulative, seedy, greedy, DUMB ones, too. That is a generalization of humanity....... of which you represent a cross section. The only reason anyone compares you to a car dealer is that a car is the closest big ticket item most of us have had to purchase.
You know Anne, you are right. The reason its not going to improve any time soon is that there are hundreds of hot tub "manufacturers".
With cars there are 3 domestic manufacturers (several sub-brands), 4-5 Japanese, a Korean and Kia. A couple from Germany....I think it is safe to say that there are less than 20 auto manufacturers.
To buy a new car, you have to go to a dealership. You can't stop into Costco, Lowes or Home Depot for a stripped down car with inexpensive components.
There are so many "manufacturers" of tubs, so eager to set up just about any one (water treatment stores, plumbing stores, patio furniture dealers, garden centres, pool dealers) even if their focus is elsewhere, just so that they have another dealer. This will lead to uneducated sales people, devious salespeople, sales people who do not realize what level of profit is required to sustain a spa store / department.... all of this leads to what frustrates you as a shopper and me as a sales person that seeks to be sucessful, professional and provide good service.
I do not forsee an industry makeover any time soon...
my 2.2 cents
Editted for spelling errors..
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And worth every penny of it HTM, great post!!!!
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I truly do feel sorry for people in the market for a spa. As some of you may remember, last year I took a couple of days off and went to the State Fair of Texas to look at some spas. With the exception of 1 or 2 salespeople, it was a nightmarish montage of bloviating pulcitrudinous spa goobers trying to sucker unsuspecting shoppers into giving up their hard-earned cash based upon their lies and deceitful tactics.
The best way to shop for spas is to glean as much information from sites like this as possible. Take this information when you shop. Ask a lot of questions. The first time a salesperson is dishonest, turn around and walk out the door. There are a lot of good salespeople on this forum, it's a shame there are so many igmos in this and other industries.
Have fun shopping, make it a game! :)
Terminator
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............... The best way to shop for spas is to glean as much information from sites like this as possible. Take this information when you shop. Ask a lot of questions.......
Have fun shopping, make it a game! :)
Terminator
We are in the shopping phase also and this (above) is the best info you can have.
I have been reading posts in here for about a month or two. We went to see a dealer and it was like I was reading the threads from this forum. From the possible slippery smooth spas, to 400 ppm of ozone, to washing their filters in a dishwaser, how much chlorine to add after soaking. It was re-assuring to know 1) the dealer was as smart as everyone in here or 2) everyone here is as smart as the dealer.
At one point after I made a comment about something I learned in here the dealer said, 'you should become a XXX salesman'.
Like my dad told me. 'You'll learn a hell-of-a-lot more listening than talking'. In this case by reading.
Enjoy your shopping and education.
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Anne, dear you are so much more eloquent than I.
I like the way you talk, uh mmm. LOL
You made an excellent point.
Of course, there are honest, reputable sales people in both the spa and auto industry....good apples!
I suppose I was just overwhelmed on my first spa shopping adventure by a couple of bad apples. Funny how the bad apples seem to leave a lasting bad taste no matter how many good apples there are.
I apologise to all those ingenuious reps out there who may tune in to this web site. I'm taking my foot out of my mouth as we speak. LOL
This website has been the greatest spa education of all.
Thanks to ALL of you who contribute. You are greatly appreciated!!!!
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Our buying experience in the NW OH area was a great one. We went to 4 spa dealers and found knowledgeable, friendly and helpful spa sales people. (OK, one was new and a bit lacking in the knowledge dept) But, not once did I get the feeling I was working witha car salesman. (I hate buying cars) All were very professional.
The dealer where we bought our spa asked me where I heard about there store (they had started some radio ads). When I mentioned the person's name that referred me, they said that person will receive a $100 credit at their store. Nice touch.
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Spa salespeople that work for me get shown the door if it gets back to me that they are bad-mouthing the competition. We have customers come back and buy from us every week that say "you were the only ones we shopped with that did not talk bad about your competitors".
We train our salespeople to be informative and have a conversation with the customers about what they are looking for in a spa. When we learn that we can match them up with the spa that best suits their needs.
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Anne, dear you are so much more eloquent than I.
I like the way you talk, uh mmm. LOL
You made an excellent point.
Of course, there are honest, reputable sales people in both the spa and auto industry....good apples!
I suppose I was just overwhelmed on my first spa shopping adventure by a couple of bad apples. Funny how the bad apples seem to leave a lasting bad taste no matter how many good apples there are.
I apologise to all those ingenuious reps out there who may tune in to this web site. I'm taking my foot out of my mouth as we speak. LOL
This website has been the greatest spa education of all.
Thanks to ALL of you who contribute. You are greatly appreciated!!!!
Bama-
Not even a hint of criticism intended to you- I feel your pain, and it sounds like the dealer you worked with is the one who needs a foot in the mouth with a good, quick kick. I just threw out my point for a little perspective. ;)
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Bama-
Not even a hint of criticism intended to you- I feel your pain, and it sounds like the dealer you worked with is the one who needs a foot in the mouth with a good, quick kick. I just threw out my point for a little perspective. ;)
Anne,
You are so sweet. Of course, I knew you didn't send any criticism my way. I am very sincere when I say,
I value yours and everyone's input. You help me to realize that I may have been inconsiderate toward spa dealers on this website and I felt badly. After all, so many of them are extremely helpful contributors to this website for which I'm thankful.
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Bama-
Not even a hint of criticism intended to you- I feel your pain, and it sounds like the dealer you worked with is the one who needs a foot in the mouth with a good, quick kick. I just threw out my point for a little perspective. ;)
Anne,
You are so sweet. Of course, I knew you didn't send any criticism my way. I am very sincere when I say,
I value yours and everyone's input. You help me to realize that I may have been inconsiderate toward spa dealers on this website and I felt badly. After all, so many of them are extremely helpful contributors to this website for which I'm thankful.