FlaGator

I shouldn't have mentioned Sears since I think they work on commision. And was that a used book store you worked in? Anyway... OK, so I guess we have to agree that haggling for spas is just the way of life and who am I to change it. Does that mean I'm supposed to go in and tell the dealer "what's the least you would take for it?" and then turn around and walk out at his first offer because I know it's really not the 'least' he can do? I'm sure you hate that line, but what else am I supposed to do. You are forcing me to come in there knowing that the offer that comes out of your mouth is to high and demand to pay less. I just think that's counter productive and upsets everyone involved. If a dealer tells me a price that I think is too high, I'm not going to blame the dealer, I'm going to think that maybe I need to look at a smaller cheaper model because the one I 'want' is out of my financial limits.

That's exactly what I'm refering to. The used car salesman mentality. As a dealer, you assume that everyone wants to "haggle" so they can feel like they got a "deal". You wouldn't go into McDonalds and haggle over the price of a Big Mac, or go to Sears and haggle over the price of a ride-on lawn mower. So why do I have to haggle over a hot tub? Who here can say "I love the thrill of haggling over a car."? I like many others dread it. Question to dealers: do you find many people appearing to be already hostile as soon as you shake their hand? This is probably because they want a quality product, there's no where else to buy it, and they know they're about to go through a grueling process.

I was thinking about buying a Hot Spring Spa and was just wondering if the recession (or economic difficulties for anyone who doesn't think so) is having an impact on prices. I'm sure dealers would quickly justify increase in the price of spas with the increase in cost of gas, but are less people buying luxury items and if so, are dealers offering lower prices as incentives for people to buy? I've also read quite a few threads on price gouging, hagling, etc. Why does it have to be like that? What is the problem, DEALERS, with putting an honest price tag on a product and say "that's the price." Why make the consumer feel like we're being sized up and worked over to make an extra buck? Wouldn't that make the experience better for both the buyer and the seller, or is it because there's too many suckers out there? I went to my local dealer just to get an idea on a size of a hot tub, average price, etc. I got a mild hard sell where the dealer wanted me to leave with a tub. The dealer in this case was the general manager and I think he owned the store. That's not why I went in. And after reading the forums, I'm kind of surprised he didn't mention "wet testing". It's not something I would have thought of, and I'm not too sure I like the idea of jumping in a hot tub in front of onlookers.