BigMikeFL

Well, you guys with wisdom are right, I'm screwed, maybe. Not only for the electrical problem and fire, which no one else ever heard of, but also for the blisters on the cabinet which are clearly guaranteed to never do so in the Hydro Spa Book. I'm once again having problems with the panel switches and I fully expect another major problem soon as each time the switches have acted up, a big repair bill soon followed............. I've been thinking about how customers all over this area, including a co-worker that bought the same Millenium Spa I did, are getting screwed again and again with these defective spas and the lack of concern by the manufacturer, distributor, or local retail seller. So, since I live in a nice area of Cape Coral, FL and one side of my property borders a well traveled 4 lane parkway I think this nice large spa would make a very nice planter. Of course persons will expect me to explain why I paid thousands of dollars for such an expensive planter so to help with their concern, I'll have to post a sign with the names of the manufacturer, distributor, and local retail seller so they too can buy a nice planter if they so desire. Who knows, it might even make the National News......and wouldn't that be good for persons to be informed where to buy a $7,000.00 planter......... BigMike

Hello Spa Forum Members, While doing some research on Hydro Spa, as to just who is responsible for my spa problems, I discovered this forum and decided to post some of my issues, hoping to gain some insight. I purchased a new Hydro Spa Millennium through Advanced Solar and Spa in Fort Myers, FL about 3 1/2 years ago. Twice last year I required service calls with the most recent being December 27, 2007. The first call in April 2007 was due to the control panel not working at all. The service technician disconnected it as he brought a replacement with him. Ironically the replacement would not work but as soon as he plugged my original panel back in, it worked fine. In December, the control panel again stopped working as did the spa heater. Same technician responded and this time, when he took the control panel off, his comment was "Oh my God". It was very clear there had been a fire of some sort in the electrical panel as it was covered in black smoke. He said he had never seen anything like this and had been in the business for several years. After further review, he found one of the plumbing fittings had sprang a leak and sprayed directly on the panel, which caused the electrical short. Additionally, while he was there I asked him about the blistering on the panels that enclose the spa. There are several spots about the size of a half-dollar where the clear covering is blistering away from the panel and is very unsightly. Again, his comment was he had never seen that either. When I received the bill for the electrical panel repair, I about had a heart attack, as it was $800.00+ !! Now, I'm convinced that I got a bad spa which I understand can happen with a spa or any other manufactured item. I contacted my original seller, Advanced Solar & Spa, and was told by them the electrical components are out of warranty and the spa supplier refused to cover any of the problem, even though they had never seen such an electrical problem on any of the hundreds of spas they have sold. As for the panels, they informed me that would have to be covered from the manufacturer. They gave me the number of their supplier and when I called them, it turned out to be Premium Leisure in St. Petersburg, FL. I spoke to a very nice lady, who will remain nameless, and she too stated those problems sounded very unusual to her and suggested I speak to Alan Vasciek but he was out of town for the week and gave me his voice mail. A fairly clear message was left for Alan but after he failed to return my call for three days (the following Wednesday) I again called his extension. Alan was a very pleasant person to speak to on the phone and I actually felt I had finally reached someone that could assist me with this "lemon spa". He asked me to forward pictures of the cabinet, which I did the same evening. After about two weeks of no contact, I emailed him to make sure he received the pictures and to ascertain if he had any update to my concerns. His initial email reply was for someone with a completely different issue than mine but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that it was just a simple confusion error. After a few emails back and forth his bottom line was his company is not responsible for any hydro spa issues since they filed bankruptcy in September of 2007 and there was nothing he could do for me even though this may be a defective spa. That came from left field since he wanted to see the panels as well and stated himself; he had never seen that happen either. Of course that is not what I, or any other consumer that buys a "supposed top of the line" product, wants to hear. Since that time I have completed some research and find that at the bankruptcy sale auction, the actually just bought themselves back hoping to get a new start by putting some of the existing Hydro Spa problems behind them. If you check their earlier webpage’s that still float around on the internet, as well as their current page, you will see Hydro Spa at the top of each page. Hmmmm what’s wrong with this picture ???? In his defense and since the initial delay in contacting him, Alan has since responded rather promptly to my messages and is certainly an agent I would want representing my company in a time such as this but, his hands may be tied as well. After reading some other postings I have uncovered, persons all over the country are having issues with Hydro Spa products and are finding themselves in similar positions as I have. What a poor position for a company that advertises it has been in business since 1975 to place it's customers in. Bottom line, I got ripped off by purchasing a defective Hydro Spa - Millennium Model and don't have any option or recourse to recover damages other than through a civil court. What a pain for all involved when just a little assistance would have made me a happy guy. Buyer Beware of Hydro Spa Products and who your Supplier/Distributor might be. Mike - Southwest Florida