Budge

Hey Nigel, I have talked to James about Aqua Finesse and his comment a couple of weeks ago was the following: -Blue Falls is still testing the product for use in Arctic tubs -It is a dealer recommendation to use it at this point in time not a manufacturers recommendation James if I have miss quoted you please correct me. I am just trying to get a fellow Arctic spa customer accurate information in your absence. It was recommended to me by my dealer so I bought it and the pleated filter back in October. I started to use it (2 weeks) and then had the Onzen retrofit version 7 (had to drain tub) completed. The tech who fixed the tub told me to use Aqua Finesse. I have decided not to put it in based on my recent conversation with James and the fact that the stuff is way to expensive. I too will try to contact James in part to ask the Aqua Finesse question and secondly to give him an update (good news) on our Onzen retrofit. FYI Onzen version 7 has worked amazing so far (it has been 3-4 weeks). CP6 for 24 hours, then had to turn CP back to 4, then 2 and now I toggle back between CP2 or CP3 depending on my sanitizer levels/bather load/frequency. Cheers, Budge

We had the Onzen retro-fit (drain tub, replace parts, move electrode etc.) completed at the end of August and by Labor Day weekend (7-10 days)it was not functioning. No mist and no bubbles from the cover in the foot well. The tech is coming out on tuesday to repair again! For those wondering this is the 4th time in 14 months that our Onzen system has failed to produce santizer, no mist. Budge

Edweirdo, FYI our "FLO" error was corrected last year (on our 6 month old tub) when they replaced one of our pumps. Pump #1 would not run on low speed sometimes. It would hum, turn off and the FLO error would appear. Don't know if this is your issue but it was a known problem at the time with the motors. Since the repair we have not had the FLO error. Budge

We had the Onzen retro-fit (drain tub, replace parts, move electrode etc.) completed at the end of August and by Labor Day weekend (7-10 days)it was not functioning. No mist and no bubbles from the cover in the foot well. The tech is coming out on tuesday to repair again! For those wondering this is the 4th time in 14 months that our Onzen system has failed to produce santizer, no mist. Budge

Hello, I am fed up with colour matching of the test strips and the Taylor kit I currently have. Does anyone know if I can pruchase the K2006 test in Canada, preferabbly southern Ontario? This is the kit I want that goes from a colour to clear to test Bromine, Alka, PH right??? Lastly, if I can't purchase it locally, can I order it online and get it shipped to Canada at a reasonable cost? If so from who? Thanks, Budge

I would return the tub and get your money back, you need a working relationship with your dealer and that means honesty and integrity. Ask your dealer to refund you the difference betwwen the cost of the peak system and the arctic system. I can check when i get home but I think the peak was around $2000.00 and the arctic around $800.00 back in January 08, the difference might have been more. There is no excuse for the apparent error, the peak ozone takes up alot more room inside the tub compared to the arctic, and the diffference would be clearly visible. Not to mention your dealer can look at any tub ever made by arctic spas (Blue Falls) and confirm all factory options online either using a serial number or customer name. My borther in law has the peak in his Tundra and when we ordered our summit we also ordered the peak system. However by the time my dealer actually placed the order (we gave our deposit Jan 08 but we were completing landscaping until May 08) peak was no longer an option as they changed the system to Onzen. Are the Peak and Arctic the same? I doubt it, look on there website and you will see an elaborate owners manual for the Peak and little if any documentation for the Arctic. AT least that's what I remember last winter when I did my research. If I were in your shoes I ask for a full refund and get the dealer to pick up the tub. If you still want an Arctic (even though we have had a few initial problems with ours I would still recomend them) I would go see another dealer in your area up to an hour away. I would get the a tub with the Onzen system, our water is clear and now that I understand how it works it is very easy to use. Good luck, Budge

If they delivered your tub then there is no way they should be charging PST. In Ontario 2006 legislation came in that made Hot tubs "Real Property" which makes it exempt from a dealer charging PST. The dealer has to pay the PST for the tub on the dealer landed cost. Nowhere on your sales contract or invoices is that 8% or combined 13% to be shown. On what you described you purchased 13% can only be charged on your chems & step. The breaker becomes part of the tub and so does the lifter when attached during the installation. So my advice is to look closely at your bill. Pathfinder, You are correct! My wife who is working on here accounting designation made that point to me at the time of purchase. I will look at the bill to be sure but in any case we paid $16,500 for our tub. I am not here complain about the price, as we agreed to the purchase price and I think it was a fair deal for both us and our dealer. I posted the details for others to see, so that they would have a point of reference when working out there own deal. We are however unhappy that we have had so mamy issues in such a short time. Budge

Pete, I want you and everyone else to know that my first service call ("FLO" error and Pump replacement) was completed by the Oakville Group and I was satisfied with the service. In fact I was not home when it was completed but they left me a note on our front door indicating that they had been there and that the service was completed. The issues ("FLO" & Pump) that they resloved at the time have not been a problem since the repair. Now I am having a different issue, no sanitizer production, which is no fault of the Oakville group I have been pleased with the service performed by the Oakville Group and in fact I can recommend them to others, based on the first service call. I am hoping the cancellation on Friday was due to an illness or scheduling error, and was a one time occurence. I will keep you posted on the repairs to our tub Cheers, Budge

Pete, Yes I am in souther Ontario, Orangeville area as a matter of fact. I went to the Mississauga and Kitchener store prior to purchasing in Orangeville. We could have gotten our tub a little cheaper but at the tiume we thought that the few extra dealers would be well spent from a service point of view, by purchasing locally. Boy were we wrong! We have had problems from the time we gave our deposit and now the Dealer is out of business. For us that means we are dealing with the Kitchener store. We should have purchased our tub from them in the first place as we have always been treated great there. In fact prior to our local dealer closing we were going there anyway for chemicals and wtaer tests! Jessica and the other staff at the store have been a pleasure to do business with. Both of our service calls gave been completed by the Oakville Arctic Spa's group. It turns out they own locations in Mississauga, Oakville, Kitchener, Barrie and I think two others towns as well. In any case they charge us a $95.00 trip fee. As a consumer who bought a tub with a 5 year parts and labour warranty I feel that this is a royal rip off. On my bill of sale the warranty clearly states a 5 year parts and labour warranty. No mention of the trip fee on my purchase agreement, just the fact that the tub has a 5 year parts and labour warranty. However, in the official warranty statment I think they cover themselves as it relates to the trip fee. Albeit a little misleading they need tp put the trip fee exclusion on the purchase agreement to be fair and up front with consumers. It's the right thing to do Arctic! In any case to answer your question, no I didn't notice that the pump got louder prior to being replaced. Regarding your cloud from the Onzen footwell jet, what are you sanitizer levels? Your tub is some what clear???? It should be crystal clear when no pumps are running. Bio-film not sure about bio film , nor do I want to know. My expectation (and I assume yours) is that the water should be crystal clear (and ours is when we have sufficient sanitizer), end of story. I wouldn't buy the bio film and this is normal statement. What I can tell you is that when the Onzen system was working my water was clear and I could see the smoky water being released out of the Onzen footwell jet. Not the case with our tub at the moment, as a result are santizer level is zero. To stop our tub from becoming cloudy we have stopped using it and I have shocked it with "Refresh" to prevent bacterial growth. Can't wait for this issue to be fixed as I can feel the tension in my shoulders as I type this out! Regarding getting your salt levels down how many parts per million do you have? Salt levels shouldn't fluctaute very much, with the exception of water loss from dripping suits, and you adding more water to compensate. Remember the system does not make salt. Budge

You payed 16 G's for an Arctic????? Must be canadian or something huh? Did you visit any forums or talk to any other dealers before you purchased? Yes, I am Candian. I went to three different Arctic dealers and 1 Beachcomber dealer prior to purchasing. Arctic came recommended by a family member who has one. The price (as per invoice) for our tub includes for those that are wondering: -Summit Legend -Originally ordered with Peak Ozone and a Genesis Salt system, however Arctic switched early last year to there own Salt System and "new" Onzen system -5-1/2" Cover -Microban Antibacterial Finish -Bromine Starter Kit -Forever Floor -Tru-Guard Heater -Northern Lights -Cover Mate Cover Lifter -Delivery & Set-up -50 amp Siemen's GFCI w/outdoor pony panel -36" 2 Tier Cedar Steps -Louver door (yet to be delivered) -2 Arctic Robes (yet to be delivered) -Exotic Stainless Steel Jet Package (the tub came with the standard jets & the dealer had to get the S.S. ones after the fact, I hvae them but have not put them in because of the potential rust issue) Total after taxes (13%) was $16,500 Canadian (January 12, 2008) Cheers, Budge Budge

My Arctic Spa is only seven months old and I am on my third issue since delivery (July 2008). My problems so far are as follows: -"FLO" error -Pump 1 replaced (it would not start on speed 1, speed 2 worked, but speed 1 would hum for a few seconds and then turn off) -The Onzen system stopped producing sanitizer (no more smokey streak from the onzen jet in the footwell), the service tech was supposed to be here today, but they cancelled late this afternoon and have rescheduled for Monday. The service department also charges a $95.00 trip fee for each service call, even though the tub has a 5 year warranty on most components, and 1 year inclusive within the first year. Yes, it's in the fine print of the warranty, the trip charge is not included in the warranty. Consumers like myself who paid $16,000 for a hot tub (Summit Legend with Onzen), get slapped with a $95.00 trip charge. Listen up Arctic, build the trip charge into your sale price! This is just bad post sales service that leaves a negative impression, that consumers like myself feel taken advantage of. It's to bad that Arctic didn't spend as much time and effort with Onzen Manual as they did covering there corporate behinds with the fine print in the warranty. But enough with my rant What I want to know from other Arctic Spa owners are what problems have you having with your tubs 2008 or newer? 2008 is when they made changes to there tubs (Onzen, Neck Jets, Shell modification, etc.). Thanks, Budge

Hello, If have the Arctic Onzen system have you had to have the unit repaired or replaced? The service tech was supposed to be here today to look at our Summit Legend (7 months old), but they cancelled late this afternoon . Our tub stopped producing our santizer of choice, Bromine. The tech should be here Monday, how common are these problems? This will be my second service call in 7 month! Both of which cost $95.00 each time for a trip fee, so much for a great warranty . Yes I typed that right, I spent $16,000 on a hot tub and Arctic Spa charges me $95.00 for each service call on a tub that is only half a year old! FYI my first service call was to get rid of the "FLO" error and replace pump 1 . Cheers, Budge

Hi Tom I am very new to this site. I have a Arctic Spa Yukon with Onzen. I am on my 2nd Onzen unit. It seems to be working okay now. My question is, should I be testing for Bromine or Chlorine? Also I do have a strong Chlorine smell. Should I use Refresh as Dust recomends? Final question. is it better to leave the spa at 1 temp. or keep it at 100 and turn it up before using it. Thanks in advance Mikeboy, What tub do you own and when did you get it? I have a Summit Legend and I have a tech coming out on Monday to fix my tub. The Onzen system is not producing sanitizer, bromine in my case. We have no longer get the cloudy stream coming out of the Onzen jet in the footwell. What was wrong with your Onzen unit? FYI I have only had my tub since July 08 and this will be my second service call! The first one was to fix the"FLO" error and replace pump 1, which would hum but not come on. Cheers, Budge

We recently had warranty work completed on our Arctic Summit, and the service was great! We are in Orangeville (45 minutes from KW) and our service was completed by "Arctic Spas Oakville Group". FYI Arctic Spas Oakville Group has locations in: Barrie, Burlington, Hamilton, Kitchener, Mississauga, Oakville, Whitby, and Vaughan. In fact we have been very satisfied with the Kitchener store on Victoria Road, Jessica at the store has been very informative every time we have had questions or concerns. Certainly no sales pressure! I recommend both the Kitchener store and the Arctic Spas Oakville Group. Cheers, Budge

How much is your dealer selling the new Arctic Onzen system for? We initially ordered our tub with Peak Ozone and a Genesis Bromine generator. However that Peak is no longer available and when our tub get's here it will have the new Onzen system. When the purchased agreement was written up the Peak Ozone system was a $2000.00 option and the Salt System was a $1500.00 option, making this system a $3500.00 MSRP Option. Did we pay that of course not, our purchase was based on a package price. My question is what is Onzen worth? If it is less should our purchase price be reduced by the difference? We are not truing to be cheap but we want a fair deal for both us (the consumer) and our dealer (they need to eat too!). Thanks, Budge PS. We live in Southern Ontario so Canadian pricing is most helpful!