Windowlicka

We took delivery of our Coleman (by MAAX) #871 around a month ago now - very early days for us to comment so far, but I do feel compelled to start my response with an apology. Of sorts! Sorry - no horror stories here. So far. No leaks to tell you about, no 'my dealer's crap' reports, not even so much as a delivery timeframe under-estimate or a 'they trashed my junipers on install' issue... Nothing... MAAX & our dealer did exactly what we were expecting them to do - supply a good quality tub as agreed, when they said they would, and support us/our tub to the expectation they committed too... So far no broken promises. Delivery was bang on time, price was fair, our local dealer has been superb - compared to some others on these forums, we feel we've been very fortunate, and have had a great purchase experience thus far. Of course, time will tell regarding overall reliability, running costs, etc. but so far, no regrets. In terms of the tub, we love the layout, the kids love the lights, the wife loves the stereo, we all love the overall number and power of the jets (my wife and I both have back issues, so the hydrotherapy is just awesome). My neighbours (either side) love that they can come 'round on a Saturday night for beers in the tub and watch Hockey Night In Canada on the telly (I ran coax cable from the sat dish to an outlet on my deck, then ran a separate 20amp GFCI outlet off of the hot-tub junction box for power; weather proofed an old Ikea TV stand (with a wood frame, siliconed solid plastic sheeting top back and sides), put some wheels on the bottom, then threw a 15" 'cheapy' LCD in it) - add one cooler on the deck for beers and HAPPY DAYS!

I filled my brand-new tub for the first time last night - the temperature read-out on the tub display was 53F... a little cool! It had heated up to 100F by 6:30am this morning though, so all seems well thus far. Looking forward to our first soak this evening - with 5-15cm's of snow forecast to fall here in Ontario (Canada) through the course of this afternoon!

Hmmm... I think that statement is perhaps more than a little misleading. I'll be taking delivery of my new Coleman #871 (by Maax) spa tomorrow afternoon. Maax are not (to my knowledge) "going through acquisitions"... Coleman (a brand-name that Maax owned the rights to market) recently decided to put their brand-name "up for auction". Maax were apparently outbid, but as a manufacturer, Maax are very much still in business and simply marketing the very same product lines under their own brand name instead. If you know otherwise, then I'd be very interested to follow any links you are able to post to substantiate your claims. FWIW (and after reading other tales of delivery woe here/elsewhere), we've been very impressed by Maax, and our dealer's service/support thus far - they quoted 3-4 weeks delivery, we saw our tub at the dealer's store on Saturday - 3 weeks to the day that we ordered it. Of course we've yet to try our tub out, but hope to within the next 48 hours or so (beers are chilling in the fridge as I type!)...

Thanks Roger - I just came off of the phone with the dealer... The product we are expecting to receive will be the product delivered. Apparently MAAX spas are no longer allowed to accept new orders for 'Coleman-branded' spa products after 7th October. The dealer we bought from are +/- 3km's from our home, and we were referred to them by a few people we know because of the high level of service that they offer. I still have every confidence in the dealer - they stated that they have been a MAAX dealer for the 15 years that they have been in business, and that they have continually chosen to stay with the same manufacturer (rather than following specific brands) due to quality/price/support from the manufacturer (ie: MAAX produce good product, and honour their commitments = less work/hassle for the dealer = dealer retains their profit, rather than haemoraging it when issues arise). Our spa will be one of the last ones to leave MAAX with a Coleman badge on the front, and that it should be with us mid/late next week! In terms of warranty, our spa will still be covered by the full MAAX warranty (the exact same as the one applied to their Coleman branded products) - so no changes there. <Phew> A relief to have answered - kudos to ps558 for sharing this info in the first place

Thanks Spa_Newb - will do. The dealer only really seems to promote the Coleman brand (they offer 1 or 2 other brands, but they sure didn't lead with these offerings, nor have by much of demo stock/inventory to check out) If the worst comes to the worst, the deposit was paid on a Credit Card (so we have ~some~ protection), we'll cancel the order and look elsewhere. I hope it doesn't come to that though - we liked this particular spa, the dealer's local, has a good reputation, and has so far been very good with/to us... WL

FWIW, My neighbour's just took delivery of a new Dynasty Oceana (their first hot tub) just over a week ago. They were sold on the jazzy lights and features by a local dealer at a trade show, but were not impressed with the delivery schedules (quoted: 3 weeks, delivered: 7 weeks), nor the service from the dealer - which tailed-off dramatically once the remaining funds had been demanded/handed over 2 weeks before delivery took place (not necessarily Dynasty's fault per se, but the dealer IS their local brand representation). The dealer made all kinds of promises, but never fulfilled on any of them: "we'll deliver, install, connect, fill, and teach you how to use the spa/the chemicals - we'll leave you only when the jets are running, the water's bubbling, and you're happy with our service". On arrival day, the delivery crew stated that they don't do wiring (OK, granted - that MUST be done by a certified electrician - they know now), but said in a way that made my neighbour's wife feel like she was lying about the promises made by the sales rep; and left them with an empty tub and no knowledge/skills whatsoever. Now they can't get hold of the dealer to speak with them ~at all~ (Understand that my neighbour's are the nicest, most placid people out there, and hardly the 'confrontational' types!) They're well past the initial 'sales sizzle' of the funky lit jets and "bangin' bass toonz" now... reality started to dawn when their 6yr old daughter sliced her toe on a sharp piece of plastic on/around one of the jet nozzles within a few mins of getting in it for the first time; and again when one of the jet nozzles fired out of its socket as soon as the the pumps were turned on (it wasn't 'loose' - just very poorly fitted, and now does this with regularity). For the $12K CAD they threw down, they've really been left pretty disappointed over the whole experience (though this is ~mostly~ due to the dealer in question) - and I'm pretty certain they have no idea about this whole pro-rata'd warranty BS yet... FYI: they shared this info with us 'cos (a) we're good friends and ( we're also first-time hot tub owners waiting on delivery of our new toy (ours will be a Coleman/Maax/whatever-now-that-Maax-no-longer-own-the-rights-to-market-under-the-'Coleman'-brand # C 471 which is ~due~ to be delivered in +/- 2 weeks) WL

Crap. Time to call my dealer and find out what happens to the $1,000 deposit we laid down on a shiny new Coleman #471 back on the 27th September... We're expecting to take delivery in 2 weeks, and I've worked my tail off to prepare the pad and hardscape around it... Any idea whether existing orders will be fulfilled/honoured by MAAX spas? I tried to pull up the MAAX spas website, but all links are dead - looks like they've ripped all reference to the Coleman brand down, and no news feeds anywhere. I do have faith in our local dealer (so far), but I'd obviously like to get some answers on this... I'll update this thread based on the info I get from our dealer after speaking with them tomorrow. Thanks for the 'headsup' ps558.

The requirements for this spa are 50 GFCI breaker with number 6/3 copper wire. This is from Balboa who makes the control systems for coleman. It is very important to follow these requirements. Using smaller wire can cause breaker tripping, overheating the wire and melting the terminal block on the circuit board. It is not worth skimping on this issue. Thanks PS, but (and I say this with all respect intended), is there anywhere that I can download a full specification/installation manual for the 2008 Coleman 471 to verify this info for myself? I have a 50Amp GFCI for the outside, and I'll mate that to an appropriate breaker panel-side... Im not at all suprised at what you say, but I'd really appreciate any links that can substantiate your advice, please. I appreciate that scrimping on the electrical connectivity stuff is a really *B-A-D* decision (and on multiple levels), but likewise I'd rather not spend extra on the 60A wiring if it's ~completely~ safe not too - that stuff's damned expensive! Any thoughts on the base-bit of my question too? Cheers for the quick reply! WL

Hi All, Noob here (both to hot tub ownership, and also this forum), so please go easy! Wifey and I just threw $1K down on a new 2008 Coleman #471 from our local spa dealer this past weekend... we *think* we got a good deal - $8700 (CAD), and they include the lighting package, ozone jobby and the cover lifter - we're in Ontario, Canada if that helps... My challenge is that I don't know the actual specifications for the hot tub (from an electrical standpoint), and I need to prepare the wiring (my neighbour's a high-voltage electrician). I do know that the tub requires a 50Amp GFCI mounted externally, but I need to know the maximum ampage that it draws... if it's 40A or less, then I can use the cheaper 40A cable, but if the tub requires >40A, then I need to install the more expensive 60A cable... Anyone know where I can download a manual with full tech specs for this particular tub to determine the answer? (Coleman's website is disappointingly crap in this regard!) Also... your generous input requested regarding preferences on tub bases? Our local dealer recommended AGAINST a concrete pad (which suprised me a little) - apparently a few horror stories of even re-inforced pads breaking then heaving with Ontario winters... they instead recommend 6-8" of tamped limestone screening, covered with 2'x1' paving slabs... Does this sound acceptable to the guru's out there? Thanks guys. WL.