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ggsteve

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  1. When getting a spa from a spa owner you really need to worry about whether it works properly and does not leak which is why its always best to see them in operation but when from a dealer generally they've refurbished them to some degree and checked them out to be sure all operates properly but the key with this is I would insist on at least a 60 day warranty. As long as it has the warranty then you can feel more reassured that it operates properly. I would also want new filters BTW. Thank you spa guru, I put a deposit down on the tub yesterday. I only got a 30 day warranty but I did wet test it and everything works save for one sticky spin jet that they are replacing. It's been running at the dealership for about a month. I am getting new cartridges but I paid a little extra and got the ceramic cartridges that you can wash in the dishwasher. The spa did not have an ozonator but they split the cost with me ($150 each) to put in a Hotsprings Freshwater III corona discharge ozonator, and they are setting me up with a starter kit of chenmicals at no charge (the stuff with the silver ions???). Now I just have to wait until I can dig my old, dead spa out of the snow. Does this deal sound alright? I hate spending $3000 and not getting good value (like last time).
  2. I am an avid Costco shopper. I do all of my grocery shopping there, buy all my lawn products, even furniture, whatever I can. I am not dishonest. I really just started this thread as a hypothetical exercise. I didn't really think they would take the tub back, I know the tub is old, but that's not what their return policy says. Assuming I really did want to push this I think I would win and Costco would be forced to take the tub back. The return policy offers complete satisfaction with no time limit. Your previous post said that Costco backs their products 100%. Not true, maybe 99%, but not 100. If their policy is 100% satisfaction for a "reasonable timeframe" then what that is needs to be specified in fine print. Heck there's enough unemployed lawyers around. They do market their "second to none" return policy, so they are beholden to it. Whether you think I'm a jerk for trying to return the tub or not is your opinion. As for my responsibility, Costco's return policy absolves me of any. As written, if I am not satisfied, they take it back. I was thoroughly unsatisfied with the spa, and should have taken it back years ago, but I didn't know I could.
  3. I've been thinking about this long and hard. The spa is an Imperial, don't know if they're still around or not. It had problems from early on. During the first year Costco sent a tech to replace the circ pump under warranty. Soon after the warranty was up the spinner jets stopped spinning, and regardless of how often I cleaned or replaced the filters I would get the "PS1" or what ever the low flow error was. The ozone input stopped working because of the way the hose was run to the venturi, it kinked all the time. Whenever I drained and refilled the spa it would airlock and I would have to remove the side panel and play with the flexible hoses until I could get the trapped air out and get the pumps working again. It has no insulation to speak of so I made my own 3 1/2" thick foam side panels. All in all, a poor product and an uneducated purchase. It hasn't really worked in 3 years and if finally froze up when the heater failed to turn on again during the winter. I paid a local tech $100 to come out and tell me that some pipes were cracked by the ice (DUH). I had to diagnose all the stuff he missed (both pumps leaking at the seals, one cracked pump housing and the heater is broken, won't use that tech again). Had I known Costco would take it back years ago, that would have been the right thing to do. I agree that 8 years is a long time, but the thing really is a piece of .....uh, an inferior product. Live and learn I guess.
  4. I read it on the Internet so that it must be true. Armed with the knowledge gained here about Costco's iron clad no-questions-asked warranty I went and asked them when would be the best time to return my spa. It's a 2001 and they told me I have had it beyond a "reasonable timeframe" and they will not take it back. Frankly, I'm not surprised but this does fly in the face of what has been reported here.
  5. Hello All, I have found a 2000 Hotspring Sovereign trade-in at a dealership for $2695 delivered (plus tax). The dealer is providing a brand new cover and pneumatic lift. She said that if it has an ozone generator, it's from 2000 and it's dead (pretty honest). My questions: 1) Is this a fair price from a dealer for a tub that old? 2) Are there any other things I should look out for when buying a used spa, generally or specific to this model/brand? Thanks in advance. Oh, I will have the opportunity to wet test it.
  6. Thanks for all of the input. I bought the Costco spa back in 2001 and I don't have the "testicular fortitude" to try and return that even though I have returned things there close to that old with no hassle. Leaning towards the Hotspring but I'm still choking on the price. From what has been said here and other research I would definitely want to wet test the Sovereign, haven't found a dealer that has one set up and I'm not to the point of asking the guy I visited to completely rework his showroom, yet. The one pump and the way the water is diverted came up as a caution. Definitely can't afford an Aria and I still think the Jetsetter is way too small. On the subject of the Siren's song of the cheapo, my local BJ's Wholesale Club has two Infinity spas with 40+ jets and what looks to be a nice layout, two pumps, chrome jets, everwood cabinet, etc. In this economy they can't give them away. They started at $4000, now down to $2500. Do you hear them calling?
  7. Be careful with black. It shows dirt very easily but it does look great when it's clean. I would think black could get uncomfortably hot above the waterline on a hot summer day. This could burn a user, or maybe blister the finish?
  8. A newbie here, replacing a Costco cheapo spa that froze to death in an ice storm last month. OK, I get that the Costco is "pay less, get less", though the Evolution series they have this year seems much better than what they've had in the past, especially the cabinet. Question 1: Does anyone have experience good or bad with these Costco Evolution Spas? The cheapo I have now was woefully underinsulated and expensive to run, are the new ones better? What I want to avoid is "pay more, get less". Question 2: How do you avoid this? Some of the dealers I've been to want to make me take a shower, I would compare them to used car salesmen, but that would be unfair to used car salesmen. The Hotsprings spa seems to surface over and over as a good brand as I do my research. The local dealer has a Sovereign in his showroom with a price tag of $7500. He seems thoughtful and asked us questions about what we wanted in our spa, and he gave us the soft sell, little pressure. He even stayed late so we could wet test a Hotsprings. He didn't have a Sovereign with water in it but we tested the vanguard model. I love the moto-massage. Question 3: How imperative is it to test the exact model that we want? I sat in the Sovereign empty so I know it's large enough for me (not true of the Jetsetter). Question 3A: If I can't test the Sovereign, can someone tell me how different the moto-massage will feel with a 1-pump system as opposed to the 2 pumps in the Vanguard? He told us he could make "adjustments" on the in stock tub "but he didn't know how long it would be there". (I'm in no rush, I have 2 feet of snow in my back yard preventing delivery) Question 4: How much wiggle room does this guy have on an in stock tub? If I can get $2000 off I can probably swing the Hotsprings. If I can't I'll have to buy the Costco. Question 4A: If I do go for the Hotsprings, can this guy deliver it to my snowy backyard without a crane? I have a path cut from the driveway to the old spa/slab (about 50') Thank you in advance to anyone who can help me make this decision wisely.
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