East TX Spa

There's going to be a big multi-brand spa sale next week in East Texas. Funny, but the advertising manager of the mall (who owns a HotSpring Sovereign) told me that it is being sponsored by Master Spa. I guess I'll mosey over and check out Master and ALL the other brands that are going to be there. I feel somewhat sleighted as they did not ask us to participate. Maybe since the closest Master Spa dealer is 2 hours away they didn't realize we were right here in the community where we've been for 21 years. Can't wait to see them! Terminator

Wilfried, you seem to be a little confused or else your English is a bit off. According to the above post, you already bought a D-1 back in October of last year. Is it already broken and you need a new one? And if it is broken, why would you want to buy the same brand as the one that didn't last half a year? I'm just trying to figure out how we can help. Terminator

T.P. Cooter sez: "Ya see, the flangdanglin' nooclur injunear is takin' de words right out of my mouf! Fool Foam in a hot tub will make you grow a third eye in the back'n yore head and yore childrens will glow in de dark! When it comes to de fool foam, just say naw."

My only beef with him is that he uses fear as a tool against the easily influenced, which I find unethical. The rants against various companies (one in particular that he is obsessed with) is negative selling, pure and simple. And it's not just him. Sell your product to the best of your abilities, use all the tools and skills you have, but do it in a positive manner. Otherwise, you come across as nothing more than a shyster, a fraud, and a phoney. But hey, all's fair in love and hot tub sales. Take the high road and you'll always lead the way. Spread false information about your competitors and you'll always be sucking hind tit. Terminator

It is the nature of the selling business: EVERYONE is selling the best product, unless they're selling something else. You have to believe that what you're selling is the absolute greatest product in the industry. If you don't believe that, you're nothing but a con-artist. We've been fortunate to sell the same brand for over 20 years with zero regrets. If we were to quit selling this brand, we would probably just close the doors and go sell women's underwear or something like that as I wouldn't have the heart or motivation to try and sell a brand I didn't think was the best. I have a strong distrust towards people who bounce around between brands as they don't seem to believe in anything but the almighty dollar. Some folks are like that, I'm not. More power to them, let them bring their A game and I'll bring mine, and we'll all have a Merry Christmas! Terminator

Yep, one of the local TP proponents. I get a kick out of them, but they're pretty good ol' boys. You just don't ever want to go canoing with them. All of the folks that buy spas from them usually end up on the canoe trip and I've heard stories of what happens. Hmmmm...... Terminator

I'll say that I have personally never had a single one of my customers indicate that it is a problem. We've sold them exclusively for 21 years and have a tremendous referral rate as well as repeat customers. HotSpring designs their spas for real world use where most of the time there is not going to be 6 people sitting in a spa with every single jet running wide open. Believe me, if this were in any way important to the average spa shopper, they would convert them in a heartbeat if it helped to sell more units. However, more people seem to like the way HotSpring Spas are made than the way everyone else does it, so let the people it's important to buy whatever you're peddling. Terminator

Not only NO, but HELL NO. Complete, utter waste of hard-earned money. I like the new SpAudio II that HotSpring has developed, but even then, I say HELL NO. No TV's, no radio's, no video games, no cell phones. Outdoor speakers are a much better option. Terminator

Fuller "Foam" Festus sez: "Hangfire Matthew, you shore done a fantabulous job fixin' up that ol' derelict spa. I never knownt that spas would be lastin' more'n ten years, but I keeps seein' these ol' Hot Sprang spas that just 'bout seem to last furever. You done good, 'specially for some fella from New York!"

T.P. Cooter sez: "Thermal pain beez de only shur fire way to fix yer leeky spa wifout havin' to dig through no foam! Foam is de devil's curd."

If you don't mind me asking, why not? And I ask this in all sincerity after going back and reading some of your previous posts. You indicate that you like the 100% No-bypass filtration (which HS is the only spa that does this), you like the 24 hr circ pump, you like the wood frame, you like full foam (HS is one of the few that uses closed cell foam exclusively), you've stated the HS will outlast a Coleman 2 to 1, you've stated you've hauled off many 15+ year old HS spas that were in good shape and possibly salvageable. Yet, you say there are better values out there. If you're going strictly from a point of pricing, there are many, many, many spas out there that cost more than HS. I'm amazed to see the prices Sundance, Jacuzzi, D-1, Marquis spas are charging. They're taking away my bragging rights as being "the most expensive spas made, but the most popular as well." Correction, they're taking away my bragging rights as being "the most expensive spas made." "The most popular spa" part remains true and continues to grow year after year after year. Terminator

Well, since you asked, here's my plug: HotSpring Grandee Seats 7-8 comfortably. I have one customer who had 17 people in his Grandee at a Halloween party. When I asked him how he got that many people in his spa, he replied "When nobody's wearin' bathin' suits, you can sit a lot closer together." Musta been some kind of party! Terminator

Anyone that says a HotSpring Spa is underpowered is either a drunken monkey or is selling against them. I sat in a new Grandee yesterday and it dang near blew me out of the tub. HS does not have 100 little bullet jets in them all fighting for a piece of the pump's action. They have very large, very powerful jets that can be reduced in pressure should you desire a more gentle massage. HotSpring has been the #1 selling brand of spa in the world for 20 consecutive years. Why, because they're cheap? No. Because they have TV's, video games, cell phones, etc. in them? No. Because they offer "rebates" or engage in fraudulent business practices? No. They are #1 because they build spas that are designed to last, use very little energy, and provide a comfortable hydrotherapy experience. AND, they take care of their customers. 700,000 customers have chosen HotSpring as their spa and the numbers grow every year. Are there other good brands of spas out there? Yes there are a few, but there is a tremendous amount of pure junk being sold by fly-by-night outfits and con-artists. Buyer beware, do your research, wet test, check with the BBB, ripoffreport.com, and other consumer protection organizations and hopefully it will all be made clear. Terminator

Good Grief!!! Got a wee bit o' markup in there, me thinks! Oh well, capitalism at it's best...and worst. Terminator

HotSpring, of course. Are you in the market? If so, I can help. Good luck in your search. Terminator

HotSpring dealers only mark their spas up $10. But, they sell a lot of spas. Terminator

greenhut, what an outstanding post! Although it saddens me that the Envoy wasn't for you (it's my personal favorite), you went about the process the right way and found the spa that was best for YOU and YOUR FAMILY. We can all sit on this forum and debate this and that 'til the cows come home, but you did the research yourself, you compared, you wet tested, and you found your spa. Congratulations and I hope you enjoy your spa trouble free for years to come. You picked a good one! Terminator

<Banging head against wall> Well, the salesman obviously pushed all your right buttons. Buy it! QUICKLY, before you can research it and actually make a well-informed decision on a run-of-the-mill generic spa that is priced at least 30% over it's actual value. The salesman is chomping at the bit thinking about the FAT commission he is about to get. I only get 3% commission. I wish I could sleep well at night if I overcharged someone by 30%. Good luck, we tried to help, I wish you well. Terminator

Why oh why oh why do people continue to be suckered in by these types of companies. Is the cheapest price the only thing that matters to most? I guess so, it seems. What other types of products offer the best value at the cheapest price? Anyone want to nominate a product that is cheap, cheap, cheap but is the best quality? Please do yourself a favor and do a little more research on the two companies you listed. One of them is associated with organized criminals in Texas and other places and one of the companies sells generic kit spas at double the going rate. Spatech tuo has offered excellent advice. You would be well served to follow it. I do wish you luck. Be careful with your hard-earned money. Terminator

ClayC, the salesman was correct when he said the Envoy would feel the same as the Vista. In one of my earlier posts in this thread, I outlined why I prefer the Envoy (positioning of the captains chair). The Vista is a great spa, but I like the Envoy better. Just my own personal opinion. That is a fantastic price on the Envoy. If the Vista felt good to you during the wet test, so will the Envoy. Sounds like you're good to go! If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me. Good luck with your decision! Terminator

ScubaCurt, I'm sorry to hear about your ordeal. I imagine it's pretty damn frustrating. If I'm reading it right, the owner told you that he was in a selling mood and for you to make him an offer. If I'm in your shoes, I'm thinking that (1) this guy really has his prices jacked up or (2) he is desperate to make a sale. A serious salesperson should never make an offer to the customer to name his own price (unless he is William Shatner). A serious salesperson should know what his spa is worth, what margins are acceptable for his business' continued success, and should offer the customer his best price. This namby-pamby "make me an offer" is a no-win situation for both, in my opinion. I hope the rest of your shopping experience goes better. Terminator

I get $1 for every spa I sell, Tammy gets a nickel, boss gets the rest. When I asked my boss for a raise, he said I can get one anytime I want....sell more hot tubs! Terminator

I work for a dealer that has exclusively carried HotSpring and Tiger River Spas for going on 21 years. We have 3 stores (Tyler and Longview, TX and Shreveport, LA). I work primarily alone, but I do have a pretty red-haired underling that fills in for me while I'm doing off-site promotions. We are strictly a spa dealer and have a full-time in-house service department that only services our customers. Before getting into the spa industry, I was a manufacturer's rep with a clientele including AT&T, Sharp, Sanyo, Halliburton, IBM, and Federal Express. It is amazing seeing how hi-tech some of the spas are from the leading manufacturer's. Technology driven spa companies are producing some truly remarkable products. Oh, I am a staunch proponent of our Second Amendment Right's and am proud to be a Texan! I also enjoy helping shoppers on this and other forums, so feel free to give me a holler if you'd like the straight skinny on spas! Terminator

Refer to above picture... Terminator

HotSpring dealers only mark their spas up $10. Terminator