piper

HEY JUST FYI FOR YALL WHO JUST ORDERED A TUB FROM THEM THEY ARE CLOSING THERE DOORS THEY LOST THERE LINE. Okay, I finally had a chance to reply. I did receive the floor model in good condition. The Delivery was uneventful. In fact it was pretty professional considering what we have been through. I do not know if they are closing their doors or not, but obviously sales are not going very well. The lead salesperson came along and apologized for his part in the whole ordeal. We are happy with the tub and glad to have something rather than risk another 6-8 week wait for a new one that may not show up. If you have any concerns Dark Rider, I'm happy to answer, or my suggestion is to talk directly to Watkins.

Piper, sorry to hear of the negative experience. What makes you think that it was more than an administrative oversight? The dealer has been around for quite some time, and they have pretty much exclusive rights to the Atlanta market (other than the Peachtree City dealer), who technically doesn't service Atlanta. I have no vested interest, other than the fact that I also ordered there and am about 4 weeks out from my order. I'm supposed to get my subpanel early this coming week, but no word on tub delivery yet. I'm assuming you put the down payment on a credit card? Why not have the dealer do a charge back or if they're slow to react, go directly to the credit card company? Well to be 6 weeks into the order and having called to check on the status every week from week 3; its more than an administrative oversight. At week 6, once they had told me of this "oversight," they told me a new delivery date of October 7th. The following day I called Watkins again and they said the dealer had still not put the order in...Its not like this business has that many players. A couple owns the franchise and then there is Brian and maybe another salesperson/technician. We were also told at purchase that ours was the last of a 16 spa order. Well according to Watkins, the dealer has placed an order for exactly 2 spas in the past 6 weeks. If you do the numbers, that is not a lot of revenue. Also Watkins does not have a 6 week lead time to manufacture these spas. According to the rep, the lead time is 2 weeks plus about 7-10 days shipping. 6 weeks is just so they can sell additional spas before they make their order. Since I am unsure as to the financial stability of this franchisee, I've decided to take their floor model Envoy with additional discounts. Its supposed to be delivered tomorrow, but I am totally unimpressed. They had $6000 of our money for 6 weeks and did nothing. I am already in contact with the Credit Card company should the dealer fail to deliver or refund our money. For Hot Springs being the best in the business, this is a real let down. I'll update again after delivery/setup. I am a little worried that delivery and installation will be a shambles too. Our last new Spa (a Jacuzzi) was unceremoniously dumped in our backyard by two non-English speaking illegals hired for the day. The set up was, "Here's a bag of chemicals." They also put the steps inside the shell and scratched up the inside. Needless to say we were furious, but that is another story.

Very true based on what I've read as well... Historically, saltwater systems for hot tubs have had difficulty keeping up with the changing demands in a hot tub environment (heat, less water, more contaminants). I really liked the allure of the softer water, extended drain intervals, chemical savings, and automation though. The HotSpring product does appear to be unique in that it can generate more than just chlorine though. The 3 year test cycle that HotSpring underwent before releasing it, user testimonials, and my dealer's overwhelming support of the product convinced me that it was worth checking out, especially since the discount without it would have only been about $500. I plan to report my candid feedback after living with it for a while. I'm hopeful that it lives up to my expectations, but if it doesn't, the good news is that the tub can easily be converted to the standard chemical regimen. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we ordered a new Envoy from this dealer exactly 6 weeks ago today. He also promised the 4-6 weeks delivery time frame (Brian). We paid a $6000 deposit on 08/12 and they never ordered the spa! We called at about the 3 week mark every week and it was assured that delivery was on schedule. Last Friday I called up Hot Springs and they said there were no Envoys were on order! After talking with the dealer, we were told that there was an "oversight" and they would order it now with delivery sometime in October. We said forget it and have asked for a full refund. The owner has said that he will refund, but we suspect he may be about to go out of business. We have had two HotSpring products before and have never been treated like this. We are still working with Watkins to ensure a refund from this now unreputable dealer. I would still like to purchase a Hot Spring tub, but this experience has left us wondering if it is worth the hassle. We may use the other dealer in Peachtree city, but we have to get our refund first. Perhaps we are just unlucky customers, but I would be very, very careful about dealing with these people. Sorry for the bad feedback.

There is also a Hot Spring dealer in Peachtree City. I'm pretty sure they would deliver anywhere in the Metro area. I plan to have a look at this dealer too and perhaps play them off each other in regards to pricing.

I'm looking for a tub from the same Hot Spring dealer. I just had a wet test in the Envoy, but have not discussed pricing yet. We are not looking to purchase until the end of the month, but I'll share our pricing information when I get it next week. Was $10,800 including tax and have you tried negotiating the price down any further yet?

Hi, I have a 2006 Jacuzzi J385 which I need to sell after only one year (moving overseas). What sort of price can I expect to achieve? This model does not have the stereo, but comes with a coverlift, ozonator and everything else. Its in perfect condition and located in Texas. Thanks for any advice/suggestions!