One thing I noticed as you plugged "your" spa was that there is no mention of price difference. People in here seem very worried about how much insulation a particular hot tub contains as if that is some measure of quality. Insulation is the least expensive component and easiest issue to remedy. So, why would I want to pay 4 to 6K more for a hot tub that has another inch of insulation? Is it just the implied quality that more insulation gives?
I've never posted here before and I don't usually post unless compelled to. I noticed there is a serious anti-Costco movement and a "buy from a dealer or you will be sorry" factor here so I thought I'd shed some thoughts on the matter. A few people have touched on the fact that dealers of any consumer item better get used to competition like you have never seen before. We have all seen this in many industries. Amazon revenues have reached $10B. Any market in which the retail price versus the cost to produce (margin) is significantly disparate is a target for an e-commerce solution. Dealers should be afraid. It's a fight or flight scenario that is irreversible. Consumers are learning that e-commerce is relatively safe, if dealing with organizations that have a reputation to protect. I have had more issues with my bank compromising my credit card numbers than I have had on-line and I purchase a lot on line (reputable orgs only). These oganizations (Amazon, Costco, Home Depot, etc.) have enormous leverage over their suppliers. Contracts given to suppliers offer potentially huge volumes and massive increases in revenues. At the same time, the Costco's of the world beat the heck out of a supplier on price, customer satisfaction, quality, and return policy. This is why there are almost no questions asked upon return of goods to the store. The supplier is under full liability to take back any item in any condition returned from the customer. Now a spa might be harder to get to the store, but I would fully engage Costco's e-commerce division to get problems solved for me before I'd lug my 1000 lbs. spa back to the store.
The arguments for buying from a dealer generally come back to support and better quality merchandise. Better quality is questionable for many of the reasons stated above, but even more questionable is the value of service. I understand cost models of businesses and when you walk into a spa showroom with all the pretty lights, air conditioning, and general atmosphere of wonderfulness, remember - you are going to pay for that too. These are not lean organizations with streamlined operational supply chain and logistics processes and you will pay for every inefficiency, not to mention profit margins have to be much higher due to a lack of market reach.
Some of you may fully grasp what I am telling you and others won't but the bottom line is that, just like any other business, this one will have to reinvent itself due to the impact of the internet - welcome to the club, and good luck with that!
Btw, I bought one of those Pilates H2Os from Costco. $7K, had it about 1 month - loving it so far. I had another spa that lasted 20 years and was time for a new one. I looked a several spas and read everything I could on the one I bought and I am convinced that from a pure value standpoint I made the right choice, hands down. The entire electronics package is produced by AeWare - nice quality stuff. I will take some pictures and post them, it really is a nice machine. I saw a lot of nice spas in the dealers here in the Bay Area, as well. Based on my observations this spa would have sold for between 10 and 14K in the dealers. I never once saw a spa that had as many features.
Dusty
