Gulf Coast Spa

[jjfromtheburgh]

I certainly wish I would have found this forum prior to purchasing my Gulf Coast Spa. Had I read the reviews on this site I doubt I would have purchased one from this company. Oh well - it's too late now. Anyhow, I purchased the LX 11000 spa at the end of June. I have since had quite a few problems with the tub. The first problem I encountered was with the light. It did not work. After removing the panel and further looking into the problem I realized that the connection was bad. Easy fix but you would have thought that this would have been tested prior to shipping. Second problem was with the topside control panel. It evenutally stopped working. They had to ship me out a new one. Third problem, the spa pack stopped working. The spa pack runs the entire tub. Once again they had to ship me out a new one. And lastly, one of the pumps is leaking. It's not a simple just tighten the connection fix. It was determined that it was faulty and they will be sending me a new one. After 3 months the novelty of my first hot tub has worn off. I do have to say that Gulf Coast does have excellent customer service and if you are a do-it-yourselfer then by all means go ahead and purchase one of their tubs. But for most people the value of their time is far more valuable than having to deal with problem after problem with their newly purchased spa. Anyhow, just wanted to post a message to inform you of the issues I have encountered in the first three months of spa ownership. I hope this will help at least one person in their decision making process. To any other Gulf Coast Spa owners - feel free to post your stories either good or bad.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I do have to say that Gulf Coast does have excellent customer service and if you are a do-it-yourselfer then by all means go ahead and purchase one of their tubs. But for most people the value of their time is far more valuable than having to deal with problem after problem with their newly purchased spa.

I've always rolled my eyes at the way they tout their 24/7 on-line help as some great thing for the customer when its REAL purpose is to have the customer do the labor for free so they don't have to pay $XX/hr for a technician to fix the spa. You're right, this spa is for a serious DIYer. The issues you’ve run into aren't surprising and show the quality of their work/components and makes you question if the spa was ever tested to any degree.

[vshortt]

we were originally very skeptical of Gulf Coast Spas because they are marketed through Costco. This immediately made us feel like this was a cheaper spa, so we originally passed on them and started looking at more expensive spas. We looked at Cal Spas, DreamMaker Spas, Artesian and Viking. These were all very well known brands and carried by a number of stores in our area.

We didn’t get the opportunity to actually LOOK at a Gulf Coast Spa until we noticed a dealer at our local State Fair. After looking at all the other dealers, we opted to drop in and see what they offered and were SHOCKED at how low the prices were and how WELL BUILT the spas were!!

We knew right away that we weren’t dealing with a cheap spa when we were finally able t compare the Gulf Cast spa hand-in-hand with the competitors, and I hate to say it, but NONE of the other spas offer this much value for the buck.

We opted for the 864 Lei, which was touted as a “limited edition” spa with several extras. The spa is a 6-7 person spa with 64 jets, 2 pumps and a blower connected to 14 Champaign bubblers. This tub also featured LED perimeter lighting and an aroma-therapy port, which was awesome!

So far, it's been flawless - not a single problem, not a single air-lock, not a SINGLE sneeze. It's not the most lavish tub, given, but at the price point there's no other tub out there that compares. The Balboa spa pack is WIDELY used in the industry and parts are easy to find and cheap, technical support was great - I applaud any company that has enough faith in their product to allow a USER to work on it.

If you’re looking for a spa company that will hold your hand, baby you, and come running anytime you have a question, Gulf Coast is not for you. BUT, if you’re interested in saving a TON of money, and don’t mind turning a screwdriver on occasion, you will get a QUALITY spa, at a considerably cheaper price than the competitors! I would recommend Gulf Coast to ANYONE that is even the tiniest bit mechanically inclined. This spa, like any other, will require maintenance and chemicals.

Be prepared to get online and read about water quality and maintenance, as you won’t get much from the manual.

We are very very very happy Gulf Coast Spa owners. I did a LONG and thorough review of the tub, if anyone is interested in it, let me know and I'll post it.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

BUT, if you’re interested in saving a TON of money, and don’t mind turning a screwdriver on occasion, you will get a QUALITY spa, at a considerably cheaper price than the competitors!

I can agree on the cheaper price but I definitely would not call that a quality spa. I'm not saying you'll regret it because every spa maker has happy customers, some just have a much higher % of happy customers than others.

[roromissd]

BUT, if you’re interested in saving a TON of money, and don’t mind turning a screwdriver on occasion, you will get a QUALITY spa, at a considerably cheaper price than the competitors!

I can agree on the cheaper price but I definitely would not call that a quality spa. I'm not saying you'll regret it because every spa maker has happy customers, some just have a much higher % of happy customers than others.

AMEN!

[vshortt]

Spatech, I have to assume that since you consider yourself a "guru" that you work for a spa company? perhaps a dealer? what lines do you sell?

roromissd - I've read every post you've put on this board and have yet to find where you say you have ANY experience with Gulf Coast Spas... did I miss something?

Honestly, the only people that I have seen that have posted on the internet and are unhappy with their gulf Coast Spa are the people that don't want to do a little work themselves. Things are going to break, it's a fact of life. No tub is impervious to problems.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Honestly, the only people that I have seen that have posted on the internet and are unhappy with their gulf Coast Spa are the people that don't want to do a little work themselves. Things are going to break, it's a fact of life. No tub is impervious to problems.

It is true that all spas can have issues. Some have few/no issues while others have them endlessly. Some have minor issues and some have major issues. Some have luck with getting warranty service and others find their warranty isn't worth the paper its written on.

You can say you like your spa and think it was a good purchase and I won't argue because that is your experience (even if it is just a sample of one). Other people, such as these below, have different experiences:

http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=670 (look for Cueball's post)

http://www.rhtubs.com/cgi-bin/reviews/reviews.pl?rev=2132

http://www.rhtubs.com/cgi-bin/reviews/reviews.pl?rev=2655

http://www.rhtubs.com/cgi-bin/bbs/config.p...mes;read=105201

If you're a DIYer that is great and necessary with this brand. In my experience most people that buy a spa expect it to operate properly for many years and if issues arise they expect their warranty will mean someone fill come fix it when it breaks under warranty.

If you want to tell people you think Gulf Coast is a quality product as you said earlier that is your prerogative. Others, including myself, have the right to disagree.

BTW, make sure you send in the warranty registration card. Someone who worked for GC admitted that they use this to void warranties if people don't send it in. Their 24/7 hotline (which they claim is an aid to the customer) is REALLY there just to have the customer act as the service person to save on their warranty costs. The registration card trick is there for the same reason as they know people tend to toss those away and count on it happening. It's just a tricky way to further avoid warranty responsibilities.

[roromissd]

I don't want to start a fight here. What I want to point out though is that a person can't possibly think that Gulf Coast Spas are actually good quality after what you and many others have said of their experiences with their tubs. If everything's breaking within a short period of time, then it's not a quality tub. Most people are not intending to buy a tub thinking they will have to repair it themselves right off the bat. They're thinking they will have a good running tub for years and then maybe some things will need to be repaired or replaced.

My own brand new tub has a minor issue as well that will have to be replaced, but a spa tech from the company is coming out immediately(we live about 150 miles from their service center mind you) and it is covered under warranty, no card to send it to validate it. I KNOW my tub will be a good quality tub because of the company's track record, I can get on the forums and see that people are happy with this company and their service. I have yet to find someone rave about a Gulf Coast tub. It goes to show that you get what you pay for.

That said, I'm glad you are happy with your tub and feel you got a good deal. You're fortunate that you are able to repair things on your own. Others might find that rather frustrating.

That's what I have to say. Many will find soon that I am long winded . It's my downfall.

Anne

[roromissd]

I want to add that we are also being compensated by the dealer for the inconvenience.

Anne

[jjfromtheburgh]

glad you are having a better experience than we are. i am not at all opposed to getting my hands dirty but when you ecnounter problem after problem it gets old real quick. the spa is only 3 months old and we are a first time spa owner. i would expect problems to occur but not after 3 months and not all at once. i am not sure what state you reside but in PA the winters are cold. i don't think the tub has sufficient insulation. also, our electric bills have been rather high ever since we plugged in the tub. it's too hard to determine actual true consumption since the novelty has yet to wear off. we do use it often so i would assume the electric to increase. it didn't help that my local electric supplier just raised their rates the month the tub went into service. one question i do have is how long have you owned your tub? also, i do agree that their 24/7 service is good. some of the techs are much better to deal with but all in all they are good. they send the parts out right away - no complaints there.

[juancho]

we were originally very skeptical of Gulf Coast Spas because they are marketed through Costco. This immediately made us feel like this was a cheaper spa, so we originally passed on them and started looking at more expensive spas. We looked at Cal Spas, DreamMaker Spas, Artesian and Viking. These were all very well known brands and carried by a number of stores in our area.

We didn’t get the opportunity to actually LOOK at a Gulf Coast Spa until we noticed a dealer at our local State Fair. After looking at all the other dealers, we opted to drop in and see what they offered and were SHOCKED at how low the prices were and how WELL BUILT the spas were!!

We knew right away that we weren’t dealing with a cheap spa when we were finally able t compare the Gulf Cast spa hand-in-hand with the competitors, and I hate to say it, but NONE of the other spas offer this much value for the buck.

We opted for the 864 Lei, which was touted as a “limited edition” spa with several extras. The spa is a 6-7 person spa with 64 jets, 2 pumps and a blower connected to 14 Champaign bubblers. This tub also featured LED perimeter lighting and an aroma-therapy port, which was awesome!

So far, it's been flawless - not a single problem, not a single air-lock, not a SINGLE sneeze. It's not the most lavish tub, given, but at the price point there's no other tub out there that compares. The Balboa spa pack is WIDELY used in the industry and parts are easy to find and cheap, technical support was great - I applaud any company that has enough faith in their product to allow a USER to work on it.

If you’re looking for a spa company that will hold your hand, baby you, and come running anytime you have a question, Gulf Coast is not for you. BUT, if you’re interested in saving a TON of money, and don’t mind turning a screwdriver on occasion, you will get a QUALITY spa, at a considerably cheaper price than the competitors! I would recommend Gulf Coast to ANYONE that is even the tiniest bit mechanically inclined. This spa, like any other, will require maintenance and chemicals.

Be prepared to get online and read about water quality and maintenance, as you won’t get much from the manual.

We are very very very happy Gulf Coast Spa owners. I did a LONG and thorough review of the tub, if anyone is interested in it, let me know and I'll post it.

wel i work with gulfcoast spa, i am very happy you like your spa , that make me feel good, because we are working hard to have a good quality of spas.

[MJM]

I certainly wish I would have found this forum prior to purchasing my Gulf Coast Spa. Had I read the reviews on this site I doubt I would have purchased one from this company. Oh well - it's too late now. Anyhow, I purchased the LX 11000 spa at the end of June. I have since had quite a few problems with the tub. The first problem I encountered was with the light. It did not work. After removing the panel and further looking into the problem I realized that the connection was bad. Easy fix but you would have thought that this would have been tested prior to shipping. Second problem was with the topside control panel. It evenutally stopped working. They had to ship me out a new one. Third problem, the spa pack stopped working. The spa pack runs the entire tub. Once again they had to ship me out a new one. And lastly, one of the pumps is leaking. It's not a simple just tighten the connection fix. It was determined that it was faulty and they will be sending me a new one. After 3 months the novelty of my first hot tub has worn off. I do have to say that Gulf Coast does have excellent customer service and if you are a do-it-yourselfer then by all means go ahead and purchase one of their tubs. But for most people the value of their time is far more valuable than having to deal with problem after problem with their newly purchased spa. Anyhow, just wanted to post a message to inform you of the issues I have encountered in the first three months of spa ownership. I hope this will help at least one person in their decision making process. To any other Gulf Coast Spa owners - feel free to post your stories either good or bad.

[KIALDA]

we were originally very skeptical of Gulf Coast Spas because they are marketed through Costco. This immediately made us feel like this was a cheaper spa, so we originally passed on them and started looking at more expensive spas. We looked at Cal Spas, DreamMaker Spas, Artesian and Viking. These were all very well known brands and carried by a number of stores in our area.

We didn’t get the opportunity to actually LOOK at a Gulf Coast Spa until we noticed a dealer at our local State Fair. After looking at all the other dealers, we opted to drop in and see what they offered and were SHOCKED at how low the prices were and how WELL BUILT the spas were!!

We knew right away that we weren’t dealing with a cheap spa when we were finally able t compare the Gulf Cast spa hand-in-hand with the competitors, and I hate to say it, but NONE of the other spas offer this much value for the buck.

We opted for the 864 Lei, which was touted as a “limited edition” spa with several extras. The spa is a 6-7 person spa with 64 jets, 2 pumps and a blower connected to 14 Champaign bubblers. This tub also featured LED perimeter lighting and an aroma-therapy port, which was awesome!

So far, it's been flawless - not a single problem, not a single air-lock, not a SINGLE sneeze. It's not the most lavish tub, given, but at the price point there's no other tub out there that compares. The Balboa spa pack is WIDELY used in the industry and parts are easy to find and cheap, technical support was great - I applaud any company that has enough faith in their product to allow a USER to work on it.

If you’re looking for a spa company that will hold your hand, baby you, and come running anytime you have a question, Gulf Coast is not for you. BUT, if you’re interested in saving a TON of money, and don’t mind turning a screwdriver on occasion, you will get a QUALITY spa, at a considerably cheaper price than the competitors! I would recommend Gulf Coast to ANYONE that is even the tiniest bit mechanically inclined. This spa, like any other, will require maintenance and chemicals.

Be prepared to get online and read about water quality and maintenance, as you won’t get much from the manual.

We are very very very happy Gulf Coast Spa owners. I did a LONG and thorough review of the tub, if anyone is interested in it, let me know and I'll post it.

first it was Gulf coast, then you said Cal Spas, DreamMaker Spas, Artesian and Viking. I honestly have to ask, have you ever taken the time to look at a quality spa and spa company? out of those choices you were correct, it didnt matter which one you bought. You left out softub, LA and Spa in a Box...

[JoeM]

I too own a Gulf Coast spa an am pretty happy with it. I knew going in (from reading on this and other forums) that the quality wasnt spectacular but that was a tradeoff i was willing to accept given the drastic price difference. I also am a DIY'r but I havent had a single problem with the tub in 3 years.

I do agree that the insulation is cheap (VERY CHEAP (non-existant ). I was pretty scared that first month when my electric bill doubled. After that month, I added some fire-retardant insulation to the perimeter and had substantially better months.

Overall, I too am pretty happy with my GCS. Im not looking forward to moving or the day it springs a leak. However, I know what i got myself into so will replace things as necessary. I've read that GCS will help diagnosis problems even if the warrenty period expries. I don't know if thats true yet and hopefully, ill never have to find out

[WS Wizard]

I have had my Gulf Coast XL 8000 for 3 years. Works well, and electric costs were about $100/mo over the worst part of the winter (in VA Eastern Shore).

My gripe is the cost of the disks (at $45 each) in the filter system. What a rip off. They only last about a week - $45 a WEEK! Anybody have a suggestion for alternatives?

[jjfromtheburgh]

For your information, Gulf Coast Spas went out of business as of Mar 20. I guess they have some kind of support/sales line that answers and they said the company is no longer in business and your warranty is void. They can however give you your parts for a fee now.

My electric was also pretty high during the winter months here in PA. I added some insulation but I don't know if it really helped. I hear what you are saying about the filter cartridges. I would also like to find them cheaper somewhere else.

[vshortt]

Well, I still love my GCS tub... I guess I got one of the good ones and can count my lucky stars. We've not had a single problem with it. We maintain it faithfully and always keep the water balanced to prevent undue stress on the internals, maybe that has something to do with it.

I've not had any problems at all, in fact I've even added the IR remote to my tub - since it's a Balboa unit underneath and the topside controls are easily accessible, it was a quick add on.

I'm still a happy camper.

[Veteran USN]

For your information, Gulf Coast Spas went out of business as of Mar 20. I guess they have some kind of support/sales line that answers and they said the company is no longer in business and your warranty is void. They can however give you your parts for a fee now.

My electric was also pretty high during the winter months here in PA. I added some insulation but I don't know if it really helped. I hear what you are saying about the filter cartridges. I would also like to find them cheaper somewhere else.

I called GCS since Jan 09, waiting for my warrentied spa pump, Today I finally got through and found out GCS went out of business and fired 21 employees. SPAMart answered the phone, Guess what GCS warrenties are null and gone. Your spas are no longer under warrenty and you have to pay the prices of bad parts now. My husband is livid. The pump coast 399 with shipping and it will not get here for a week. This company should honor our warranties no matter what.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I called GCS since Jan 09, waiting for my warrentied spa pump, Today I finally got through and found out GCS went out of business and fired 21 employees. SPAMart answered the phone, Guess what GCS warrenties are null and gone. Your spas are no longer under warrenty and you have to pay the prices of bad parts now. My husband is livid. The pump coast 399 with shipping and it will not get here for a week. This company should honor our warranties no matter what.

I'm not sure how confident I'd have been with GCS to follow through on their warranty even when they were in business but now that they're gone it’s a moot point so there is no one to cover the warranty. Their assets are being sold off, good riddance. You have my sympathy on the fact that you’re out in the cold but I wish more people would research ahead of time to know which companies are solid and can be counted on to be there and follow through and which are here today, gone tomorrow.

[micekey]

I have an Englewood 8000 that I purchased in 2005. I now have a problem because multiple jets need replacement. The plastic jet housing that clips and inserts into the spa housing has corroded and become brittle. The clips have broken and the jets no longer stay fixed into the spa housing. I cannot find replacement jets anywhere that have the same plastic housing and new replacements sent from the new company do not work (they pop out immediately because the clips are different). Does anyone know where I can get replacement jets?

[vshortt]

I know this is going to make an old post float to the top, but I had to pop in and give an update.

Still have my GCS Spa, it STILL, even through the heat of the summer, its getting used most nights by either myself and my wife, or my kids. Sometimes several times a day as the kids like to play in the sprinkler, get cold and then go jump in.

Adding a floater with bromine tabs in it was the best investment I could have made! It's keeping the water clear, the bromine levels are almost always right where they need to be and the tub is always ready to go.

I STILL have yet to have a single problem with the tub. I check Ph and bromine every morning, normally not needing to adjust anything. I think keeping water quality up is the key here. We change the water once every 3 months since it gets used so much. Takes a coupe of days to get the Ph to stop swinging, but once thats done, I don't have to add anything to keep it right.

I haven't had a problem with anything mechanical on the tub, no cracks or anything, and I've been contacted by GCS three times to re-assure me that my warranty is still valid and that if I need anything "to feel free to call" - It's very reassuring.

The only gripe I have is that the stitching on the cover is coming loose. We use a cover lift and seam beetween the two halves is starting to show significant wear. I've contact GCS and they've agreed to replace the cover thoough, so no biggie!

Cheers to all.