Jump to content

Cal Spas. Is This A Good Deal? A Good Spa?


Kiz

Recommended Posts

I am looking at this hot tub. My dealer has one in stock (a left over 2008) that he will sell for $4900. This price includes steps, cover and cover lift, and delivery and set up at my home. It has a waterfall and LED lights inside and around the edge of the tub, which are features my wife appreciates. This will be replacing a spa I have had for ten years, that I bought from the same dealer.

My questions: Is this a good spa? What can you tell me about the CalSpas brand? (my currect spa is an LA Spas) Is this a good price? Any information is appreciated.

Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its a good price for that tub inwhich it is priced for what its actually worth. It is a starter level tub which will probably perform well. What you should look at is how well did your current dealer treat you over the last ten years with your last tub??? If service was great, then there's no question that you should be buying that tub from him as you know he will be there for you. If service was not the greatest then shop around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its a good price for that tub inwhich it is priced for what its actually worth. It is a starter level tub which will probably perform well. What you should look at is how well did your current dealer treat you over the last ten years with your last tub??? If service was great, then there's no question that you should be buying that tub from him as you know he will be there for you. If service was not the greatest then shop around.

I agree.

While Cal and LA may not be on the very top of my list the fact that you've got a relationship with the dealer gives you great information as most people buy spas from dealers and have to use that short shopping time to get a feel for what they think of the dealer. If the dealer has been very good over the past years for you and can be expected to be so in years to come then that sounds like a decent deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had my calspa for about 6.5 months,, I really like it.. I've had much better results than my neighbors who bought mail order.. I have found that the skirt isnt the best,, but its easy to fix and/or is covered by the warranty. And the cover I got with mine is very good.. will support a child who climbed on when her parents werent paying attention.. And my electric bill change almost nothing.. even with this overly cold fall we have had in the NE..

If you have a good dealer,, its a good price I'd say go for it..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had my calspa for about 6.5 months,, I really like it.. I've had much better results than my neighbors who bought mail order.. I have found that the skirt isnt the best,, but its easy to fix and/or is covered by the warranty. And the cover I got with mine is very good.. will support a child who climbed on when her parents werent paying attention.. And my electric bill change almost nothing.. even with this overly cold fall we have had in the NE..

If you have a good dealer,, its a good price I'd say go for it..

I bought a Sundance Spa four months ago and I am very pleased with it! I replaced a D1 spa that I had for 22 years! It was an excellent spa but, the cheapest one I could find at the time was about 9K. I only paid $6,500 for the Sundance which included spa, cover, lifter, delivery and removal of old spa (and gazebo) and chemical start up kit. Since it is fully insulated, my electric bills have not changed from the D1o.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The cover came with the spa when they bought it. I hate the companies that sell me a cover. Cal Spas is a nightmare company to do warranty work for. I no longer do. If your dealer is new to Cal Spa then be worried since most will drop them once they wake up and the honeymoon period is over. If your dealer has been with Cal Spa for a few years then they already know what to expect when dealing with them. Cal Spa will always say at first it is not covered under warranty. Once it is running correcty it can be a good spa, although very expensive to fix. Good luck and they paid about 3200 for that spa.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Doc, any tips or things I should keep an eye out for with a Master Spa/Down East - Windsor STS tub? TIA.

The cover came with the spa when they bought it. I hate the companies that sell me a cover. Cal Spas is a nightmare company to do warranty work for. I no longer do. If your dealer is new to Cal Spa then be worried since most will drop them once they wake up and the honeymoon period is over. If your dealer has been with Cal Spa for a few years then they already know what to expect when dealing with them. Cal Spa will always say at first it is not covered under warranty. Once it is running correcty it can be a good spa, although very expensive to fix. Good luck and they paid about 3200 for that spa.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doctor Hot Tub, thanks for your response. I ended up buying the Cal Spa, but the larger model shown here than I mentioned above. My dealer has been in business for several years. I purchased a spa from him nine years ago. That was an LA Spa that worked great until the last year.

What is it about the CalSpas that is a problem? The pumps, plumbing? What should I be watching for? It is being delivered tomorrow (Friday) and the owner does deliveries himself. I plan to let the owner know that I am informed. If there are problems, I will be calling him and expecting good service.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doctor Hot Tub, thanks for your response. I ended up buying the Cal Spa, but the larger model shown here than I mentioned above. My dealer has been in business for several years. I purchased a spa from him nine years ago. That was an LA Spa that worked great until the last year.

What is it about the Cal Spas that is a problem? The pumps, plumbing? What should I be watching for? It is being delivered tomorrow (Friday) and the owner does deliveries himself. I plan to let the owner know that I am informed. If there are problems, I will be calling him and expecting good service.

Problems arise if your dealer doesn't stock a lot of parts. A few years ago(5), we had a Cal Spa customer that needed a pump. We ordered the pump and were sent the wrong one. From CA to NC, the whole process took 13 days! Now we sent that one back. Took a photo of his and re-ordered the correct pump again. They would not admit to a mistake and sent...guess what...the wrong pump...At this point we kept the 2nd pump since CAL SPAS charged us a restocking fee for the 1st pump! WOW! Now, many calls to Cali and faxes and we are then told they are waiting for the pumps to come for the manufacture. 6 months went by from the time this poor customer that lived 1 hour twenty minutes from us ended up with the correct pump (under warranty). Now it gets interesting...They denied his warranty claim after getting his pump back...we had to send it to them to make sure they got the right pump. The pump was a year old and its windings were a mess. Their reason was the seal was leaking and that is not covered of course. The small leak didn't cause the winding's to melt. The seal's leak was a drip about 1 a minute. We ended up with a total of 4 pumps. I still have 1 of those today. (now the customer was so upset he made a video, he took his basically new tub up in the air with a huge track hoe, went across some of his tomato fields where he dropped the tub about 90 feet off the side of a mtn. Next he doused it in diesel and lit it up. He then sent the video to Cal Spas. He then went and bough a Hot springs Grandee) what we found out is that Cal Spas just doesn't support its warranty centers and small dealers. I continually watch CAL SPA dealerships get started here in NC but when I go look to see if they are there the next year they are always gone.

Over the last year I have run into a lot of bad boards from them in the Victory line. When everything is running, they can be a decent tub. Keep an eye on your pumps seals and watch for leaks. I had some problems with "bad glue" on joints from them also last year. Your dealer will make or break your opinion of that tub.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doctor Hot Tub, thanks for your response. I ended up buying the Cal Spa, but the larger model shown here than I mentioned above. My dealer has been in business for several years. I purchased a spa from him nine years ago. That was an LA Spa that worked great until the last year.

What is it about the Cal Spas that is a problem? The pumps, plumbing? What should I be watching for? It is being delivered tomorrow (Friday) and the owner does deliveries himself. I plan to let the owner know that I am informed. If there are problems, I will be calling him and expecting good service.

Problems arise if your dealer doesn't stock a lot of parts. A few years ago(5), we had a Cal Spa customer that needed a pump. We ordered the pump and were sent the wrong one. From CA to NC, the whole process took 13 days! Now we sent that one back. Took a photo of his and re-ordered the correct pump again. They would not admit to a mistake and sent...guess what...the wrong pump...At this point we kept the 2nd pump since CAL SPAS charged us a restocking fee for the 1st pump! WOW! Now, many calls to Cali and faxes and we are then told they are waiting for the pumps to come for the manufacture. 6 months went by from the time this poor customer that lived 1 hour twenty minutes from us ended up with the correct pump (under warranty). Now it gets interesting...They denied his warranty claim after getting his pump back...we had to send it to them to make sure they got the right pump. The pump was a year old and its windings were a mess. Their reason was the seal was leaking and that is not covered of course. The small leak didn't cause the winding's to melt. The seal's leak was a drip about 1 a minute. We ended up with a total of 4 pumps. I still have 1 of those today. (now the customer was so upset he made a video, he took his basically new tub up in the air with a huge track hoe, went across some of his tomato fields where he dropped the tub about 90 feet off the side of a mtn. Next he doused it in diesel and lit it up. He then sent the video to Cal Spas. He then went and bough a Hot springs Grandee) what we found out is that Cal Spas just doesn't support its warranty centers and small dealers. I continually watch CAL SPA dealerships get started here in NC but when I go look to see if they are there the next year they are always gone.

Over the last year I have run into a lot of bad boards from them in the Victory line. When everything is running, they can be a decent tub. Keep an eye on your pumps seals and watch for leaks. I had some problems with "bad glue" on joints from them also last year. Your dealer will make or break your opinion of that tub.

Hi Doc, you are honestly being way to kind...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Doc, you are honestly being way to kind...

Laughing... I know ... At this moment I need to be since we are initiating some litigation against them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...