Arctic Spa Service

[rabbit_ears]

Anybody have any experience with Arctic Spa service? I realize there will be regional differences as each store is responsible for their own service contracting/training personnel (at least that's what i got from Tom's cryptic e-mail when i asked him).

The reason I ask is that I narrowed my tub search down to Arctic (glacier) and Beachcomber (578). While I was at the Beachcomber dealer today a gentlemen came in and asked if they would service an Arctic tub as his tub was out of warranty and he couldn't get service from the dealer. I briefly talked to him and mentioned that I was looking at the two brands and he assured me i was at the right dealer.

I know there are a lot of pro-Arctic people on the board (including mod(s)) but i was wondering if this was an anomaly or if Arctic service is really non-existent. I have a tub now that i have to do all my own maintenance on, i'm not looking to get into a similar situation.

I have no doubt that Arctic makes a fine product but from the used car salesman approach and the apparent lack of after-sales support is this a smart place to spend my hard earned $$?

I would like to hear any corroborating or contradictory experiences other board members may have experienced; especially those in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario area.

[Pathfinder]

I think you would be very happy with the 578. The glacier has good seating but is not comparable to the 578 as the Glacier is truly a 4 person tub where as a 578 can easily fit 5+ people. But do a wet test.

[Roger]

I think you would be very happy with the 578. The glacier has good seating but is not comparable to the 578 as the Glacier is truly a 4 person tub where as a 578 can easily fit 5+ people. But do a wet test.

I would also put Beachcomber as high on any list as Arctic. And probably a better price.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Anybody have any experience with Arctic Spa service? I realize there will be regional differences as each store is responsible for their own service contracting/training personnel (at least that's what i got from Tom's cryptic e-mail when i asked him).

The reason I ask is that I narrowed my tub search down to Arctic (glacier) and Beachcomber (578). While I was at the Beachcomber dealer today a gentlemen came in and asked if they would service an Arctic tub as his tub was out of warranty and he couldn't get service from the dealer. I briefly talked to him and mentioned that I was looking at the two brands and he assured me i was at the right dealer.

I know there are a lot of pro-Arctic people on the board (including mod(s)) but i was wondering if this was an anomaly or if Arctic service is really non-existent. I have a tub now that i have to do all my own maintenance on, i'm not looking to get into a similar situation.

I have no doubt that Arctic makes a fine product but from the used car salesman approach and the apparent lack of after-sales support is this a smart place to spend my hard earned $$?

I would like to hear any corroborating or contradictory experiences other board members may have experienced; especially those in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario area.

EVERY spa manufacturer has dealers who are great at service, some who are good, some OK and some who are poor. Anyone who has been on these boards any amount of time knows that many of us stress the importance of the dealer in the decision making process and your concerns are exactly why. You are not just deciding between 2 spa brands, you are also deciding between 2 dealers.

Both of the bands you are looking at are good so if the dealers are close to even I’d say just go with your favorite spa. If however, one of the dealers comes across as a "used car salesmen" (as you indicated) and more importantly, you don’t trust the service end being there after the sale I’d be inclined to go with the better dealer. Give it time and think it through.

[Budge]

We recently had warranty work completed on our Arctic Summit, and the service was great! We are in Orangeville (45 minutes from KW) and our service was completed by "Arctic Spas Oakville Group". FYI Arctic Spas Oakville Group has locations in: Barrie, Burlington, Hamilton, Kitchener, Mississauga, Oakville, Whitby, and Vaughan. In fact we have been very satisfied with the Kitchener store on Victoria Road, Jessica at the store has been very informative every time we have had questions or concerns. Certainly no sales pressure!

I recommend both the Kitchener store and the Arctic Spas Oakville Group.

Cheers,

Budge

[waylon33]

Anybody have any experience with Arctic Spa service? I realize there will be regional differences as each store is responsible for their own service contracting/training personnel (at least that's what i got from Tom's cryptic e-mail when i asked him).

The reason I ask is that I narrowed my tub search down to Arctic (glacier) and Beachcomber (578). While I was at the Beachcomber dealer today a gentlemen came in and asked if they would service an Arctic tub as his tub was out of warranty and he couldn't get service from the dealer. I briefly talked to him and mentioned that I was looking at the two brands and he assured me i was at the right dealer.

I know there are a lot of pro-Arctic people on the board (including mod(s)) but i was wondering if this was an anomaly or if Arctic service is really non-existent. I have a tub now that i have to do all my own maintenance on, i'm not looking to get into a similar situation.

I have no doubt that Arctic makes a fine product but from the used car salesman approach and the apparent lack of after-sales support is this a smart place to spend my hard earned $$?

I would like to hear any corroborating or contradictory experiences other board members may have experienced; especially those in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario area.

First I will start off that I am an Arctic Spa Dealer so take my advice as is.I would ask for more references than one customer that walked into the store. There is the possiblity that the "customer" you talked to was fake or planted by the store, highly unlikely but you never know. Do your research, wet test both spas and go with who YOU are most comfortable with. The Arctic store in question is of very high quality and will give good service before and after the sale.

[Roger]

First I will start off that I am an Arctic Spa Dealer so take my advice as is.I would ask for more references than one customer that walked into the store. There is the possiblity that the "customer" you talked to was fake or planted by the store, highly unlikely but you never know.

I'm glad you added highly unlikely, but your right, only thing, sounds like an Arctic move not Beach.

[Trigger]

Artic has a rep for making a quality tub, by far the vast majority of posters on the net seem very happy with thier hot tubs.

Just like new automobiles, the manufactuer backs the warrenty, but it's the independent local dealer that performs the work. A great warrenty is worthless if the local dealer is unresponsive or incompetent.

There have been a few cases posted on the net of independent dealers dropping the ball. Hey, every tub has problems. And some tubs are better than others, and some dealers are better than others.

Artic makes a good tub. But the bottom line is You need to check the dealer out. And remember, any dealer can look like a hero when everything goes right. The true test of a good dealer is how they took care of the problems. Look for problems, and how well the dealer, did or didn't respond.

Good luck.

[waylon33]

First I will start off that I am an Arctic Spa Dealer so take my advice as is.I would ask for more references than one customer that walked into the store. There is the possiblity that the "customer" you talked to was fake or planted by the store, highly unlikely but you never know.

I'm glad you added highly unlikely, but your right, only thing, sounds like an Arctic move not Beach.

In no way am I trying to say that is what Beachcomber does, cause in all reality it isnt. I was just trying to say that you have to take what one customer says with a grain of salt. And your wrong on the Arctic move implication. Thats not how Arctic or its dealers operate.

[SmilinBare]

I have an Arctic tub which I thoroughly enjoy. Easy to maintain and amazingly energy-efficient!

A little more than one month ago, however, the tub had an electric problem. When I called the dealer where I purchased the tub, a recording instructed me to submit an e-mail requesting service. After doing so and receiving no response, I called another store (associated with the first dealer) and was told that their one technician was "at least a week out" with service calls and that he would "call [me] back before that day was out". Never heard back from that dealer.

Because I was given a heads-up back last summer by one of this list's moderators that there were two new Arctic dealers in my *region*, I called one of those dealers. The person I spoke with told me he was reluctant to service my tub because of prior experiences servicing tubs bought from other dealers.

I then decided to take matters into my own hands, pull the tub panels to see if I could fix the problem. The only thing I did was wiggle the multitude of plugs going into the master control box which miraculously solved the problem and, knock on the cedar cabinet, I've not had a problem since.

I called that "new" dealer and asked him to please consider taking me on as a customer and, that if/when I needed him in the future, I would pay him for all parts, labor and shipping costs and (if need be) I would battle it out with the Arctic Company later. He agreed to provide me service when needed.

My suggestion? The best hot tub in the world ain't worth diddly crap if you can't get service when you need it. I travel both for business and pleasure and, while I am capable of fixing all sorts of things, I'd sure like having the option AND security of knowing that if I can't fix it there is a dealer standing by who WILL! In addition to wet-testing, therefore, I recommend that you purchase a tub from a dealer who has a PROVEN track record. Get references!

[spatech (the unreal one)]

First I will start off that I am an Arctic Spa Dealer so take my advice as is.I would ask for more references than one customer that walked into the store. There is the possiblity that the "customer" you talked to was fake or planted by the store, highly unlikely but you never know.

In no way am I trying to say that is what Beachcomber does, cause in all reality it isnt. I was just trying to say that you have to take what one customer says with a grain of salt. And your wrong on the Arctic move implication. Thats not how Arctic or its dealers operate.

The poster was clear on that he was not comfortable with the sales approach and had reservations about service. I'm not sure what was mentioned that could lead to speculation of a fake customer. I think we should assume neither was pulling a fast one because there is no evidence of any such thing though I'm curious why it was mentioned as a "possibility" at Beachcomber but not even possible at Arctic.

[Roger]

The poster was clear on that he was not comfortable with the sales approach and had reservations about service. I'm not sure what was mentioned that could lead to speculation of a fake customer. I think we should assume neither was pulling a fast one because there is no evidence of any such thing though I'm curious why it was mentioned as a "possibility" at Beachcomber but not even possible at Arctic.

Arctic has done some PR to improve there reputation but as I said that type of move is more likely an Arctic move as in the past they were notorious for decietful sales tactic.

[KIALDA]

The poster was clear on that he was not comfortable with the sales approach and had reservations about service. I'm not sure what was mentioned that could lead to speculation of a fake customer. I think we should assume neither was pulling a fast one because there is no evidence of any such thing though I'm curious why it was mentioned as a "possibility" at Beachcomber but not even possible at Arctic.

Arctic has done some PR to improve there reputation but as I said that type of move is more likely an Arctic move as in the past they were notorious for decietful sales tactic.

Roger is being kind,,, and correct..

[Water Boy]

Hello Rabbit ears,

I am not sure why that guy that you talked to cant get service on his spa, but keep in mind this is just one customer of the thousands that the store you mention sells to. If I were you I would go into the Arctic store and tell them that story and see how you feel with their response. I can tell you that the store you are referring to is one of Arctic's top dealers and has won numerous awards throughout the years. I personally know the owner and he is a great guy and I think you would get great service, but make sure you are comfortable with it.

The Glacier is a very comfortable spa. The two therapy seats are very comfortable, and people that wet test the spa loves those seats. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples with the two spas as well. As far as I know the 578 comes with one pump, whereas the Glacier is available in four different options with a one or two pump option, so it comes if four different price ranges with that as well.

Lastly, I have been an Arctic dealer since 02, and I have been through multiple sales training with them. They do not teach nor have they ever preached to be deceitful like some on here have suggested. I am not saying that maybe some local dealers that they have had experience with aren’t selling that way, but it doesn’t come from the top. We also get assistance at road shows with the Arctic salesmen, and I have never been around one that was deceitful in any way. When I am selling an Arctic, I show them all the features on an Arctic, the benefits that the features will give the customer, and them ask them to buy. Nothing deceitful at all.

Good luck in your search for the perfect spa Rabbit.