sonomablue Posted November 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Thanks to all, for the many helpful responses. One or two mentioned the Caldera spas. I called a local dealer who volunteered that Caldera has the same parent company as HotSpring spas. Anyone have any thoughts or experience with Caldera? Niagra and Hawaiian, maybe others. I still like the Sundance models, but do now wish to lock myself into anything yet, till i wet test my favorites. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spa User Guy Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Lets just say I am in the know and have connections . Translation= I work for Costco, hence my extremely slanted point of view regarding their spas. Boy, I have to admit I could see that coming based on your numerous posts which deliver the same message over and over. Let's keep it real okay?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintnsunni Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Translation= I work for Costco, hence my extremely slanted point of view regarding their spas. Boy, I have to admit I could see that coming based on your numerous posts which deliver the same message over and over. Let's keep it real okay?? Rather then worry who I work for let's do"keep it real" ! I only stated facts not emotional feelings reguarding a spa. The Spas are considerably less expensive then dealerships and that includes name brand ie... Cal spa, Hydrospa, Key's backyard and others. I can see where as a dealer would feel very threatened with this competition as they simply can't or should I say more like Won't compete. The local Cal Spa dealer hates Costco. His prices are $1500.00 to $2000.00 more model for model and custom order. Hot springs dealer again $2000 more for a classic model tub. Same goes with the Discivery line. No dealer can match it. Does that Make me slanted in my veiw or a educated consumer that doesen't want to part with 20 to 40 one hundred dollar bills for the same spa, thus "keeping it real" Or is Costco a bad store because they use a 15 % mark up on spas thus actually allowing the consumer to quickly identify the real dealer mark up and commision? Is it slanted to say that one store sold more spas the any single spa dealer reguardless of brand while they had the spas in stock? I also find it very interesting that no salesperson was needed to upsell or explain to the consumer what he was getting. We as consumers know it's just a box of water with jets and a heater thats it, not the holly grail or a collectors item but just a hot tob/spa....That's Real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Thompson Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Goodness me, it gets heated on here very quickly! I personally decided that I wanted the support of a very local expert spa dealer; given my complete novice status in respect of both owning and operating a spa I would not feel confident with a supermarket supplied item regardless of the cost saving, especially hearing of some of the water chemistry nightmares that some people have. This was my personal decision and the most local dealer to me happened to sell Sundance. The Maxxus did everything we wanted from a Spa so we went for it and we think it is superb. I am confident that if that local dealer had sold Hotspring, Arctic, Jacuzzi or any other good brand that we would have probably gone for that and been very happy also. My advice, as a novice, is not to underestimate how much you will need your dealer. When the truck came the they had EIGHT men drafted in to help carefully move the unit from the drive to its resting place in the back garden.... even actually installing and commissioning took the 2 remaining guys most of the day - then they went through everything carefully with me. I am also allowed to call the dealer principle whenever I like because I have his mobile number as well as the showroom number. When there was a glitch with the remote control on day 2 one phone call at 10am resulted in a brand new remote sat on my porch step by the time I got home from work.... ...all this is called SERVICE and in my opinion you do have to pay for it. If you are experienced enough to be able to do everything yourself then I think that's just great but not everyone is! That's just my experience - I hope it helps to offer the flip side of the "spend as little as you can because you only end up with the same product" argument! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintnsunni Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 When there was a glitch with the remote control on day 2 one phone call at 10am resulted in a brand new remote sat on my porch step by the time I got home from work.... Should I tell her to return the spa because it broke already??? or say good luck on your purchase, you're going to need it???? But since this is a "reputable" spa the this goes unacknowleged by you Costco bashers. As for water issues, all of us go through that. It's not brand specific. It's unfortunate that people here scared you enough in needing a local dealer that you handed over at least forty one hundred dollar bills more then needed. By the way, I also have a direct line for help and expert service. Difference is, my spa has no issues and you paid dearly for service to the tune of at least four grand..... Yor dealer should have taken you out to dinner when your spa failed for the price you paid rather the dump a part off on your doorstep and run. Hope the part works seeing he didn't stay around to test it. Just because you pay a lot for something doesn't mean you necessarily get more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesj53 Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 First of all Julian, welcome to the forum. Are you serious when you say it took 8 guys to move in your spa? I know the Maxxus is a biggie, but that seems like a "union" job where 4 are working and 4 are "supervising"! And then 2 guys to finish off taking the rest of the day? That dealer better have made a good markup when you figure how much it cost him to get your spa out to you! Secondly, to paint, I hope you're not including me as a Costco basher. I'm not, but I do question the reliability and integrity of the units they sell. Let me ask you and all other Costco/HydroSpa purchasers - would you have bought your unit either from an internet company or a local dealer knowing you would not have the same return policy as you received from Costco? I am very curious as to your answer as well as other Costco customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Thompson Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Hi there Wes, and thanks for such a kind welcome! There was an excellent Spa forum in the UK here called WhatSpa.com but the usual interbrand cat fighting resulted in the usual threatened court cases so it was taken off line! Hence I've turned up here to keep an eye on the water chemistry bit to learn!!! About the delivery - I must detail to add that we have a long and awkward drive and entrance to the rear garden, so the dealer had six lads and the truck driver manhandle the unit up the access using a series of boards and a bogie. It was certainly overkill but it didn't fall off, the garden didn't get trashed and the big help was only there for about a hour while the initial positioning etc was done. After that the remaining 2 guys did all the electrical stuff, chemicals, water fill and then had to fit the stereo stuff, the ozone machine etc... - and the big cover took two of them probably about an hour and a half to do. After that they polished the whole thing carefully and handed it over to us with another hour of tuition about chemicals and usage and a comprehensive information pack etc.. It was all rather good - except for when later I decided to jump ibefore it had heated up properly to test it "because 30 degrees is bound to be hot enough"..... Brrrrrrrrr. Interesting response, "paintnsunni", if a little terse for my comfort, I must say. The remote control I had was a simple faulty. Certainly, asking for the spa to be returned because the credit card remote had failed would seem to me to be rather an overreaction. No manufacturer can avoid faulty product at some point. It is, in my opinion, more difficult to provide a quality backup and warranty service than it is to smile and take the money in the first instance. If you feel that the service I received there was not good enough then, as a retailler myself, I have to sigh because "same day" anything is a truly difficult thing to achieve - the replacement remote was brand new and boxed and I don't see that any more could be done to appease me. I would like to clarify my comments about chemistry, though, because I think perhaps you have the wrong end of the stick there. I am not implying that the supermarket supplied items are any different than the dealer supplied ones; just that as a novice I need a consistent and available contact to discuss any issues that might arise - water chemistry nightmares are a fact of every spa forum and I wanted to be able to do everything I could to make sure I had someone knowledgable both on the phone and locally in circulation. Finally, as to costs, since I am in the UK I will have handed over many more dollars than you could possibly comprehend to own the Maxxus in UK specification; hot tubs over here are very expensive indeed. Ultimately though I do not wish I had bought another product and I am happy with my purchase. I hope the dealer did go out for a nice dinner because I am sure he made a profitable sale. This is necessary for him to earn a good living and stay in business doing what he does. Selling the product too cheap and going out of business will not provide me with good service...... I hope that clarifies what I was trying to say to add balance to the argument - we are, after all, trying to provide a variety of views for the member asking the original question. Cheers, Julian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintnsunni Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 What? why do you assume that you'd be alone buy not going through your town dealer and why is it ok for him to charge double to make a living? I guess I think differently is all and don't like the assumtion that a fair deal is risky or less qualty. I sometimes get the feeling that pepple assume I am getting a bad quality spa or substandard service once they hear I paid half what they paid for a comparable spa. I get attacked for not getting ripped off and I have to justify how good my deal was? How about those of you that paid double what myself and others paid justify the extra 4k to 5k more you paid and what facts are there to justify such a huge differance. explain what services that we aren't getting by getting a "supermarket" spa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmendoza17 Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Costco is $4999.00 for the Platinum III No returns in the whole Seattle area with a few hundred sold speak volumes considering Costco's liberal retun policy!!!! Lots of satisfied people apparently. I am still looking at the system to see if Mr. Mendoza returns his spa "I have decided to return the Platinum Elite to COSTCO and am researching another spa I have my eye on the Hot Spring model they sell and welcome insights and recommendations from readers, particularly as they apply to the COSTCO Hot Spring model. No stereo is a bummer and 110v seelightweight."ms I am starting to think he is a fraud? I am tired of people simply bashing a tub only due to its low price and not the true facts. I'm baaaaack. Nice comments dude. I'll return the crappy spa because my Hydrospa was a horribly negative experience and that is a fact. I am an amateur consumer with no agenda and came to this site looking for info and feedback from others. What I have frequently found is people such as Paintsunni who claim to be amateurs --you said you were in the construction business in one of your early posts-- and then make a lot of authoritative-sounding statements on this board. You keep attacking my credibility and the veracity of my personal experience while you send me personal messages apologizing for offending me. That makes not very credible. I believe the proper term is two-faced, or something equally repugnant. My conclusion about you is that you are either a shill for the spa companies working to try to discredit the legitimate complaints of ordinary consumers, or a blowhard know-it-all who gets off on seeing their own name in print. You seem to have many opinions on many subjects and yet have offered no legitimate credentials in the spa industry, or any other industry. Others on this board have also smelled a Hydrospa rep attitude in your posts. Either way, you don't have any credibility with me and the story about my bad experience with the Hydrospa Platininum Elite is very real. My original reason for posting it --as I have said all along-- is to help others avoid the same bad experience with a bad product and a horribly unresponsive manufacturer. In any case, I am certainly not bashing the product on price. I think the Hydrospa sucks at any price. I had a complicated, bad experience and would highly recommend avoiding that product. Too bad if you don't like my opinion. If you do happen to be an industry shill, you just give me fodder to keep on bashing Hydrospa and their lousy product. I'll be sure to post a photo when I get around to the hassle of having the Hydrospa piece of junk craned out of my yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmendoza17 Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Will the real Paintsunni please stand up? Since this person continues to attack my credibility for no reason other than to defend a product, I am posting this information. Here are a couple posts about this "poster". paintnsunni, you have gone above and beyond someone trying to justify their purchase and are beginning to appear to be a representative of Hydro Spas. Answering posts that are MONTHS old, and speaking with such authority for a new spa owner with little experience is typically a clear give-away. In my feild of construction on commercial projects. I have a great deal of construction background with methods, circ. pumps and materials used in the trade in general but, never have nor will I claim to be a Spa expert.I am not. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesj53 Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 About the delivery - I must detail to add that we have a long and awkward drive and entrance to the rear garden, so the dealer had six lads and the truck driver manhandle the unit up the access using a series of boards and a bogie. It was certainly overkill but it didn't fall off, the garden didn't get trashed and the big help was only there for about a hour while the initial positioning etc was done. After that the remaining 2 guys did all the electrical stuff, chemicals, water fill and then had to fit the stereo stuff, the ozone machine etc... - and the big cover took two of them probably about an hour and a half to do. After that they polished the whole thing carefully and handed it over to us with another hour of tuition about chemicals and usage and a comprehensive information pack etc.. Now that explains why they were out so long. Thanks. Here in the states, the dealer usually doesn't supply labor for electrical hookups; they require the homeowner to find his own electrician. As I was reading your post, I imagined doing it with a fine English accent (since we Americans have none, you will know!). Thank God for the English, the Aussies, and the Canadians for I believe that we will constitute the last strong alliance of people that will be left fighting what I think will be the continuing terrorism of the radical Islamists. I don't want to turn this thread into a political debate, but on behalf of all Americans, thank you to you and your people for standing beside the US in the fighting in Iraq. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flibotte Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 paint A little over the top don't you think? As someone who owns a similar spa to the one you have (or work for) I think there is a place for them and they are a good value but they are not for everyone. To say that they are just as good is just not correct. They are clearly not as well built as the high end spas, the insulation is lacking, and the level of service isn’t as good as having a local dealer. Calling a call center and calling the store down the street is not the same. I think your posts are way off base. It’s one thing to defend your spa but to criticize someone because they didn’t get the spa you like crosses the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintnsunni Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 paint A little over the top don't you think? As someone who owns a similar spa to the one you have (or work for) I think there is a place for them and they are a good value but they are not for everyone. To say that they are just as good is just not correct. They are clearly not as well built as the high end spas, the insulation is lacking, and the level of service isn’t as good as having a local dealer. Calling a call center and calling the store down the street is not the same. I think your posts are way off base. It’s one thing to defend your spa but to criticize someone because they didn’t get the spa you like crosses the line. Show me? Where and how is it a lesser spa other then price ? Thats all I ask. Nice comments dude. I'll return the crappy spa because my Hydrospa was a horribly negative experience and that is a fact. I am an amateur consumer with no agenda and came to this site looking for info and feedback from others. Return it the then!!!!!!! Or is that something that needs explaining from a local dealer, still haven't seen you on the system as a return...Tick....Tick.....Tick...... none have been returned yet!!!! Or is the camera you got from Costco as well so you dont know how to work it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmendoza17 Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Show me? Where and how is it a lesser spa other then price ? Thats all I ask. Nice comments dude. I'll return the crappy spa because my Hydrospa was a horribly negative experience and that is a fact. I am an amateur consumer with no agenda and came to this site looking for info and feedback from others. Return it the then!!!!!!! Or is that something that needs explaining from a local dealer, still haven't seen you on the system as a return...Tick....Tick.....Tick...... none have been returned yet!!!! Or is the camera you got from Costco as well so you dont know how to work it? Paint shows his true colors. You revert to personal attacks when anyone challenges your qualifications to make value judgements about spas. If you do work for Hydrospa, then attacking their customer base is no way to win. As for my spa, I will return it when I am ready. That is my right as a consumer and unfortunately my burden for getting stuck with a turkey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flibotte Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Paint, Well, we could talk about my 2 friends with the costco hydrospa tubs electic bills that were both $80-$100 a month extra from the previous year. Would you say that is a pretty good place to start Paint? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintnsunni Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Paint, Well, we could talk about my 2 friends with the costco hydrospa tubs electic bills that were both $80-$100 a month extra from the previous year. Would you say that is a pretty good place to start Paint? last I looked at my bill the killowatt was7.9 cents per killowatt. so her figue is off by 4 dollars makeing it more like 16 to 25 dollars a month which happens to be what the Costco Platinum elite spa uses per month with the same reflective thermal barrier insulation used. thats also ambient temp in summer not winter by the way.. I know this as I live near there factory. so thats about 200 to 325 KWH my guess and thats more inline with what it should be so she isn't far off. same as Clearwater! try again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flibotte Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 so your figure of 16-25 dollars a month is for summer? Is that correct? My figures were for the winter months in New England. To me 80-100 a month is excessive and indicitive of poor insulation. You can say next all you want but there have been many posts on here with people about very high electric bills. To me that equals poor insulation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintnsunni Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 so your figure of 16-25 dollars a month is for summer? Is that correct? My figures were for the winter months in New England. To me 80-100 a month is excessive and indicitive of poor insulation. You can say next all you want but there have been many posts on here with people about very high electric bills. To me that equals poor insulation. wrongo!!!!!! Puget sound Energy dissagrees in their energy audit $44.00 being the highest and $14 being the lowest! Hey, they might be in with Hydrospa!!!!! thus they lie??? Wrongo again!!!!! Clearwatter spa states their spas efficiency as being average $22.00 a month!!!!! lest you think they lie????? Same exact thermo foil insulation sytem heaters and pumps! Wrongo again as hydrospa says @ $1.00 a day to operate unless you think there makeing it up!!!! Get a grip! dont tell untruths about a spa just because you feel its not worthy and cost less the what you paid. Lets see some facts!!!!! There is something wrong with your tub or you leave the cover off alot do to extreme use. I'd definately get it serviced if thats not the case Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flibotte Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 LOL you are such a tool. At least you take it to the extreme so much everyone who reads your posts can see right thru you. Say hi to the guys at Hydro for me when you go to work next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintnsunni Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 LOL you are such a tool. At least you take it to the extreme so much everyone who reads your posts can see right thru you. Say hi to the guys at Hydro for me when you go to work next. Facts please? insults dont dissprove what I say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flibotte Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 I'm just calling it like I see it. Writing everything in red doesn't make what you say true, maybe if you used bold caps too..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintnsunni Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 your done ! no facts, step aside...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesj53 Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Geez guys calm down. One of you is going to blow a gasket! Now Paint, you never answered my question a few posts back and that is, "would you buy a HydroSpa unit from an internet source or a local independent dealer (if you can find one) without the protection of Costco's incredible return policy"? Please answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintnsunni Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Geez guys calm down. One of you is going to blow a gasket! Now Paint, you never answered my question a few posts back and that is, "would you buy a HydroSpa unit from an internet source or a local independent dealer (if you can find one) without the protection of Costco's incredible return policy"? Please answer. Yes!!!I almost got the omni till I saw the costco spa so yes I would have. I also got my puter offline no issues. my telivision through Costco, superb product... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 People ! The subject is FILTRATION! /sorry. I couldn't resist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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