Cal Spa Crap!?!?!?

[razoo125]

I have had a Cap Spa 5 person hot tub for 5 years now(second owner). The Balboa circuit board has failed and the pump has gone bad. Thanks to your help, I replaced the spa pack and the motor on my own. Cal Spa tech support is not helpful at all, all they tell me is that they reccomend that I get certified repair person and will not asist me with anything technical. Other than the Tech Support, Everything else that Cal Spa has made on this spa works like new. The, insulation, shell, jets, piping, and outside have help up great! No leaks or problems with anything else. Balboa makes the board that went bad and G.E. makes the overpriced 5hp pump that went bad. I replaced the GE pump with a knockoff 4.5 hp that works just as good as the GE that costs 3 times as much. I realize that it was Cal Spa's choice to use these vendors, but a lot of others probably use these also. Why does everyone else beat up on Cal Spa. Why do a lot of people say their product is not as good to others?

[hrustar]

I'm happy with mine. Very happy.

[ChaiSTi]

No personal experience with Cal Spa but I'd imagine dealer support when problem occurs has a lot to do with it. Dealer support will make or break any product.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

No personal experience with Cal Spa but I'd imagine dealer support when problem occurs has a lot to do with it. Dealer support will make or break any product.

In Cals case I think two things really gave them a less than stellar reputation, overall quality and factory support. If you slip on one you better be very good at the other but if you're lacking on both then you get a reputation thats tough to change.

[castletonia]

No personal experience with Cal Spa but I'd imagine dealer support when problem occurs has a lot to do with it. Dealer support will make or break any product.

In Cals case I think two things really gave them a less than stellar reputation, overall quality and factory support. If you slip on one you better be very good at the other but if you're lacking on both then you get a reputation thats tough to change.

With being a former Cal dealer I can say the tubs were ok. The GE motors are probably the worst I have ever seen in terms or reliability and the Cal Covers had issues with cheap vinyl but the rest of the tub was not any better or worse than others we have carried.

[THE SPA GUY]

biggest problem is service from manufacturer to dealer unfortunately..

[JerimiahR]

I have had a Cap Spa 5 person hot tub for 5 years now(second owner). The Balboa circuit board has failed and the pump has gone bad. Thanks to your help, I replaced the spa pack and the motor on my own. Cal Spa tech support is not helpful at all, all they tell me is that they reccomend that I get certified repair person and will not asist me with anything technical. Other than the Tech Support, Everything else that Cal Spa has made on this spa works like new. The, insulation, shell, jets, piping, and outside have help up great! No leaks or problems with anything else. Balboa makes the board that went bad and G.E. makes the overpriced 5hp pump that went bad. I replaced the GE pump with a knockoff 4.5 hp that works just as good as the GE that costs 3 times as much. I realize that it was Cal Spa's choice to use these vendors, but a lot of others probably use these also. Why does everyone else beat up on Cal Spa. Why do a lot of people say their product is not as good to others?

See the above statement for an answer to your question.

If you're finding that the manufacturer isn't helpful, or outright doesn't want to give you support, that goes a long ways toward earning a poor reputation by itself. If they won't help you, they may or may not be any more willing to support their dealers. A manufacturer can't simply make good products, they have to support them well. We'd all be better off with an average manufacturer with fantastic support than we would with a great manufacturer with no support.

Thankfully in my case, there is no Cal Spa dealer locally for me to have to deal with. But quite frankly, I usually hear poor opinions of them when I do engage with folks who've worked with their spas.

[castletonia]

biggest problem is service from manufacturer to dealer unfortunately..

Exactly.

[ExCalSpa]

We quite carrying Cal Spas about two years ago. I wont' pull any punches but I will tell you like it is.

Cal Spa makes as good a tub as anyone else in the industry. There are only a handful of suppliers left making things like acrylic, equipment packs, jets and other hot tub specific parts so many brands are built wit stuff from the same vendors.

The biggest issue with Cal Spa is warranty support. You pay a lot less up front for the same quality tub but you get a lot less on back end support. If you're lucky and never have a problem a Cal Spa is a great tub at a great price. If it breaks you will probably wish you bought something else.

Cal Spas likes to use proprietary parts (like GE motors and PowerRight pumps) that are sometimes backordered for weeks or even months even on brand new tubs with warranties. If they used something standard like WaterWay or Aquaflo pumps supply wouldn't be a problem.

If there's a shortage new parts tend to go towards building new tubs first and fixing warranty tubs last. They're more focused on selling new tubs than supporting tubs already sold. Dealers sometimes have to rob showroom tubs to fix tubs they've already sold and delivered.

Parts that have been ordered and paid for are sometimes sent out C.O.D. or to the wrong address (sometimes even to the wrong state). Finding the right part number for jets or pillows can be a nighmare because they've had so many models and so many vendors.

New pumps are sometimes not packed well and get damaged during UPS shipping. Then you get to file a QA to return the damaged part and wait another month or two for a replacement.

Payment for warranty work takes two months at best and three or four months is pretty common. The Warranty Dept. sometimes demands original sales documentation from a customer before they'll approve a claim.

The only way a dealer can provide good service is to pay for things out of pocket and hope for reimbursement later. Many Cal Spa dealers have quit carrying the brand or gone out of business because they can't afford the warranty process. This leaves people with valid warranties but with nobody to do the work.

It's not that Cal Spas break more than other tubs but fixing them costs a dealer money to stock parts, run service vehicles and pay service techs. Waiting four months to get reimbursed for warranty work you've already done is not an option in this economy.

Even when you do get reimbursed you don't get a check in the mail. You get credits in an account that can only be spent at Cal Spas. It's like working for a coal mine while you rent a company house and can only shop at the company store.

If a dealer pays for parts out of pocket they only get credits back. You spend real money and wait months to only get Cal Spa credits in return. That might work if you're selling a lot of new tubs but in this economy Cal Spa credits may as well be Monopoly money.

You just about have to hire a full time employee whose only job is to track parts orders, back orders and warranty claims with Cal Spas. We figured each hour we spent in the field doing warranty work caused one or two more hours of accounting work just trying to get paid.

They also make OC Hot Tubs sold through Costco and waranty reimbursement isn't any better.

They mostly use independent service companies to work on OC because none of the Cal dealers will work on them if they didn't sell them. Dealers weren't happy to find out the factory was selling tubs at the local Costco barely above wholesale cost.

Most independent service companies only work on a few OC tubs before they quit over the same warranty payment problems. OC does eventually pay with real money instead of credits.

The only thing OC tubs have going for them is the Costco return policy. If you can't get anyone to work on it you can always return it to Costco for a refund.

Word is Cal Spas will start making the Coleman brand later this year. That will be another one to stay away from if you expect warranty support. I don't see how they can take on a whole new line when they can't even support the brand they've been building for over 25 years.

Honestly, they make a good product at a great price. Their tubs are as good or better than any of the big national manufacturers and way better than any of the smaller regional players.

The just really need to work on their backend warranty support problems. If they could fix that we would even consider carrying the brand again.

[Pathfinder]

Wow were you in my head when you wrote this? I experienced everything word for word when I sold Cal. I will say There were minimal issues with the classic series tubs & would still recommend them but everything else not a chance. It was the worst though when you would have to deal with 10 different people on the same issue in a week because they had quit or been replaced.

[hot_water]

I don't have a Calspa nor do I know anyone that does, but I do want to comment on the post by "ExCalSpa". And, I am also wanting to bump this thread so that more people will get a look at ExCalSpa's post.

Your post is an excellent example of what this forum SHOULD be about. You speak in specifics and you lay things out in a way that IMO rings true. You have separated the issues of product quality, proprietary parts, and factory support and commented on each of them, rather than just make a blanket statement and ask that people trust your experience.

I appreciate your comments and I would bet that many people that are considering Calspa either through a dealer or through Costco are going to REALLY appreciate this extremely valuable post. You've told them exactly what to expect. For those that like to roll the dice and feel confident in their ability to repair the thing, they may be encouraged by your comments on the quality of the spa itself. For the very many that value warranty and support, they will certainly be saved a lot of grief by virtue of your taking the time to lay this out in detail. The nature of your post smacks of firsthand experience and personally I find it to be totally believable.

One post such as this is infinitely more valuable than dozens of "don't buy Calspa" types of posts with no valuable informational content.

A forum like this should be a place where people can come and get the truth. It shouldn't be about automatically knocking some products, promoting others or defending positions. Your post is a great example of what it should be. Thank you!

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Wow were you in my head when you wrote this? I experienced everything word for word when I sold Cal. I will say There were minimal issues with the classic series tubs & would still recommend them but everything else not a chance. It was the worst though when you would have to deal with 10 different people on the same issue in a week because they had quit or been replaced.

I worked with many ex-Cal owners and dealt with some dealers I've never been a Cal fan as the responses almost always trend one way but it helps to hear directly from you guys.

[THE SPA GUY]

well put excalspa......

[calsparepair]

As an independent service agent, I have been doing Cal Spa warranty work since 2005. While I cannot rebut any of ExCalSpa's comments, I can say I have found ways to work with the factory.

The new Workbench tool provides a one-stop place to file warranty claims and order parts. I often have all the 'paperwork' done before I leave a customer's driveway.

The factory does seem to be keeping parts inventory to a minimum but so is everyone in the industry from vendors to the distributors I work with daily.

Nobody can afford to have money sitting on the shelf when it could be used more productively elsewhere.

Since I am not a dealer I do not have the overhead of a brick & mortar showroom nor to I have to pay employees. My very low overhead means I can earn a living even though at least 80% of my income is from warranty jobs.

I will not say it is easy and it has taken me years to refine my system so I can track every Cal Spa warranty claim to completion. The Workbench tool has made things much easier and my own system of keeping track of things ensures I am paid.

I have refined my process to the point that none of my customers ever sees or hears about the problems presented by ExCalSpa. I also manage to do this without spending my own money or risking that I will be stuck paying for a denied claim.

In fact, I am so confident in the warranty process I will make this offer:

If you own a Cal Spa and are having trouble, getting someone to work on it, I will order warranty parts and process your warranty claim through my own account.

There will be a "trip" or "diagnostics" fee for each repair and you might have to find someone locally to do the actual labor but I will take care of warranty parts and the warranty claim and all contact with the Cal Spa factory.

You might have to provide original sales documentation to prove you are the original owner if your tub has not been registered previously with the warranty department.

This offer also extends to anyone who wants to work on a Cal Spa under warranty but does not want to sign up as a service agent. You turn the wrenches. I will take care of the rest.

I will update my profile with contact information so you can reach me.