Replacement Spa Cover Over 96"......and Brick?

[rhino1]

Can anyone give me some good leads on quality, good value replacement spa covers between 96" and 104" in one direction (using two panels, not three), besides RHTubs?

A lot of the recommended places in this forum won't go over 96".

Also, if the cover were to rest on brick, what's the best way to protect the cover? Add something to the cover, or to the brick? Will that affect the seal?

Thanks in advance.

[manwgoldengun]

I was in a similar situation and almost mis-ordered! Factory Direct Spa Covers helped me tremendously. Make sure you order the HEAVY DUTY option. There's no insulation issue if it covers the opening enough. I am extra careful to just open and remove vs. dragging the cover. Hope this helps!

[CO pool guy]

don't buy from thecoverguy unless you want a worthless warranty.

thecoverguy is not all it's cracked up to be. I bought a cover 2 years ago with upgrades etc. Now it has failed. Prestige Spa Covers makes their covers. Using my "comprehensive" 5 year warranty. I have to pay over 60% of a new cover AGAIN, just to get a replacement cover at my door. I also have to pay someone to haul the old one away, another $70 counting the dump fee. The killer is shipping as that is built into the cost of your first order but then you have to pay well over $100 for the replacement to come to your door. Thecoverguy will not stand behind this at all and says "that's what the warranty says". WELL the warranty arrives with your cover, it is not posted on their web site. Pretty bait and switch IMO.

[Apollo217]

Why not just buy from tyour local dealer?

[Shaamus]

What's the spa model you are looking to cover? Inground or one of the larger portables from Artesian or Sundance? Most cover manufacturers should be able to do it, but frankly it comes down to what the water span is as we don't usually like to span more than 100" or so to maintain structural integrity. If you have an inground spa and you're covering a bunch of coping but your water span isn't the full 104" then you should be okay with most manufacturers. You'll get charged a long foam charge but they can get you the cover (assuming you are splitting the 96", that is).

What's the story with the brick? Is it a brick decking or are you resting the cover on a pile of bricks? I'm sorry I'm having trouble picturing what you are saying.

As for the warranty situation illustrated above, the fact that freight isn't included is just how most warranties work, not just for spa covers. It's just expensive to ship spa covers as opposed to your toaster if it breaks. That makes it so much more important to do your homework when selecting a spa cover retailer (online or local store) to make sure that the brand of the cover they are selling fits with your value target for the purchase. As we note on the page that contains the warranty information for the covers we sell, you should consider not making a warranty the primary reason you purchase a spa cover because execution of that warranty costs more than most people realize.

[rhino1]

Thank you for all the replies. They gave me some good ideas, and interesting things to consider.

I didn't see any responses initially, and I've been remiss in checking back. Sorry for the delay.

I was concerned about ordering from a local dealer because I just wasn't sure about the quality I'd be getting.

Spa was a custom job, so there's no model. It's built above ground (8-sided or rectangular with corner cuts, depending on how you look at it), and surrounded by about 17" of brick on each of the sides.

Spa (i.e., water span) itself doesn't exceed 96" on any rectangular side, but when you add just a couple of inches for the brick----since I assume the best approach is for the cover to lay on the brick----we get over 96".

Almost everyone I've talked to, including Spa-Mart, say they can't go over 96" without adding another panel.

[rhino1]

I called Spa-Mart back, only because of the Shaamus post...........for the third time.................to ask yet again whether they could do the cover. After being told twice they couldn't, this time I was told that they could.

But they refuse to honor the promotion they had running last month when I called twice and received bad info. Not a good way to do business.

Incorrection information and then not taking responsibility and doing the right thing.

I think it's these kind of situations that tells you a lot about who you're dealing with. You don't really find out about a company when everything goes smoothly, and you don't find out anything when you only look at their marketing junk. It's when there are problems-------warranty issues, damage in shipping, mistakes-----------and how they respond. Disappointing!!

Seriously, how difficult is it for a business to say, " Gee, sorry for the mistake. Thanks for calling us back to triple-check our original replies. Of course, we'll honor the recent promotion that was running when you called the first two times. It's certainly not your fault that we wouldn't take your order. We want you to become a customer and a satisfied customer at that, and we hope you'll tell other people about your good experience with us."

Well, that didn't and won't happen here. This was just a Bad Spa-Mart experience.

What's the spa model you are looking to cover? Inground or one of the larger portables from Artesian or Sundance? Most cover manufacturers should be able to do it, but frankly it comes down to what the water span is as we don't usually like to span more than 100" or so to maintain structural integrity. If you have an inground spa and you're covering a bunch of coping but your water span isn't the full 104" then you should be okay with most manufacturers. You'll get charged a long foam charge but they can get you the cover (assuming you are splitting the 96", that is).

What's the story with the brick? Is it a brick decking or are you resting the cover on a pile of bricks? I'm sorry I'm having trouble picturing what you are saying.

As for the warranty situation illustrated above, the fact that freight isn't included is just how most warranties work, not just for spa covers. It's just expensive to ship spa covers as opposed to your toaster if it breaks. That makes it so much more important to do your homework when selecting a spa cover retailer (online or local store) to make sure that the brand of the cover they are selling fits with your value target for the purchase. As we note on the page that contains the warranty information for the covers we sell, you should consider not making a warranty the primary reason you purchase a spa cover because execution of that warranty costs more than most people realize.

[Shaamus]

Hi Rhino1,

The promotion code you are inquiring about expired on 8/20/2012. We vary our promotions from time to time and typically do not honor old promo codes unless a customer has placed a preliminary order without measurements or we have formally quoted a particular job. I appreciate the opportunity you extended to us to quote your custom spa cover needs. I apologize we are not able to offer the discount you desire. We feel very confident that our current offers ($10 off any spa cover order AND a free gift choice of a spa cover cap, robe or spa cover protection kit with orders over $400) provide great value for people like yourself who are in the market for a spa cover. Thank you again for your consideration. Have a great day.

[rhino1]

I couldn't even place a preliminary order or receive a formal quote, since I was told in no uncertain terms that Spa-Mart could NOT make the cover i needed.

So Spa-Mart's unwillingness now to honor the promotion after giving me incorrect information speaks tons about their lack of flexibility in dealing with customers and their lack of desire to provide good customer satisfaction.

If Spa-Mart is willing to lose a new customer and turn away business to save maybe $10 or $20, you gotta wonder what would happen if the stakes were higher and after a sale was made---say a $200 warranty claim?

You might expect that from the monolithic Wal-Mart which doesn't claim to provide great individual customer service experiences. But certainly not from a small specialty vendor that's selling $500 custom items, relies on word-of-mouth recommendations, and expressly states that its business is built on "excellent customer service".

This thread did not start as a commentary on Spa-Mart, but rather an effort to obtain some information. Nevertheless, I hope that my experience helps out some prospective spa equipment buyers, just as some of the comments above helped me out.

I also think Shaamus' warranty comments above are quite revealing. Why buy mail order from Spa-Mart or anyone else when, if you have a valid warranty claim, it will likely cost you $100-$200 to process?