Costco Platinum Elite Spa

[jmendoza17]

We just bought a PlatinumII Elite Spa from Costo. It seemed like a bargain and after good research, the pluses seemed to outweigh the minuses. We had a crane service hoist it into our backyard as it was the only way to get it in. A licensed electrician from a Pool service company wired it up. I read the manual thoroughly and set it up.

I have spent more time trying to figure out how to troubleshoot than I have sepnt in the tub. The pumps go into air-lock without rhyme or reason and very little seems to change that. Calling Hydrospa is worse than calling Dell Computers. They rarely answer the phone and even when they do, the advice is vague. The tell me to loosen the connections and bleed the air from the system. I hate to bitch too much, but taking apart the thing is a pain in the rear. I did not pay $4000 to be a mechanic five times a week.

If it was a TV, I would pick it up and bring it back. If it was a lemon auto, I'd have it towed, but its a 1000 lb box that has to be moved by crane.

I think I must be doing something wrong because I can't imagine that Hydrospa has been in buysiness 10 years making lemons. My next step is to call Costco, but I'm hoping to avoid a return and find someone who knows what the heck is wrong with this picture.

Thanks.

[Tyler]

I've heard good and bad comments about the Elite spa. The biggest complaint is that it can be costly to operate in the winter months since there is almost no insulation within the cabinet. Maybe you can add insualtion if you decide to keep it.

Worst case, you can always at least get your money back from Costco. I think you would be out of luck purchasing from Home Depot or Sams Club. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

[jmendoza17]

I've heard good and bad comments about the Elite spa. The biggest complaint is that it can be costly to operate in the winter months since there is almost no insulation within the cabinet. Maybe you can add insualtion if you decide to keep it.

Worst case, you can always at least get your money back from Costco. I think you would be out of luck purchasing from Home Depot or Sams Club. If you must buy from Costco, did you look at the Hotspring Highlife spa? I don't think you would have the same problems with that spa. In a years time you would probably make up the difference in cost from electricity savings. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

Thanks. i put in call to Costco and, as usual, they are great. Apparently they have dedicated people at Hydrospa to deal with problems, so I'll see how it turns out. You are tight about one thing though, if worse. comes to worse, I can always get 100% refund.

[Tyler]

Yes, don't you love Costco. Can I ask how much you paid for the spa and delivery?

[jmendoza17]

Yes, don't you love Costco. Can I ask how much you paid for the spa and delivery?

The spa was priced at $4000 and the delivery was $600. we had to find a delivery service because Costco does not offer it. Dealer will not tell you who to use. Guess I can't blame them. If they were smart, they would set it up for a fee.

[fisrt timer]

At 4600 dollars for the costco tub I would have spent an extra 1000-2000 dollars and gone to an actuall hot tub dealer where they include things like delivery, set up and do the warranty work. A hot tub is suppose to relieve headaches, not create them. If you can return it, do so as soon as possibe, then go and test some real hot tubs. I wouldnt even deal with costco. No wet test, no free delivery, no set up. what a rip. I like costco for certian things but a hot tub is not one of them. Run, run as fast as you can!!!!!!!!!!!! Get your money back before Costco changes their policy. You will deal with Hydro Spas for as long as you own the tub. Neighbors of mine returned their tub from costco for similar reasons. You will spend soooo much trying to keep that warm. The savings will pay for a better tub, it will be more reliable, most likely more comfortable and you will get the peace of mind in knowing the dealer down the street will take care of you.

[Tyler]

At 4600 dollars for the costco tub I would have spent an extra 1000-2000 dollars and gone to an actuall hot tub dealer where they include things like delivery, set up and do the warranty work. A hot tub is suppose to relieve headaches, not create them. If you can return it, do so as soon as possibe, then go and test some real hot tubs. I wouldnt even deal with costco. No wet test, no free delivery, no set up. what a rip. I like costco for certian things but a hot tub is not one of them. Run, run as fast as you can!!!!!!!!!!!! Get your money back before Costco changes their policy. You will deal with Hydro Spas for as long as you own the tub. Neighbors of mine returned their tub from costco for similar reasons. You will spend soooo much trying to keep that warm. The savings will pay for a better tub, it will be more reliable, most likely more comfortable and you will get the peace of mind in knowing the dealer down the street will take care of you.

Yes, I hate to say it but Firt Timer has a very good point here. If it were me I would also return the spa because you can get all your money back--less deliver charges. I would also prefer going with a dealer backed spa for the service. If you must buy from Costco, I would check this spa out. It's not too much more than what you can return yours for. Good luck. I hope everything works out for you.

Costco Spa

[Jack L]

At 4600 dollars for the costco tub I would have spent an extra 1000-2000 dollars and gone to an actuall hot tub dealer where they include things like delivery, set up and do the warranty work. A hot tub is suppose to relieve headaches, not create them. If you can return it, do so as soon as possibe, then go and test some real hot tubs. I wouldnt even deal with costco. No wet test, no free delivery, no set up. what a rip. I like costco for certian things but a hot tub is not one of them. Run, run as fast as you can!!!!!!!!!!!! Get your money back before Costco changes their policy. You will deal with Hydro Spas for as long as you own the tub. Neighbors of mine returned their tub from costco for similar reasons. You will spend soooo much trying to keep that warm. The savings will pay for a better tub, it will be more reliable, most likely more comfortable and you will get the peace of mind in knowing the dealer down the street will take care of you.

Not likely you will find a tub similar to the Costco for $5k-$6k. Everything I was looking at was in the $7k-$10k range and the only thing you will find in the lower range are the very small tubs...... There is nothing wrong with the Costco tubs as mentioned numerous times on previous threads. jmendoza17, I hope you get your issues worked out but it does seem that your problem is not the norm. There are far more happy Costco owners then dis-satisfied ones.

[estctodd]

We just bought a PlatinumII Elite Spa from Costo. It seemed like a bargain and after good research, the pluses seemed to outweigh the minuses. We had a crane service hoist it into our backyard as it was the only way to get it in. A licensed electrician from a Pool service company wired it up. I read the manual thoroughly and set it up.

I have spent more time trying to figure out how to troubleshoot than I have sepnt in the tub. The pumps go into air-lock without rhyme or reason and very little seems to change that. Calling Hydrospa is worse than calling Dell Computers. They rarely answer the phone and even when they do, the advice is vague. The tell me to loosen the connections and bleed the air from the system. I hate to bitch too much, but taking apart the thing is a pain in the rear. I did not pay $4000 to be a mechanic five times a week.

If it was a TV, I would pick it up and bring it back. If it was a lemon auto, I'd have it towed, but its a 1000 lb box that has to be moved by crane.

I think I must be doing something wrong because I can't imagine that Hydrospa has been in buysiness 10 years making lemons. My next step is to call Costco, but I'm hoping to avoid a return and find someone who knows what the heck is wrong with this picture.

Thanks.

[estctodd]

HI, we also purchased this spa. We did a lot of research before buying and found this to be the best deal for our money. We spoke to Costco about our concern reguarding future problems and warrenties. They told us that if for any reason we are unhappy or have any problems they will protect us as their members and that we should have no worries in purchasing any of their products. We loved it untill we started having the same problems. The pumps would come on intermittenly and wouldn't stop untill we disconnected it at the power source. Now the "ice" feature is on and won't turn off causeing the temp to go over 110. We emailed the service department thru the website and they got back to us that today. They are sending out the part and told us how to take care of the "ice" problem. We are going to try to do both of these things and hopefully it'll take care of the problem. I'll keep you posted.... But the website is http://www.platinumhottubs.com//. The phone # is 1-800-749-8003. And the e-mail we contacted was Alan@Hydrospa.com. I really hope this helps. If we have any further probems and they stop being helpful we will contact Costco and I know they will take care of us....... Good Luck. Theresa

[Amanda]

I'm sorry that things are proceeding in a challenging manner. Please keep us posted on how things are going for you and the process that you go through to get what you need. Many people have done the same research and figure that the Costco spa is worth a couple 1000 difference as compared to a local dealer or manufacturer. Some people don't mind doing a bit of work here and there to keep a spa going. Others are willing to pay a bit more to have someone else do it for them. I truely wish you the best and hope everything works out for you.

[New NW tub owner]

HI, we also purchased this spa. We did a lot of research before buying and found this to be the best deal for our money. We spoke to Costco about our concern reguarding future problems and warrenties. They told us that if for any reason we are unhappy or have any problems they will protect us as their members and that we should have no worries in purchasing any of their products. We loved it untill we started having the same problems. The pumps would come on intermittenly and wouldn't stop untill we disconnected it at the power source. Now the "ice" feature is on and won't turn off causeing the temp to go over 110. We emailed the service department thru the website and they got back to us that today. They are sending out the part and told us how to take care of the "ice" problem. We are going to try to do both of these things and hopefully it'll take care of the problem. I'll keep you posted.... But the website is http://www.platinumhottubs.com//. The phone # is 1-800-749-8003. And the e-mail we contacted was Alan@Hydrospa.com. I really hope this helps. If we have any further probems and they stop being helpful we will contact Costco and I know they will take care of us....... Good Luck. Theresa

The hot tub has a temperature sensor that is supposed to detect icing conditions and turn on the pumps and the blower automatically to circulate the water through the nozzle piping and prevent freezing damage. My guess is that your temperature sensor is not working correctly and the control thinks your temperature is too low. Since the spa is new, one possible cause might be that a wire to the temperature sensor was damaged or disconnected when the electrical connection inside the control cabinet was made. This is easy to do as they are close together. There are two temp sensors but I am not sure which one does the 'ice' sensing, maybe both. The fix might be to just have your electrician put the wire back on correctly.

[New NW tub owner]

We just bought a PlatinumII Elite Spa from Costo. It seemed like a bargain and after good research, the pluses seemed to outweigh the minuses. We had a crane service hoist it into our backyard as it was the only way to get it in. A licensed electrician from a Pool service company wired it up. I read the manual thoroughly and set it up.

I have spent more time trying to figure out how to troubleshoot than I have sepnt in the tub. The pumps go into air-lock without rhyme or reason and very little seems to change that. Calling Hydrospa is worse than calling Dell Computers. They rarely answer the phone and even when they do, the advice is vague. The tell me to loosen the connections and bleed the air from the system. I hate to bitch too much, but taking apart the thing is a pain in the rear. I did not pay $4000 to be a mechanic five times a week.

If it was a TV, I would pick it up and bring it back. If it was a lemon auto, I'd have it towed, but its a 1000 lb box that has to be moved by crane.

I think I must be doing something wrong because I can't imagine that Hydrospa has been in buysiness 10 years making lemons. My next step is to call Costco, but I'm hoping to avoid a return and find someone who knows what the heck is wrong with this picture.

Thanks.

A couple of thoughts. According to the manual, you are supposed to fill the spa by adding water to the filter housing to purge trapped air from the pump intakes. Did you do that? Next, there are two 'slide' valves inside the cabinet on each side of the control cabinet. It is important that these both be open to prevent the problem you are having. The valves open by pulling the white 'T' handle up to pull the valve slide inside the valve body up. There should be about 1 1/2" of shiny valve handle showing if the valve is open. Since the handles pull up, it is easy to bump the handles during installation of the electrical connection and close a valve. If someone isn't familiar with that type of valve, they might not realize the valve is closed rather than open. Finally, the system goes into a 'pump priming' mode when first powered up that is supposed to make sure the pumps are filled with water. The display on the control panel should show 'Pr'. Did you tub do that? On our Platinum II, we filled it with the garden hose into the top opening of the filter compartment, the valves were open, and the system primed properly and has been pumping away without any problems that I know of. Our biggest problem is all of the people who want to use it. Just had to buy more chemicals.

[New NW tub owner]

At 4600 dollars for the costco tub I would have spent an extra 1000-2000 dollars and gone to an actuall hot tub dealer where they include things like delivery, set up and do the warranty work. A hot tub is suppose to relieve headaches, not create them. If you can return it, do so as soon as possibe, then go and test some real hot tubs. I wouldnt even deal with costco. No wet test, no free delivery, no set up. what a rip. I like costco for certian things but a hot tub is not one of them. Run, run as fast as you can!!!!!!!!!!!! Get your money back before Costco changes their policy. You will deal with Hydro Spas for as long as you own the tub. Neighbors of mine returned their tub from costco for similar reasons. You will spend soooo much trying to keep that warm. The savings will pay for a better tub, it will be more reliable, most likely more comfortable and you will get the peace of mind in knowing the dealer down the street will take care of you.

I would say the Costco tub is definitely a DIY item since all Costco does is load it on your vehicle when you buy it. For we DIYers though, the Costco tub is a wonderful thing and way better than similar tubs you can get at home improvement stores and such. As far as quality, they all look pretty similar to me. They tend to use the same types of tub material, the same types of design with the cabinet and layout, the same kinds of mechanical components such as pumps, piping, nozzles, etc. The biggest difference that I can see between one and another are the features and size. That being said, the quality of the assembly work could vary quite a bit. If the hot tub company did a slip shod job of assembling the piping, building the cabinet, installing the nozzles in the tub, connecting the electrical equipment, etc. that could make the tub a trouble-prone thing that would need a lot of corrective time to fix. I haven't seen any problems like that with our new Platinum II tub and I haven't heard of that happening to anyone who's gotten a DIY tub from another source so I don't think that's very prevalent now, although it may have been in the past. Probably, the spa companies that turned out slipshot products went out of business. The Costco tub is apparently made by Hydrospa, though, and they seem like a pretty big spa company so I doubt they let a tub go without checking it to make sure it was put together properly.

People do DIY tubs for reasons other than just cost, although DIY can save money. One big one is that thery may live in a rural location with no dealer nearby to set up and install it. Another is that they like to do things themselves rather than have others do it. Finally, the local dealer may not be very reputable, or may insist on doing it in some manner other than what is wanted. My personal experience with local hot tub dealers was not real good. From my viewpoint, they tended to be extremely opinionated and narrow-minded. For example, one would insist that only chemical A could ever be used. The other would be equally adamant that Chemical A was trash and only Chemical B would ever be used by anyone with half a brain. Life is too short to spend any time dealing with people like that about installing or using a hot tub. As far as cost, keep in mind that the actual hot tub is only part of the cost. In our case, there was also a significant outlay for a reinforced concrete slab for the tub to sit on, the electrical installation, and a little deck structure with stairs next to the tub to get in and out of it with.

[jmendoza17]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed on the topic. Here is the latest. After repeated phone calls and unkept promises by a couple guys named Alan and Randy at Hydropsa, I was about to write the ticked-off-consumer letter to the execs at Costco letting them know what a lousy company --Hydrospa-- they were doing business with. I called one last time and was a little more forceful on the phone when the Hydrospa rep tried to blame me for the problem. In the end, he admitted that they had encountered the problem before and seemed to know what the right solution was. Funny how that works.

Hydrospa sent the part by mail and a repair guy to install it. He was a very knowledgeable and friendly independent local contractor. The unit is now working OK, but our electricity bill was more than $400 for the first month of operation. I still need to find a way to get that under control.

At this point the saving grace is Costco's unbeleivable responsiveness-- they will take it back, no questions asked. Hydrospa is terrible to deal with. Apparently they could care less about their customers. If it wasn't for the fact that Costco will send it back to them if I return it, I suspect Hydrospa might never have done anything for me. Hurray for Costco.

Any help on finding ways to control the opertating costs will be appreciated.

[New NW tub owner]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed on the topic. Here is the latest. After repeated phone calls and unkept promises by a couple guys named Alan and Randy at Hydropsa, I was about to write the ticked-off-consumer letter to the execs at Costco letting them know what a lousy company --Hydrospa-- they were doing business with. I called one last time and was a little more forceful on the phone when the Hydrospa rep tried to blame me for the problem. In the end, he admitted that they had encountered the problem before and seemed to know what the right solution was. Funny how that works.

Hydrospa sent the part by mail and a repair guy to install it. He was a very knowledgeable and friendly independent local contractor. The unit is now working OK, but our electricity bill was more than $400 for the first month of operation. I still need to find a way to get that under control.

At this point the saving grace is Costco's unbeleivable responsiveness-- they will take it back, no questions asked. Hydrospa is terrible to deal with. Apparently they could care less about their customers. If it wasn't for the fact that Costco will send it back to them if I return it, I suspect Hydrospa might never have done anything for me. Hurray for Costco.

Any help on finding ways to control the opertating costs will be appreciated.

Good to see that your spa is fixed. Can you say what the part was that Hydrospa sent to you by mail? The $400 for electricity for a month of operation seems high. Our Platinum II is installed on a 40-amp circuit which limits its power draw to a max of 40 amps. If the hot tub sucked 40 amps 24 hours a day for 30 days in a month, that would be about 7,000 kwh for the month which would cost $560 at eight cents per kwh. To draw that kind of power, all three pumps, the blower, and the heater have to be operating continuously for 24 hours per day for 30 days. Now, if you turn off the jet pumps and blower and just run the 4,000 watt heater and the 1/15 hp recirc pump continuously for 24 hours per day, 30 days per month (never mind the water boiling), that would be 4050 watts x 24 hours/day x 30 days/month = 2,916,000 watt-hours per month or 2916 kwh per month. At 8 cents per kwh, that would cost 'only' $233 per month so if you are seeing a bill of $400 per month I would look for a neighbor with a pot-growing operating tapping your power line.

P.S. A realistic monthly electric operating cost for the Platinum II is probably $10-$20 in the summer and $20-$40 in the winter, depending on how much you use it, how cold the weather is, how much wind exposure it gets, and how hot the temperature is set at.

[jmendoza17]

Just wanted to follow up on this thread and update anyone who reads it. The Hydro Spa platinum elite broke down shortly after this post. To the credit of the local repair tech who was hired to perform the repair, he contacted the manufacturer and they sent a replacement heater and main controller.The repair did worked for a couple days before one of the spa's pumps went back to surging and heaving.

I personally recommend avoiding the Hydro Spa brand based on my personal experience with a poor quality product and a mediocre response from the manufacturer. Too hard to get service for a new product and not worth the hassle when you pay that kind of money.

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 seems lightweight.

[paintnsunni]

I have to agree as much as I hate to, with you throwing in the towl! It seems this spa is almost haunted! I wonder If you would feel better with ths plainum III ,if thats not a comfortable route for you for a thousand dollars more but then the Highlife is only $700.00 dollars more. good luck!

[mader]

I have to agree as much as I hate to, with you throwing in the towl! It seems this spa is almost haunted! I wonder If you would feel better with ths plainum III ,if thats not a comfortable route for you for a thousand dollars more but then the Highlife is only $700.00 dollars more. good luck!

I just ordered the discovery aqua sonic on costco.com. It is a keys backyard tub, not a hydrospa. It is selling for $4k, net of a $1k off promo.

[Spa User Guy]

Just wanted to follow up on this thread and update anyone who reads it. The Hydro Spa platinum elite broke down shorty after this post. To the credit of the local repair tech who was hired to perform the repair, he contacted the manufacturer and they sent a replacement heater and main controller.The repair did worked for a couple days before one of the spa's pumps went back to surging and heaving.

I personally recommend avoiding the Hydro Spa brand based on my personal experience with a poor quality product and a mediocre response from the manufacturer. Too hard to get service for a new product and not worth the hassle when you pay that kind of money.

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 seems lightweight.

With all the trouble you have had with a cheap spa, I personally would suggest buying a major name brand spa with a reputation for having good quality. I would steer away from the Costco Hotsprings as it is an older model design and a bit cheesy with 110V and one pump. Having a spa shouldn't be such a maddening experience, spend a little more money and get yourself a decent quality spa you can enjoy rather than spend your time troubleshooting. Read some other threads to get an idea of which brands are recommended most often, I don't think you could wrong there.

[spaconcerns]

I just ordered the discovery aqua sonic on costco.com. It is a keys backyard tub, not a hydrospa. It is selling for $4k, net of a $1k off promo.

My husband and I are looking at this same tub right now. I am interested in any comments or concerns regarding the Keys Backyard Spas. Looking forward to hearing from everyone out there.

[New NW tub owner]

Just wanted to follow up on this thread and update anyone who reads it. The Hydro Spa platinum elite broke down shorty after this post. To the credit of the local repair tech who was hired to perform the repair, he contacted the manufacturer and they sent a replacement heater and main controller.The repair did worked for a couple days before one of the spa's pumps went back to surging and heaving.

I personally recommend avoiding the Hydro Spa brand based on my personal experience with a poor quality product and a mediocre response from the manufacturer. Too hard to get service for a new product and not worth the hassle when you pay that kind of money.

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 seems lightweight.

You have been posting about your broken down tub since about a week after you allegedly bought it, although it must have run just long enough for you to allegedly discover that it used $400 of electricity in a month as you posted in this thread back in July. And since then, you have been posting about your alleged plans to return the tub for almost that long.

[jmendoza17]

You have been posting about your broken down tub since about a week after you allegedly bought it, although it must have run just long enough for you to allegedly discover that it used $400 of electricity in a month as you posted in this thread back in July. And since then, you have been posting about your alleged plans to return the tub for almost that long.

As some of the senior members of this board have also theorized, your staunch defense of HydroSpa makes one wonder if you work for them. Why do employ such words as allegedly? Like I'm making this stuff up. You claim to be a new spa owner and yet your posts are attacking me regularly. All I have done is posted my experience. If you do not like it, don't read it. If you have something positive to offer, then offer it. If, as you have claimed, you are a new spa owner then where do you get your expertise?

As for the high cost operating the spa, that was a post I made after running the stupid thing for a month. I said our juice bill was $400, but did not attribute a specific amount to the Hydro Spa. Here's the quote from my post on 8/16 "The unit is now working OK, but our electricity bill was more than $400 for the first month of operation. I still need to find a way to get that under control." My guess, since I am no expert, is that the spa added more than $100 to a bill that regularly runs around $275-$300.

As for returning the spa goes, part of the reason the experience is crappy is that I have to hire a crane to get the Hydro spa piece of junk removed . It's not like you just pick up a spa and hoist it over a two-story house on your way to work and drop it off at COSTCO.

I probably would have quit posting long ago if I had not smelled a rat from your attacks of my posts. Now I figure if you work for Hydro Spa then you deserve my rants for selling me a crappy product. If you're an amateur who just likes to attack others, then too bad for you.

[jmendoza17]

You have been posting about your broken down tub since about a week after you allegedly bought it, although it must have run just long enough for you to allegedly discover that it used $400 of electricity in a month as you posted in this thread back in July. And since then, you have been posting about your alleged plans to return the tub for almost that long.

By the way. If you do work for Hydro Spa, I'll give you one good incentive to get lost. This thread is among the most widely read on this forum, so as long as you keep attacking my posts, I'll keep telling my story and I'll start adding photos and documents and even set up a video link to show the crappy spa acting up. Then Hydro Spa will really learn why you don't want to leave a paying customer in the lurch.

[New NW tub owner]

I probably would have quit posting long ago if I had not smelled a rat from your attacks of my posts. Now I figure if you work for Hydro Spa then you deserve my rants for selling me a crappy product. If you're an amateur who just likes to attack others, then too bad for you.

Hi JMendoza,

I was just pointing out that the story of your broken-down hot tub has been re-posted by you many times and has changed a little bit. Here's the highlights...

July 1 - We just bought a PlatinumII Elite Spa from Costo... The pumps go into air-lock without rhyme or reason...

July 2 - The problem started right away...The pumps regularly go into an air-lock without rhyme or reason and nothing I do seems to change that. I put in call to Costco...

August 18 - Hydrospa sent the part by mail and a repair guy to install it. He was a very knowledgeable and friendly independent local contractor. The unit is now working OK, but our electricity bill was more than $400 for the first month of operation.

September 25 - We bought one in June and have had nothing but trouble. Hydrospa is horrible at customer service. Thank God for Costco return policy. Now we just have to get crane to remove the piece of junk. Save your time and money. Don't buy Platinum Elite. Don't even get me started on electrical bill. More than $125 during first month.

November 4 - I have decided to return the Platinum Elite to COSTCO and am researching another spa...