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How to Buy a Spa/Hot Tub: Hint-You Won’t Find The Best Value Where Peanut Butter is Sold!

Buy Your Peanut Butter at Costco; Buy Your Hot Tub from Olympic!

Our guest blogger today, is Dan Pardee, Sales Associate in our Olympic Hot Tub Company Lacey store.Dan  is a wonderful writer who makes hot tub shopping fun! The Lacey store is a Google Favorite Place thanks to the staff and all of the customers who love shopping there.

Probably most people would agree that Costco is one of the best places to go if you have a large family or own a business and need to get the ‘best deal’ on the household foods and supplies you use on a frequent basis.  It’s a great way to buy in bulk, save money and hey, that ten pound tub of peanut butter will last you all year, right?

But should you consider buying your hot tub from Costco?  Heck no! Here are some important reasons why you should only buy your hot tub from Olympic Hot Tub, they all have to do with “hidden charges”, warranty protection and water care:

1. The Delivery Issue-Or how you gonna get that big thing  in your backyard? Olympic includes offers free, full service delivery all the way into the backyard for every hot tub we sell!  (Costco only delivers curbside.  Be prepared to pay around $400 to hire a spa moving company to move it from the curb to the back yard or worse yet risk injury to yourself or the hot tub by trying to move it yourself.  How much is going to cost if you get hurt?)

2. Oh..an Electrical Subpanel? Tell me more.Olympic includes the 50 amp electrical sub-panel with every hot tub.  (With Costco you have to purchase one yourself. Ah, those pesky hidden charges!)

3. How will I get that cover off when I want to take a hot tub? Basic cover-lifters come standard at Olympic. (Costco hot tubs do not come standard with a cover-lifter and if you read the reviews by actual customers on the Costco site about their hot tubs, you cannot install one due to the extra large radius corners on the Costco tub.  But say you want to buy one anyway, be prepared to dip into your wallet again for another $225.00!)

4. Something’s gone wrong..who will do the warranty? Olympic provides its customers with world-class local dealer support, with local stores and a dedicated service center with our own in-house Hot Spring certified technicians.  Just call us; we’ll be there for you. (Costco does not handle warranty issues directly on their hot tubs, you instead have to call the manufacturer’s 1-800 number and they have to diagnose your problem over the phone.   They will then send you parts through the mail (you have to send back the old parts) then sub-contract out to a local spa repair company at their discretion. Yikes! What if you’re not handy? Having to remove the parts-how do you know which ones are bad will cost you a visit from the local spa-repair shop!)

5. What’s that again? When does the warranty start? Your full manufacturer’s warranty starts on the day of the hot tub delivery for Olympics Hot Tub Company.  (Warranty starts on the date of original retail purchase according to the owner’s manual for the manufacturer of Costco hot tubs.  So while the tub is being shipped the warranty is running.  Ouch!)

6. Here today and gone tomorrow? What was it you purchased? Olympic and Hot Spring have a proven record of longevity and stability.  Olympic has sold Hot Spring Spas since 1982. That’s longer than any other company locally has sold any brand and longer than Costco has been in business. Ask any customer of Olympic or owner of a Hot Spring spa. See Olympic’s many positive review on Google. (Unfortunately for Costco and Costco’s customers, many of the hot tub manufacturers they have partnered with in the past years have went out of business, leaving disgruntled customers with no way to obtain parts or service.  Good deal?  Not so much!)

7. You mean I have to be a chemist to take care of the water and it’s stinky? And the biggest reason of all!  All of our hot tubs we sell at Olympic come with the revolutionary, natural, SilkBalance virtually chlorine free water care system.  It’s easy and requires no testing or balancing of the water.  Just shake and pour.  (You have to purchase a Bromine chemical kit separately when you buy your tub from the big C.  Bromine is a terrible way to take care of hot tub water and is really hard on your skin! Another cost! Be prepared to test and balance the water several times a week, if you can figure it out. And, don’t forget to take a shower after you get out of the hot tub, unless you think the aroma of chemical bromine is pleasant to take to bed!)

So the next time you happen to visit Costco to pick up some peanut butter, walk on past the big shiny hot tub on display and instead visit one of our of our experienced hot tub experts at one of the five Olympic Hot Tub Company showrooms.  You’ll be glad you did!

Thanks to Dan. Great summary of the trials & travails of buying a hot tub at Costco or any other big box store or online.

RES EST SERVAS VOLUPTAS. Pleasure is serious business.

Thanks for reading Hot Tub Bliss. We hope you went from “Ahhhh” to “A-Ha”! Be sure to ‘Like’ our Facebook Page and follow  Olympic Hot Tub Company and Hot Tub Bliss on Twitter.


Author: Don Riling

Don Riling is the President of Olympic Hot Tub and has been an active member of the hot tub industry for over 27 years. As the company’s owner since 2016, he has continued Olympic’s legacy of promoting health & wellness through water.

11 responses to “How to Buy a Spa/Hot Tub: Hint-You Won’t Find The Best Value Where Peanut Butter is Sold!

  1. This article speaks to me. It’s everything I want to tell people who buy their hot tubs or even supplies and chemicals at big box stores like Sam’s Club and Costco. These places just sell tubs with water the moves. Their warranties are awful, they have no customer service before or after the sale, they know nothing about caring for it and if something breaks, GOOD LUCK!

    I feel bad for customers who come to me looking for help with a spa they bought for Home Depot or Sam’s club, but at the same time, I don’t. You get what you pay for and that’s the bottom line.

  2. Matt:
    You are so right: You get what you pay for! Thanks for writing. People need to wake up and realize that
    buying a hot tub from a big box store or online is no way to get the relaxation experience they crave!
    Alice

  3. Great points! Buying a hot tub from someone who carries just hot tubs will give you a better experience, more knowledgeable sales reps, and chances are a much better warranty.

  4. Thanks for your comment. Just try to get service after the sale from an online retailer..it’s not going to happen!
    Alice

  5. Hard to find 2 pumps with 5 HP.

    Costco will come pick i up if you are not satisfied.

    Most warranties are a joke !

  6. Hello Shane:
    I don’t know where you live, but Costco doesn’t pick up a hot tub that you want to return in this part of the world. I agree that most hot tub warranties are a joke. The exception is the warranty on a Hot Spring Spa. We’ve been selling Hot Spring Spas for 30+ years and Hot Spring supports every word of their warranty. As a dealer, we do the warranty work at a customer’s home for the length of the warranty period with no pro-rating or similar hassles.
    Thanks for checking in,
    Alice

  7. The only thing the author didn’t cover was the 40% margin the retail stores require to keep their door open. “Big Box” stores thrive for a reason! They’re very profitable by demanding less margins with higher volumes… very simple concept. Costco has very little overhead for this product line. They just get a “spiff” from the manufacturer for capturing the sale. The manufacturer of the “Divine” $9k spa directed me to the mfg’s people to handle the service in my area. Totally comfortable to buy from Costco… and if you don’t like the spa – they’ll buy it back! Sure you’re out the cost to set it up/tear it down, but you have peace-of-mind that you’re not stuck with it if you don’t like it. NO RETAIL STORE WILL DO THAT! I’ll take some serious discounted price with Costco over fluff reasons to buy at a spa store. I’ll buy my peanut butter along with my spa. It’s a great alternative to high-priced retail stores.

  8. Frank–Thanks for your thoughts. While our company also offers money-back guarantees, we know many hot tub companies do not. We take pride in being a small business that can really specifically help with the hot tub questions that a big box retailer like Costco cannot. It’s one of the things that makes buying from a specialty retailer of value to someone who’s never owned a hot tub and may not be okay waiting for hot tub repair directly from a hot tub manufacturer or third party. Some value the expertise and service that a hot tub retailer could better provide.

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