Double, Double, Toil and Trouble. October’s the month for ghost stories and haunted houses. There’s nothing scarier than buying a Craigslist hot tub with questionable histories and hidden problems.

Yes, Craigslist hot tubs hide history, mask problems. Many of the postings simply lie. You have no way of telling which is truthful which is not.

Maybe you’ve advertised some unwanted household item on Craigslist, figuring you’ll make some money and somebody else will take it off your hands. That’s why people try to sell their abandoned hot tubs online – it’s easier than hauling away the heavy tub themselves. You don’t want to be the one to carry somebody else’s castoff.

We polled our staff and compiled their thoughts and cautions on buying a used hot tub on Craigslist. They’ve heard all the stories. It’s enough to make you fighting mad. Thanks to Trevor, Karen, Linda, Val & Laura.

Here goes.

Chances are the tub is 8 to 10 years old and hasn’t been well maintained for years. Lack of care shortens the life of components, and long-empty tubs can be damaged from freezing, shrinking-swelling of plumbing lines, and varmints that take up residence. Even if they fixed the tub somewhere along the line, they probably didn’t use dealer-approved parts.

The Craigslist price is just the start of what this tub is going to cost you. You’ll have to get new filters, probably a new cover and lifter, new water care products, and a sub-panel for the wiring if it’s 220V. That can add up to $1,000 before you start paying for repairs on parts you find broken.

Craigslist tubs typically DON’T come with setup and delivery, a job you don’t want to do yourself.  A professional job will cost upwards of $400. Load it on your pick up some ads say. Do not try this!

You’re not dealing with the Better Business Bureau here. Craigslist sellers, especially the ones who say they’re dealers, usually remove the spa’s serial number, and when they say it’s a few years old, that might mean more than a decade. There’s one in particular who routinely causes heartbreak for unsuspecting buyers. If you see a listing for Olympic Hot Tub or Hot Spring Spas from a “dealer” in Seattle, Fremont, Wallingford, Greenlake on Craigslist with a phone number that is not ours. Avoid at all costs. I checked on his postings & the spas he’s selling by illegally using our name are at least 15 years old!

Of course, you’re going to have to pay the full price at once, cash or check, with no financing, no service, no returns, and no warranty, except you’re pretty much guaranteed to be sorry.

If you need a lower-price hot tub, relax in an Olympic Hot Tub refurbished model. It’s a great place to begin your hot tub experience before your ship comes in. We take trade-ins when customers move up to a new model, and our experts test every part, correct every flaw and refresh every feature on a 40-point checklist before we offer them for resale.

A Certified Pre-Owned hot tub or sauna from Olympic Hot Tub is a trade-in, not a castoff, and we back it up with our Olympic Hot Tub Green Limited Warranty. All hot tubs come with a tapered insulated spa cover, water care products to get you started, new filters, and the required 220V sub-panel or water tight electrical receptacle for 110V models, and most come with free local delivery and setup. Our top-rated hot tubs are energy efficient, easy to use, and quiet-running. When you decide you too want to upgrade, you’ll get our Customer Loyalty Discount.

Don’t buy somebody else’s stress. Relax with Olympic Hot Tub’s Certified Pre-Owned hot tubs and saunas. 

MORE…

Buying a Hot Tub? Consumer Alert: Buying at the FAIR may not be FAIR to YOU

Hot Tub Myth Busters: Savvy Shoppers Don’t Believe These Whoppers

Buying a Hot Tub? Don’t Get Soaked. 7 Tips to Help You Buy The RIGHT One the First Time