Not all hot tubs are created equal. Getting service will tip you off!
July 20, 2020 – Since March, the floodgates have opened with people wanting to purchase hot tubs, which is terrific for us in the hot tub industry! Those who used to have a hot tub have been inquiring about owning one again. Those who have thought about it for a long time and just had it further down their wish list moved it to the top and started shopping.
Yet others who own a hot tub decided it was time to give theirs either a once over and get it serviced or try to bring a hot tub that had been inoperable for some time back to life. It’s been so hard to deliver bad news time and time again to many of the folks who have inquired about getting service on an off-brand tub purchased from an online company, a big box store, or a traveling show.
Hot tubs may all seem like boxes of hot water with interchangeable parts. But the truth is many hot tub manufacturers contract with various suppliers to create parts, jets and control systems that are unique to their brand and in some cases proprietary. In many ways this adds an additional layer of consumer protection. Proprietary parts go through much more stringent quality controls when they’re made for a specific brand. I know I’ve been grateful for the amount of development, money, and oversight Hot Spring dedicates to the creation of parts for their line of tubs. Parts provided to us by Hot Spring also carry a manufacturer warranty. That does make the parts a bit more expensive to purchase, but also protects the consumer should something happen during the warranty period.
If you are one of the many who decided it’s time to invest in a hot tub, do yourself a favor! Look beyond the tub brand itself and delve deeper into how it will be serviced down the road. This is where saving some money defaulting to a tub from an online retailer or a big box store can end up costing you a lot more in the long run! And traveling spa shows can literally leave you in the dust when it comes to aftermarket support and the ability to get parts for your tub. If you have to contact the manufacturer directly for service or parts, it may mean they aren’t successful at retaining a local hot tub retailer to carry their product. This could signal the manufacturer isn’t interested in long-term relationships with a company or customers. It could also mean the product just wouldn’t hold up to the scrutiny up close when visiting a retailer vs. the photos they could post online to sell the product instead. Manufacturers like this may also “retire” a brand after a few years and introduce a replacement brand. Why? A brand that’s retired will be harder to get warranty service honored if it’s no longer available.
We were fortunate enough to align ourselves with Hot Spring Spas in 1982! For 38 of our 43 years in business we’ve partnered with Hot Spring and delivered tens of thousands of tubs to folks in our service area in greater Puget Sound. We’ve never been in a position to switch brands like many other companies because Hot Spring has proven to be an incredibly reliable brand. And, more importantly, they dedicate themselves to providing us and our customers with the support after purchase to keep the Hot Spring Spas we’ve sold in good running order for as long as possible.
Now more than ever, investing in a hot tub is the right thing to do for your overall health and wellbeing. We know you’d always be confident you made the right choice by purchasing a tub from Olympic. No hot tub out there is perfect! But you’ll be far better served and protected buying a tub from a dealer over any online source or a big box store or traveling show.
If you’re in our service area and ready, we’ll be here to help find the right tub for you.