Consumer's Digest Best Buy

[Chris_H]

Consumer’s Digest Best Buys were rated for the Hotspring, Sundance, Master Spa, Cal Spas, Viking Spas, Great Lakes Spa, and Thermospas.

The only models I remember were the Aria by Hotspring, the Cameo by Sundance, and the Cal Spa Avalon.

[Zep]

Hey Chris...I was not aware of this......thanks!



March 1, 2007

Consumer Digest announces Cal Spas Avalon A-857L
as one of the “Best Buys in Portable Spas."

The Cal Spas Avalon A-857L series is tagged as the
“Best Buy in mid-range Portable Spas.”

http://www.consumersdigest.com/contents.html

[Jacuzzi Jim]

   Good for them!!     In my opinion its the best award money can buy.

[Richs100]

I just love that link to their website.....not a single link on the page.

I'm surprised that the "reputable" hot tub manufactures continue to pay to support that outfit.
What a load of horse sh*t.

[hottubdan]

I just love that link to their website.....not a single link on the page.
.

Zep,

How did you get past that page?

[Chris_H]

I forgot to add that Caldera had a Best Buy award as well.

[hottubdan]

I forgot to add that Caldera had a Best Buy award as well.

Martinique.

[Zep]

re: "I'm surprised that the "reputable" hot tub manufactures
continue to pay to support that outfit. What a load of horse sh*t"

"Good for them!!  In my opinion its the best award money can buy"


Lets be clear....So you are saying Hot Spring is "buying" their rating?

And Hot Spring's rating is a "bunch of horse shit" ?

From The Hot Spring Website:

"Hot Spring is the only spa manufacturer to have one of its spas named
a Consumers Digest Best Buy[/u] all five times spas have been rated, most
recently the Vanguard® spa. No wonder Hot Spring spas is the world's
 number one selling brand of portable hot tubs"

http://www.hotspring.com/Spa_Showroom_Hot_Tub/why-hotspring-spas.html

[Zep]

re: I just love that link to their website...not a single link on the page.
re: Zep, How did you get past that page?  

I would think you buy the publication or
subscribe just like you do with alot of other sites.

Earth to Richs100/HotTubDan....over?  

[MarKee]

Marquis Epic is a best buy as well

[Gomboman]

How much does it cost to be eligible for an award from this outfit? Could you win without paying any fees?

[Huggieville]

Not so sure these awards are all that they are cracked up to be. Maybe money can buy you awards. Here is what I dug up.

Consumers Digest is an American for-profit magazine publication which accepts advertisements and allows companies to use its reviews for marketing purposes. It should not be confused with the non-profit magazine Consumer Reports.

The magazine has come under criticism for various unusual business practices. For example, the publication isn't sold at newsstands, and to subscribe, the interested party must write to Consumers Digest asking for more information.

Alleged Impropriety
The magazine awards its Consumers Digest Best Buy seal to products its staff judges to be of the best quality for the most reasonable price. However, because Consumers Digest reportedly receives money from many of the corporations it reviews, uncertainty has arisen regarding how merit-based such an award can be.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM??? :-? :-?

[Wisoki]

Don't know the dollar figure, but no, you cannot claim to have a consumers digest best buy product with out paying their fees. I'm sure the company, consumers digest, researches which companies are mos advertizing agressive and targets them. After all, wouldn't it be a waste of energy to tell someone that rarely advertises "if you give us 20K, your company can have the priveledge of using our best buy award in your marketing propaganda." 20k is a throw out number, I don't know the real ammount, nor have I been aproached by CD to be notified that I have been tested and they would like to bestow this honor upon my person.

How much does it cost to be eligible for an award from this outfit? Could you win without paying any fees?

[Vanguard]

From my understanding, you do NOT pay for the rating.  This is an independent rating.  

The manufacturers do choose the spa to have tested, not all spas are tested.  Obviously, this would take way too long.

IF your spa is then picked as a "Best Buy," you can choose to pay Consumer's Digest for the "privilege" of using the logo in your marketing efforts.

Notice, spa manufacturers really don't advertise in the magazine, so nobody can claim CD is biased towards spa manufacturers that advertise.

IMO, this is a good rating.  I'm not going to say that it is a totally 100% independent rating that a Bible could be sworn on, but for spa shoppers, this will give them a direction to look.  

[rick]

bullshit.  

Consumer Digest is just like that other Spa site that rates spas by how much you pay them.

Their cleverly disguised name  (very similar to the much respected Consumer Reports),  is meant to  fool you into thinking they use the same standards as CR.

Don't be so damm gullible.

It's bad enough that the general public is.