Catilina Spas Buyer Beware !!!!

[Gomboman]

I don't get it? How did Clover get the pics?

[VICSWFL]

What kind of a complete total jerk types in caps after we all with kind words ask him (her) not to.  Go get a life.
Steve

Sorry that my wife used caps on this post, she lost the use of her left hand just before she was going to get deployed to Iraq, she was stationed in NC , so the caps looked better than lower case, so please get over it and just read the post if you are considering a catalina spa.

[VICSWFL]

I don't get it? How did Clover get the pics?

He emailed me and asked to see them... VICSWFL

[Mendocino101]

I am sorry to hear of your troubles. I have never seen anything that looks like your spa with the rust or what at least looks like rust. I would be curious as someone else asked what were you using as a sanitizer, what type of chemicals ? It was mentioned the "the Cadillac of spas" was that your sales person just saying that and because of that phrase you took him to believe that warranty and the spa were both the best in the industry ? I am really asking because I am always eager to learn what a customer listens to and what matters to them when considering what product to purchase. I hope 08 is a great year for you and your wife I am sorry you had all of these issues.

[stuart]

Can we just comment on the issue at hand? This is a customer that seems to have had a bad experience with their spa purchase and it seems people are more concerned about the format than the issue...I thought this was a spa forum not a forum for grammar teachers!

Catalina is very questionable as a manufacture and in my experience will not take care of this. Last year our local Catalina dealer went under and we had several customers call us....as a result we approached Catalina and offered to be a warranty service center for them. They agreed heartily and we began to service the spas. It was a BIG mistake on our part...here is what we found;

1. They sent all parts COD and covered nothing under warranty telling us that they don't offer terms for dealers nor consumers

2. Their warranty said that after the first year they would pay 30% and customer would pay 70% when I asked them how this worked the grandson of the owner of Catalina got on the phone and told me that they "really don't pay anything but encourage their dealers to increase their charge to cover the 30%

3. Most of the parts we ordered came in wrong the order dept usually had no clue of what parts we were asking them about and their part numbers don’t seem to match the parts in their homemade parts manual

4. They can't tell you what parts are on specific models older than one year nor do they have a technical department. If your lucky you can talk with Oscar who seems to have some tech ability but no one else does.

5. I started giving customers the factory phone number and having them call direct to see if they had better results...Half of them came back saying they got a call back (usually from someone named Dan) after several messages and the rep was rude and short with them.

I'm appalled by their lack of caring or commitment to customer service...after trying to help consumers out we have given up on working with Catalina. We tried very hard to find a common ground with them but they simply don't care.

Your best bet is to find a reputable tech with reasonable pricing and pay to get it fixed. IMO, continuing to battle it will just make you feel worse....I would fix it, use it and move on.

I also have to say that I asked most of these customers why they chose Catalina over other brands and just about all of them said that the Catalina was cheaper by far than other brands with similar features…I guess they found out why that was the hard way.

If I can be of assistance with repair advice PM or email me

BTW, the worst part of this to me is that these could be decent spas with some factory support.

[Pathfinder]

After seeing the pictures, your jets rusting is a combination of leaving your hot tub empty  with out your cover propped open a bit for ventilation.  When you leave your tub empty in a hot humid climate with out venting condensation will build up inside and react with  chems left on the surface.  I ve seen this on many low quality "SS" parts.  Catalina will not cover your jets.  Your gonna have to just take the jets out bend the tabs covering the jets and remove the metal.

[VICSWFL]

Can we just comment on the issue at hand? This is a customer that seems to have had a bad experience with their spa purchase and it seems people are more concerned about the format than the issue...I thought this was a spa forum not a forum for grammar teachers!

Catalina is very questionable as a manufacture and in my experience will not take care of this. Last year our local Catalina dealer went under and we had several customers call us....as a result we approached Catalina and offered to be a warranty service center for them. They agreed heartily and we began to service the spas. I was a BIG mistake on our part...here is what we found;

1. They sent all parts COD and covered nothing under warranty telling us that they don't offer terms for dealers nor consumers

2. Their warranty said that after the first year they would pay 30% and customer would pay 70% when I asked them how this worked the grandson of the owner of Catalina got on the phone and told me that they "really don't pay anything but encourage their dealers to increase their charge to cover the 30%

3. Most of the parts we ordered came in wrong the order dept usually had no clue of what parts we were asking them about and their part numbers don’t seem to match the parts in their homemade parts manual

4. They can't tell you what parts are on specific models older than one year nor do they have a technical department. If your lucky you can talk with Oscar who seems to have some tech ability but no one else does.

5. I started giving customers the factory phone number and having them call direct to see if they had better results...Half of them came back saying they got a call back (usually from someone named Dan) after several messages and the rep was rude and short with them.

I'm appalled by their lack of caring or commitment to customer service...after trying to help consumers out we have given up on working with Catalina. We tried very hard to find a common ground with them but they simply don't care.

Your best bet is to find a reputable tech with reasonable pricing and pay to get it fixed. IMO, continuing to battle it will just make you fell worse....I would fix it, use it and move on.

I also have to say that I asked most of these customers why they chose Catalina over other brands and just about all of them said that the Catalina was cheaper by far than other brands with similar features…I guess they found out why that was the hard way.

If I can be of assistance with repair advice PM or email me

BTW, the worst part of this to me is that these could be decent spas with some factory support.

Thanks Stuart ! The point is there is no factory support, when they call you back they state their position and hang up on you if you question them at all, I paid twice for this Catalina than for any of my previous three spas, I really thought I was buying the best and I would be treated as such.

[stuart]

There are aftermarket replacement jets that would work but to replace them all it's expensive...I agree that the best bet would be to remove the jets and take the SS eschutcheons off. In doing this you will have to replace a few of the jets but it will get rid of the rust issue.

[IL Parrothead]

Stuart, nice documentation to back up your opinion.  That makes it easier for potential buyers.  Thanks!

[VICSWFL]

Happy New Year to all ! While everone was sleeping in and then started watching Bowl games I woke up had some breakfest and went to work on my wonderfull Catalina spa, my wife bought me 4 boxes of "magic Eraser's" by Mr Clean.

You just wet them and erase (clean) I was able to get most all of the rust stains from the jets removed from the spa shell, I would have pictures availible but I just got done after dark.

The inside of my jetless spa looks great, now what ? I put the jets in a bucket after I removed them to clean them and the spa shell from the rust stains. Some of them fell apart when I removed them because the plastic was brittle, I am pretty sure a bunch more would break if I tried to reinstall them or just not work properly.

I did notice that the shell itself is starting to blister in a few spots, I bet Catalina will say that was my fault as well and their "State of the Art Constuction" was not to blame it is what Boyd Cargill from Catalina in CA would refer to as a "Consumer Problem".

[VICSWFL]

The letter from the head man at Catalina in Perris Ca...

Vic,

We have cleaned your jets with compound and as you can see they have come clean. They do have pits in them and this is due to the chemicals sitting on the jets to long.  You need to purchase a product called Metal Gong. This will help the metal components in your water.  You should have your water tested and checked.  This is a consumer problem.  THAT IS NOT BULL!  We only spent 3 minutes cleaning the jets and you will see that the compound works and you should take your jets out of the spa to clean them.  

 

In regards to the problem with the radio. The radio and speaker warranty is only one year.  If you want to purchase a new one than you can either go to the local store and buy one or you can purchase one from us.  IF you have a leak you can have it fixed and we will send you the parts for no charge. This is per our warranty.  

 

We have enclosed a copy of the warranty card with your jets.

As far as your website goes, you might tell them that Catalina is the Cadillac of spas.  You have to also let them know Consumers must take some responsibility of the way they take care of a product.  Including myself Boyd Cargill. When I spend money on a quality product I know I need to take care of it or it will deteriorate.

 

If you have any more questions please contact your dealer you purchased your spa from.

 

Good Day!

Boyd Cargill

[tinybubbles]

Aside from the humidity and the spa being left dry, what else could cause the excessive rust?  I'm asking so that we can use their unfortunate experience to maybe help someone else in the future.  Many of you mentioned the water chemistry and what chemicals they were using.  Specifically, what should we watch for and what chemicals should we avoid and why?

[ndabunka]

Happy New Year to all ! While everone was sleeping in and then started watching Bowl games I woke up had some breakfest and went to work on my wonderfull Catalina spa, my wife bought me 4 boxes of "magic Eraser's" by Mr Clean.

You just wet them and erase (clean) I was able to get most all of the rust stains from the jets removed from the spa shell, I would have pictures availible but I just got done after dark.

The inside of my jetless spa looks great, now what ? I put the jets in a bucket after I removed them to clean them and the spa shell from the rust stains. Some of them fell apart when I removed them because the plastic was brittle, I am pretty sure a bunch more would break if I tried to reinstall them or just not work properly.

I did notice that the shell itself is starting to blister in a few spots, I bet Catalina will say that was my fault as well and their "State of the Art Constuction" was not to blame it is what Boyd Cargill from Catalina in CA would refer to as a "Consumer Problem".

Jet fittings becoming brittle is not unusual.  Some companies may provide replacements.  Others don't.  A few of the ones in my Jacuzzi did break while trying to remove them.  I don't think that they were covered under warranty but since I have a good relationship with the service guy and Jacuzzi corporate, they replaced them when they performed some warranty work to replaced my waterfall seals.  I don't know what the dealers on here do but some may do the same.  In other cases, you may have to buy the "replacement" parts.  Heck, a replacement jet is still a LOT cheaper than getting a new tub, right?

[Spatech_tuo]

Aside from the humidity and the spa being left dry, what else could cause the excessive rust?  I'm asking so that we can use their unfortunate experience to maybe help someone else in the future.  Many of you mentioned the water chemistry and what chemicals they were using.  Specifically, what should we watch for and what chemicals should we avoid and why?

I think the water chemistry is just a default/convenient excuse. IMO the rust is due to two things
1) low quality SS,
2) leaving the spa empty with teh cover on causing a humid environment for the rust to bloom.