Caldera Geneva Purchase

[JackVa1]

I am ready to buy, but have seen the Geneva and Naigra on other Forums much cheaper so I need some advice.

Out local dealer insists on doig the electric which is fine, but my electric is easy. I am 30 feet directly from my breaker to my patio - no mysteries.


9500 including steps, lift , electric and 1 Year Same as Cash to pay is the price. He says I should buy a years worth of chemicals for 250.00.

I broke him down to free chemicals, but I have seen posters buy this tun for 8000 - 8600.
Am I over paying? He said it will not affect the price much if I do the electric myself .

Thanks in advance

Jack

[Cyn]

Dealer insisted on doing the electric??  Where are you located??  Suggested you buy $250 worth of chemicals and calls it a years worth?  I don't think so...that is a lot of money.  I haven't spent near that amount in 7 months of owning my tub.  

[hottubdan]

I am ready to buy, but have seen the Geneva and Naigra on other Forums much cheaper so I need some advice.

Out local dealer insists on doig the electric which is fine, but my electric is easy. I am 30 feet directly from my breaker to my patio - no mysteries.


9500 including steps, lift , electric and 1 Year Same as Cash to pay is the price. He says I should buy a years worth of chemicals for 250.00.

I broke him down to free chemicals, but I have seen posters buy this tun for 8000 - 8600.
Am I over paying? He said it will not affect the price much if I do the electric myself .


Thanks in advance

Jack

I am a dealer.  Please take this for what it is worth.  Different business have different costs.  There are regional differences in prices.  I would say that any dealer selling Geneva for 8000-8600 is either going to go out of business, or they are not really in the spa business...they make their money building pools or doing something different.

Is your price including tax?

[Bonibelle]

I would also question the $250 in chemicals. How do you know (other than the sanitizer) the chems that you will need the most of?( My dealer gave me a nice start up package and I still have some of the ph balancing chems, 2 years later.)

You may also find that an estimate by a private electrician would make his bundled price seem reasonable. He may be doing you a favor offering the electric.  :-/

[Spatech_tuo]

I would also question the $250 in chemicals. How do you know (other than the sanitizer) the chems that you will need the most of?( My dealer gave me a nice start up package and I still have some of the ph balancing chems, 2 years later.)

You may also find that an estimate by a private electrician would make his bundled price seem reasonable. He may be doing you a favor offering the electric.  :-/

1) The chems part probably includes four N2 cartridges, Dichlor, MPS, filter cleaner, spa up, spa down, spa defender (the names may change somewhat depending on brand) and a few other minor items. That does add up but still $250 seems high yet why is this really much of a point toward the final sale. Just tell him you'll buy as you go and if the chems were somehow worked into the price of the spa or that's holding up the sale because he wants to see that you’ll buy chems from him in the future just ask him to instead give you $250 store credit instead so you can get them as you need.

2) The fact that the dealership does the electrical (assuming they're licensed and all) sounds like a plus to me. One less person out of the chain and they'll know exactly what the customer need. I'm used to seeing electrical jobs that range from very well done to "what in-law did that for a case of beer?". If the electrical is included that drops the true cost also (as does that 1 yr same as cash) though you'd need a 2nd quote to know how much.

3) I know you see other spa prices and want the same and I don't blame you but unless you're talking about buying from the same dealer there are always differences when comparing what others purchase in various other places. A dealer from Chicago isn’t bound by what someone in Nashville sells a tub for. If you feel you've gotten the best price THAT dealer is willing to give then its a matter of weighting how much you want that tub versus what your other choices are.

[JackVa1]

Dealer insisted on doing the electric??  Where are you located??  Suggested you buy $250 worth of chemicals and calls it a years worth?  I don't think so...that is a lot of money.  I haven't spent near that amount in 7 months of owning my tub.  

ok, he wants to do the electric. He did not insist.

Also, when I asked him what I would need after the install he said that he usually sells a years worth of chemicals for 250.  This might also include a filter or two - I wil lnail that down before we do the deal.

I need the 1 year same as cash because I am in the process of adding on an addition and need to free funds up for a while.

Just looking for some verification that the spa is worth 9500.00. No it does not include tax. And botching an electrical job is difficult to do if the dealer tells you what breaker he needs . A correctly sized wire and a breaker is hardly brain surgery.

Thanks to all who replied.

[Spatech_tuo]

9500 including steps, lift , electric and 1 Year Same as Cash to pay is the price. He says I should buy a years worth of chemicals for 250.00.

Jack

Just looking for some verification that the spa is worth 9500.00. No it does not include tax. And botching an electrical job is difficult to do if the dealer tells you what breaker he needs . A correctly sized wire and a breaker is hardly brain surgery.

Thanks to all who replied.

In your first quote you state $9500 for spa (with accessories which seem standard on this sale) + electrical. In your second post you wonder if the spa is worth $9500.

If the electrical is included you have to stop assuming that's a throw in and stop thinking of it as if he’s charging $9500 for the spa.[glow] Just because the electrical hook up is not brain surgery doesn’t mean it’s not costly. [/glow] You need to subtract that out and it really sounds like you need someone to quote out the electrical separately just so you can see what you're getting by him including that. I am VERY used to people buying a spa and then being shocked at what the electrical costs them and it sounds like you haven't come to grips with this being a tangible thing he's doing.

[Bonibelle]

My friends had a neighbor do the electric work for their spa. they rewarded him with a case of beer and a $50.00 gift card. they couldn't understand why he was perplexed and unhappy   Because their electric was much more complicated than mine, I was shocked too!  

I didn't have the nerve to ask the guy to wire mine. I wanted to pay a fair price and not wonder how much the job was really worth...So HUNDREDS of dollars later, I had my spa wired by an electrician recommended by my dealer. No problems, I am happy...but to suggest that the electrical aspect is something cheap and simple would be wrong, unless you are a certified electrician. there are legitimate safety concerns, equipment and requirements that may not be brain surgery, but might save you from needing it  

[JackVa1]

In your first quote you state $9500 for spa (with accessories which seem standard on this sale) + electrical. In your second post you wonder if the spa is worth $9500.

If the electrical is included you have to stop assuming that's a throw in and stop thinking of it as if he’s charging $9500 for the spa.[glow] Just because the electrical hook up is not brain surgery doesn’t mean it’s not costly. [/glow] You need to subtract that out and it really sounds like you need someone to quote out the electrical separately just so you can see what you're getting by him including that. I am VERY used to people buying a spa and then being shocked at what the electrical costs them and it sounds like you haven't come to grips with this being a tangible thing he's doing.

I am not assuming anything. I asked the dealer to let me do the electric and tell me if that saves me much. He said that it would not change the price much. I was fishing and not demanding her remove the electric. I guess when he calls me back I could unbundle the electric.

Of the 6 spas I wet tested and got a quote from, only one wanted to do the electric. Most told me they would give me the specs on what I needed to supply. Most specs I read required a breaker and wire to she spa area. Hot Springs I think requested an additional few feet of wire to wire around the inside of the tub to an external box with a shut off.  Anyway, I have received some great information in forums about spas, so thanks.

[Cyn]

Did we ever hear where you are located?  In St. Louis electric changes are a big deal...permits, distance from water, etc., and inspections when all is done.  Yes, you can always do it yourself illegally, with no permit.  We had to run the line a long way from our circuit box and with copper prices what they are it cost us a fortune using a licensed plumber.  But there is no way, unless my tub dealer hired a licensed plumber, that they would have done the work.  And if they didn't use a licensed plumber they would have been in big trouble if anything went wrong.  

[Vinny]

My friends had a neighbor do the electric work for their spa. they rewarded him with a case of beer and a $50.00 gift card. they couldn't understand why he was perplexed and unhappy   Because their electric was much more complicated than mine, I was shocked too!  

I didn't have the nerve to ask the guy to wire mine. I wanted to pay a fair price and not wonder how much the job was really worth...So HUNDREDS of dollars later, I had my spa wired by an electrician recommended by my dealer. No problems, I am happy...but to suggest that the electrical aspect is something cheap and simple would be wrong, unless you are a certified electrician. there are legitimate safety concerns, equipment and requirements that may not be brain surgery, but might save you from needing it  

It's funny how some people screw the people they know. My friend gave me a price quote on electrical and he was EXTREMELY reasonable. The jobs he did along with the tub - 200 amp service, electrical fire alarms and outside electric came in under what he said - I gave him what he originally quoted me - it's nice to have people who can do these things and it was cheaper than a 200 amp service quote. A person I work with had him do a job, owed him $300 and my friend almost had to bring him to court to get the money.

Electrical will cost something but have you gone to another competative dealer? If no, go and see what a competitors spa is going for. I found that similar spas go for similar prices.

[JackVa1]

Did we ever hear where you are located?  In St. Louis electric changes are a big deal...permits, distance from water, etc., and inspections when all is done.  Yes, you can always do it yourself illegally, with no permit.  We had to run the line a long way from our circuit box and with copper prices what they are it cost us a fortune using a licensed plumber.  But there is no way, unless my tub dealer hired a licensed plumber, that they would have done the work.  And if they didn't use a licensed plumber they would have been in big trouble if anything went wrong.  

I am in Virginia. We don't use plumbers here to do electric work.

[Cyn]

Sorry, sub electrician.