Just bought my first hot tub

[OKIEdave]

I finally decided on an Artesian Resort Series 856L.  I put money down on one anyway.  If anyone can find a reason for me to not buy this tub, please let them speak now.
I am paying $7500, that includes delivery, set up, cover, lift, starter kit, steps.
Does this sound pretty good?
I can get my down patyment back if I decide not to get it, so let me know what you think.
Thanks

[Micah]

Congrats on the tub.  Enjoy!

[Saved by Grace]

I don't know much about Artesian but as long as you wet tested it and it was the right one for you I say congrats.  If you haven't wet tested it then I would highly recommend you do so before you go "all in".

In His Peace,
Fred

[Steve]

I don't know much about Artesian but as long as you wet tested it and it was the right one for you I say congrats.  If you haven't wet tested it then I would highly recommend you do so before you go "all in".

In His Peace,
Fred

I fully agree!

I can get my down patyment back if I decide not to get it, so let me know what you think.
Thanks

I'm not sure why you would ask us that question Dave? Sounds like buyers remorse to me! If you wet tested it and it felt right to you and it's in your budget, what could we possibly say to negate all of that?  :-?

[Vanguard]

Did you ever wet test?  I think you'll be happy with Artesian, but you have to wet test.  If you didn't, go do it before it's too late.  You may decide you don't like it at all.  You wouldn't be the first person to like a tub until they tested it.

[IL Parrothead]

I agree with Vanguard.  Before my wife and I wet tested, there were a couple of tub models that I "wanted" to like, because of things friends had told me, and because there were long-standing "mom and pop" dealers near my house that I wanted to give the business to.  Wet testing was the key to our deciding what to buy.

[Spatini]

I agree to everything stated above by everyone here , just like real estates creed is LOCATION , LOCATION , LOCATION,  the spa worlds creed is WET TEST , WET TEST , WET TEST.

[hottubdan]

I agree to everything stated above by everyone here , just like real estates creed is LOCATION , LOCATION , LOCATION,  the spa worlds creed is WET TEST , WET TEST , WET TEST.

While I agree wet testing is good, it is not the spa world's creed.  Given the rate of wet testing dealers report here, if everyone wet tested, our sales would go down 90%.  Most people do not wet test, nor do the NEED to.  Most buyers do not wet test and they love their spas.  Even people who do wet test find that when they are spa owners they use the spa differently or like and dislike features differently than when they tested.

[Steve]

While I agree wet testing is good, it is not the spa world's creed.  Given the rate of wet testing dealers report here, if everyone wet tested, our sales would go down 90%.  Most people do not wet test, nor do the NEED to.  Most buyers do not wet test and they love their spas.  Even people who do wet test find that when they are spa owners they use the spa differently or like and dislike features differently than when they tested.

I agree with what you've written 100% as that was our expereince also but knowing what we know and just how much of a personal preference purchase this is, it's plain 'ol good advice to suggest wet testing a spa prior to buying!

When we built our new store many years ago now, we built a room for wet testing. About 3% of our customers took advantage of it even though we highly recommended it to every prospective buyer. Now, we also offered a 30 day guarantee to every customer that purchased a Beachcomber spa that they could exchange it or get their money back for any reason in the first 30 days if they were dissatisfied so that made the purchase much easier knowing this. I don't know why every dealer doesn't do this? :-/

[Swell-Tub]

OK, So here lies my problem. I have poured the concrete pad. Bought the electrical components for my electrician and I'm locked and loaded to buy a new tub now. Problem is when I wanted to wet test a Sundance Optima they put me in a Maxxus and told me the jets would be the same. When I wanted to wet test a Jacuzzi J-470 they put me in a 465 and 345 and told me the jets would be the same. So yesterday the Sundance dealer calls me and tells me that Sundance has some Optimas with slight blems that he can sell me for a discount and I should buy without wet testing because my Maxxus experience is all that I needed.

It is hard to live by the wet test, wet test, wet test rule when the dealers can't wet every tub you want to try. So what is a buyer to do. Chances are after it is installed they are not taking them back and I have the electricians and crane operator's bill to deal with.

Scott  :-?

[IL Parrothead]

With all due respect to the dealers above, I myself would never buy a model I hadn't wet tested.  Each model has slightly different seating positions and jet configurations.  I would also never buy a car because of what I had read, or because I had driven a different model from that manufacturer.  A Mustang does not drive like a Focus!  

[wewannahottub]

OK, So here lies my problem. I have poured the concrete pad. Bought the electrical components for my electrician and I'm locked and loaded to buy a new tub now. Problem is when I wanted to wet test a Sundance Optima they put me in a Maxxus and told me the jets would be the same. When I wanted to wet test a Jacuzzi J-470 they put me in a 465 and 345 and told me the jets would be the same. So yesterday the Sundance dealer calls me and tells me that Sundance has some Optimas with slight blems that he can sell me for a discount and I should buy without wet testing because my Maxxus experience is all that I needed.

It is hard to live by the wet test, wet test, wet test rule when the dealers can't wet every tub you want to try. So what is a buyer to do. Chances are after it is installed they are not taking them back and I have the electricians and crane operator's bill to deal with.

Scott  :-?

Swell Tub and IL Parrothead have said it right!!  When I started my "salesperson issues..." thread, it was partly in fact that the salesperson wouldn't fill the Clearwater Orlando spa we wanted, but only a Similiar model.  THe similiar model had a lounger, which we didn't want, compared to the massage seats in the Orlando we did want, and since I float, I wanted to know if I was going to be forced out of the seats.  This was all while she herself was telling us she would NOT buy a tub she didn't wet test.  We have never heard back from her.

We were also looking at an Artesian Piper Glen, and that dealer is >100 miles away, and he said "hardly anyone wet tests anymore!"

So, this week we have been contacted by our Jacuzzi dealer, the 470 we want to wet test should be in and ready by this weekend.  As well, the Dynasty spa we want to wet test is expected in this week, and the dealer had been planning on having it available and ready for us.  THey will probably also have an Arctic, but I am not sure what exact models they have to wet test.

So, IMHO, wet testing is VERY important to the sale.

Scott--I hope your dealers can see the light in your situation.   Maybe if they know there is competition....

WWHT


BTW--Dave--I have never heard anything but good about the Artesian spas, and there are many owners on this forum that are happy with them.  I can't include them in our final countdown, primarily to numerous extraneous charges since the only available dealer is so far away and service and delivery would definately be an issue.

Hppy Tubbing!!!!!!!! [smiley=bath.gif]

[Vanguard]

But, the dealers are correct.  There are many, many people who buy a spa without ever wet testing and still love their spa.  

While I agree that you should wet test before you buy, if you don't you could still be happy with your spa.  

If you never wet test a spa, how do you know how different other spas are?  If you've never had a Ruth's Chris steak, then that T-Bone they sell at Denny's still might seem like a good steak.  You just don't know what you don't know.

So, both the dealers here and the consumers are correct.

[Swell-Tub]

I talked to my Sundance dealer and he said he would not service a Sundance that wasn't bought from him. When I asked him for a deal on the Optima he said the dealers in small towns need to deal but he doesn't because he sells the best tub and supports what he sells. He then bashed the other brands I was considering.

Today I talked to my Jacuzzi dealer who refuses to say anything bad about the other brands and stays focused on the Jacuzzi product. They have no overhead because they paid cash for the building and warehouse and the utilities are paid by for by the pool part of the business. They cut the prices as low as they can to give good deals to the buyers as they are trying to increase market share here in Vegas. They are throwing in free steps, ozonator, and lift with the deal and they are about $1500 less than the Optima on their J-470.

I find myself going back and forth between the Jacuzzi and Sundance. I really like the attitude of the Jacuzzi dealer but also like the experience and the support what they sell factor of the Sundance. If I had to buy today I think it would be the J-470. But I have not wet tested either. Another idea is to but the Jacuzzi J-365 as my first tub and save another 3K and trade up down the road.

I'm so frustrated as I don't know what to do but I want to get a tub on it's way...

Scott  :-?

[Spatech_tuo]

But, the dealers are correct.  There are many, many people who buy a spa without ever wet testing and still love their spa.  

While I agree that you should wet test before you buy, if you don't you could still be happy with your spa.  

If you never wet test a spa, how do you know how different other spas are?  If you've never had a Ruth's Chris steak, then that T-Bone they sell at Denny's still might seem like a good steak.  You just don't know what you don't know.

So, both the dealers here and the consumers are correct.

When buying a spa with a lounge (where the lounge can take up a BIG % of the space) or when the person's size is atypical (short, tall and/or wide) a wet test is especially important IMO. I would never buy one without testing because I know not all spas are alike. At the same time I can see someone average sized like me (and usually too impatient to try on pants before I buy them) thinking it really won't matter much but then again, why risk it?

In the end I think most people just take the legendary advice we learned from Tommy Boy:

"I can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bull's ass, but I'd rather take a butcher's word for it."