laguna bay tubs?

[JohnnyK45]

I also have never heard of anyone getting a new hot tub that did not include a cover, steps and some start up chemicals; those are always included.  Almost all spa retailers include delivery as well; was the case with our hot tub purchase this year too.  A few places may tout those items as "freebies" if you "buy today," but it's nothing more than a "sales closer" pitch.  Even online only places like Dream Maker Spas include all that stuff and "free"  delivery to your backyard from their CA plant.

Now, what is true, is a replacement cover when the time comes, will cost you a few hundred bucks.

On a closing note about Laguna Bay, at least by me in the Midwest, is their sales folks are very aggressive on Craigslist; they constantly keep posting their main spa for $2800 with a fake retail of $8100; 51 jets, the whole bit.  The one other spa they post throughout the day is for $3800 with 81 jets and all kinds of other stuff, with an inflated retail of $10,000!!!  They really should be more careful, as there are state and Federal laws that require businesses who list a retail price, that they must keep that item at the retail price for x number of days throughout the year; in other words, these inflated retail prices are fine, but then that means they MUST remove the "sale" price from these two tubs for 120 days out of the year (or something close to that); so far with their non-stop daily posts, they are NOT doing that.  Just an observation.

J

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

I wasn't   :-)

Truly FREE would be if you can call them up, tell them you want a cover, and they ship one to you at no cost to you, what so ever. If, the cover is included with the spa that you PAY for, at no additional charge, it's not really free. The cost of the cover is built into the cost of the spa, and is something you pay for, that isn't itemized on the bill

[PickWill]

Sorry for being such a n00b! Didn't realize that it was standard. Still a cool perk though.

@JohnnyK45: That's really unfortunate about Craigslist. Are those really Laguna Bay Spas employees or just people who have purchased the tub and are looking to resell?

[JohnnyK45]

I just counted by the end of page one on my Craigslist under hot tub today, they have posted these two tubs 11 times.

I get the vibe it's a rep who is doing this out of their house and making a few bucks on the side.  All the tubs are touted as new, or new in crate, etc.

Here are a couple of cut and pastes of how they are listed...appears to be the same guy/gal, posts the same pricing, just tweaks the way they look, or a few words...

*********************************************
Title: Laguna Bay Spa Now Only $2800!!!!!

*51 stainless therapeutic water jets
 
*built in waterfall
 
*colored underwater LED light
 
*fully insulated
 
*smooth ivory acrylic finish
 
*synthetic mahogany cabinets
 
*money saving ozonator
 
Still Crated! Never Used!
 
Retails for $8100 asking $2800

*********************************************
Title:  ~{BRAND NEW 51 JET LAGUNA BAY HOT TUB}~ - $2800

Awesome New Laguna Bay Hot Tubs seats six people comfortably, the spas features includes 51 therapeutic water jets, seven colored led underwater lights handrail waterfall built-in the hot tub comes with synthetic redwood cabinets 100% maintenance free, a smooth acrylic ivory white finish****retails for $8100.00 but asking $2800.00 ******HOT TUB IS MADE IN THE USA*****

*********************************************
Title:  ~*~*~*~New Hot Tub~*~81 Jets~*~*~*~ - $3800

Laguna Bay 81 Jet Hot Tub****spas features include 81 therapeutic water jets, 7 color underwater LED, built in waterfall, MP3 input & speakers****MADE IN THE USA******comes with Swedish massage neck & shoulder jets to help relieve your tired aching muscles****Retails for $10000.00 asking $3800.00. Amazing Deal!!
 

[Chas]

Amazing. Yup.


 

[JohnnyK45]

They might make a nice tub (as a couple have expressed), but this kind of seller is making that brand look a little desperate.  Cut down on these tactics and the asinine bogus retail prices and they'd come across a bit more credible in my opinion.  When anyone selling a product puts out such a fake retail price, I find it offensive.

Here is a cut and paste of the most recent postings under "hot tub" - look for the $2800 price tag...such a deal, normally $8100!!!  Why not just say it retails for $20000 while we're at it...   

Nov 29 - Hot Tub ~Spa ~Jacuzzi Laguna Bay - $2800 (Milwaukee) appliances - by dealer pic
Nov 29 - Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Tub - $15 (Milwaukee, WI) baby & kid stuff - by owner pic
Nov 29 - looking for hot tub cover - (oconomowoc) items wanted
Nov 29 - HOT TUB & SPA DELIVERY MEN - (MILWAUKEE) general - by owner pic
Nov 28 - ~*~ Laguna Bay Hot Tub~*~Spa~*~*Jacuzzi~*~*~ - $2800 - $2800 (Milwaukee) appliances - by dealer pic
Nov 28 - Hot Tub - $500 (West Bend) health and beauty - by owner pic
Nov 28 - Custom Made Spa Covers & Hot Tub Covers - $286 (We have free delivery) household items - by dealer img
Nov 28 - Frigidaire Stackable Washer/Dryer Laundry Center Combo - $325 (Muskego) appliances - by owner pic img
Nov 28 - Hot Tub FREE - (Cedarburg ) free stuff pic
Nov 28 - Awesome Fifty One Jet Spa - $2800 (Milwaukee) appliances - by dealer pic
Nov 28 - DREAM MAKER HOT TUB - (MIL) items wanted
Nov 27 - Hot Tub/Saratoga Spa - (Hartland) general - by owner pic
Nov 27 - looking for hot tub cover - (oconomowoc) items wanted
Nov 26 - Horse boarding - (Rubicon/Hartford) farm & garden - by owner pic
Nov 26 - Soft tub - $500 (West bend) general - by owner
Nov 26 - Hot Tub Cover - $75 (New Berlin, WI) general - by owner pic
Nov 26 - Nice Laguna Bay Spa - $2800 (Milwaukee) appliances - by dealer

[psg]

No, they aren't "a nice tub".  I went and looked under the covers of one last night.  I suppose they might work for a while, but IMO you'll be very lucky if it continues to work for very long.

As I posted in another thread, before I saw this more specific one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last night I went to the Laguna Bay "showroom" near Philadelphia.

I took the side covers off an X-12 model spa to check out the build quality.

I was REALLY hoping to be able to say "Well, it's not *that* bad", but I couldn't ... while it looked real nice on top, there was a distinct lack of quality and workmanship under the hood.

Pumps were held down to plywood bits with utility screws, wires were loose (even one pump ground wire wasn't grounded) and just laying on the bottom.

I could put up with some "not pretty" for the sake of saving a few thousand bucks, but not this.

[PickWill]

I haven't had any issues with the inner workings of my hot tub. Things have been working great since I purchased the unit, which was, like I said, six months ago or so. I think for the price point, it is everything and more than you can expect.

[Tman122]

For 2800 you should get a few years out of it. Some people like 6-8 years so they pay a bit more 4-5 grand. And even others pay 7-9 grand to get 12-15 years. I guess it's all relative. The difference would be in service after the sale, electricity consumption, jet feel and comfort. But we already know that some people don't care about that either. Good enough is a very lucrative market nitch. Specially for us independent service guys.

[Sam]

Another shady tactic that laguna bay uses is to artificially inflate the jet count.  They count the jets with multiple nozzles, the ones that look like gatling guns, as 1 jet per nozzle.  For example, if they had 3 of those jets, but each has 7 nozzles, they count it as a 21 jet hot tub.  Companies that are willing to use dishonest tactics will most likely do other dishonest things.  A reputable hot tub manufacturer does not do this.  Stay away from this garbage.

[John Thomas]

So I purchased this Laguna Bay X6 Spa about 3 months ago and have been very happy with it. The kids love it and so do the wife and I after they go to bed. Installation was easy, with the help of a friend, very informative instructions and was installed in a few hours. Would not hesitate to recommend one to a friend. And noooo I dont work for the company.

[Tman122]

Ya got a couple more years of operation left. Enjoy it.

[JohnnyK45]

John Thomas,

If you really like your tub and care about the company, seriously, tell them to ease up on the non-stop daily craigslist postings and re-postings - they just don't stop.  These over-the-top endless tactics give the impression they are desperate and cheap; I'd also advise them to lose the absurd "list prices" that their sales folks list - it's insulting to anyone with an ounce of a brain and makes everything about them seem less credible.  They could very well make a nice tub, but they are shooting themselves in the foot and hurting their image with such horrid marketing practices.

J

[Tammy Marshall]

The Spa was purchased on September 02, 2013 and delivered on October 05, 2013.  The Spa unit was installed / made operational on or about October 13, 2013.  From the start, the Spa took an exceedingly long time to warm the water to a usable temperature.  The Spa operated for approximately two weeks when it failed by repeatedly “tripping” the Ground Fault Breaker safety.  The date of this first problem was around October 30, 2013.  My husband contacted the sales representative on November 01 and reported the problem.  The sales representative, Mr. Greg Bramell, (267.297.3134) advised him to contact the technical services division.  My husband called the number provided and spoke with a representative named “Billy” or “Ray” (877.722.4097) and explained the situation.  The technical services group ordered a heater unit and had it shipped to my residence.  My husband installed the heater as instructed and the Spa was restored to “operational” sometime around the second week of November. 
Within a very short period of time, sometime around the Thanksgiving holiday, the Spa failed a second time.  My husband again contacted the sales representative, Mr. Greg Bramell.  Mr. Bramell referred us back to the technical services division.  We again called the technical services division and explained the problem.  They (Gentleman’s name was “Billy” or “Ray”) diagnosed the problem as a heater failure and/or a ‘problem with the brain.”  Both a replacement heater and a master control “brain” box were shipped to my home address.  I was instructed to contact the technician (“Greg” @ 484-554-4326) once the parts arrived at my house.  Approximately ten to twelve (10-12) days later, both parts arrived.  Once we had the parts, my husband contacted the service technician, “Greg” as instructed. A service appointment was scheduled (for a few days later) and a technician came to my residence and installed the replacement heater and the main control box.   
During the Christmas week we learned that the Spa was again inoperative. The Ground Fault Breaker had “tripped” and the unit was off (and near frozen due to long periods of cold temperatures).  The exact date of this third “failure event” is not known as we were travelling over the Christmas holiday period.   On or about December 30, 2013, my husband called the technical service division and again spoke with either “Billy”, “Ray” or “Justin”.   At this time, he was instructed to remove the green/yellow wire from the heater connections (one of the three wires) at the control panel.  With this wire removed, the system restarted and appeared to function properly.   The Spa appeared to operate normally from early January, 2014 through to the first week of March to the best of our knowledge. (Heavy snowfalls and harsh temperatures precluded use of the Spa).
On or about March 6th, 2014, an “Error Code” appeared on the display screen, the unit had shut itself down.  I was also able to see several parts lying at the bottom of the Spa.  I was later advised that the “code” message was a symptom of a limit sensor defect (heater related) and that the parts found in the bottom of the Spa were from a nozzle/jet that was defective and had come apart internally.  My husband contacted the technical services division and was advised that they would send another heater unit (thermal limit switch is built in to the heater pack) and several models of replacement jet nozzles so that we would have the parts necessary to change out the defective units.  These parts arrived on or about March 18th, 2014.  My husband installed the heater and replaced the jet/nozzle on or about March 20, 2014.  The Spa again appeared to be operating normally.
On March 27, 2014, I went to use the tub and experienced a substantial electrical shock.  My husband immediately shut down the unit and contacted both the sales representative (Greg Bramell) and the technical services division to complain about this increasingly “dangerous“ unit.  Since the event of March 27, 2014, my husband maintained continuing contact and performed numerous tests as instructed in an attempt to determine the source of the electric “short”.  At this point, the technical services division asked my husband to take numerous photos of the main control box, the house wiring, the inside of the Ground Fault Breaker cabinet, etc.  They asked about wiring size, connections, etc. etc. etc.   My husband repeatedly complied in an attempt to work through the issues and problems.  He placed numerous calls and received several (not all) return calls regarding the problem.  In the discussions with “Greg” (service technician) during the week of March 09, 2014, there was a suggestion that he would be ordering us a new main control box and heater.  This dialogue continued through until my husband’s final call (to “Greg”) on April 11, 2014.  When he spoke with the service technician “Greg” he simply asked me if he received the parts so the he could come out to install them.  To the best of our knowledge, no parts were ordered. 
To be continued.....

[Sam]

This is why they keep changing their name.  They are now called Dr. Wellness spas, I believe.  They are garbage.  Buy from a reputable local dealer with a good track record of taking care of their customers.  You may save $1k or so at first, but over the life of the tub it would have been less expensive to buy a reputable brand from a local dealer.