Optima or Grandee

[poolboy34]

well said steve.  I agree 100%, that's why where I work the owner sets the prices right where we need them with no wiggle room......except for just enough for us to work a lifter and a set of steps into the deal and that's it.  All of our customers pay the same price, even at the shows and fairs we do.  

Jason,
Store manager for a D-1 and caldera Dealer

[IOWASPAMAN]

Thank You Steve and Poolboy, to quote from the movie Jerry maguire, 'You complete me."
All I was trying to get across is that with this forum many consumers can see what other consumers have been quoted for the same product, unfortunately, dealers may not pay the same for the product, also friegt costs are different also. In 20 years I have worked at 4 dealerships in 3 states. My highest lease was $27 per sq ft in a large metro area. my lowest was $7.85, that's a cost difference of around $6383 a month on a 4000sq ft store. advertising costs in the larger area was 3 times higher. Freight to the east coast was twice that of in the midwest.
I have priced spas with alot of 'wiggle' room and I have done it with less. Needaspa said price was his #1 concern over dealer reputation. That's his right. Go get the best deal you can, and when you pass up the local dealer and buy from a dealer 2 hours away to say $300, and when you call the local dealer for warranty see how he reacts. But promise me you won't get upset at him if he tells you to call the dealership you purchased it from. It is not like an automobile where you can drive it into the shop.Bring the spa to him and I'm sure he'll fix it under warranty.
Spa shoppers. In the end you must be comfortable with the dealership. I am not out to price gouge anyone, nor to I inflate my MSRP to give you a false sense of getting over on me. I sell a quality product, that costs more than you think. I sell it at a margin that I can stay in business, educate my staff,stock the parts you need, when you need them and take care of you after the sale like you expect.

[tony]

Great posts from all the dealers.  I know for me, the dealer was a very important part of the decision process.  With this type of purchase, where future service and advise may be needed, I wanted an established dealer who I felt would be there for the long run and who considers me important as a customer.  Thats what works for me.

[poolboy34]

Thank you IOWASPAMAN.  Well said, If customers only knew the half of it.  Great post.  What brand(s) do you curently sell and what brands have you sold in the past??  Which one do you feel is the best out there?
Jason,
Store manager for a D-1 and caldera Spas Dealer

[needaspa]

The warranty is a manufacturer's warranty and not store.  Any sundance store must provide the service whether you bought it from him or not!  Its part of being a dealer.  Its just a presure gimmick to get people to buy from the store closest to them.  All expenses are reimbursed to the store via the manufacturer.  As a result, any store can do the work.  A remedy to get help from a stuborn store is to call your attorney!

This is one point of buying a spa that really upsets me!  Stores try to setup local psuedo monopolies in local areas.  'You must buy from me or have your spa servicxed by me.'  There are 1000's of Sundance, HS, etc dealers in the US - Go with the one that offers the lowest price (knowing you may have extra shipping costs).  Then, use your local dealer for service and support.  Its that simple!

[tony]

I don't think this info is entirely correct.

[Lori]

I just have to say this.

Needaspa, you are crazy if you think that way.  I couldn't expect to drive 2 hours to buy a spa for some "PERCEIVED" price reduction, to turn around and expect the dealer who is only 30 minutes away to maintain my warranty.  Yes, warranties are manufacturer's, but as many spa dealers and technicians on these boards will be happy to point out, the warranties don't come for free!!!  They are built into the price of the tub.  And the manufacturer's keep track of who you bought from.  When I registered my tub after purchase, so the warranty would be activated, I was required to tell them the name, address, etc. of the dealer I purchased from.  Maybe the others don't, but HotSpring's does.

This, of course, as always, is just my opinion.

If you are that worried about the price you are paying, then maybe you shouldn't buy a spa.  Or buy from one of the big box stores (Wal-Mart, Sam's, Costco) and be done with it.   I personally believe in supporting local business!  I understand you want to get the best deal, we all did.

Ok, rant over.  Enough said.  I'm through!

[ebirrane]

Well, regarding warranty...

What if I buy a spa and have it delivered and then decide to move 3 hours away and have the spa professionally moved so as to not void the warranty.  Then who services it?

The spa is warranted from the manufacturer to work and they need to fix it if it doesn't.  Some warranties charge for greater than "customary" travel expense, which is why lawyers exist.

-Ed

[needaspa]

Ed,

Just have the closet dealer do your service.  As far as having a professional move it to not void the warranty, that is a fallacy!  A scare tactic!

[doodoo]

(Blind foolishness given this post to add but hey I'm on vacation).

When we bought our tub we shopped around. There are three Sundance dealers within a 150Km radius of us. After getting prices we went with the one that we felt earned our money. He was'nt the cheapest but they were all within $500 on their quotes for the very same Sundance optima, manufactured in the same plant with the same bells and whistles. So we went with comfort. BTW he was the closest at about 15km. Coincidence?

Impossible to price the same product in a different city given that cartage costs, and soo many other factors like insurance, rent, overhead, etc... will be different. My only concern are comments made by other esteemed posters on the value of customer service from the dealer you buy from knowing that the manufacturer will and must stand behing their product. All I can say to that is, customer service is what keeps me coming back again and again. I have a problem, call the dealer and it's solved, I have a question, called the dealer and it's answered, I have a favour to ask, call the dealer and nine times out of ten, it's granted.

As I said is a previous post  earlier today, customer service is based on respect, which is earned.

Needaspa, in all honesty, if I was a dealer and you came into my store with your attitude i would thank you for you generous offer to purchase a tub from me (at your more than generous price) but I would say, No thank you. I dont need the BS that would go with servicing you. And I'm not a dealer but a simple owner.

[poolboy34]

see...........customer service is a two way street.  the dealer doodoo purchased from respects him for choosing to buy from them eventhough they were more expensive.  doodoo in turn treats the dealer of his spa with respect by going back to them to purchase spa products and quite possibly referring new customers to them.  Now they have a relationship built on buyer/seller mutual respect.  Now lets say needaspa comes into the store i manage and gives us HIS offer for a D-1 nautilus (used just for cmparrison with the optima).  My sales staff would say thanks for your ofer, but we just can't sell you that spa at your price and stay in business.  Also it would be a disservice to all the customers who purchased that model before you came along at our everyday price.  It wouldn't be fair to them, and it could potentially hurt us down the rd as well.  plus if you're that demanding BEFORE buying a tub, we couldn't possibly imagine how demanding you would/will be after purchasing the tub from us.  Just my two cents.  well said Lori and doodoo!

Jason,
Store manager for a D-1 and Caldera Dealer

[ebirrane]

Poolboy34,

 I do not understand the point you are making in your post (which is different than agreeing with needaspa  ).

In your example, doodoo paid a little more for his(her?) spa, and comes back to the dealer to purchase spa products. That's doodoo's end of the bargain of "mutual respect".

The dealer's end of the bargain is that they "respect doodoo".  Heck, go to any salesman selling anything and say "your competitor costs less but I'm going with you as is" and you just made a friend.

The dealer here got a tangible benefit: money.  Doodoo got an intangible benefit: "respect".  For that to make sense , the respect of the dealer has to have some tangible benefit. Do "respected" customers get better prices where you work?  Do they bubble to the front of the list for warranty work?  Do dealers give better warranty service to customers they like?

I'm not trying to be a penny pincher -- I actually didn't haggle for the 2003 grandee I got because the price was smack dab where my research said it should be for my area (as opposed to, say, the optima dealer in my area).  

However, I didn't walk into the hot tub dealer's store to make a new friend and I certainly have an expectation that my warranty work and general service is the same whether the dealer thinks I'm fat, thin, sexy, ugly, nice, mean, smart or dumb.

Everyone wants an honest dealer with an honest mechanic and an honest price.  Some people (but not all people) are also willing to pay more for extras like a friendly smile when you walk in the store, unlimited water testing, or free phone advice.  Other people, however, don't value that as they can research those thing elsewhere.  Some people purchase chemicals online and get advice from *gasp* internet message boards.  So I don't think someone is a *jerk* if they don't want to pay for more than the hot tub and the contractual service.

As an aside, I predict needaspa will purchase a tub for more money than (s)he wants to but for less money that (s)he would otherwise have paid.  Give me one dealer who, over the course of a year, sells a given model of tub at a fixed price to *every* purchaser of that model of tub.  Some people come in and pay sticker. Some people come in and haggle to the dime. As a dealer you try and keep it in the middle and maybe come down a little bit to increase volume. 10 tubs at $1000 profit beats 5 tubs at $1500 profit.

We have a great relationship with a local jewler that we recommend to everyone.  He's a nice guy and its a family owned business and we get smiles and handshakes whenever we come in to the store and plenty of "favors" (like free jewelry cleaning and free ring repair, gold dipping and what not) and I've given out hundreds of his business cards. Why?  Not because I paid extra money for his charisma!! It was because he had the best prices in town and he "respects" me because I evangelize his business based on his efficiency and cost-effectiveness and increase his volume.

There are many ways to earn a dealer's friendship and respect while still seeking an honest and competative price. In other industries mature dealers expect an informed customer to price shop and I just don't see why that wouldn't apply to hot tubs as well.

-Ed

[needaspa]

Amen Ed!    I couldnt agree with you more!  Its amazing the people who feel they have to pay extra for service and a happy face from the store.  They unfortunately believe that there is some sort of tangible or intangible bonus for paying more.  There is not!  It reminds me why banks give out free lollipops when you complete a transaction especially a deposit at such LOW rates now a days - they are suckers!  

In my posts, I only try to illustrate the fact that there is a HUGE HUGE (75%+) markup on spas that people feel obligated to pay.  Why?  Why pad the dealers pocket more!  Wouldnt they rather pay a lower amount and have extra to save or even buy cool spa accesories.

Also, by paying these absorbinate (sp?) amounts, the buyer is not giving the dealer any incentices to make his business more efficient (less inventory, staff hours, power, etc) because of the extra money per sold unit he banks.

Like you said '10 tubs at $1000 profit beats 5 tubs at $1500 profit. '  I am not a dealer but I am guessing in addition he is getting volume rewards from the manufacture which further pads the bottom line.

Oh well, I try.

[Mendocino101]

Needaspa

75% mark ups. Are you talking about MSRP or what average consumers are paying...? I am sorry, but You are so negative and question the integrity of those who are simply trying to provide advice, help or suggestions for those who seek them based on their experience...again.... I will say you need to understand the value of what you want…the cost of it means nothing.... all that really matters is what it is worth…. does it matter that I paid x amount of dollars for my home 2 years ago but now its value is 60% higher…should I sell it for less…because someone might not think it is fair…. even though that is its current market value. Again you have to know what the value is for what you want …cost means ZERO in this equation... but it seems you want to dictate to someone how much money YOU feel is fair that someone should make...Do you actually believe that if you know what a dealer paid for something that means he is going to sell it for less...or even more importantly could sell it for less and still stay in business...it makes no sense…. in today’s economy and retail world, competitive balance keeps “most” everything in check. You are going to go a long time without getting what you want until you come across the person who is in a bad or desperate way…or until someone can convince you that they have something that costs less and that is just as good as what you really want and you take it figuring you out smarted everyone else…

[Spatech_tuo]

 I am not a dealer but I am guessing ...

This explains why your statements are often far from reality!