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You did not answered the questions and the price difference would be that much.
Quote from: clover on December 16, 2013, 12:11:28 pmQuote from: Tman122 on December 16, 2013, 05:48:40 amI don't like.....But I would pay more to sit in it and see if it was right for me. And.....pay more to have it delivered and set up.....also would pay more for the warranty available from a dealer.....Tman, when you state your opinion of what you like or don't like, it is based upon what you know and don't know, which in this case leaves the spa shopper at a disadvantage. While we all want to get the most for the money we spend, some look to shop and learn from all of the resources available, like this website, to make their decisions. That is certainly understandable.However, based upon what the shopper knows, they will "shop around" to become informed by a variety of opinions, and sit in everybody else’s spa free for nothing until they feel determined “they are all alike". Then they save the money to enter uncharted territory to learn about delivery, set up, and reading the manufactures hand book that tells them where the equipment is, and what is not covered by the warranty. This, as you have learned, is a learning experience.As for warranty, shoppers never anticipate the need to arise, and only imagine that it will be covered, until again they deal with the situation in what we will call a learning experience. These experiences are filled with frustration that we commonly see addressed here on the forum.Because the savings of let's say $2,500 in this discussion being the primary focus, we would all want to save that kind of money. But this is where I get confused, is the shopper trying to find out what we make on a sale in hopes of making it less when he buys, or is he trying to convince himself that buying direct form Ching-Ling Direct, or the Cost not so much warehouse, that they are really on to a better way to get into hot water cheaper. This again will be a learning experience.To some level, we are all self sufficient, and then we need help. I applaud those who are able to fend for themselves, in spite of the cost to others they do not even care about, for their own self serving interests. I suppose we have all done this sometime in our life, but many of us consider these to be lessons learned.To some, we have a value, and those would be our customers, to others, we don't have value and that is what they want to take out of the price. This too is a learning experience.I admire adventuresome, rugged, individualists that thrive in the Alaska wilderness, but I have no interest in being a survivalist in my suburban setting. In my younger years, many decades ago, I once changed my own oil to save the money, and because “I felt” I could do it myself, only to cross thread the drain plug going back in. Everything that happened after that was a learning experience for me.Thats good stuff. We did a Value Stream Map on an oil change (Google Value Stream Map) And it costs 50% less to have it done at an 39.95 oil change place than it does to do it yourself. Assuming you put a value to your time. And we like to double the value of our time because we could of been doing something else.
Quote from: Tman122 on December 16, 2013, 05:48:40 amI don't like.....But I would pay more to sit in it and see if it was right for me. And.....pay more to have it delivered and set up.....also would pay more for the warranty available from a dealer.....Tman, when you state your opinion of what you like or don't like, it is based upon what you know and don't know, which in this case leaves the spa shopper at a disadvantage. While we all want to get the most for the money we spend, some look to shop and learn from all of the resources available, like this website, to make their decisions. That is certainly understandable.However, based upon what the shopper knows, they will "shop around" to become informed by a variety of opinions, and sit in everybody else’s spa free for nothing until they feel determined “they are all alike". Then they save the money to enter uncharted territory to learn about delivery, set up, and reading the manufactures hand book that tells them where the equipment is, and what is not covered by the warranty. This, as you have learned, is a learning experience.As for warranty, shoppers never anticipate the need to arise, and only imagine that it will be covered, until again they deal with the situation in what we will call a learning experience. These experiences are filled with frustration that we commonly see addressed here on the forum.Because the savings of let's say $2,500 in this discussion being the primary focus, we would all want to save that kind of money. But this is where I get confused, is the shopper trying to find out what we make on a sale in hopes of making it less when he buys, or is he trying to convince himself that buying direct form Ching-Ling Direct, or the Cost not so much warehouse, that they are really on to a better way to get into hot water cheaper. This again will be a learning experience.To some level, we are all self sufficient, and then we need help. I applaud those who are able to fend for themselves, in spite of the cost to others they do not even care about, for their own self serving interests. I suppose we have all done this sometime in our life, but many of us consider these to be lessons learned.To some, we have a value, and those would be our customers, to others, we don't have value and that is what they want to take out of the price. This too is a learning experience.I admire adventuresome, rugged, individualists that thrive in the Alaska wilderness, but I have no interest in being a survivalist in my suburban setting. In my younger years, many decades ago, I once changed my own oil to save the money, and because “I felt” I could do it myself, only to cross thread the drain plug going back in. Everything that happened after that was a learning experience for me.
I don't like.....But I would pay more to sit in it and see if it was right for me. And.....pay more to have it delivered and set up.....also would pay more for the warranty available from a dealer.....
Rosewood, this is taking us off subject, but I think you’re missing the point. Consider for a moment the “value” of your time, and then factor that cost to “what” you do with your time. Whether you are changing your oil, or shopping for a spa, you are using your time.Tman is only suggesting, if you include the “value” of your time into the equation of what you do, you are creating a cost analysis. This is one step in reaching the answer of what it cost YOU to do something. You’re not going to get a check, nor will you get your value back, but that is presumably what it cost you to do something theoretically. The example used for a $40 oil change, is to say if you did it yourself, the cost of materials, the value of your time for preparation, application, and clean up, putting everything away which includes “your time”, it would take longer then a drive through oil change that would take 20 minutes for $40.Consider the cost of the 5 quarts, the filter, and the time it takes to check all of the other points of service, then clean up everything, and total the cost, or value, of your time, you are more than twice the cost of the $40. It is just a theory.As for your friend’s calamity, the “dealer” paid for the repairs because he touched it. Now, you may better understand why a Hot Tub Dealer would not want to touch a product he is not familiar with that was purchased elsewhere by an orphan. Based upon your response, it would appear you would not be satisfied with repairs, as you may demand it be replaced instead.The time we spend on the decisions we make, is considered diligence, and you sir, are diligent in what you do. While I do not wish to demean this quality, you seem to be more focused on the portion of your Hot Tub purchase that profits the dealer, and you feel the need to cut it out of the equation and keep it in your pocket. Of course, this is your prerogative, but is it wise.
If I wanted to do it right, I would take my car to my “dealer” (which is approximately 35 minutes away) and drop the car off. Of course, my wife would have to follow me in her car (2 xs the hours spent, not to mention the gasoline and “wear and tear” on both vehicles.) The following day, both of us would return to pick up my serviced vehicle and then we would drive home. If I were to do the oil change myself, I would grab a cup of coffee, walk into my garage, jack my car up and change the oil.
I saved up all the time saved by not changing my own oil and went to the Caribbean.