Placing a Deposit on a New Spa

[dazedandconfused]

Hey Dealers,

Question for you.  Here is my situation.  

- my dealer's calender year ends 6/31
- I am having landscaping done in my backyard; should be complete by end of August.
- I plan on making a deposit on a spa this week to take advantage of end of year
- dealer would have to order my specific color combo

Here is what I am proposing for my dealer.  Does this sound reasonable?

1) give him some money this week
2) ask him not to order the spa until end of July.  order time is on average 4 weeks.  should be here end on August right when i need it.
3) ask him to make deposit refundable up to the point until he orders the spa.  this refundable deposit and delayed order will allow for any unexpected problems with my backyard landscaping and posssibly the need to cancel my request to order a spa before it is ordered.

So, what do you think?  Fair?  Have your customers dictated when to order?  Are deposits refundable while the order hasnt been placed?

Thanks

[Chas]

You're asking a lot. But, your dealer may very well be willing to go ahead.

[dazedandconfused]

Chas,

Am I asking alot on the deposit or order?  or both?

Thanks

[OnMedic]

I would have to agree that those are a lot of conditions to be asking for on a not so firm order.

There will always be a deal, so to be fair to the dealer, and yourself, I would suggest shopping for a deal when you are 100% sure what and when you want!

[bulmer4nc]

We are in a similar situation with our backyard.   Both dealers that we're dealing with right now have said they could take a deposit and order the spa and just hold it and have it delivered when we wanted.  Doesn't give us an out if we changed out mind but it does give the flexibility of doing what we need to do in the backyard.   Chances are the once we order, we're gonna want the thing delivered ASAP anyway.  Waiting is something niether my wife or myself do very well.

[empolgation]

Sounds to me like the best plan of action would be to wait until the end of July, give the deposit and have the spa ordered.

Chances are pretty good that the "end of year deal" will still be honored at the end of July - I can't think of a good reason why a spa ordered at the end of July would be less costly to the dealer if the deposit was given at the end of June rather than the end of July.

As a bonus you have another month to shop!

[Tubber]

Maybe for some dealers thats a lot to ask.
I can't understand why though.
I'll take a deposit to lock a deal, then order the tub when the customers ready. It's always fully refundable until the order has been placed. We have people who buy and order there tubs, and for whatever reason they cannot take delivery as expected. We hold the tub until the customer is ready in the warehouse, not outdoors as alot have to do. This is all where it comes down to what kind of dealer are you dealing with.
dazedandconfused I wish you were in our territory you would not have to worry about the things you do. Buying and getting ready for your new Hottub should not be a stressful time. Call the dealer and get a deposit down on the tub to lock it in and be done with it. If they will not do that look for another dealer who will.

[wmccall]

It can't hurt to ask.  In my case, the dealer had a lot of warehouse space and since mine was a popular model/color he didn't mind holding on the display floor  till I was ready. I did give him the 10% up front and he graciously held the spa about 45 days for me.  ( I work nearby and visited it weekly under the excuse I needed to see which side the electric was on and other excuses)

[Brewman]

Sounds reasonable, except maybe the refundable deposit thing.  Having a refundable deposit takes away a bit of security from the dealer.  You can always ask, there are no hard and fast rules on things like this.
Brewman

[Steve]

I'm with Tubber on this one. We do it all the time. Very few will cancel and the dealer really isn't out of pocket if they do. It's a small commitment from each party is all.

I think it's poor business to keep deposits. It's not how we make our money.

Steve

[Chas]

I guess you are just putting the deposit down to hold the price. From that angle, I guess it's not so much to ask.

On the other hand, as a courtesy, please be sure you give lots of advance notice of when you ARE ready for him to order.

[ndabunka]

#1. Why give him any money at all right now. The price then may be better than now. Why not wait. #2. The shipping will "probably" take longer. You should plan on form 5 to 8 weeks. I have seen FAR too many people come on these boards complaining about dealers not delivering the spa when originally planned.

[Tubber]

#1. Why give him any money at all right now. The price then may be better than now. Why not wait. #2. The shipping will "probably" take longer. You should plan on form 5 to 8 weeks. I have seen FAR too many people come on these boards complaining about dealers not delivering the spa when originally planned.

1) The price may very well go up too. Any package or accessories the dealer is offering right now may not be included later. If the price does go down I'd be willing to bet that even the sleaziest of dealer would honor that on a deposit, however the package offered with the lower price will most likely be different. There is nothing to lose by putting down a refundable deposit.
2) Delivery time may vary if the dealer and manufacturer get busy this is the season it's expected to happen. Thats a chance you have to take. The dealer will be or should be able to keep you updated as to time frames for delivery from the time you commit your  deposit.

Why put off til tomorrow what you can do today.

Do yourself a favor dazedandconfused, order or put a deposit on the tub. This is suppose to be a good time not a stressful time.

[wmccall]

I'm with Tubber on this one. We do it all the time. Very few will cancel and the dealer really isn't out of pocket if they do. It's a small commitment from each party is all.

I think it's poor business to keep deposits. It's not how we make our money.

Steve

Putting the deposit down, $650 in my case was a very memorable point in the purchase for me.  I was still a little leary about how we were going to pay, it depended on me rearranging a couple of debts.  When I asked if that deposit was refundable and he replied 100%, I instantly felt a lot more relaxed.

[saz]

I agree...if the money is totally refundable, then what have you got to lose by putting a deposit down.
saz