Mistake on a Grandee scale.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 There is not a lot you can do to a pump other than bad chem care on your spa or you let something get sucked in it and jammed the impeller.   Most just fail because they do.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

*yawn*

Why is this not in the dead horse section?

[NZArtist]

Well it didn't get up to 38.5 Deg C last night in time for a spa.
But it's there now.  I can look forward to a soak later today.
Now that it's up to temperature I'll run the jets a few times and see if the leak is fixed.

I look forward eagerly to another couple of months of break-down free use of my spa.

[Sam]

I feel bad that your experience has been so terrible, but as stated in this thread, Hot Spring is a reputable manufacturer that sells quality spas.  I personally consider them a bit overpriced, but they have a good reputation for a reason.  It seems that your poor experience is mostly related to the retailer that you purchased from and the undersized heater that is used in New Zealand.

I think it was bad business for the tech to say that they won't cover it if it fails again.  I also think that you should be able to get it replaced under warranty if it occurs.  Go above the tech and talk to his boss first.  If he doesn't take care of it, I would call Hot Spring (manufacturer) directly.  They tend to take care of their customers when the local dealer doesn't do so.  I sold them many years ago, and they have a pretty good company culture that promotes great customer service.

By the way, you may get better responses on here if you didn't seem so combative.

[NZArtist]

Well, here we are 13 months down the line.
The Ace saltwater cell has failed yet again.  It's now spitting the black flakes into the spa pool, as they do when they fail.
Wouldn't you know it... one month out of warranty.
So in two years we've gone through three Ace saltwater cells. Hotspring doesn't tell you when you buy one of their spas you need to budget $800 per year for Ace cells.
What a joke.

[Gomboman]

Yeah, this thread should probably go to the beating horse section. I read some of his other posts and he sounds like the type of person who will never be happy.

On a side note, I purchased a 2005 Envoy and used it almost daily for 10 years without a problem so in my opinion Hot Springs makes a great product and have been very happy with my spa.

[Quickbeam]

I agree that Hot Springs makes a great product, but there are just too many stories out there of people having trouble with the ACE system and having to spend a lot of money to replace the cell. So for me, it would be Hot Springs yes, but ACE - not a chance.

[MarKee]

Gomboman you just posted that you were having trouble with your tub 

Most people would agree that HotSpring is a reliable quality spa, but it sounds like he may have a lemon.  Or maybe the spa is fine but the salt systems continue to be problematic, which many people have had issues with on here in the past.

[icenogle]

Andy (NZArtist) don't you have some sort of legal recourse such as small claims court? 

[NZArtist]

Andy (NZArtist) don't you have some sort of legal recourse such as small claims court? 

Yeah, I really should talk to the Commerce Commission about Hotspring. Their claims about the ACE system are really misleading. Their claims about the capabilities of their 1200W heater were misleading as well, although there's nothing in writing saying it will actually keep your spa warm while you're in it.  Mostly it was the assurances of the sales people who swore it was adequate for the spa.
The leaking pumps are just indicative of shoddy manufacturing, but they were replaced under warranty (with the technician threatening no other repairs would be covered).
And the exorbitant price I paid was me being stupid for thinking they were a quality brand.
I'll look into reporting them to the Commerce Commission, although to be honest I expect the process will be dehumanizing, depressing, and soul-destroying.  And at the end of it at best Hotspring will get a 'Change your advertising, and carry on', and I'll still have a crappy spa, with Hotspring determined to give me the shittiest service possible for reporting them. 

[dishdude]

Darn, I was hoping for the hourly update on your water temperature.

[icenogle]

Have fun with it.  I'm guessing you're are an artist of some sort.  Be creative and make a youtube video about your experience - it could be a infomercial or maybe even a drama  .  When I was looking for videos on hot tubs I did not come across that many except from the manufacturers themselves.  Don't let it get you down.  Your comments on here were one reason I did not look at Hot Springs.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Somehow, I suspect there's a lot more to this. No, not with regards to the manufacturer.

[icenogle]

Yeah, probably a lot more to it.  He's actually lucky, tonight while he is sitting in his tub looking at the stars I'm over here still waiting for mine to be delivered.  I have yet to experience what you all have done many days and nights in the past.  Guess I'll  have to be satisfied sitting on the couch tonight watching the Seahawks beat the Broncos. 

[NZArtist]

Darn, I was hoping for the hourly update on your water temperature.

Don't tempt me.
However if you have a better way of demonstrating the inadequacies of a 1.2kW heater in a spa that size I'd be happy to hear it.
Want me to post a video of the numbers on the temperature indicator on the spa counting down while I'm sitting in the spa?
I'm incredibly sorry if my reports on the spa problems I'm having here are annoying you. It must be incredibly frustrating for you to have to avoid reading a post about someone wasting over twenty thousand dollars on a terrible spa pool.  You should go have a bit of a lie down  to recover from your terrible experience of avoiding clicking the link to this thread.