ISO900

[TALKCalgary.com]

Still in the midst of buying our first hot tub I was wondering how many manufacturers adopt ISO900? Also, are there any "independent" reviews on manufactures?

Steve

[Brewman]

I don't think any of them adopt ISO900, but Sundance for one is ISO9000 certified, which I beleive is about 10 times bette than ISO900.  

There is very little out there in the way of independent reviews of spas or spa makers.  

My advice, for what it's worth, is to stick with a nationally known brand, that has a reliable dealer in your area.  

Brewman

[ZzTop]

I don't think any of them adopt ISO900, but Sundance for one is ISO9000 certified, which I beleive is about 10 times bette than ISO900.  

There is very little out there in the way of independent reviews of spas or spa makers.  

My advice, for what it's worth, is to stick with a nationally known brand, that has a reliable dealer in your area.  

Brewman

I second that!

Unfortunately there are no independent reviews of Spa Manufactures.  I have emailed Consumers Reports and have asked them to do a report on Spas.  No word yet.

So the only way to get good information is to read this Form and others Spa Forms and it will soon become apparent which manufactures build quality and which ones are just marketing machines, to separate you from your hard earned money.

Also have a look at these other Hot Tub Forums:

www.poolandspa.com:8080/~2/login

www.rhtubs.com/cgi-bin/bbs/config.pl

Regards, Zz

[ZzTop]

hey Steve as a Realtor in Calgary how much value do you think a hot tub adds to the sales appeal/value of a  home?

[Shut_Down_Stranger]

Just a little primer on ISO 9000

It is a quality control and documentation standard used by many manufacturers. It documents the quality proceedures used to manufacturer a product, but is not a guarentee that the manufactured item is a "quality product". These two statements on a superficial level may appear a bit contradictory, so let's give an extreme example.

In essence you can state that you manufacture a hot tub using flour glue, toothpicks and plastic wrap, but as long as you follow those exact procedures in manufacturring of the product, you are ISO 9000 compliant.

[Chas]

Getting certified is expensive, and allows for audits of the process to be done to assure that the company remains in compliance.

I would say that a company who has invested in this quality-assurance step is going to generally make a better product than one which has not: based on the fact that it is an investment in QA, and the fact that it brings in outside checks of the manufacturing and customer-relations steps a company takes.

[Bill_Stevenson]

An ISO 9000 program takes into account all aspects of a company's business.  It is a proven methodology for constant product quality improvement.  Such a program is meant to define proceedures and monitor using feedback loops to ensure that the product is built in a consistent manner and that it performs in accordance with customer expectations.  

To illustrate the point lets use the example of the hypothetical hot tub manufacturer that utilized toothpicks and cellophane.  The first batch is built and shipped and presumably consumers get them.  When they fail to perform well the complaints roll in.  In a ISO 9000 environment those complaints would result in R&D, product changes, implementation, and testing to ensure that the problems are resolved.  

The shortfall of ISO 9000 programs, in my opinion, is that they tend to not define product differences from one company's offerings to another's.  So a Timex or a Casio with ISO 9000 could appear to be equivalent to a Rolex or a Patek with the same type of program.  In that sense the consumer must still pay attention to the intrinsic merit and suitability of any given product to meet their needs.  Nevertheless, companies that have made the committment to an ISO 9000 program are generally well funded and have made a significant commitment to their products and their customers.

Regards,

Bill  

[Wisoki]

Copied and pasted directly from consumer reports dot org web site.


Products not yet tested -- As reader interest in these products increases, we hope to be able to offer information.

Boats/outboard motors
Fireplaces/fireplace inserts
Furnaces
Golf equipment
Hot tubs
Insect Repellants (electronic or propane)
Jacuzzis
Motorcycles
Power washers
Radar detectors
Recreational vehicles
Spas
Swimming pools and equipment

Travel trailers/campers
Vans (conversion or full-size vans)  

Unfortunately there are no independent reviews of Spa Manufactures.  I have emailed Consumers Reports and have asked them to do a report on Spas.  No word yet.

Regards, Zz

[wmccall]

Copied and pasted directly from consumer reports dot org web site.


Products not yet tested -- As reader interest in these products increases, we hope to be able to offer information.

Insect Repellants (electronic or propane)
Jacuzzis
Motorcycles
 

Only Jacuzzis?  

[Wisoki]

yeah, funny how they catagorize hot tubs, spas AND Jacuzzi's. They are probably thinking mostly of the bath tubs though.

[TALKCalgary.com]

hey Steve as a Realtor in Calgary how much value do you think a hot tub adds to the sales appeal/value of a  home?

You should be a detective John :-) Actually, I spend most my days working as reporter for Channel 10 here in Calgary. Diane (my wife) now runs the real estate business.

Anyway, the ballpark figure Realtors use in Calgary is $4,000 for a hot tub that is in good condition and working. Something that can upset people who decide to sell after installing a top of the range $14,000 plus tub.

Actually, in terms of home upgrades and resale value hot tubs do OK. The people I feel sorry for are the ones who spend thousands installing a swimming pool. In many cases having a swimming pool can make a home harder to sell. I recall one buyer who purchased a $500,000 home on the condition that the sellers fill in the outdoor pool.

Steve

[ZzTop]

You should be a detective John :-) Actually, I spend most my days working as reporter for Channel 10 here in Calgary. Diane (my wife) now runs the real estate business.

Anyway, the ballpark figure Realtors use in Calgary is $4,000 for a hot tub that is in good condition and working. Something that can upset people who decide to sell after installing a top of the range $14,000 plus tub.

Actually, in terms of home upgrades and resale value hot tubs do OK. The people I feel sorry for are the ones who spend thousands installing a swimming pool. In many cases having a swimming pool can make a home harder to sell. I recall one buyer who purchased a $500,000 home on the condition that the sellers fill in the outdoor pool.

Steve

Thanks for you input Steve.  Very informative.

Your story regarding the swimming pool is exactly what happened to my Wife's previous Home in Vancouver.

I guess it is a good thing we call most spas Portable.

BTW you have a very well thought out web site with an incredable number of useful articles, information and links.  
Well Done!

Stay tuned....

  News at Eleven

Regards, Zz    John B.