Arctic Spa - Coyote brand warranty issue and really really bad customer service

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

But...it's not about getting a BETTER warranty, it about getting the warranty HONORED!

[BullFrogSpasMN]

I can't believe a "higher up" from Artic has not reached out to you to resolve this...the longer this thread is in a google the search the more they are "bending over to pickup a nickel when there is dollar bills falling out of there back pockets"

[av8r]

I can't believe a "higher up" from Artic has not reached out to you to resolve this...the longer this thread is in a google the search the more they are "bending over to pickup a nickel when there is dollar bills falling out of there back pockets"

Yep..proof that those in charge are truly arrogant and stupid.  Perfect recipe to ruin a business.

[Quickbeam]

I say we  do everything we can to keep this thread alive. Hopefully it will help the OP to get his issue resolved. Failing that, then it will let every person who comes on this forum know what kind of treatment they can expect to get from Arctic.

[p0opstlnksal0t]

Arctic Spas will not be in the running for me now. thanks for the heads up

[Tman122]

Arctic Spas will not be in the running for me now. thanks for the heads up

I wouldn't rule Arctic out. Yes they have had some manufacturers defects. But the majority of dealers that sell them feel they are of good enough design and longevity to keep them in their windows. And they hold up as good as the rest. Tough shells, better than some insulation, nice cabinets and covers. Cool names. They are in my top 5, which means nothing.

[Vinny]

Although I truly believe that Arctic should step up and do the right thing, this is in their warranty statement: Spa replacement is done only at the discretion of Coyote spas®. Reasonable costs for the removal of the defective spa, and delivery and installation will be the responsibility of the spa owner. I personally don't understand how a spa becomes physically broken unless it was dropped or was manufactured defective from the beginning. If you see no stress fractures on the shell or other broken parts IMO then it was built around a crappy frame. Honestly my frame which is 10 YO still looks great and I know that other people based on what's been written here have old tubs that are still going strong.

I looked at my spa's warranty which is long expired and it had the same verbiage. Because the spa is physically broken Arctic should bite the bullet and just give the OP a new spa - period. I would find it interesting how they can explain a physically broken spa without other signs of damage. How a company treats it's customers tells exactly what they think of them ... I doubt that if Arctic ever had a dealer by me that I would visit them due to seeing how this is turning out; it's a shame because when I first got here I was pretty impressed by Arctic's performance.

[Quickbeam]

I’m guessing Arctic probably does make a pretty decent spa. That being said, part of the decision on which brand of spa you purchase has to be in how you’re going to be looked after if there is a problem. Even the best of products sometimes have problems. I have always said that the issue isn’t really if there is a problem (unless the brand or product has a reputation for problems), it’s how the problem is taken care of. In this case Arctic fails miserably. Given this, if I was in the market for a spa right now, I wouldn’t go near Arctic.

[HotTubster]

From Arctic's Facebook page:
"Arctic Spas Hi there, I think this must be a mistake or a misunderstanding. First, I think you are referring to a Coyote Spa brand hot tub, which has a different design and warranty than an Arctic Spas brand hot tub. Arctic Spas have a lifetime structural warranty and Coyote Spas have a 7 year structural warranty. That aside, it is very rare that one of our hot tubs has a structural problem. When they do, it is often necessary for us to replace the spa rather than attempt a repair on site. If the pumps, heater, circuit boards and other equipment are fine and the only issue is a structural defect then this equipment is not replaced, it is swapped over to the replacement spa. Our warranty covers the cost for all of this and usually the local retail store where you bought it will cover the cost of delivery of the new one and removal of the old one. In some cases, customers are not comfortable with keeping the old (perfectly good) equipment. Therefore, we offer an option for them to pay for new equipment. To replace all of the pumps, heater, circuit boards and misc components could quite easily cost $2000. If these two distinct options were not clearly explained to you I apologize for that and hope we can sort it out and regain your trust"

Are they and the dealer covering the swap of components to a new structure?

[arkybug]

First of all, thank you everyone for all of your support during this mess. Some days I feel like fighting the good fight, and other days I want to dump the damn thing in the landfill and cry my eyes out while stuffing my face with chocolate (or any other comfort food I can get my hands on).

About a week ago, our local Consumer Watchdog called me to do a story on this warranty issue. He was going to call me as soon as he had spoken to the manufacturer, however, I have not heard from him yet, so my thought is that BlueFalls is not willing to talk.

That being said, on Monday I got a call from our government Consumer Investigative Unit about my complaint regarding BFM. They were going to contact them this week to get details around the warranty and call me back on Friday if they can get an answer from BFM.

All of a sudden, I get a call from the dealer. They are willing to cover all the labour costs and swap out the electronics and put them into a new tub (structural support/shell/plumbing). Although BFM is only going to pay 2 hours of labour, the dealer will cover the rest (you mean you'll cover the labour if it takes 5 hours to complete? Yes, we will do that for you). So, happy dance for me, right? Not so fast... the dealer is only willing to do this at their shop (faster to fix), not on-site (could take up to a day to fix), as what was originally proposed. Not that I blame them. We have 6 inches of snow on the ground as of yesterday. But this will still cost me. And as the Service guy said yesterday 'I never see customers choose this option, because it's so expensive to move the tub.' Well, duh! $1000 to get it moved there and back.

Option 2: BFM is still adamant that they are going to charge me $2000 for a new tub. But... the dealer will cover the delivery / set up charge and removal fee for my old tub, because BFM reimburses them.

So, I am out $1000 (dealer cost) to fix my tub at their shop, or $2000 (manufacturer costs) to get a new tub. Either way, I'm expected to pay for something that was delivered to me with a factory defect.

So... a lesson for hot tub newbies out there: when your tub gets delivered, CHECK THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE. Any cracks whatsoever, don't accept delivery, even if everyone swears up and down that this never happens. I wish I would have known what to look for, or that this was even a possibility. I was so excited to use it, I didn't even realize the wood was cracked. Stupid me.

[Quickbeam]

See my post above, but Arctic still fails, and fails miserably. You should not be out of pocket. Once again, really sorry you are going through this.

[Vinny]

I see that Blue Falls Manufacturing (aka Arctic and Coyote) is now playing a " oh, its not our best spa line" - that is a load of crap. A spa's stucture is not supposed to crack. What do they use to manufacture the structure balsam wood?

And I find it admirable that you are not holdiñg the dealer responsible but I do have a question - was the structure exposed while they were there installing the tub? If not, I wouldn't either but if it was then I would have to say why didn't one of the techs notice it?

I can definitely say that I won't be buying anything from Blue Falls Manufacturing whatever they may manufacture. There are so many classier manufactures out there that there's no reason to be treated this way.

[HotTubster]

Yep, I agree that you should not be going through this so soon after purchase.

I think the issue is that the structural warranty makes no allowance for how long you have had your tub. You are  being treated the same as if someone has had their tub for 6 1/2 years ..... and I could see why a manufacturer would be hesitant to give someone a complete brand new tub with all new components for $0.00 after 6 1/2 years of use.

The solution would possibly be to have a proration clause in the warranty. Something like $0.00 cost for a replacement tub in year one, then prorated up to $2000 or so (depending on the model, number of pumps etc) over the 7 year period.

[HotTubster]

Also, the fact that this has somewhat "blown-up" tells me that this is likely not a common issue with Coyote/Arctic tubs and they have been caught somewhat off-guard and slow to respond (possibly due to internal bureaucracy sticking to "policy"). Hopefully they learn from this and make whatever changes necessary.

This should include a full investigation into why your tub failed (was there a chance it was dropped somewhere along the way?) .... maybe they might need to add an additional brace or support to the structure.. maybe improve the shipping mechanism/process ..... maybe the dealer should do a more thorough delivery inspection etc?

Arctic and Coyote are both decent spas, but the Arctic is definitely a big step up from the Coyote in terms of quality of construction .... I had a look at the internals and structure of both (they are not foam filled, but open cavity).

[Hottubguy]

First of all, thank you everyone for all of your support during this mess. Some days I feel like fighting the good fight, and other days I want to dump the damn thing in the landfill and cry my eyes out while stuffing my face with chocolate (or any other comfort food I can get my hands on).

About a week ago, our local Consumer Watchdog called me to do a story on this warranty issue. He was going to call me as soon as he had spoken to the manufacturer, however, I have not heard from him yet, so my thought is that BlueFalls is not willing to talk.

That being said, on Monday I got a call from our government Consumer Investigative Unit about my complaint regarding BFM. They were going to contact them this week to get details around the warranty and call me back on Friday if they can get an answer from BFM.

All of a sudden, I get a call from the dealer. They are willing to cover all the labour costs and swap out the electronics and put them into a new tub (structural support/shell/plumbing). Although BFM is only going to pay 2 hours of labour, the dealer will cover the rest (you mean you'll cover the labour if it takes 5 hours to complete? Yes, we will do that for you). So, happy dance for me, right? Not so fast... the dealer is only willing to do this at their shop (faster to fix), not on-site (could take up to a day to fix), as what was originally proposed. Not that I blame them. We have 6 inches of snow on the ground as of yesterday. But this will still cost me. And as the Service guy said yesterday 'I never see customers choose this option, because it's so expensive to move the tub.' Well, duh! $1000 to get it moved there and back.

Option 2: BFM is still adamant that they are going to charge me $2000 for a new tub. But... the dealer will cover the delivery / set up charge and removal fee for my old tub, because BFM reimburses them.

So, I am out $1000 (dealer cost) to fix my tub at their shop, or $2000 (manufacturer costs) to get a new tub. Either way, I'm expected to pay for something that was delivered to me with a factory defect.

So... a lesson for hot tub newbies out there: when your tub gets delivered, CHECK THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE. Any cracks whatsoever, don't accept delivery, even if everyone swears up and down that this never happens. I wish I would have known what to look for, or that this was even a possibility. I was so excited to use it, I didn't even realize the wood was cracked. Stupid me.

Why $1000?  Is it a difficult delivery or do you live a distance from the dealer?  Why not just rent a trailer or borrow one and get a couple friends to help you bring it to the dealer