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Quote from: nymxracer on January 21, 2016, 05:38:12 pmQuote from: Hottubguy on January 21, 2016, 10:15:47 amQuote from: nymxracer on January 21, 2016, 08:30:22 amQuote from: wmccall on January 21, 2016, 07:46:52 amI did have an experience with Dynasty when the dealer in my area closed and I still had warranty left. There was no other Dynasty dealer for at least 80 miles. Dynasty hired a couple of local independents to do the warranty work, but I had to pay a visit charge. The worst part of that arrangement was getting Dynasty to answer the phone and their inability to know what was inside my tub despite giving them my serial number everytime I called. So unicorns do exsist! This is exactly the info I was looking for. Thank you wmccall. Different scenario here. His dealer went out of business. I think you're thinking way to much into thisActually, that's a scenario that Im interested in hearing. He had a warranty and through no fault of his own he had to pay for part of the repair in the form of a "visit charge". If I'm understanding correctly he wouldn't have paid anything if the original dealer did the repair, or do you always pay a VC?Visit charges (trip charges, travel charges ... whatever name you want to use) are not just used by independent service guys or dealers doing work on brands that they don't sell. Every dealer has their own policy as to whether they use it and how, sometimes linked to distance or after a certain distance, sometimes a set fee for all, sometimes they'll waive it for a given time frame as part of the spa purchase...There is no standard and this is something that should be discussed when purchasing the spa.
Quote from: Hottubguy on January 21, 2016, 10:15:47 amQuote from: nymxracer on January 21, 2016, 08:30:22 amQuote from: wmccall on January 21, 2016, 07:46:52 amI did have an experience with Dynasty when the dealer in my area closed and I still had warranty left. There was no other Dynasty dealer for at least 80 miles. Dynasty hired a couple of local independents to do the warranty work, but I had to pay a visit charge. The worst part of that arrangement was getting Dynasty to answer the phone and their inability to know what was inside my tub despite giving them my serial number everytime I called. So unicorns do exsist! This is exactly the info I was looking for. Thank you wmccall. Different scenario here. His dealer went out of business. I think you're thinking way to much into thisActually, that's a scenario that Im interested in hearing. He had a warranty and through no fault of his own he had to pay for part of the repair in the form of a "visit charge". If I'm understanding correctly he wouldn't have paid anything if the original dealer did the repair, or do you always pay a VC?
Quote from: nymxracer on January 21, 2016, 08:30:22 amQuote from: wmccall on January 21, 2016, 07:46:52 amI did have an experience with Dynasty when the dealer in my area closed and I still had warranty left. There was no other Dynasty dealer for at least 80 miles. Dynasty hired a couple of local independents to do the warranty work, but I had to pay a visit charge. The worst part of that arrangement was getting Dynasty to answer the phone and their inability to know what was inside my tub despite giving them my serial number everytime I called. So unicorns do exsist! This is exactly the info I was looking for. Thank you wmccall. Different scenario here. His dealer went out of business. I think you're thinking way to much into this
Quote from: wmccall on January 21, 2016, 07:46:52 amI did have an experience with Dynasty when the dealer in my area closed and I still had warranty left. There was no other Dynasty dealer for at least 80 miles. Dynasty hired a couple of local independents to do the warranty work, but I had to pay a visit charge. The worst part of that arrangement was getting Dynasty to answer the phone and their inability to know what was inside my tub despite giving them my serial number everytime I called. So unicorns do exsist! This is exactly the info I was looking for. Thank you wmccall.
I did have an experience with Dynasty when the dealer in my area closed and I still had warranty left. There was no other Dynasty dealer for at least 80 miles. Dynasty hired a couple of local independents to do the warranty work, but I had to pay a visit charge. The worst part of that arrangement was getting Dynasty to answer the phone and their inability to know what was inside my tub despite giving them my serial number everytime I called.
Quote from: Spatech_tuo on January 21, 2016, 12:52:36 pmQuote from: nymxracer on January 21, 2016, 08:27:47 amQuote from: Jacuzzi Jim on January 21, 2016, 12:16:02 amWhere do you live? Just guessing New York or New Mexico maybe by your log in? And yes Doc hit it straight on, it's up to the dealer to take care of you. I'm in the nyc tristate state area. In a perfect world, yes the dealer should but I'm trying to be prepared for the non-perfect world.Being originally from Upstate NY myself I can think of more than a few areas where you might be that are just not going to be around the corner from a dealer so I understand that but you could always look around your area to see if you have an independent service guy as a fallback and maybe you could say to the dealer "if I have an emergency and you're not available do you have a backup person in my general area". I was told they deal with it as it comes and I would probably involve the regional rep. So I asked will I be responsible to pay and I couldn't get a yes or no, which in my experience usually means yes. Guess he was thinking about the visit charge I just learned about but didn't want to say it.
Quote from: nymxracer on January 21, 2016, 08:27:47 amQuote from: Jacuzzi Jim on January 21, 2016, 12:16:02 amWhere do you live? Just guessing New York or New Mexico maybe by your log in? And yes Doc hit it straight on, it's up to the dealer to take care of you. I'm in the nyc tristate state area. In a perfect world, yes the dealer should but I'm trying to be prepared for the non-perfect world.Being originally from Upstate NY myself I can think of more than a few areas where you might be that are just not going to be around the corner from a dealer so I understand that but you could always look around your area to see if you have an independent service guy as a fallback and maybe you could say to the dealer "if I have an emergency and you're not available do you have a backup person in my general area".
Quote from: Jacuzzi Jim on January 21, 2016, 12:16:02 amWhere do you live? Just guessing New York or New Mexico maybe by your log in? And yes Doc hit it straight on, it's up to the dealer to take care of you. I'm in the nyc tristate state area. In a perfect world, yes the dealer should but I'm trying to be prepared for the non-perfect world.
Where do you live? Just guessing New York or New Mexico maybe by your log in? And yes Doc hit it straight on, it's up to the dealer to take care of you.
Seems like the are all quality tubs with similar pricing so I feel the manufacturer who does the right thing deserves my business and support. This aspect would definitely make me choose one over the other.
Quote from: nymxracer on January 21, 2016, 05:59:02 pmSeems like the are all quality tubs with similar pricing so I feel the manufacturer who does the right thing deserves my business and support. This aspect would definitely make me choose one over the other.The 4 brands you mention considering are all about equally the same in regards to your concerns. There may be one that has an ever so slightly better reputation, but I personally wouldn't let that sway me decision.
I'm about 45 mins from every dealer and that's without traffic. I don't know if it's just my area but all the dealers I've met talk out of both sides of their mouths. I understand they need to make a profit but I also feel that they will tell me anything I want to hear just to sell a tub. Last thing I want is to be in that position with a 8k item that will be scrap if it freezes up. Anyone I know that has a tub is either close to the dealer or hasn't had any problems yet. Call me cynical but I'm not confident in the online reviews because I think most are b/s. Let's say the dealer can't make it soon enough and it freezes over, then what? Just playing devils advocate because I like to plan for the worst and hope for the best.
Quote from: nymxracer on January 20, 2016, 09:29:21 pmI'm about 45 mins from every dealer and that's without traffic. I don't know if it's just my area but all the dealers I've met talk out of both sides of their mouths. I understand they need to make a profit but I also feel that they will tell me anything I want to hear just to sell a tub. Last thing I want is to be in that position with a 8k item that will be scrap if it freezes up. Anyone I know that has a tub is either close to the dealer or hasn't had any problems yet. Call me cynical but I'm not confident in the online reviews because I think most are b/s. Let's say the dealer can't make it soon enough and it freezes over, then what? Just playing devils advocate because I like to plan for the worst and hope for the best.Since I'm in Minnesota I almost feel it necessary to add to the discussion 1. Before or right after purchasing an expensive spa is a good time to review your homeowners insurance policy to verify that you either have A. full replacement coverage or B. can you "add" the spa to your policy to ensure if the absolute worst case scenario happens (ie a complete freeze up) that you would be eligible to have that spa replaced (for the cost of a deductible of course)2. I'm in Minnesota (metro area over 1 million people total) around 25% of our calls are at least 45 minutes away, so although it may seem like a huge problem in your eyes, many many dealers in not only metro areas but also rural areas routinely travel that type of distance so just make sure you are asking your local dealer if that is an issue and also inquire about trip charges like mentioned above, I've seen them range from $40 to $175 so it can vary among dealers.3. If you purchase a premium well insulated spa (Bullfrog, Hot Spring, Marquis) and also have a small space heater on hand to put inside the equipment compartment in the event of a freeze up that spa will NOT freeze for AT LEAST 2-3 days assuming it was at or near 100-104 degrees when power was lost or the spa stopped working properly, I've personally seen them go as long as 4-6 days with a space heater before freezing to the point of causing severe damage.4. If for whatever reason the dealer "can't make it" that's all on you...warranty DOES NOT cover freeze ups, so again it is your responsibility to have a space heater on hand in case of emergency and also to inquire with your dealer if any of these "terms" are a problem, meaning can he easily service you within a couple days in the event the spa fails during the winter months or does he have someone close by that can. If he has been in business awhile and knows what he's doing these are questions that he should easily be able to answer because of course it has most likely come up before.5. Buy a Bullfrog, Marquis, or any of the Watkins products (Hot Spring Spas, Caldera Spas) and know that you purchased from 1 of the 3 best manufacturers in the entire industry and enjoy the hell out of it :-)
5. Buy a Bullfrog, Marquis, or any of the Watkins products (Hot Spring Spas, Caldera Spas) and know that you purchased from 1 of the 3 best manufacturers in the entire industry and enjoy the hell out of it :-)
Quote from: BullFrogSpasMN on January 21, 2016, 08:28:02 pm5. Buy a Bullfrog, Marquis, or any of the Watkins products (Hot Spring Spas, Caldera Spas) and know that you purchased from 1 of the 3 best manufacturers in the entire industry and enjoy the hell out of it :-)I think you need to look further nymx, top 10 to be fair. Because everyone has a different top 3 that may not include any of those BFsMN listed. And there are certainly equals or better not mentioned. D1, Arctic, Beachcomber to name a few more.
Jacuzzi / Sundance
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Topic: Noob trying to find the best manufacturer customer service (Read 15311 times)
