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Hello, I did not realize that hot tub shopping is like car shopping. Actually I think it's worse........... I hate sales people! I am almost considering just buying from Sam's so I don't have to deal with sales people and driving all around. We only have 2 dealers in our town, Sundance and Royal Spa. We haven't visited the local dealers yet. The rest are over an hour away.I understand the analogy and the feeling, but remember this. You don't have to have a hot tub, life will go on if you walk out the door. The market isn't that great and you have the advantage. Your not going to get them to sell you a hot tub below their cost very often, but you are in charge. Hottub dealers get lots of looky loos and when they know your serious they tend to get serious. Don't be afraid to walk out and come back, or let them know your visiting other dealers. When they do something you don't like, let them know. Good dealers know people who are comfortable with their dealers make for great customers and referralsWe live in Indiana. The tub will be placed outside.It's just the 2 of us but we want seating options and some room. I'm thinking something that would seat 5 possibly 6.This is good thinking. Many people tend to buy a big hot tub thinking their house will be party central. 14 years later it is just my wife and I in the tub 99% of the time. We still use our tub 300+ days a year. Its nice to have room to move around, but our 2nd tub is a little smaller, but still called a 5 person tub. A lounger is a must, I think anyway.Strong concerns over full foam because of rodents and repairs. My husband hates repairing stuff with sprayed insulation. If we don't get full foam we plan on adding some extra insulation to the pipes and possibly other areas. Having an access panel for repairs is a MUST, we don't want to have to flip the thing over.We live in a rural area near farms and where corn is processed so we have mice around. Putting poison out is NOT an option.I have fibro. and spinal problems. Basically I hurt all over, have muscle spasms, joint pain, arthritis, and muscle knots. I will need a tub that will also help my neck. I need deep tissue massage but honestly anything would be better than nothing at this point. I'm 5'8 and my husband is 6 foot.You here a lot about wet testing, I strongly support the idea and was fortunate enough to have a dealer with great selection. The tub we ended up with isn't the one I would have thought just looking. I'm 6'1 and my wife is 5'5" It took a little while to find one we were both comfortable with and that has paid off. As I mentioned it is her and I 99% of the time and frequently if one doesn't go out, the other won't either. We don't have to have a stereo or tv.We would like some nice lighting but it's not a deal breaker if it's not the most incredible lighting.A water feature would be nice but it isn't a must have.Most of the time we are sitting in a quiet tub relaxing, no jets, water features, or lights. We are going to be out of town this week so plan to stop at a place that sells Cal Spas and Caldera. I am almost afraid to even look, afraid that what I end up liking will be out of our budget. The Cal spas seems a little generic online and lacking jets.We plan on paying cash and making the purchase by the end of this year. We could finance but don't want to spend that much on a spa, I mean I think over 10 grand is a lot to spend at least for us. We could even pay straight cash, not a bank card if that would save us more money.I absolutely dread dealing with sales people. I don't know I could see us going with Sam's. They have one for around 7 grand, it's their largest one with bells and whistles and I wouldn't have to deal with sales people. I would just have to pay a company to help with placement.Please help and advise. I don't want to waste our time looking at dealers in Indiana if there is little chance of getting something that meets our needs within our price range. We are not opposed to buying a floor model if that would save us money.Are the Sam's spas that terrible? Unless we get Sundance or Royal spa we would have to pay a lot to have another brand delivered and set up because we don't have any other dealers close by.Our friend just purchased a Royal Spa Sultan for 9 grand, it was a floor model. We were blown away by the power of the jets. She said it would have been around 15 grand if not for being a display. We know that we want something as powerful as the spa she just bought but we can't pay 15 grand. Are the ones from Sam's as powerful, if not I don't want to even consider one of those now that I tried hers.Thanks in advance. I'm sure you receive similar questioning all the time. I am so overwhelmed at the brands, choices, prices and such.
We have both Royal and Sundance in my area. I would go with Sundance over Royal. Don't let anyone talk you out of fully insulated. If it was a terrible idea it wouldn't be used, and it still is. It helps with power consumption. Thank you for your response. I am going to guess that labor for a full foam spa repair would be much more costly than one that is not full foam. Am I wrong? Is there any other reason you would not recommend a Royal Spa? I've seen videos of mice infesting full foam spas and it being extremely costly. Can you comment on instances such as this? I wonder if energy consumption of a non fully insulated spa would balance out in the end because of lower labor costs on repairs?
Now is probably a good time to let you know that 17 out of the top 20 contributors to this board are sales people, some damn good reputable ones too that I have met personally...good luck with your purchase
We have both Royal and Sundance in my area. I would go with Sundance over Royal. Don't let anyone talk you out of fully insulated. If it was a terrible idea it wouldn't be used, and it still is. It helps with power consumption.Narrow your search down to the models from each available dealer you are interested in. Research the web sites of the manufacturers. See if a wet test of the models that interest you is possible. Get a feel for the dealer this way. Don't let a salesman push you around or fill you with misinformation.A big box store tub will disappoint you in the future with reduced longevity, higher power consumption, more noise and less reliability. Like anything else you almost always get what you pay for.
Quote from: BullFrogSpasMN on June 20, 2017, 01:08:17 pmNow is probably a good time to let you know that 17 out of the top 20 contributors to this board are sales people, some damn good reputable ones too that I have met personally...good luck with your purchaseThank you and I certainly hope to meet some wonderful sales people that can change my mind. Do you think I could find a 5 or 6 seat Bull Frog spa in my 7 to 10 grand price range? I am interested in Bull Frog as well, only the nearest dealer is 2 hours away.
If you are in a remote area with no dealers, plan to do your own maintenance and have cold weather, have you considered Arctic Spa's they are built in Canada so are designed for cold climates they will also sell direct if you don't have a dealership nearby (or at least they would a couple of years ago when I was considering one)
"I absolutely dread dealing with sales people. I don't know I could see us going with Sam's. They have one for around 7 grand, it's their largest one with bells and whistles and I wouldn't have to deal with sales people."Now is probably a good time to let you know that 17 out of the top 20 contributors to this board are sales people, some damn good reputable ones too that I have met personally...good luck with your purchase