South Seas Spas 748L opinions

[SDOutdoorsman]

Looking to get our first hot tub, we live in northern South Dakota so it does get really cold. We are looking at a south seas 748L from a dealer that is going out of business. With that said one of their techs will still be doing service in our area if needed. They have the hot tub listed at $7900 with cover, cover lift, steps, and delivery. Is that a decent price? I have tried to look online and have not found much for prices or reviews on it.

[The Wizard of Spas]

South Seas is a line from Artesian.  Great mid-level tub.  Only thing I didn't like was the sound of the pumps (loud) when I sold them a few years back, but someone elsewhere on this forum said that has been corrected.  Might want to see if you can hear it running. 

Other than that, I think - and this is me personally - that the price is somewhat high if the company is going out of business.  I'd try and get the warranty coverage from the tech in writing, or ask for a reduction in price as they will *never* have to come out of pocket on warranty.  Parts, labor, nothing.  That might not fly but I wouldn't spend that amount on a spa with zero warranty coverage (I believe that spa offers 3 years 100% parts and labor). I say that as at my facility, if a client is coming from out of our area and simply wants the spa and no warranty coverage, we will reduce the cost of the tub at a price most will jump at. 

May not be the same for everyone.  I hope this helps.  Good luck moving forward.

[d00nut]

I agree with Wizard.  A company that is going out of business promising warranty work and service work is no different than a traveling salesperson promising service after the sale even though they are leaving the state...

It's empty.

Unless you have a legal contract... you have nothing.

[trp3383]

I got a price last week on 748B for $6,999 includes steps, cover, cover lifter, and frog @ease.  

[wmccall]

Welcome to the forum.  Do come back and tell us how it goes for you.

[SDOutdoorsman]

South Seas is a line from Artesian.  Great mid-level tub.  Only thing I didn't like was the sound of the pumps (loud) when I sold them a few years back, but someone elsewhere on this forum said that has been corrected.  Might want to see if you can hear it running. 

Other than that, I think - and this is me personally - that the price is somewhat high if the company is going out of business.  I'd try and get the warranty coverage from the tech in writing, or ask for a reduction in price as they will *never* have to come out of pocket on warranty.  Parts, labor, nothing.  That might not fly but I wouldn't spend that amount on a spa with zero warranty coverage (I believe that spa offers 3 years 100% parts and labor). I say that as at my facility, if a client is coming from out of our area and simply wants the spa and no warranty coverage, we will reduce the cost of the tub at a price most will jump at. 

May not be the same for everyone.  I hope this helps.  Good luck moving forward.

What kind of price should I be looking at, I thought it might be high but also didn’t want to completely low ball them with very little knowledge of it.

[Tman122]

"As long as I am not getting any warranty from you I'll give you 6500 for that tub"

[SDOutdoorsman]

When first talking to him I did ask about warranty with them going out of business, he also made it seem like if I called artesian they would send someone, is that a possibility for warranty? Or would that be at my expense for a plane ticket for a tech if the local guy doesn’t work out? If that’s the case without a local tech do I basically not even have the 3 year warranty?

[castletonia]

The warranty is through Artesian, not your local dealer.  However, any promises your dealer makes will no longer be valid once they are out of business.  What would likely happen is either Artesian would find an independent service technician to perform any work or if they setup a new dealer, that new dealer would then perform any necessary warranty work.  Keep in mind that anyone other than your "selling" dealer will likely charge you a trip charge or service call fee, even for warranty work.

As others have already said, I would try to get that price down because even though Artesian makes a quality hot tub and backs the warranty, there will still be out of pocket costs to you and the hassle of finding someone if an issue occurs.

[Sam]

Agree with everything posted above.  That's a well made hot tub but problems do happen.  Artesian is on the hook for the warranty but you don't get the same kind of service as you would from the dealer you purchased the spa from.  I would offer $6k and maybe go up to $6500 for that model in that situation.

In the end, Artesian is the kind of manufacturer that will find another dealer in that area probably rather quickly.  They are one of the better manufacturers out there and someone will pick them up.  I would make it a point to start a good relationship with the new dealer when that happens.