Trying to dicide between m series and a series. New owner

[benmih]

OK new nere. I decided that I want to go with a bullfrog spa. trying to get pricing out of these dealers during a lockdown has been hard and still waiting. My wife and I like to entertain and looking for  tub that has all seats, not lounger, but the m8 louger does look good. I have read in these forums eople getting crazy low prices on the a8. My question is if anyone knows. whats a good price for:
m7
m8
m9
a8

I'm really looking for those. paying cash not playing the credit card game or their 0% offers. A good price and cash in hand. I should also note we are in western pa, only one dealer in the area so kind of locked in on them. But just trying to get the best price. I know the m series is new, so they are probably not going to budge much. But wanted some good figures to go to bat with when i finally get to talk with them.

We thought about sundance aspen or the jacuzzi j-495 i think as back ups, but i just like the functionality of the bullfrog and their build quality a little better. In-laws had a sundance and after 6 or 7 years it was toast. Any help is greatly appriciated.

Thanks

[Frogger]

They arent even producing M series right now. Not until late this year to early next year. That my understanding. 

I wish I could afford the M8 but had a little too much debt to take that on. But the A8D is on order and I'm still thrilled!

[Backcountryluv]

Competitive pricing for:
M7: $14,500
M8: $15,500
M9: $18,000
A7:  $11,200

I don’t have pricing for A8, just A7.  I’ve been shopping around for a Bullfrog spa for two months.  The pricing listed above is the lowest pricing I could find.  The Bullfrog dealer where I live charges $18,200 for the M7.  It’s nearly $4,000 more than the dealer 2 hours away.  It’s so overpriced here.  How can there be that big of a discrepancy for the same exact product?!?!  Costco has the A7 on sale right now as a promotion that runs through July 5th.  Unfortunately, they are out of the M7 already, otherwise I could have saved several thousand dollars.  Limited supply.

[ratchett]

It’s nearly $4,000 more than the dealer 2 hours away.  It’s so overpriced here.  How can there be that big of a discrepancy for the same exact product?!?!

Not a Bullfrog owner, but I saved 20% on my Hotspring purchase simply by visiting two different dealers equidistant from my rural location. No haggling was necessary - this was their listed price for the tub I wanted (same make/model/year/color, not a stocked or floor model).

To answer your question using my example - not all dealers operate on the same profit margins. One dealer was a small family run operation with sales reps on salary (not commission) and had been selling/servicing Hotspring spas exclusively for decades. They had their own technicians on staff to handle warranty and service calls.   The other dealer was a big backyard HGTV makeover style store selling multiple brands of big-ticket products in the same shop, their (poorly educated) sales reps worked on commission and outsourced labor for warranty/service claims to a third party (which later I'd find out was the other dealer I visited and ultimately bought from lol).

The thing lots of people don't understand is that the dealer you buy from is usually covering labor costs for warranty service on a tub.  They need to factor in those costs into the sale of the tub.  Same with commission for the sales rep - they need their slice of the pie as well!
 
That's why lots of people agree - the dealer you buy from is a major part of the equation.  Be certain you trust them to do the job right if you call needing warranty service for something major like a broken heater in the middle of freezing wintertime or a leaking connection. 

Personally, I'd be willing to pay slightly more if I knew I could trust the dealer (and their technicians) as opposed to getting a "better" deal from some fly-by-night hottub salesman.

Just my $0.02 as a newbie who spends far too much time lurking every forum related to hottubs lol

[Backcountryluv]

It’s nearly $4,000 more than the dealer 2 hours away.  It’s so overpriced here.  How can there be that big of a discrepancy for the same exact product?!?!

Personally, I'd be willing to pay slightly more if I knew I could trust the dealer (and their technicians) as opposed to getting a "better" deal from some fly-by-night hottub salesman.

I agree with your sentiment and I am willing to pay more to support local small businesses.  In fact, I put down my refundable deposit on the M7 from the more expensive local Bullfrog dealer.  The frustrating part was that I actually liked the cheaper Bullfrog dealer who is two hours away better than the local one.  They are both small businesses.  The cheaper of the two is highly reputable and was an utter pleasure to work with and learn from.  Personally, I had a better experience with him and would have preferred to give him my business if he wasn’t over two hours away.  Ultimately, it made more sense to purchase locally for the sake of servicing and warranty calls and because they already had the exact spa I wanted on order for an Aug delivery, as opposed to Nov if ordering from other dealer.

All that being said, I’m considering getting my deposit back from the Bullfrog dealer and purchasing a Hotspring Highlife Envoy or Grandee for $4k-$5k less.  I’m so torn between the two!

[Spatech_tuo]

Competitive pricing for:
M7: $14,500
M8: $15,500
M9: $18,000
A7:  $11,200

I don’t have pricing for A8, just A7.  I’ve been shopping around for a Bullfrog spa for two months.  The pricing listed above is the lowest pricing I could find.  The Bullfrog dealer where I live charges $18,200 for the M7.  It’s nearly $4,000 more than the dealer 2 hours away.  It’s so overpriced here.  How can there be that big of a discrepancy for the same exact product?!?!  Costco has the A7 on sale right now as a promotion that runs through July 5th.  Unfortunately, they are out of the M7 already, otherwise I could have saved several thousand dollars.  Limited supply.

Have you negotiated that M7 price? Are they both the same situation regarding it not being a floor model, same things included...? is one in the heart of a big city and the other 2 hours away in a much different area i.e. kind of out in the country?

I'm assuming something is noticeably different because while you can't expect each dealer will give you the exact same price they should be in the same ballpark and a "nearly $4,000" difference is severe. Take your time and consider your options including being up front with that dealer that you can get a vastly better deal elsewhere.

[Backcountryluv]

Spatech, your thinking is in line with my own.  I was baffled by the difference.  You are correct in pointing out that locale plays into it.  I’m in Reno (big enough city), but the cheaper dealer is near Sacramento (certainly bigger than Reno).  Both prices are the lowest price negotiable.  The only discount the local company offers is for military, first responders, and medical professionals (-$500), bringing cost from $18,200 to $17,700.  The discrepancy is outrageous.  Both were the same exact product (ordered new) with same package (cover, lifter, starter kit). 

I was open with the local dealer and they told me that the dealer 2 hours away can’t sell to me because it is not his territory.  This is not true.  Also, they were very defensive about their pricing, especially when I said you can order the same M7 from Costco right now for $14,500! Unfortunately, Costco is already out of stock on M7s.  The promotion is running through July 5th.   They still have limited supply of other Bullfrog series though. 

In the end, though, the local company is reputable (they mostly sell and install custom pools and in-ground spas) and I can get the spa over two months sooner since it was preordered.  They are also going to apply the Labor Day promotion to the purchase.  I thought this was a very nice offer.  The Labor Day promotion usually runs Aug 24 through early Sept.  Since the preordered spa isn’t scheduled to arrive until August 7, they are going to schedule my delivery for Aug 24th so that the promotion applies.  At this time, they have  no idea what the Bullfrog promotion will be, but it usually is usually one of their better promotions (along with Memorial Day).  This Memorial Day it was a $1,500 rebate on the M series.  Hoping for something similar.  But, again, I’m considering getting my deposit back on the M7 and ordering a HotSpring Grandee for $14,500 through an extremely reputable local dealer.  I just don’t like knowingly overpaying for things, which according to everyone, would be the case with the M7 for $18,200.

[token]

For reference, we are located in Missouri and paid $12k for an A8 with 0% for 4 years at Watsons.