Hi all. I've been on the fence about getting a hot tub for years. Here's the problem I basically have - whenever I go check out the spas at a fair, or even in a showroom (long time since then), I always come away with an icky "used car salesman" vibe, with the hard sell tactics and techniques. I even had one guy at the fair become verbally abusive when I said I'd have to think about it and I was definitely not signing "on the spot" for something that costs so much. Walked away with a VERY HARD pass.
But of course I would like a hot tub to call my own, so I'm looking around again.
I've narrowed it down to something like a Hot Spot Rhythm or a Jacuzzi J-245 (not a fan of loungers). I guess if the price was right I could go for something like the J-345 with the recirc pump, etc.
But already I'm getting anxious about the process. Like, why is it such a big secret with prices? Why can't they just list their prices online? Even the shady used car salesmen do that - you know what they're asking for up front, even if you disagree, and you can always haggle.
With this, I have received some quotes, but it's useless without any way to compare if those are good prices or not. What's the equivalent of KBB for spas?
Is it all anecdotal? I've researched the threads on this forum (which is how I found this site) but much of the info is pretty old for each model, and even worse, it seems like some dealers think it's okay to charge more based on where you live (state, even by city).
I'm tempted to give up again, but now that I know about this site, maybe some of you can share your experiences and maybe even help me know if the quotes I got are reasonable? Talk me down off the ledge, so to speak? LOL
I'm in the Seattle area (not sure why that would matter one whit, but...whatever).
Hot Spot Rhythm: $8200 (and delivery not until Feb/Mar of 2021)
Jacuzzi J-225 (I did ask him about the J-225 as well): $8995 but wait, there's a "deal" for $7685
J-235/J-245: $10K normally, but again, magic deal on a J-235 soon for $8488
Those prices seem high compared to what I've seen discussed before, but again, those were old threads, and probably not Pacific Northwest (again, not sure why that would matter - don't they all come from Mexico?)
And the old "well, it's normally $xx but if you buy now it's $yy" is something that I just don't appreciate in general. Make the price be the price, you know?
Am I being too critical? It's possible... I'm generally untrusting of people. LOL I don't think I'm being too cautious when it comes to spending that much money (cash purchase, FYI).
Any advice from those of you who've gone through this?