HS Vaguard.. Pricing all over the board!

[drober30]

I am a little frustrated with my HS dealer. First of all the dealer has eight stores throughout Michigan and is the Exclusive Hot Spring Dealer.

I have been getting prices and sales pitches from a couple of their stores. I finally narrowed it down to a Vanguard and want to make sure I am getting a "FAIR" deal.

Prior to selecting the Vanguard I had the dealer quoted me a "special price" on a Sovereign tub. The next day they left me a phone call and said they would come down another 1k to move the tub.

One Thousand dollars is not chump change and allot to come down. Thank goodness I did not jump on it the first day.

I don’t trust their price quotes and theirs really not another dealer that I can bench mark them against.

I really like the HS but am willing to buy a different brand before I get taking advantage of.

I walked into another one of their stores today and was quoted $8700 plus tax. This includes cover,lift,ozonator,chemicals, steps and delivery.

So for a 2005 Vanguard do you think $8700 plus tax is a good price (In Michigan)?  The store has quoted me all the way up to $10500 for the tub....

[windsurfdog]

It's only a good price if you think it is a good price.  Search this and other spa bulletin boards for 'Vanguard price' and see what others are paying.....this will help you determine if yours is a good price.  Good luck.  

[Chas]

I have been getting prices and sales pitches from a couple of their stores. I finally narrowed it down to a Vanguard and want to make sure I am getting a "FAIR" deal.

I walked into another one of their stores today and was quoted $8700 plus tax. This includes cover,lift,ozonator,chemicals, steps and delivery.

So for a 2005 Vanguard do you think $8700 plus tax is a good price (In Michigan)?  The store has quoted me all the way up to $10500 for the tub....

It is entirely possible that you have gotten a wide variety of prices for the same thing. On the other hand, it's likely that there is a missunderstanding at work here - one that I see all the time. In this industry, the word 'quote' generally refers to a written document. So if you are saying you have written documents with a variety of prices, then the answer is easy: go with the lowest price which includes the stuff you want. You may even want to take that low price to the closest HotSpring dealer and ask them to match or even beat it.

If, on the other hand, you mean that salepeople have mentioned different prices in casual conversation while wandering around the sales floor, I would say this is not unusual, nor should it scare you.  There is so much info floating around as you move from model to model, and there are often different packages included, or you could be seeing an '04 model in one store and an '05 in another. Also, some dealers charge more for certain colors and options, others may say the MSRP as a starting point, while others simply round the price off to give you a starting ball park, expecting to sit down with you and fine-tune all the details in writing.

What I'm saying is: the only price that matters is a written price. Don't panic over any other price: it's just far too easy to confuse it or even forget it once you step out the door. And even if you are one of those folks who jots the price down as it's spoken to you - you don't have a 'quote' until the dealer writes it and signs it.

One more note: I just took a thousand dollars off a Copper Vista this weekend.  I don't play games on prices- this was an actual thousand dollar reduction in the price I have sold that tub for all year. Or more correctly: NOT sold it for all year. I had two wet demo models left over, and it was not a hot-selling color for us. I even included ozone and a lift on one of the spas - and we always include new filters with any wet demo. With the new Tri-X filters this is no small thing. The folks were delighted to say the least, and so was I! They didn't like the color, but it was a deal they couldn't refuse. Perhaps your dealer has a particular tub he is ready to part with - I would go sit down with him and get all the details of that price reduction in writing. You can take a written bid home with you if you want a day to think...

[water_maiden]

My husband and I just purchased a 2005 Vanguard three days ago.  We live in Ohio.  We were also puzzled about the different prices quoted by the two competing Hot Spring dealers in our area.
Here is some advice.  We printed prices that members on this website had posted on the 2004 Vanguard.  (It seems that the 2005 model is too new to find price quotes at this time.)  We are fortunate because we have two dealers in our area.  We went to the first dealer and got their lowest price.  They came down $1,500 off their initial price quote.  We went to the second dealer and they said they would beat our initial price quote by $350.  
Therefore, we paid $8,500 total.  This includes a Cover Cradle with the two gas shocks, cover, Freshwater III, chemicals, delivery, set-up, GFIC box, and tax.  We decided on Pearl for our color.  When I called Hot Spring, the representative told me that the manufacturers suggested retail price on the 2005 Vanguard in Pearl is $8,995.  This price did not include any extras.
Good luck with your purchase!

[Lori]

My husband and I just purchased a 2005 Vanguard three days ago.  We live in Ohio.  We were also puzzled about the different prices quoted by the two competing Hot Spring dealers in our area.
Here is some advice.  We printed prices that members on this website had posted on the 2004 Vanguard.  (It seems that the 2005 model is too new to find price quotes at this time.)  We are fortunate because we have two dealers in our area.  We went to the first dealer and got their lowest price.  They came down $1,500 off their initial price quote.  We went to the second dealer and they said they would beat our initial price quote by $350.  
Therefore, we paid $8,500 total.  This includes a Cover Cradle with the two gas shocks, cover, Freshwater III, chemicals, delivery, set-up, GFIC box, and tax.  We decided on Pearl for our color.  When I called Hot Spring, the representative told me that the manufacturers suggested retail price on the 2005 Vanguard in Pearl is $8,995.  This price did not include any extras.
Good luck with your purchase!

Congratulations, Water Maiden!  

Drober30,

I can't help, being that I bought my Vanguard in 2003.  I think Chas gave some great insight!  Get it in writing!  I don't think you will regret buying a Vanguard, it is hard for me to remember what I paid for mine.  I always have to look it up!  LOL!!!

[wmccall]

, it is hard for me to remember what I paid for mine.  I always have to look it up!  LOL!!!

There is a good point to be made.

[drober30]

It is entirely possible that you have gotten a wide variety of prices for the same thing. On the other hand, it's likely that there is a missunderstanding at work here - one that I see all the time. In this industry, the word 'quote' generally refers to a written document. So if you are saying you have written documents with a variety of prices, then the answer is easy: go with the lowest price which includes the stuff you want. You may even want to take that low price to the closest Hot Spring dealer and ask them to match or even beat it.

I have two quotes in writing that vary greatly.

When you say to take the lowest price to the local HS dealer, my point is they are all the same stores just in different locations. There is nowhere else to get a HS for many miles( Hundreds).

That’s why I said I would consider another brand if I can’t confirm this as being a "fair" price.

They included an ozonator but it was from Spa King not the Fresh Water III system that is mentioned in the HS brochure. They want another $200 for that.

They also included a cover lift. Another Spa King special. It's a joke next to the HS lift which is another... well... $299 upgrade from one of their stores or $200 from the other.

I did not hide the fact that I was at one of their other stores. I never negotiated a price, just asked what the price was.

The bottom line is they have been extremely nice... everybody at each of the stores... but the pricing puts me on the defense.

Without competing stores with the same product I can only compare deals across different brands. That’s why I asked the question regarding pricing here.

[Vinny]

Here in NJ about 5 months ago I got a quote of $7,400 for a 2004 Vanguard with cover lifter, ozone, steps, starter chems and delivery. Things to consider are that some changes have taken place and that 2005 prices have gone up due to the petroleum prices.

One of the problems I have with "chain stores" is that there really isn't any competition of the same brand. When I went shopping, some of the brands were carried by pool dealers with multiple stores. Same as you, I couldn't go into another store to see IF I was getting a good deal. One store actually is supposed to carry 2 brands and only had one brand to show.

Living in NJ I'm lucky - a lot of different brands and dealers so I took advantage of the fact that I could see many dealers in a 45 minute drive time.  What I have found is that usually tubs of the same size and "quality" cost about the same - premium tubs cost about the same and secondary lines cost about the same.

I would suggest looking at different brands and see what a similar sized tub goes for. Make your list of what you like and IF you must have the Vanguard and you have a lower price from a competitor try to use it.

But as WSD said you need to be happy with the price. Personally I couldn't spend the money for the HS but that was me.

Good luck!

[drober30]

Well I just received some pricing that gives me a reference point.

My in-laws have a vacation house 3 hours away so I referenced the house zip code in the HS web site and called the local dealer for that area.

No hesitation to quote me pricing over the phone. No sales pitch just straight out gave me their price for the 05 Vanguard $7795 with cover.

Now all things being equal (all extras included) the price difference between my local dealer and the other was $664

Now remember my local dealer called me at home and tried to create "urgency" a classic sales tactic and offered me the tub at $10,500 and would throw in the upgraded cover lift. (had to know now because the truck was getting ready to leave from the factory)! LOL

Then from a different one of their stores I received the price of $8699 plus add $200 to upgrade the cover lift and $200 for the HS Fresh water III system.

So the $664 difference is not horrendous but the cheaper price came from a phone call to a store I had not even walked into.

I will ask my local dealer to match this price which is still a premium price for a premium tub (IMHO).

Man... I do feel sorry for the people who just fall victim to greedy sales people!

[grayta]

My two cents:

Just bought a 2004 Vanguard from Ohio Pools and Spas (a reputable local dealer) for $7395 (Redwood/Pearl).  With the breaker box, chemicals, a CoverCradle II, delivery, and a step I was out the door for $7582.95 plus tax... not a steal, but a fair price I thought.

By the way, nice site.  Very helpful.  Thanks to the hosts and all the contributors.