Gulf Coast Spas

[Wannasoak]

Sorry to ask the same question every newbie asks, but...

Is this a decent brand?

I checked through the other topics and reviews and have not found much on these guys.  What do we know?

[Mendocino101]

I saw a post last week on another board about them and this person was very very unhappy....and again it comes back to service after the sale and more importantly honoring the warrantty......Most all spas seem wonderful during the first few months but when issues start to arise and a tech says they won't work on brand x or whatever because the factory will not pay the claim....that is where better makers distance themselves from the others....

[Wannasoak]

This is Gulf Coast Spas not Coast Spas.  Looks like a different company.

Any word on GCS?

[Mendocino101]

my apologies.......I could remove the post but the point about some of those better known makers still is the same they have earned their reps by taking care of people over the years....Gulf Coast may be a great spa but when it is tough to find information about them...it usually means they are newer or very small...or perhaps very regional in the area they do business....but perhaps in the end still very good

[Wannasoak]

I know the old saying "you get what you pay for", but the prospect of saving $4k or so on the tub seems to good to pass up.

As much as I would love to jump at a Hot Springs or one of the other major names, it seems silly to when my guess is every spa will eventually have issues

[Mendocino101]

tell us more what size what are the specs on the spa and what are you paying....

[Mendocino101]

As an example you can get from Marquis Everyday line a spa with oznator that is UL approved 300 gallons 5 seating postions and be under 4900.00 so unless you are looking at something for about a grand...there may be some other choices for you out there while still staying with a better known maker.....

[Spatech_tuo]

Here was a long thread on Dr. Spa's site where a few GC owners chimed in. It doesn’t reflect too well on them. I don't have any direct experience so I'm not trying to bolster my opinion on them specifically. Remember, spa warranties are meaningless if the company doesn't back the claim. Too often I see where a customer says they're saving XX dollars with a bargain brand and they say the warranty is just as good as Hot Spring, Caldera, Sundance, Jacuzzi, D1, Marquis, etc. (who are known for back their warranties).

http://www.rhtubs.com/cgi-bin/bbs/config.pl?noframes;read=56113

[Wannasoak]

You are right, that thread does not say much for GCS.

I found a Boca Grande, their top of the line, for $4900 w/cover.

MSRP $9300
6 people
57 jets
95" x 95" x 35"
10 hp pump system
the ozone deal
etc.

I need a real reason not to buy it, because I have found just as many positive reviews as negative, and my guess is I would pay double what this dealer quoted me for a more popular brand.  Help.

[Mendocino101]

10 hp.....is a big line of BS and  red flag for me.....

[Wannasoak]

http://www.gulfcoastspas.com

Check it out... Boca Grande

I don't know much about spas, why is 10 HP BS?

[Brewman]

Another red flag is their fake retail price of $9300.  
The 10 hp is bull because there isn't any way to get that much continuous hp from electric motors on a 50 or 60 amp 220 circuit which is a common spa wiring requirement.  
It appears that they derive the 10 hp from the brake hp of two motors added together.
And they do not state that this hp claim is bhp.
Plus their dealer locator requires personal information.


Brewman

[ndabunka]

You are right, that thread does not say much for GCS.

I found a Boca Grande, their top of the line, for $4900 w/cover.

MSRP $9300
6 people
57 jets
95" x 95" x 35"
10 hp pump system
the ozone deal
etc.

I need a real reason not to buy it, because I have found just as many positive reviews as negative, and my guess is I would pay double what this dealer quoted me for a more popular brand.  Help.

Gulf Coast offers 24x7 TELEPHONE support but does not have ANY local service techs. Rather, they "contract" with others for this work. The level of service varies based on the flip of a coin. They also tend to sell these "out of dealers garages" so that the local reseller doesn't have much (if any startup costs). This may "seem" like a great idea for the dealer but the reality is that there IS a value in having a local dealer you know will still be there next week. The $9K value is 100% bogus.  These spas are $5K spas they sell for $5K. You can find other "cheap" spas for $5K locally WITH LOCAL SUPPORT.  The Gulf coast is accurately priced at $5K as that is what they are worth....

[Wannasoak]

Who else has a tub that big, under $5k that "is reliable"?  Every local relailer I've seen is in the 8-10k range for this size tub.

[Spatech_tuo]

Who else has a tub that big, under $5k that "is reliable"?  Every local relailer I've seen is in the 8-10k range for this size tub.

You can’t compare an $8K local dealer spa (Hot Spring, Caldera, Sundance, Jacuzzi, Marquis, D1, etc.) to a $5k GC spa IMO. At best, the GC spa is a $5k spa sold for no more than its worth, $5k (and if you have issues you may not think its worth that much). You have to decide which you want. You can get the GCS spa if you'd like but the money you save will come with the cost of lesser quality and no local support for simple issues or for full-blown warranty work. They'll tell you that they have service people in your area but I hear otherwise time and time again so you should assume the worst. Unless you're comfortable fixing your own spa you need to factor in any work you'll need into the equation and who knows how much that will be.

BTW, that quote of 10 HP actually is two 5 BHP pumps where BHP is Brake HP. I constantly rant on this as I find it ridiculous and deceitful when some of these spa manufacturers don't have the honesty to quote in Continuous HP. Those would basically equate to be two 2.5 CONINUOUS HP pumps if you want to compare to other spa makers who don't play the BHP game.

I tried to copy/paste their warranty to show how that is inferior to the warranty of the $8k spas you’re trying to compare the Boca Grande to but I wasn’t able copy/paste for some reason. Anyway, besides doubting they’ll even have anyone available to service your spa I’m skeptical of their warranty being even close to equal for the following reasons:


          1)      If the heater fails it’ll be other reasons than simply the element “going bad” or they’ll simply blame it on chemical abuse. Some makers have the warranty state that the heater will be replaced regardless of who’s fault it is or chemicals. Check how this specifically compares to the other warranties.
           
          2)      The hoses and fittings having a lifetime warranty is pretty meaningless as the issue there will be with how well they glue the fittings which is not in their wording. I can’t tell from their wording if they cover leaks due to poor glue joints but it certainly wouldn’t be for a lifetime.

           3)      “Lifetime” warranty against permeable leakage is probably really only good for 7 years legally and probably won’t be an issue anyway as that is a rarity. The real issue would be the cracking, blistering, delam which they quote at 10 years BUT prorate after 1 year. As an example, some of the top spa makers only give you 7 years but that is with 100% coverage and if you’re going to have an issue here 7 years should be enough to bring it out. You really want 7 at 100% rather than 1 year at 100% and the next 9 years prorated.

          4)      Mechanical and solid state components at 2 years full and 3 more prorated is less than the typical 5 full years you’ll get with the top guys. Labor at 2 years is also less than the 5 you’ll get with most of the $8k spas you’re comparing the Boca Grande to.