Life-Spring Spa LS 8000 ?

[msgreek]

Hi everyone.
I'm wondering if anyone has information on the Life-Spring LS 8000 Spa unit ?  My friend claims to have paid 7,000 only 10 months ago and due to the sale of her house is trying to sell it for 3,000.  
I've just never heard of the unit.  

[msgreek]

Sorry, the name Life-Spring was changed to LifeSpas and the model remains the same.

[wmccall]

http://www.lifespas.com/

Seating Capacity: 5-7 Adults
Dimensions: 91” x 91” x 36.5”
Water Capacity: 490 Gallons
Jet Total: 21
Jet Pump: 5 H.P., 2 Speed
Weight: 590 lbs. dry / 5897 lbs. filled*

Where did they buy it? Who would service it? 7 adults? With two sitting in the lounger maybe? Their website shows a 4-6 person spa for $1750.   I'm not impressed with the website anyway.


Finally, this line always scares me away no matter what the product.  

HIGH VOLUME SALES & LOW OVERHEAD
Allows us to SELL SPAS up to
50% OFF
WHY PAY RETAIL?

[Mendocino101]

Life spring spas is where I began my search for a spa....I think it stands apart from all others as the single biggest con in the spa world ...phony news paper ads with a sales presentation much like those at a time share ....to say it is a poor spa, would be over stating its value ....

[Spatech_tuo]

I've just heard about them lately. Sounds like a Thermospa type pitch but these guys make you come to them the get the presentation. That's the last thing we need is another approach like T-Spas have. Anyone else familiar with these guys?

[mark 2550]

I'm new here but if you paid $7000.00 for something 10 month's ago and are willing to sell it for less than half that alone should tell you something

[msgreek]

Thanks to everyone for the info.  It's a very long story why I asked about this model.  I was buying the LS 8000 from my 'ex'-best friend.  She bought it 10 months ago for 7,000 and wanted to sell it to me for 3500.  I offered 3,000 and she agreed so I paid her with a check.  One hour later she asked for more $$ so I told her to tear up my check.  To make a long story short she cashed my check and is refusing to refund my money.  Guess it's Small Claim Court for my $3,000.  
I asked about this spa only because I thought perhaps I could sell it to my brother or someone else.  Now that I know it is a 'scam' spa I'll proceed with the Small Claim avenue.  
When I did a wet-test in her spa it was REALLY bad.  With the 5hp motor on 2nd speed you could barely see water movement .  Stupid me didn't know any better at the time.
Three days after the above problems  I bought the Jacuzzi 385 FROM A STORE  
The moral of this story?  NEVER do business with family or friends  :-/
A million thanks to everyone that offered info.

[msgreek]

     ps...I remember her telling me that she responded to a newspaper ad.  When they arrived at the LifeSpas appointment the sales rep talked them into the LS 8000 ($7,000) FROM from the original 1900.00 spa advertised in the newspaper.
    When I called the LifeSpa dealership the rep claimed their spas are among the top 3 in the industry !
    I'm sorry but some people just need to do their homework.

[J._McD]

    ps...I remember her telling me that she responded to a newspaper ad.  When they arrived at the LifeSpas appointment the sales rep talked them into the LS 8000 ($7,000) FROM from the original 1900.00 spa advertised in the newspaper.
     When I called the LifeSpa dealership the rep claimed their spas are among the top 3 in the industry !
     I'm sorry but some people just need to do their homework.

Yes, we know, dealers see a lot of this.  There is so much confusion about what is "believed" that it is common for people to get sucked into these scams.  Best advice is to say, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't."

Keep in mind, these are the people that shop dealers and become firmly convinced they are getting a "deal" and they form an opionion about the industry as being less that reputable.

FYI, there are no 5 hp motors in the industry.  The number is grossly over rated to impress.  If you are going to rely on horse power you want to know "continuous horsepower" not "Break horsepower".  As a matter of fact, because there are NO horsepower police out there it is best to talk about gallons per minute.  Then, the first clue to you is what is coming out of the jets.

Sorry about the loss of a "best friend".

[Mendocino101]

wow....sorry to hear of this happening to you...I guess the old saying " Birds of a feather flock together " holds true ...your ex friend and lifesprings

[msgreek]

Of course all this argumentation happened over the long weekend but today I'll seek legal advice regarding verbal contract law in California.  Needless to say, it really put a damper on my weekend.
I read her specs on the spa.  It has 21 jets with a 5hp motor.  From what I gathered or mere common sense the 1 motor is not enough for the excess jets.
Nevertheless, I really feel sorry for a consumer that is sucked in by these "discounted spa dealerships".  It really does give a bad reputation to all other dealerships that are legit.  But then it's the consumer's fault for not researching better.  The sales person seem to have an excellent sales pitch.  The consumer originally goes in with a budget of X amount but by the time they sign the dotted line that X amount has increased by several thousands that the consumer typically cannot afford nor can recoup when trying to sell a used spa.  :-/

[Mendocino101]

there is no dealership .....You go to a warehouse setting and spas are presented as a factory direct to you ....they are sold much like a time share in that before you are allowed to attend the presentation you must have both spouses there together, commit to a one and half hour sales presentation to get a spa education and everything you hear is good only for that moment ...You get sucked into them by seeing a ad in newspaper which appears to be a private party ad in the classified it is not a commercial ad ....for a spa typically at 1750.00 ....when you attend they bash the 1750.00 spa and tell you why you need to spend more on another .....but make no mistake theses are not dealers with a retail store front ....it is just an old school , old time sales gimmick ....and nothing more .....poor quality at best ....

[msgreek]

Somewhere in a thread of this forum the question was asked 'why spa reps have such a bad reputation' with consumers.  As we all know, a few bad potatoes will spoil the entire bag  :-/.  Is it potato or was it apples  .  Nevertheless, I feel sorry for the salespeople that are actually honest.

[J._McD]

Somewhere in a thread of this forum the question was asked 'why spa reps have such a bad reputation' with consumers.  As we all know, a few bad potatoes will spoil the entire bag  :-/.  Is it potato or was it apples  .  Nevertheless, I feel sorry for the salespeople that are actually honest.

It is hard to stand out when you are clumped together with the bunch.

[msgreek]

Yes, J McD it is hard but at least you can sleep in peace knowing you are legitimate.  Personally, I think the most negative factor is for the common consumer that gets sucked into the lies of these wholesalers; their fraudulent sales appointment where both husband and wife must be present; the addition of extra items like the ozone system which is typically included in the package by a reputable spa manufacturer; the lack of spa quality when buying wholesale and on and on.
      My EX – best friend was lead to believe her $7,000 bought a top quality spa.  For ONLY $2,000 more I DID buy one of the nation’s top spas.  Go figure over the lack of common sense by some people.