hot springs, tiger river, or bullfrog

[East_TX_Spa]

If you do decide on the Bullfrog, be sure to keep us updated on the pros and cons.  It's been very difficult to find any info from people that actually own them.  Some first-hand feedback is always helpful.

Thanks and good luck!

CEO

[East_TX_Spa]

I just read the Forbes "article".  It is a Press Release from Bullfrog.

CEO

[wmccall]

I simply think very few people will ever be changing out jet packs so I think it comes down to how they we test against other spas, how they honor their warranty, what their dealers are like, the overall quality of their spas, etc. (or bascially, what it always comes down to).

I agree.  Its my experience in life in general the things that wear out are the things that move or are replacable.   If I had one I probably wouldn't replace them too much, but if they had a new fancy one, I might have to !

[flajoker]

Hey just so you know, I live in the panhandle of Fla.
Hence, the name Flajoker .
Hot tubs have been selling like hot cakes since hurricane Ivan came thru.
They tell me the new ones are going up, due to higher shipping and factory cost. Wholesale on the Envoy is about $5000.00 according to a little birdie.
Looked at Bullfrog when I was working in Atlanta. Great looking tub, just didn't want service 350 miles away.

[tlc]

If the wholesale is around 5,000, Why is it that dealers need to make 4,000 on every tub they sell!! wouldn't a grand be enough. Makes sense you would sell more tubs if the price were lower!! I wish I could buy one whole sale! At that price maybe I would get two!!!one for the back deck and one for the front deck!!!
tlc

[East_TX_Spa]

Every dealer I know of, regardless of brand, is a "for profit" entity.  There is rent to pay, salaries, health insurance, liability insurance, inventories to maintain, a service department to equip and operate, vehicles to maintain, etc. etc......We also donate spas and products to charity functions.

I wish we could sell everybody that comes through the door a spa at cost, but we wouldn't be around for long and it might really be a stretch to service our customers with zero cash flow.

We'll probably just keep doing what we have for the last 20 years and sleep well at night knowing that we have several thousand happy customers that love their HotSpring, Tiger River, Solana, and Hot Spot Spas.

CEO

[hottubber]

You definately need to wet test if indeed you are still interested in the Bullfrog Spa. The concept is a good one, but honestly, do you really think that you would change out the jet selection in the seat of your choice? Howe much are the jet pacs and where do you put them when not in use? I saw the line at a trade show many years ago. To date, I still don't know anyone who owns one.
I am not a HS dealer but I will tell you that if it were me tossed between one of the best for 12 to 15 years of ownership vs. an off brand, I would go with the one that has a track record, HS. Remember, you only do this once, it may only cost a couple of bucks more a month to own the HS.
Your decision, best of luck :-/

[East_TX_Spa]

Hottubber has a good point about changing out the Jetpacks.  In all of our spas, there are some of the jets that can be upgraded or swapped out.  It's as easy as reaching in the spa, pulling the jet off, and popping another one in.  It takes 2 seconds to do.

NO ONE ever takes the time to do it.  It is highly unlikely that someone is going to go through all the rigamorough to change out an entire seat.

Also, the technology in the spas is constantly being improved and new features are devised.  A five year old spa is going to look pretty dated no matter what brand.  Many people are going to be ready to upgrade their spa in that time period anyway, so simply falling prey to the sales pitch of "updating" their spa with Jetpacks is somewhat short-sighted.

CEO

[HotTubMan]

If the wholesale is around 5,000, Why is it that dealers need to make 4,000 on every tub they sell!! wouldn't a grand be enough. Makes sense you would sell more tubs if the price were lower!! tlc

No $1000 is definitely not enough. That is a 16% gross profit margin.

16% would not cover operating expenses for most dealers.

I would settle for 16% if I didn't have to pay shipping, I owned the building and did not have to maintain it, had no staff, you service it yourself, did not have to adverise and the local utilities gave me free service.

[Steve]

16% GPM? Well call me retired and send me to Hawaii!

I'm sure it could be done if you were selling spas off your driveway .

FYI, those "jet paks" for the Bullfrog start at $650.00  each Canadian and go up to over $1000. Gimme a spa where I can interchange the individual jets for $15.00 each thank you very much!

Steve

[Spatech_tuo]

FYI, those "jet paks" for the Bullfrog start at $650.00  each Canadian and go up to over $1000. Gimme a spa where I can interchange the individual jets for $15.00 each thank you very much!

Steve

That sound you may have heard was my head hitting the floor after I fell backward off my chair. Now I'm not saying they're gouging people as I'm sure those seats aren't cheap to produce but I still see that as 95% marketing and 5% practicality. I've been saying for the longest time that I doubted people would be changing their seats out but I really wasn't meaning that due to costs. Now I KNOW people won't be changing seats if its gonna cost them $650.

[wmccall]

Now I KNOW people won't be changing seats if its gonna cost them $650.

The DVD did mention a return/swap program. It might not cost too much to clean them and recondition them.

[tlc]

I really don't think bullfrog is expecting people to swap the seats often.  The dealer here says they start around 300. Who knows what they will have later.  I'm not jumping into one. I will wet test next week and let everyone know(new dealer in town isn't set up yet!)how the tub is. Concept is there, but probably will never be swapped. Also found out yesterday that there are two different size jet paks a regular chair and a lounger! Now if I like a certain jet how am I going to swap the thing into my lounger chair if it is a different size!  Good thing I keep researching not really interested in the damn thing anymore! Now that it is FREEZING COLD I would just like to get into a hot tub and relax!!  Too Bad I Can't
lol
tlc

[hottubber]

One cannot install COST or wholesale pricing over this site.    The consumer may think that we are getting rich in this business at their expense. They really have no idea on what goes into the making of a reasonably proffittable retailer in this field. At 16% GP, we MUST close the doors.
Shipping costs, delivery costs, insurance, overhead, delivery trucks, personel.
Great site for questions and answers on particular related items, remember where you are when writing script.
Regards...

[HotTubMan]

Agreed, but it was a consumer that made the statement not a dealer, as far I can tell.

flajoker was here asking questions and told us he just purchased. He may be a disgruntled former employee or dealer but I beleive someone told him something they should not have.