Here's an idea...call a repairman BEFORE you need

[stressed-out-teach]

After wet  testing several tubs, I was more confused than ever, when I had a brainstorm.  Why not call local spa repairmen and get their opinions on the different brands.  It proved to be very enlightening, as well as beneficial.  Each of the 4 men that I called had almost identical comments on the various spas as well as the local dealerships.  It sure can't hurt you in your search to load up on as much information as possible.  Happy hunting!!

[freddortort]

Well? ?  ?  ?  ?  ? ? ?

[stressed-out-teach]

I went with the HS Vanguard.  The dealer here in Tulsa has had the line for over 25 years and has an excellent reputation.  The other top lines change dealers fairly often.  I plan on being here for a long time, so I wanted a dealer that I could count on to be here to service my spa.  It was also the brand/dealer that all 4 of the repairmen recommended.  I figured it was a pretty safe choice.

[Steve]

Smart way of doing it IMO...

Steve

[stuart]

The only problem you might encounter is that most techs are not independant and work mostly on their own brand and have gone through as much or more hoopla than the sales team.

I agree it's a smart move however simply because the nature of the person working as a tech would be to answer with less diplomacy and more direct.

Many of us started out as techs and it is still our first passion.

[bob5820]

No doubt that HS is a good choice, and the more experienced views that you can get the better informed your choice may be. But as Stuart pointed out you do need to think about the source. Is the repair guy really telling you that spa A is a great spa, or Spa A is really a nice spa to work on. My point is his recommendation may have more to do with his priorities (ease of access, availability of parts, etc) then your priorities.

[Brewman]

I'd be really suprised to hear a repair person truly bash the product if they work exclusively on that brand, but an independent tech's opinion might be interesting.  
But I'd use that opinion maybe as a tie breaker among the top two, or to eliminate a model that seems be troublesome across the board.
From what I've garnered fromt this forum the past several years, most of what we're calling the "major' brands seem to be about equal in the reliabilty department, with one or two (mainly one) exception.
Dealer reputation and customer service, along with wet test results would be much more important.  
Maybe talking to a repair tech, again an independent one if possible, would be more useful in the less prominent brands.

Brewman

[wmccall]

The only problem you might encounter is that most techs are not independant and work mostly on their own brand and have gone through as much or more hoopla than the sales team.

That makes sense. However, Teach mentions talking to 4 differen techs and probably listening to what they had in commond and what was differen, probably allowing them to gather information that was helpful to them. Pretty original idea.

[fatman]

I had the same idea a few months ago when I began looking at hot tubs. There are 4 or 5 techs listed in the yellow pages and I called all of them. They were split 50-50 when it came to ff vs. tp and 56 vs. 48 frame motors. The one thing all of them agreed on is to stay far away from Cal Spas.

[Ruby]

That's what I did.  A friend of mine used to work for a wholesale pool & spa  parts place.  She gave me the name & number of a guy who used to be a repair tech and is now in parts sales.  Not only did he tell me that Marquis (among others) was easier to work on, but also that the dealer in my area had a great customer service record and had won many awards for it.  Whan I had issues, Stuart confirmed what that guy told me.  I was glad I went with them, they resolved my problems very quickly.  He was a good guy to talk to with the questions that I had-no sales pitch, just facts.

[freddortort]

AND therein lies the rub. . . . . . .

I really like the Marquis salesman the best BUT the Sundance tub the best! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

It just fits me better

[Kelly]

You did choose a good dealer, they have the best rep of any OK dealer. I have a friend in Midwest City who's purchased his last two HS tubs from Tulsa (even though the Stillwater HS dealer is half the distance). I bought mine from Stillwater and, although I haven't needed a service call, none of the paperwork that was supposed to be mailed to me following tub delivery several months ago has ever arrived - and two calls/messages left about chem questions have gone unreturned.  I suspect my first call for service will be "a deal".

[Lori]

When I was looking, the closest D-1 dealer was in Stillwater, they wouldn't return my phone calls about basic pricing and whether they had models on the floor ready to wet test.  I'm glad I could buy mine from a dealer in Norman, before they quit selling tubs.  I would worry, living in Midwest City, and expecting service from the Tulsa dealer.  I bet there is a service charge for those calls, even warranty issues.

[Kelly]

Actually his service guy is the one who delivered his spa to him from Tulsa - OKC/MWC area has a very good HS tech. I'm hoping Stillwater will use him (as I've been told they sometimes do) if I need warranty service - that is, rather than sending one of their people.

[stressed-out-teach]

Thanks for the positive comments Kelly and Lori.  The more I hear from others out there in spatopia, the more confident I am in my choice.  If you need anything, call Erik at Fiesta, and he will take good care of you.  He has been a gem to work with.  I have delivery set for Tuesday!!  Is there anything that this "newbie" should do  or know that will help??