Discovery Odyssey 7 from Costco

[sledjunkie]

Has anyone bought this tub?
For $4999 it seems to have alot of features.

Granted it doesn't have local dealer support and it gets dropped off at your curb, but still...

[wmccall]

Have you seen it yourself, or just online. I'd be curious as to your opinion.

[Mendocino101]

Do a search on folks who have bought from Costco/Home Depot, etc.....one common thing seems to be that the spas are very energy hungry ...since you can not see the insulation or the lack of it ....it stands to reason this is a common theme with the owners of the spas.....to hit that price point you have cut corners some place and it appears that insulation is the first place.....

[Spatech_tuo]

Has anyone bought this tub?
For $4999 it seems to have alot of features.

Granted it doesn't have local dealer support and it gets dropped off at your curb, but still...

It is what it is, a bargain spa dressed up as best they can. It's offered at a low price but that doesn't necessarily mean good value. Just go in with your eyes open and you obviously understand the lack of service and delivery. Add to that ?able quality and a warranty that will not stand up to industry standards, especially in how well it is backed as you may be playing phone tag unendlessly. If you're a handy person that will help as you very well may be the repair person and you certainly want to start by insulating it better, don't wait for the first bill to prove out how well it's insulated as the answer is definitely "not well".

[Jack_L]

Do a search on folks who have bought from Costco/Home Depot, etc.....one common thing seems to be that the spas are very energy hungry ...since you can not see the insulation or the lack of it ....it stands to reason this is a common theme with the owners of the spas.....to hit that price point you have cut corners some place and it appears that insulation is the first place.....

You should not lump Costco tubs with Home Depot or other box stores for the very reason that if you buy a Costco tub and say 6 months down the road you decided "this tub $uck$, what was I thinking", you can pack it up and take it back for a full refund "no questions asked".   The other box stores do not allow such a deal.  

FWIW.........

[drewstar]

You should not lump Costco tubs with Home Depot or other box stores for the very reason that if you buy a Costco tub and say 6 months down the road you decided "this tub $uck$, what was I thinking", you can pack it up and take it back for a full refund "no questions asked".   The other box stores do not allow such a deal.  

FWIW.........

I found this hard to belive and contacted Costco. They told me there is a 100% satisfaction gurantee and no time limit . The only exception is computers. (6 month  limit)

I think I'll go get a new lawn tractor and in November return it and get a snowblower, and then NExt April return that and pick out a new lawn tractor....

[Mendocino101]

You should not lump Costco tubs with Home Depot or other box stores for the very reason that if you buy a Costco tub and say 6 months down the road you decided "this tub $uck$, what was I thinking", you can pack it up and take it back for a full refund "no questions asked".   The other box stores do not allow such a deal.  

FWIW.........

I am speaking of the spas not the return policy ....also while its true you can return it... very few people will be able to so without paying a spa mover to do it for them....also do not be surprised if that in the next few months Costco amends the return policy some what....after selling a spa to a long time employee of Costco they informed me that a study showed that it is being abused and interesting enough Costco employees were the biggest group of abusers.....not my words but his....

[Gomboman]

I found this hard to belive and contacted Costco. They told me there is a 100% satisfaction gurantee and no time limit . The only exception is computers. (6 month  limit)

I think I'll go get a new lawn tractor and in November return it and get a snowblower, and then NExt April return that and pick out a new lawn tractor....

The return policy is what made Costco great. There is a small percentage of people who take advantage of the system but they seem to make it work regardless.

I always wondered how Costco could stay in business with such a wide open return policy. It turns out that Costco isn't eating the returns. They pass the returns on to their suppliers.  

Costco is a gold mine. They have good merchandise at a decent price. They also pay their employees very well compared to their competition. Much better business philosophy than Wal-Mart if you ask me.

[dswslp]

regardless of the return policy if you like the tub and it has quality components like say gulfcoast spas i would go for it.  Around cleveland there are several companies that work on all spas like household appliances.  People are spending alot of dough getting the tub from the curb to their placement and to have the dealer hold their hands.  Which is certainly needed in some cases.  Some of the lower priced spas have the same quality components as the expensive ones.  regards dswslp

[Mendocino101]

regardless of the return policy if you like the tub and it has quality components like say gulfcoast spas i would go for it.  Around cleveland there are several companies that work on all spas like household appliances.  People are spending alot of dough getting the tub from the curb to their placement and to have the dealer hold their hands.  Which is certainly needed in some cases.  Some of the lower priced spas have the same quality components as the expensive ones.  regards dswslp

YES and just ignore the extra 40 to 50 dollars it cost to run the spa each month over a better insulated spa and its a real deal......in fact if you change it every 2 years you will break just about even with a more efficient spa....keep it longer and your in the hole.....

[Gomboman]

YES and just ignore the extra 40 to 50 dollars it cost to run the spa each month over a better insulated spa and its a real deal......in fact if you change it every 2 years you will break just about even with a more efficient spa....keep it longer and your in the hole.....

Yes, I agree with 101. My neighbor has a Costco spa. He claims his electric bill went up about $100/month.  My HS spa is around $30-$40 or so in the winter. This is not scientific but I know his will cost more to operate. I helped him lift the spa into his backyard and noticed it had very little insulation.

He still thinks I'm crazy for buying a name brand spa.

[Spatech_tuo]

Yes, I agree with 101. My neighbor has a Costco spa. He claims his electric bill went up about $100/month.  My HS spa is around $30-$40 or so in the winter. This is not scientific but I know his will cost more to operate. I helped him lift the spa into his backyard and noticed it had very little insulation.

He still thinks I'm crazy for buying a name brand spa.

It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of the big box store type spa unless someone REALLY knows what they're getting themselves into. More often than not people ignore any internal or external wanrings due to the allure of the price tag but the value is questionable IMO. In the end, if someone does buy one of these I always advise that the FIRST thing they need to do is to add insulation to it. The last time I said that the question I got was "why" to which there is only one answer "because they have virtually none".