Is Zip-Chlor a form of dichlor? Yes, what Canada said. Most of follow the Vermonter method where we add dichlor (chlorine) after we soak to kill the bacteria. Typcially, you will enter the spa with almost no Free Chlorine residual. This way you will not be sitting in a chemical bath.
You normally shock the spa every week or two depending on how often you use the spa. Shocking will remove the chloramines which are the smelly byproducts that the chlorine destroyed. You can shock with dichlor (chlorine) or MPS (non-chlorine shock) if you are following a chlorine system.
If I followed your dealers system my water would probably get a little cloudy also. The amount of chemicals used depends on the spa usage. Using a certain amount of chemicals on Monday, Wednesday and Friday isn't the best method.
Like Canada said, I would start out using about 1 teaspoon of dichlor per person after each use. This is after your Alkalinity and PH levels are within range. You could also shock once per week until you get your routine down. It will get easier for you. I also recommend reading the Vermonter FAQ at:
http://www.rhtubs.com/cgi-bin/bbs/config.pl