How heavily would you weigh dealer longevity?

[Uzona]

Would you consider buying from a dealer that has only been in Business for 2 to 4 years.

Local Caldera dealer been in business for 2 years.  Owner  has been servicing Watkins spas for 14 years and services the spas himself.

Local Marquis dealer has been in business for 4 years.  They also service their own spas although  I bellieve their service guys has only been doing it for a couple years.

Dealing with the smaller local dealers has been pleasant and seemed to be more accomodating  than some of thier bigger competitors.  They focused more on thier spas instead of bad mouthing the competition.  However I still had to wade through some of the sales hype.

I'm concerned about thier short track record.  The Marquis dealer apears to be doing well and is about to open a larger second location.  That's encouraging and both are in good standing with BBB.  Not that that means much, but it's a start.

In contrast, the local Hot Springs and Jacuzzi Dealers are both established have been in business 15 to 20 years.  Neither service the spas themselves, both contract the servicing of spas out to third parties.   This means there are more service techs available if something goes wrong, but may mean less personal service.  I haven't checked thier BBB ratings.. Perhaps i should.

Would the smaller newer dealers scare you off?  Would you be concerned about the fact that there are less service techs available?  Would you be concerned about getting service if the dealer folded up shop?  Do you agree with my wife that I over analyze everything and suck the fun out of buying a hottub?

[Vanguard]

That's a great question.  I don't think you can only judge a dealership by their time in business.  Everyone had to get a start sometime.  I have seen longtime companies go out of business and new companies go out of business.  The dealerships that have been in business for 15 years had to go through the first couple of years as well.

Go with you gut on this.  You are talking about all good brands.  Even if, heaven forbid, your dealer goes out of business, your manufacturer will have the ability to help you out.

It sounds like the Caldera dealer has been in business for a long time, albeit not as a retailer.  If he has managed to be in the service business for 14 years, he at least knows how to run a business.  

So, in the end, yes, if I felt comfortable with the dealer, I'd consider doing business with him.

[Chad]

 A well established dealer is like alittle extra bonus. Is it a must, no, but it sure is nice to have. I agree with Vanguard. If you feel comfortable with a particular dealer than WHY NOT?

[wmccall]

For what it is worth. Two of the older members of this forum (Lori and I)  bought from dealers with a long history of spa sales and service. Hers decided within a year to get out of spa sales.  Mine sold the dealership to his son, who drove it into the ground.

That said, if I had to buy again today, the first place I would look is two long time dealers in our area, One sells HS and Cal, while the other sells Sundance and Jacuzzi.   I would have considered another long time dealer who carried Master Spa for several years, but they recently dumped Master in favor of QCA spas.  

[Brewman]

I'd use length of time in business in a minor way.  What if you found a spa that was "the one" for you, and it was offered by a dealer just starting out.  
 The guy down the street has been in business for 12 years, but you found those spas to be only "okay".
 You gonna compromise on your spa just because the guy selling it is a newbie?
I'd say it would be a factor, but not even close to a primary one.

 I'd say that the brand is more important that.  A Sundance, Hot Springs, Jacuzzi, etc.. no matter what happens to the dealer, it's likely you'll get service even if your dealer closes up shop.  
 
 The dealer I got my Optima from left the spa business this fall, but a new dealer opened up right across the street from them.  Regardless, there is an authorized service center in the area who can do Sundance warranty work.

[shortspark]

My Hot Springs dealer has been in business over 20 years and owns stores in three cities.  That tells me a lot right there and is the guy I went to when it came time to buy a new tub.  Of course, it also helps that his sales rep is Terminator. who is a frequent poster here and at other hot tub forums.

[fatman]

Call all of the independent hot tub repair techs in your area or visit their repair shops in person. The independent guys will be able to tell you which dealers are easy to work with and which ones suck. They will also be able to tell you which brands to stay away from.  Ask which brands require the most service and which are the most reliable. Their comments may surprise the heck out of you.

[neocacher]

There are 5 dealers in my town of Sioux Falls. Hot Springs, Jacuzzi, Caldera, Marquis and Coleman.  The Caldera and Jacuzzi dealer have been in town the shortest. Though I really did not consider how long each had been in business, I bought from the Caldera dealer because he seemed more eager for my business and gave me a much better trade in allowance on my 7 year old HS Sovereign.  Though he has only been in business about 4 or 5 years, his business is expanding (they just doubled their floor space).  I just felt comfortable with the situation, and I really did not care for the attitudes of the long term dealers.  When a clamp came loose the 2nd day after purchase and caused my tub to lose all its water, the dealer had a service man out within 50 minutes to my house to fix the problem.  So I do not think the length in business has that much of a bearing , at least for me.

[Chris_H]

Longevity is not as important as a separation of duties.  The biggest red flag I see in the industry are the small dealers where one individual is both selling and servicing the product.  When this is the case, that person has to consider the possibility of selling a spa or fixing your spa.  Fixing your spa under warranty brings in at most $100 bucks for a mileage/trip charge, where as, selling a spa brings in probably $7,000 dollars.  As an owner, which one would you choose?  If you don’t have the separation of duties, you will not get the service you deserve.

[SpaNE]

I'd use length of time in business in a minor way.  What if you found a spa that was "the one" for you, and it was offered by a dealer just starting out.  
 The guy down the street has been in business for 12 years, but you found those spas to be only "okay".
 You gonna compromise on your spa just because the guy selling it is a newbie?
I'd say it would be a factor, but not even close to a primary one.

 I'd say that the brand is more important that.  A Sundance, Hot Springs, Jacuzzi, etc.. no matter what happens to the dealer, it's likely you'll get service even if your dealer closes up shop.  
 
 The dealer I got my Optima from left the spa business this fall, but a new dealer opened up right across the street from them.  Regardless, there is an authorized service center in the area who can do Sundance warranty work.

Yeah...what he said.

[Spatech_tuo]

Local Caldera dealer been in business for 2 years.  Owner  has been servicing Watkins spas for 14 years and services the spas himself.

Local Marquis dealer has been in business for 4 years.  They also service their own spas although  I bellieve their service guys has only been doing it for a couple years.

In contrast, the local Hot Springs and Jacuzzi Dealers are both established have been in business 15 to 20 years.  Neither service the spas themselves, both contract the servicing of spas out to third parties.  

I think all 4 resumes are fine. I wouldn't use this criteria to determine who is "BEST" but rather I'd use it to weed someone out if I were uncomfortable and all seem good on paper.
The Caldera guy has been only around 2 years as a dealer (not bad but not long) but he has 14 years service experience so he understands the spas and in case of trouble he'll be a good dealer to have.
The Marquis guy has 4 years and poor dealers often don't last that long.
The HS and Jacuzzi guys obviously are long timers and as far as the contracting of service goes, that's pretty common and is neither a plus nor a minus. The techs they use will be on their toes as their need the business from what are probably 2 good sized dealers who they need to keep them in business so they'll should be expected to treat you as well as an in-house tech.

[Uzona]

Thanks everyone..

That eases a little of my fears. I guess I shouldn't worry so much about the fact that some of these are newer dealers.  We've rejected other brands/dealers because we didn't feel comfortable based upon our interactions with the dealers.  We feel comfortable dealing with these dealers so the ultimate decision will come down to which tub is the right tub.